It may be autumn, but the living is still easy at Moruya. Not that we are there, but in the heat of the summer it was a great escape from a parched and baked Canberra. Our newly insulated shed was as comfortable on a hot night as Canberra is with the air con on. And the ocean is never too warm, in fact it was perfect.
It has been a wonderful season of enjoying what we have achieved and looking towards the next stage from a relaxed and positive perspective. As always, my personal goals and my political orientation have to be compatible. Or perhaps my view of reality distorts my plans.
There were some pleasant surprises, like the totally neglected plum tree that bore a delightful crop:

That told me that some stone fruits can grow there, and locals confirmed that quite a variety is possible. Protecting crops from the critters is the big challenge. In Canberra I’m wondering why my eggplant bushes look fine and dandy, but just aren’t producing flower or fruit.
And visiting friends quickly helped us set us this day bed on the deck, from scraps of timber and an old bed frame. It was just right for leisurely coffee in the morning, but the mattress had to be dragged inside when showers came. But just having some rain now and then, unlike Canberra, is worth the trip.

Now that the Moruya Markets have settled into their new spot along the river park, they have expanded and become noticeably more groovy. There I discovered made to measure shower proof dog beds that will solve the problem of the day bed mattress, all in due time.
Just a few weeks ago we got the satellite internet, which is a bit slow but does the trick. And we take our ageing puss along, as he travels well enough and is mostly content to sit on the deck.
That’s what I call all the comforts – pings from the saltellite and puss to pat.

Puss took no interest in either the kangaroos or the goanna who hands around. We should give him a name, he probably likes the freely flung scraps that land on the ground, a rather casual approach to composting.

Now that the house is rented again and the certificate of occupancy has been given to the shed, we turn to the next task and project: further sub-division of the remaining land. Will Council view our modest plans for a few eco-houses favourably, or will it all be too hard? There is too much hilly scrub to manage, and some good sites that are mostly flat. We are just 10 min from town and a few minute drive to the beach.
Just the other week there was mention of a discussion paper in New South Wales to consider the risk of sea level rise in any coastal development, over the life of the development. Now our block is mostly well above anything projected for this century, but the road along the river to access it would be in trouble if the tidal rise increases by even 20 cm. And it is now becoming clear that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports were too driven by the conservative consensus thinking that governments imposed on the scientists. Sea level rises this century of 2 metres are not out of the question, and that doesn’t take into account the possibility of a sudden ‘bifurcation’ or radical rapid change.
But gee, I hate to close on a negative note. In fact, I was just interrupted by a call from one of the smart, dedicated young climate change activists that work so hard here in Canberra to bring about the change we all want to believe in. She is putting together info sheets for a sustainble career expo. Can’t beat that for positive thinking and action.