LIVING LIKE KINGS -

Part 2

The Farmers Market

Recently there has been some pressure to open up our quarantine regime to allow for the importation of more produce. It is felt that our tourist visitors do not always appreciate the seasonality of our produce supplies, and would dearly love to have access to the range of things they can enjoy on the mainland. Our government is going to trial the importation of apples, because they are, indeed, one of the things that do not grow really well here.

However, there is strong local opposition to going any further than that. Many have quarantine concerns. Others strongly believe this fertile little island is capable of producing all we really need. Many agree it is much better to eat what is local and seasonal.

A recently formed group, called "Sustainable Norfolk" decided to establish a Farmer's Market outside of our local hall on Saturday mornings, so we can not only see what really is available, but to bring the public into closer contact with the growers themselves. It is also great for small backyard producers to have the chance to bring their excess for sale and earn some pocketmoney.

Lovely fresh herbs are quickly sold.

These carrots and bananas may not be the smooth and symmetrical items you see displayed in neat rows on the mainland - but they taste much better!!

This has been a wonderful success, although we hope there will be more taking part in the future. It is an opportunity for growers to bring along their fresh (very) produce and sell it direct to their customers. It is also providing a means of finding out just what people like to buy and try, and perhaps grow new things for those of us who really appreciate good healthy food.


And one thing I have sensed, as we have faced a degree of financial hardship in recent times, is that more people are striving to make their mealtimes more special, and are savouring the special delights on offer in the food lines. The bigger luxuries may have to wait, but there is no reason why we should not be making the most of the small ones!

Anyone who comes along to the Saturday markets cannot fail to feel the "good vibes" there. It has become a great social occasion, a chance to meet up and chat, and perhaps even share recipes and ways of preparing the vegetables.

There is a "no plastic bag" policy at the Farmers Market - another sensible and sustainable practice. I am sure, that others, like me, have taken great delight in bringing out the special baskets they may have had at home, lying unused.

As well as fruit and veges, people have been selling home made pasta and sushi, baked goods and jams, even boxes of firewood kindling.

This last week, Parks and Wildlife had masses of Norfolk Island native trees available for people who presented vouchers they had received in the mail. This was most popular!

Next year, I think I will make a special effort to produce enough marmalade to sell from time to time.

A little lamb came to market on Saturday - much to everyone's delight.

LIVING LIKE KINGS - part 1

We may have missed out on a vice-regal visit a couple of weeks ago, but here on Norfolk Island we often feel we can live like kings and queens. Hard economic times have not passed us by, but I often say that Norfolk Island is the best place in the world to be poor. We seem to eat so well.

Most Norfolkers are actually very proud of the fact that we grow almost all of our fresh produce right here on Norfolk Island, with the exception of some of our potatoes and onions, garlic and ginger (although these are grown here.)

It means that everything is seasonal, and you often have to plan your menu around what is available at the time. It also means there are periods of time when you go without certain items, and it can be either feast or famine.

There are plenty of pluses, of course, including the fact that what we buy to eat is freshly picked and naturally ripened, and has been transported no more than a kilometre or two! We know where it has come from, and how it has been grown.

And although we have our share of pests and nasties, our strict quarantine status means that we can limit these, and there is an opportunity to grow using a minimum of pesticides and herbicides .

Matt is one young Norfolker who is proving that we can grow the very best of healthy produce both safely and in abundance. Matt farms his land out on Two Chimneys Road, and also on an area out at Simons Water.

Matt is one of a growing number of Norfolkers who would like Norfolk Island to be a showcase to the whole world in healthy sustainability!

Now just look at these pictures, taken one morning last week out at Simons Water.

The soil here is known as Steele's Point loam. It is rich and volcanic, and with careful management, Matt is making sure it stays that way. Healthy soils mean healthier plants and better nutrition.

A magnificent crop of pumpkins stretches the length of the paddock.

There is scarcely a weed to be seen - so that all the nutrients go to the vegetables!

Carrots are my favourite vegetable. It looks as if we will have a good supply in the coming weeks!

I have so much to show and tell you about this topic that I have decided to spread it over a few blogs.

