#LifeHack, by which I mean extremely mundane #tip: my summer has been immensely improved so far by carrying roll on insect repellent in my #EDC bag. (Also a shoutout for the new stuff with eucalyptus citriodora extract as the active ingredient… I’ve tried the Off! spray and the Aerogard roll-on and both are working great.) #UsefulPlants

The other day I brought home my old camera from the studio. It’s a ca. 2011 Olympus micro 4/3 dealio, which to be honest I never learned to use properly before my iPhone camera got good enough to tip the cost/benefit in its favour. However, I want to actually learn how it works and take better photos, so I’ve been making an effort. I started with a couple of online classes in the vein of “photography nature walks” and similar, all non-technical, just talking about being mindful and seeing what’s around you. In that vein, here’s a few pics from my garden the other morning. #JanuaryJoy #NaturePhotography #mindfulness #gardening #flowers #EdiblePlants #UsefulPlants #Ballarat #Summer

(Aside: is there a hashtag for learning about #photography/beginner photography?)

@AnnaLaStrange I make baskets! This is a WIP, with daffodil leaf cordage and braided linen scrap from my sewing practice. #basketry #coiledbasket #upcycling #zerowaste #linen #UsefulPlants #permaculture

Getting in just under the line (in my time zone) for #ArtJanuaryCalendar, day 1 (Happy New Year!)

These are some samples of cordage made from foraged plant materials. Honestly I forget what plants they are — I think the left and upper right might be dandelion stems, and the lower right might be Lomandra (a common Australian native grass that’s endemic to our region.)

#cordage #basketry #UsefulPlants #NativePlants #MastoArt #MastoCraft #TextileArt #dandelion #lomandra #permaculture #Ballarat

A quick #introduction …

I’m a multi-disciplinary artist (mostly #textiles and adjacent) from #Australia. I make and sell #handmade clothing,, homewares and other bits and bobs from The Lost Ones Makers Studio in the arts precinct in the centre of the beautiful historic city of #Ballarat, which I share with four other incredible artists.

I’m inspired by #HistoricDress and #TraditionalSkills, as well as #UsefulPlants from my #garden and local area.

I’m also @alexbayleaf@aus.social for more general posts.

I was surprised to come across one of the details I must have retained from the book without knowing. Early on, the characters gather offshoots of the big spiky agave from an abandoned farmstead, which they use to make a “thorn fence” around their property.

Where I live, the block backs on to public land. There’s a steep slope down to the creek, covered in blackberries. I’ve been slowly digging a tunnel through the blackberries, and now I’m within about 2 metres of an open patch.

My housemates (the owners of the property) asked me not to dig further for now, so the dog doesn’t get loose. And also so people don’t wander up from the creek, which they say has happened before. So I got to thinking about how to discourage that, and the “fence” of prickly plants came to mind.

I’ve pondered this for years on and off, when fantasising about different blocks of land. I don’t want to live in a walled compound, and even standard fencing is expensive. But I’d like to have some privacy, as well as a distinct entrance(s) for people to come through and know they couldn’t wander in some other way. I’ve pondered English style hedges (which would work well in our climate) as well as prickly native plantings of things like Bursaria spinosa, and Mediterranean options like artichokes (seasonal) and some citrus varieties.

Funny that this has stuck in my brain for so long, when I don’t remember the book’s plot.

#memory #permaculture #UsefulPlants #SmallAndSlowSolutions #StackingFunctions

Just a few pretty pics of the raised bed just outside our back door, and a “before” pic from a few months ago #permaculture #zone1 #ObtainAYield #UsefulPlants #VegetableGardening #flowers #wildflowers #gardening

@gardeningwell 👋🏼 I’m mostly into #VegetableGardening and other #UsefulPlants, on 500m^2 in south-eastern #Australa