The Market in the Mountains has never disappointed me whenever I have attended it. Last Christmas I went to the market, which is always held in the Stanthorpe Civic Centre, just before Christmas and bought a selection of Italian sweets and a traditional Christmas cake.

Christmas treats

The women who sold me the Italian sweets have a stall at every market which always proves a popular destination for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Home baked Italian sweets

As I entered the Stanthorpe Civic Centre for the last of the August markets the first people I saw were my good friends Dietmar and Dorothy Gogolka. All those people who have read my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine will know Dietmar and Dorothy as two important characters in this story about life in the wine tourism industry of the Granite Belt. Recently I received this comment from Helen Scott, after she had finished reading Wildflowers, wilderness and wine.

Dietmar and Dorothy

I devoured your book in 24 hours, didn’t put it down until I finished it.  Bernie found me laughing out loud early hours of the morning. You are truly an inspiration.  You are a teacher, preacher, artist, philosopher with the most wholesome attitude.  You have also confirmed that a few drinks never hurt anybody.

This week we have had your steak and onion gravy casserole, and made tarts using your biscuit pastry recipe.  I am now inspired to make almost everything in your book. I love the way you have opened your life for the world to read and given so much of yourselves.  At times this week I have felt like I have been walking to your beautiful river with you.  I dream about your fantastic Christmas feasts full of tradition.  I have passed your book on to a friend of mine who is feeling a little bit of the “woe is me” syndrome. If your book doesn’t break his negative spirit then nothing will.

Dorothy and Dietmar produce a variety of tasty sauces, olive products, jams and gluten free cakes. I always have an excess of figs, grapes and boysenberries in my garden, which they come to pick every summer for their jams.

Washpool Farm Soap

This young girl was helping her mother sell handmade soap. Her brochure said Soap – Pure, Local, Affordable – Skin Friendly, Chemical Free – Eco Friendly, Biodegradable.  This beautiful soap is made with select cold pressed oils (including almond, olive, rice bran, virgin coconut, apricot kernel, hemp, wheatgerm, castor, macadamia and avocado). Depending on the intended use butters are also added. These include cocoa, shea, mango, avocado and olive, as well as essential oils, herbal teas, goats milk, buttermilk and herbal extracts. No wonder the soaps displayed for my approval looked like delectable coconut ice.

For further information check out their website: www.washpoolfarm.com.au

Wood work

Modern Coth Nappies

The wood work stall probably needs no description as the photograph tells the story, but I found the Modern Cloth Nappies of great interest. These pocket nappies have a cute, waterproof outer shell, a stay-dry inner lining and a super absorbent bamboo soaker. Additional soakers can be added to boost absorbency for heavy wetters or overnight. Instructions state that the outer pocket should be washed before use. The inner soaker should be washed at least three times before use. Then the amazing promise is that the nappy will reach its maximum absorbency after 6-10 washes.

I bought one for a toddler granddaughter to try and I expect if it lives up to its promised performance, I’ll buy more. They seem like a wonderful new alternative to either the old terry nappies or expensive disposables.

Wind chimes

Another  stall was selling twisted silver spoons and forks suspended from horseshoe hangers as unusual wind-chimes.

Some of the stalls I had seen at Glen Aplin and Wallangarra markets were also represented at the Market in the Mountain.

Mark Winkler was there with his Granite Highland Wines with their tartan labels. Other stalls were selling knitted goods, needlework, lavender products, garden plants, fruit and vegetables.

Wool cushions with crocheted flowers

As the market brochure states, everything exhibited at the Market in the Mountains must be made, baked, sewn or grown by the stall owner. This guarantees that only quality products are offered for sale, which in return ensures a regular attendance by the local population and tourists spending the weekend on the Granite Belt. It is a great opportunity for people to buy unique gifts or food stuffs. The Market in the Mountains is held regularly on the second and fourth Sundays each month in the Stanthorpe Civic Centre. It is a showcase for Stanthorpe Crafters & Hobbyists Asscociation Inc. Coaches are welcome and there are access and facilities for disabled persons.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine may be obtained from the publishers StrictlyLiterary or from my website http://www.australia-book.com.au

I am also publishing for free, chapter by chapter, my book The Forgotten Ones on http://fayhelwigauthor.com The story is set in Germany and illustrated with many of my photographs.