SIGNS OF SPRING

It all started with just a jam tin of bulbs. And people said that Norfolk Island was too warm to grow them successfully anyway.

But from those humble beginnings just a few years ago, Edie and Jack's garden is a sea of gold every year from late winter to mid-Spring.

Last year, Edie and Jack dug up all the bulbs and gave thousands away before re-planting them - and they are almost as thick as ever now!

They have wandered into daughter Sandy's house next door, where they present an equally impressive show.

No one seems to be able to grow them quite as successfully as the Macks. Perhaps they just like the south easterly aspect down there at the end of Collins Head Road - or maybe it is because we don't give them the same loving care.

There are plenty more colourful plants in this garden. It is hard to believe that this active and energetic couple are past their four score years. They have admitted to getting a little help with the weeding this year - but there a very few younger people who would be brave enough to take on a flower garden of this size!

Whenever you visit "Tolcairn" you are bound to come away with a cutting or two, or some side shoots with roots - and my garden has a number of plants that have come from Edie's over the years. She is most generous in spreading the gardening pleasure!

Edie is a floral artist, and has passed on her skills to many people. So I suppose that the garden is a bit like her "store room", providing material for her Craft.

Mind you, the vegetable garden and orchard are equally productive, although that is more Jack's area. And there is always plenty to give away from there too!

My pictures do not do it justice, but this garden looks over a valley filled with pines, and at this time of year, all the terns are returning to the island for their summer breeding season. It is a magnificent sight. Beyond that is the sea and Phillip Island.

It is truly a little paradise haven!

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

Last week, on August 19th, we celebrated 30 years of being granted self-government on Norfolk Island. I should say "re-granted" because, in fact, this community governed itself for 107 years after the Mutiny on the Bounty and the settlement on Pitcairn, only to lose their rights in 1896.

But we do not give up easily, and here was an occasion worth making the most of! We have a lot to "show off", both past and present, and that is just what we were doing in Rawson Hall last Thursday afternoon.

It was actually a day late. The day before, the Governor -General was to arrive to add her presence to a very special occasion. But the weather was so wild, her Airforce plane was unable to land, and after three frightening attempts, they turned back for Canberra.

The Pitcairn/Norfolk story was narrated, and acted out with song and dance. There was a recognition of the Polynesian heritage, as well as the cultural influences that have become important to us since.

Bounty hats featured prominently!

A proud group of Norfolkers, in traditional Bounty dress, sat and sang some of our unique Norfolk songs.

I forgot my camera, but Barbara sent me through these pictures. I wish I could show you the five pairs of children, of varying ages, doing the "Bounty Waltz" - it was so beautiful and carried out with great dignity.

As you can see, the hall was decorated beautifully. We are sorry that Their Excellencies missed out on what was a very moving occasion, one which made you feel just so proud to be a part of this Norfolk Island community.

A RARE BEAUTY

A few years ago, this was one of the world's most endangered plants. It is a rare and ancient hibiscus, growing only in two or three clumps on uninhabited Phillip Island, just to the south of Norfolk Island. Over the decades it had suffered the predations of rabbits, pigs and goats, which had been placed on Phillip Island for food and sport in the Penal settlement times.

Today we are well underway in removing this beautiful plant from the endangered list. Many of us have specimens growing in our gardens. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney actually has a hedge of it, and it can sometimes be purchased in nurseries.

The proper name for the Phillip Island Hibiscus is "Hibiscus Insularis." It is not a large bush, and is not "showy" like the Hawaiian hibiscus. Most specimens you see have very small leaves. These are actually immature leaves, and are said to remain like this for around twenty years, when the plant finally produces its mature leaves. I have read that the bush rarely flowers before that time. However, our bushes are nothing like that age, and the smaller one produced its first flowers last year. The larger one has just presented us with its first bloom!

This picture shows some buds which will open in the next day or two.

When the flowers first open, they are a beautiful creamy yellow/green.

By the next day they have become a delicate pink.

Finally they change to a red wine colour before they shrivel.

They do not produce masses of blooms, and only flower at a certain time of year - but they are well worth waiting for!

