​Pottering about in the garden is one of those things, most people have come to enjoy and appreciate, with the hope of getting back to nature.  However, being confined to barracks or living in an apartment does not mean you can’t get into the garden.  You just have to get creative.

​So this week, in my downtime of not working on Term 2 planning for school, I have potted up a few vegetables that will do well living inside the home.  

​A sunny position on a windowsill, in a bedroom or on the veranda – closed in or not, can be a great way to keep the veggies coming and keeping it fresh.  The crop might be a little smaller than you’d see in a regular garden, but it is also a great way to get productive, to keep the kids entertained and educated, and will add a touch of green around the house.  

​Potted plants are a great air-cleaner, and a ripe tomato from the windowsill is a good nibble that doesn’t need to clutter up your refrigerator.  Basil, spinach and lettuce are my favourites, as well as cucumbers.

​A couple of weeks ago, I also raised seedling tomatoes.  Today, I potted them out, ready for the windowsill.  They look pretty awesome, don’t they?  You should give it a try. Now, I just have to wait a month or so, for them to crop.  Maybe, I should get some indoor bees – what do you think?  Just joking – I was having a ‘Trump’ moment. 😊

As a species we are minuscule in the great scheme of things, but our effect on the planet since our existence, has been catastrophic.

We tell ourselves, not to worry - all will be okay and that the planet survived long before we arrived on the scene.

Although, Mother Nature has never created - in the history of evolution, such a complex, selfish, self concerning species. She has outdone herself in her abilities of organic design; we have been her best and worst creation to date.

The more evolved we become, the greater heights we strive to achieve - the less we see what is happening around us; the more out of touch with the balance of nature we become.

We tell ourselves, there should be work-life balance - what about Mother Nature balance? Where there is imbalance, there is will be a trade off. Something else, someone else, some other species or organism must suffer as a result of the imbalance.

Due care for nature; to work with and beside her must be our first and last consideration before we create, invent, borrow, pillage or destroy.

We tell our kids, ‘you are not the only one on the planet’, but as adults we consider only ourselves. We behave like spoilt brats expecting the earth; expecting to receive all, to have all in the name of progress and success.

Time is now. What we walk past, we accept.

We are failing Mother Nature as her greatest creation; we need to make her proud.

In order to help our kids, to help ourselves, to help us get ahead in our own lives. We must first consider doing something for Mother Nature - we must give back - be that plant a tree, clean up the earth’s surface - biosphere/atmosphere that we have polluted. We must learn to think of healthy disposals before we create anything, buy anything, use anything.

We were given paradise - all given to us without recoil, but we are creating and living in a rubbish dump. Where everything is disposable.

Charity starts at home - with nature.

.This took me by surprise and when I asked the doctor how I might have contracted such bacteria, he said you would be surprised as to how many people we see each week with such related illnesses.

I am not saying people should give up the idea of owning a dog or a cat. However, I don't think one should ever become complacent about cleanliness. It might seem trivial, but if one is not careful or one does not teach young children about appropriate hygiene while caring for or handling animals, they could pay a very big price of being permanently at risk for not only these diseases, but a whole host of others  - like leading to limb amputations

You can learn more at: One Health Fact Sheet

Resource and Research papers
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5319273/
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/dogs.html
https://www.empr.com/home/news/dogs-saliva-caused-bacterial-infection-leading-to-amputations/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_leptospirosis
​https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets-and-antibiotic-resistance.html
https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/multimedia/factsheet.html

​It appears the Murray Darling Basin is in strife and if we don’t take efforts to assist - to stop the constant emptying, restricting, and polluting of the water flow – families, farms, rural and indigenous communities and yes, the environment will suffer beyond what is imaginable.

Once upon a time, communities in the proximity of the Murray Darling Basin all shared water resources with nature.  Both sides found time to thrive and prolificate. There was no childish behaviour or squabbling over its use.  What nature provided so comfortably was treasured, respected in times of proliferation and scarcity.  It was a bond, a silent agreement with nature to respect and savour such an easily fleeting resource - for the sake of all - for the sake of survival. ​

Not human, animal or the environment was better or more deserving of the life-giving substance; the Murray Darling Basin provided for all. 
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Mother nature does not dictate the waters allocation or destroy its purity – only mankind takes this upon himself to upset the flow and equilibrium that is so precariously balanced; any interference in this process has disastrous consequences.  And yes, all reliant on this balance, are now paying the price for this Godly judgement.  

Large Corporations and Government bodies now side together - call the shots – service each other’s pockets - become judge and jury over the Basin’s very existence.  They too, have sealed its fate.
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Scores of wildlife have left the area or died; the environment is no longer a breeding ground for lush vegetation; farming communities have more than halved; farmers have up and walked off their land; job losses are at a record high and the next generation of youngsters will never see the Basin as it was – pristine, uncompromised and life giving.

Sharing is what nature does best, a trait mankind could adopt to ensure its survival, too.  Mankind is a passing visitor to this planet, a spectator if you like, but none the less its survival is fleeting - just like the rest of its inhabitants. Yet, nature must be preserved, maintained, and restored so it is here for the next generations.  It is not a matter of enjoyment.  It is a matter of priority - equally as needed, precious and pressing as maintenance of the Great Barrier Reef – an eco-system built on and totally reliant on preserving nature’s delicate balance.

Mankind should not even have to question this process, but it does.  It judges. It decides.  It destroys for the sake of monetary gain.  Where will it end?
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No longer can we be bystanders in the process of natures’ abuse. It is time mankind worked together for the common cause – survival for all.

It takes just one to make a difference in the world.  :)

​Learn more about the plight of the Murray Darling Basin, below.

Dolphin Project have been recording her status and that of the other remaining animals.  They have been trying to gain the attention of the Japanese authorities to change the conditions for the animals, but with little response.  The owner of the Park has apparently been contacted, but no response to date. ​