Technorati Tags: Beautiful River, biscuit pastry, Christmas Cake, Christmas Feasts, Civic Centre, Dietmar, Good Friends, granite belt, Helen Scott, Italian Sweets, Last Christmas, Onion Gravy, Pastry Recipe, Philosopher, Preacher, Sweet Tooth, Tourism Industry, Traditional Christmas, Wholesome Attitude, Wine Tourism

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When I access the New England Highway at Glen Aplin I must STOP and look for trains before I cross the railway line. It is compulsory that such road signs be obeyed, or I risk a fine and the loss of points from my driver’s license if sighted by a Queensland Policeman. Every time I obediently comply, it makes Eberhard chuckle. Only one day a month will a train appear twice on this line. This is a steam train, the Downs Dasher, bringing tourists from Warwick to Wallangarra for the monthly market. It arrives at Wallangarra about mid-day and departs on the return trip at 2.00pm

The Downs Dasher

Pulling a couple of passenger carriages it chugs its way up from the city of Warwick at the south of the Darling Downs to the border highlands of the Granite Belt, which is the northernmost extension of the New England Tableland.  It’s destination is Wallangarra/Jennings the Queensland/New South Wales border town.  When I took these photos it was true to its name dashing down the slope and across the bridge to gather speed to pull up the far hill.

Off to Wallangarra

In Australia the railways were built and managed by State governments who foolishly could never agree to cooperate.

One can laugh at the petty silliness displayed in the construction of the Wallangarra border railway station, but the stupidity of the States in each deciding to construct railway lines with different width gauges has not been forgiven by the Australian population. It held back the development of rail transport within Australia as no train could cross a State border as every system of lines was a different width. It is known that the Queensland Government decided to create a narrower system than that of New South Wales to reduce the cost of construction, but in so doing created subsequent road transport costs for the next century. The New South Wales State Government decided to close the railway on their side of the border and allowed it to fall into disrepair.

Wallangarra railway station

Originally this station was the most important border crossing between Queensland and New South Wales. In 1889 Sir Henry Parkes, “The Father of Federation” transhipped on his way to Tenterfield. He was horrified to see wheat shipped interstate to be milled  into flour and then returned across the border where it faced an excise tax. The work involved of unloading and reloading the trains was enormous. Sir Henry went on to Tenterfield where he made one of his three famous speeches calling for the Federation of the States of Australia.

Railway platforms

The pettiness of the State departments can be seen in the way they could not agree on even the structure of this railway station. The Queensland platform has a rounded ‘bullnose’ iron roof, whereas the NSW platform has a flat sloping roof. As the Downs Dasher was due to pull in on the Queensland side of the platform, the market stalls were under the roof on the southern side.

Platform market stalls

These markets are held once a month on the third Sunday of the month. It was a cold day when I attended this market in August – the last month of winter in Australia. The whole Market atmosphere changes by December as it then becomes  bustling market during the summer and autumn months when farmers bring their produce.

All the markets of the Granite Belt have different criteria about what can be sold. The Southern Downs Shire Council insists that all jams and baked goods be produced in a licensed kitchen that meets State Health Department requirements. I think it is horrendous that a woman such as this producing homemade cakes must pay $140.00 a year for a food license. Another example of taxing gone mad!

A raffle of firewood.

I bought a ticket in this raffle. It was a load of firewood. As I have kept two wood stoves burning throughout recent months a load of quality firewood would be much appreciated.

Second hand bric-a-brac

Out in the clear grassed area between the Queensland railway lines and the other buildings of this railway complex, stall owners braved the weather in the weak winter sunshine. It appears that this market is open of people selling all types of goods, from fresh fruit to second hand farm tools or pre-read books.

Old books

At each market I attend I always buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Sometimes the fruit has skin blemishes which means it would be rejected for sale in city shops, but certainly does not affect the taste.

Potted plants

This lady was sitting back out of the cold wind, but if I had picked up a pot of flowering jonquils she would have come to take my money. Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything on her stall that I wasn’t already growing in my garden.

Red back spiders

The Spider Lady Bead Artistry stall belonging to Robyn Hargreaves captured my attention with her collection of creepy crawlies created from coloured beads.

Beautiful bead spiders

Robyn is considering setting up a website to display her unique creations, which are truly works of art. She may be contacted for pictures of her work or to place orders on robynhargreaves7@bigpond.com

It was Robyn who drew my attention to the next stall concerning the BORDER BIKE & CUSTOM CAR SHOW to be held on Saturday, 25th September 2010 at the Wallangarra Football Ground.

A bike raffle

I bought a ticket in the raffle for the bike, but i don’t know what i will do with it if my ticket is drawn as the winner.