CRAZY ABOUT PATCHWORK

Now I fell in love with Crazy patchwork as a small child. We had a great aunt, living in a little village near Canterbury, who was both thrifty and creative - what a wonderful combination! One of her favoured activities was creating crazy patched cushions for family members. She used a variety of scraps, including the dressmaker's samples from the lady for whom she had worked as a maid. These were embellished with basic feather and herringbone stitches. I thought they were wonderful.

I did not start exploring crazy patchwork for myself until about 20 years ago. The biggest obstacle to overcome was the necessity to learn some basic embroidery, and night after night I would practise on "samplers", until I felt I was good enough to decorate a seam or two.

I did not look back, although the embroidery thing is still only a "means to an end" for me! It is the opportunity to collect and "play" with bits and pieces, and make a creative decision each step of the way until the piece finally looks "just right" that attracts me to the medium. For years I had wanted to make things that looked more "organic", and ibn recent times crazy patchwork, for me, has become a starting point for even more crative and personal textile art and mixed media work.

I have realised over the years that although many crafters admire crazy work, they feel intimidated by it, because there is no pattern or guidelines to follow. There is an old saying among Crazy patchworkers that there is only one rule - and that is that there are "No Rules" (with the possible exception of needing to enjoy it!)

I was really delighted, therefore, when one of our local group of patchworkers asked if I would come and start them of on some Crazy work.

I decided that it would need to be a small project, easily achievable. So I prepared some bases of either hearts or small Christmas stockings.

About 16 girls turned up to try their hand, and we had a busy afternoon mastering the basics of the "sew and flip" method, and learning to "audition" fabrics and arrangements for the best effect.

Auditioning fabrics and embellishments. Crazy work does not have to be "random."

One of the main messages I tried to get over was that there is no right or wrong, and that mistakes are just opportunities to try something you had not planned for! I also stressed that many traditional quilters need to discover a new and different mindset when working on Crazy patchwork, while still using their basic needlework skills and their sense of colour and design.

Raewyn, who has some experience with crazy work and embroidery, tackled a more ambitious teacosy front.These girls preferred to lay their patches down by hand.Getting ideas and inspirations from finished pieces brought along for display It took great concentration at first.But that did not mean it wasn't fun!

Everyone got on really well - and all the efforts turned out surprisingly different, bearing the stamp of their maker! And that is how it ought to be. When Crazy Patchwork first found popularity in the late 1800's, it was not so much about economy and using up scraps - it was an opportunity for women (and a few men) to express themselves and celebrate their own creativity!

Next time, we are going to tackle some embellishing techniques, including some embroidery stitches.

QUEEN FOR A NIGHT

I know I always seem to be writing about birthday gatherings. For one thing you can't beat a good Norfolk party. But I am also conscious of those Norfolkers who live away from here, who "tune in" to this blog to see what has been going on. I know lots of them enjoy seeing some of the old Norfolk faces, even if it makes them feel a bit homesick!
Last week Vonnie had a "significant" birthday. She told me "It is just another day", which is true, and when you get to our age, they are all "big" numbers. But that doesn't stop us having fun!!

The party was a potluck supper in Don's Shed. Actually it is looking less like a shed each time I go there. It is hard to believe that this lovely hall, with that great big stage, used to be an aluminium joinery workshop.

Anyway, the first important task for the evening was to fit Vonnie out with her gown and crown.

I did not get a picture of the food, but "potluck" is a very tame description of what you eat at a typical Norfolk gathering. Most of the food was hot, ideal for a winter's night.

When we had all had more than enough to eat, it was time to light the candles on the two cakes - a big chocolate mudcake, and a croquembouche.

We all joined in singing happy birthday, and wishing this lovely lady all the best.

Typically, all the kids gathered round when it came time to cut up the cakes!

When the music started, Roy got Vonnie up for a dance.

Archie was on the piano, Wiggy on his T-chest bass, the Nobbs boys on their guitars and ukeleles, and Roy on his harmonica.

Soon there were 8 or 9 Norfolk musicians up on that stage, including Vonnie herself on her spoons.

And not a sheet of music between them!



HAPPY BIRTYHDAY VONNIE - AND PLEASE, NEVER GROW UP!!