pool

Text: My inner city farm

from gabrielle, 13.01.10

Living within five minutes of the centre of Townsville in the dry tropics of North Queensland on a quarter acre block in an old Queenslander I feel like I am in a green oasis. The soil is productive after years of grass clippings and compost.Nothing leaves the garden- all is decomposed and the house can't be seen from the top of Castle Hill. The house and garden are a wedge of green in the silver and red roof tops. I am harvesting cucumbers, mangoes, tomatoes, yellow sapotes,paw paw and herbs.That is now, other fruit will come on as will the vegies in this twenty year old permaculture garden. My two chickens provide eggs for a couple of families and have an spoilt exixtance.
The frog pond has ornate burrowing fogs and many other species and the native fish lure the mozzies.At night the possums and frogs compete with the sounds of visiting owls.
 Our neighbours think we are hippies and greenies and clip our trees neatley up to their borders but I still give them eggs. We have sweet potatoes growing on the foot path and have fruit trees in font of our house. On the trafiic Island, black sappote trees have been planted and produce fruit seven years later. Being a local means riding your bike, knowing your neighbours and accepting their different life choices, defending your street trees with protests against city council and being active in groups.Our electricity bills are ridiculously low as we have solar hot water and busy working lives. I love this life, what could be better?

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