For more details about this event which will include a Giant Charity Auction contact info@borderbikeandcustomcarshow.org or go to the website www.borderbikeandcutomcarshow.org

Granite Belt apples

My last stop was a fruit stall to load up on Granite Belt apples. It is sad to say that the apples sold in Stanthorpe’s Woolworth store are not necessarily apples grown here on the Granite Belt. By patronising stalls at these various Granite Belt markets I am able to purchase locally grown produce and thus help local farmers to remain viable.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

My book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine is available within Australia on http://www.australia-book.com.au and for overseas readers on the StrictlyLiterary site. Dr. John Cokley of StrictlyLiterary acted as my editor.

I am also publishing for my readers to read free of charge my book The Forgotten Ones on http://fayhelwigauthor.com It is there that I write about Eberhard’s youth in Germany from 1926 to 1950. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Australian Population, Border Town, City Of Warwick, Darling Downs, England Tableland, Far Hill, granite belt, New England Highway, New South Wales, Northernmost Extension, Passenger Carriages, Queensland Governement, Queensland Government, Railway Line, Railway Lines, Railway Station, Road Signs, South Wales Border, State Border, State Gov, State Governments, Steam Train, Transhipment

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During World War Two it is my understanding that most days 45 trains passed through the Railway Station at Wallangarra . What activity there must have been around the station those days as troop trains pulled in from New South Wales to disgorge soldiers who then to embarked on Queensland trains to head further north to Brisbane and Townsville before taking ships to join the fighting against the Japanese in New Guinea. There would have been numerous trains transporting munitions too as a military base remained in service at Wallangarran until recent years as munitions dump. When we arrived here at Glen Aplin in 1992 trains with diesel engines would pass by once a week to pick up containers of game meat (horse, goat, wild boar) destined for the tables of Europe. Finally it was decided to close the line for economic reasons. What a pity, for this railway line and the Wallangarra station has figured strongly in Australian history. I promise to write more about the history another day.

Presently this huge space provided by the platforms of the Wallangarra railway station and surrounding area is used once a month for a community market. I attended this market to purchase products and promote attendance at all  Granite Belt Markets. While all these markets have similarities, they have different criteria applying to the stall holders. The Wallangarra market was originally begun as a farmer’s market and I expect that when the summer and autumn seasons return there will be many locals selling their produce from the back of trucks or open trailers.

Wallangarra Railway Station

The first attraction to catch my eye was the small train providing rides for the children. This was the  “Dasher junior”.  The real Downs Dasher is a steam train restored by the Southern Downs Steam Railway, based in Warwick. The Downs Dasher regularly steams between Warwick and Wallangarra taking paying passengers on Sunday outings.  See www.southerndownssteamrailway.com.au Visitors to the region can board the Downs Dasher in Warwick for a nostalgic trip up through two tunnels and many deep cuttings onto the border highlands. As they proceed across bridges over rocky ravines they enjoy the spectacular scenery of true wilderness. Passing beside some of the Granite Belt vineyards wets their appetite to undertake wine tours and tastings of these high altitude wines.

Train rides for the children

This small train operated a circuit on a clear area of grassed land at the back of which were a series of outdoor market stands. This area is between the station and restored former railway buildings. It is a huge expanse that must really come to life when the summer harvest of stone fruits, Mediterranean vegetables and apples are on display. The day I attended the market the stall holders were mostly local people selling non perishables.

Warm hats and gloves

It was a cold winter’s day with a freezing wind blowing up from the Antarctic. These dry cold winds are described as lazy winds because they seem to go right through you, chilling you to the bone, rather than blow around you. One stand doing a roaring trade was selling knitted woolen goods and pull-on caps like these girls were buying to cover their ears.

A smart hat

It was a day for snug fitting hats and gloves, or to keep ones hands tucked into pockets. One reason that there was a good attendance on this particularly cold day day was that the Downs Dasher was due in at twelve noon.  I had peeked in the dining room to see it already set for the expected luncheon crowd.

Wallangarra Railway Station dining room

In the shade on the New South Wales side of the railway station platform other stall holders huddled against the wind. They were entertained by three buskers.

Music while you wait

These people were from Tenterfield and told me they represented the Steinbrook Progress Association Incorporated Country Music Group.

Homemade cakes

There is always a demand for home made cakes and by mid-morning this lady had sold most of her baking.

Wines

The only Granite Belt winery represented at the market was the Granite Belt Highland Winery.

Mark Winkler has a different Scottish tartan on the label of each of his wines.  Not only does he make the traditional grape wines but has produced a number of interesting wines and liqueurs with other fruits, one of which was mulberries.  Mark’s winery is situated in the hills above us here at Glen Aplin, which led me to ask him about his micro-climate. Although I grow a mulberry tree I have rarely harvested a crop as the fruit on my tree is usually frosted each spring. That is because frost travels down a slope and settles at the lowest point, which is where we are positioned in the bottom of the valley beside the Severn River. Mark and I could have talked for hours when he produced a photo album of Granite Belt wildflowers and showed me a rare plant he had photographed on his farm, but I didn’t want to interfere with his sales.

Wallangarra

As this photo shows Wallangarra is situated 2882ft above sea level.

The railway station was built about 140 years ago.  Australia went metric during my lifetime so I can tell you that sign means the station is 960 metres above sea level.

Nowadays no trains ever pull in on the New South Wales side of this platform as the line has been abandoned. Next week I will share with you more about the history of this unique station and the market stalls where I shopped last Sunday.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

My book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine is published by StrictlyLiterary and available on that site or on my webpage http://www.australia-book.com.au

I am also publishing for free via http://fayhelwigauthor.com my book called The Forgotten Ones, which tells the story of Eberhard’s youth in Germany prior to 1950 when he immigrated to Australia. I have illustrated these chapters with photographs I have taken when in Germany with Eberhard.

Technorati Tags: Australian History, Diesel Engines, Economic Reasons, First Attraction, Game Meat, Glen Aplin, granite belt, Military Base, New Guinea, New South Wales, Open Trailers, Railway Line, Railway Station, S Market, Small Train, Southern Downs, Stall Holders, Steam Railway, Steam Train, Troop Trains, Wild Boar, World War Two

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No report on a market would be complete without a mention of plants, herbs, dried fruit and jams, fresh fruit and vegetables sold at such venues. At the April Glen Aplin market I had purchased lettuce seedlings and a trombone gramma pumpkin. Grammas are a sweet pumpkin traditionally grown in Australia to use as a dessert. They are seldom for sale in fruit shops, although I have seen them on fruit and vegetable stands in the Lockyer Valley. I was happy to purchase this one at Glen Aplin knowing I could use the flesh for a pie and keep the seeds to plant in my garden next summer.

The lavender colours of the stall manned by Trish and Don Gaske selling Crystal Ridge Lavender products caught my eye.

Lavender products

Crystal Ridge Lavender sells

Soaps & Skincare
Massage Oils
Lavender Sachets
Lavender Essential Oil
Ageless Crafts
Lavender Gift Packs

Trish gathering lavender

Market raffle

The market raffle of the day featured products from the various stalls. These included several bottles of wine. It was there that I first noticed small packages of Saffron. Back in 1997 when Eberhard and I planned a visit to the Netherlands we were asked if we could locate and bring back some corms for the Saffron plant by a Glen Aplin resident. We were unable to meet this request, but as a gardener I was interested to read more about the product.

I discovered that Saffron is produced  by growing corms, like a small bulbs, which are planted in the ground. This plant Crocus Sativus has a beautiful, mauve flower in the spring.  In the middle of the flower are three tiny little stigmas of bright orange, which is the saffron. These stigma are harvested and dried to become one of the most expensive spices in the world.

Crocus Sativus has traditionally been grown in the cool mountain regions of Iran, Iraq, Spain, Greece and India. In recent years commercial quantities of Saffron have been harvested from farms in Tasmania and New Zealand.

Nature's Glen

The Saffron sample amongst the raffle ingredients had been donated by Russell and Noelene Leming who were manning the Nature’s Glen stall. They are  Glen Aplin residents who gave up careers for a ‘Tree Change’ lifestyle on the Granite Belt and then looked for a product they could grow and sell. After six years establishing their their field of  Crocus Sativus they claim to be Queensland’s first commercial saffron farm.  To read more about their farm and the other products sold by Nature’s Glen go to this link www.qldsaffron.com.au

Urusula a German Wwoofer picking rosellas

Another interesting item on the Nature’s Glen stall were the value added products made with rosellas.

I’ve always grown rosellas, which are a form of hibiscus, in my garden each year to produce Rosella Jam. This year when we were celebrating my 70th birthday my daughter, Carol, brought a jar of Hibiscus flowers preserved in syrup, which I recognised as rosellas, to add to our champagne.

• Place a flower in the bottom of a champagne flute.
• Add a little syrup and fill flute with champagne
• Watch the bubbles stream off the flower.
• The flower may be eaten as it has a delicious rubarb/raspberry flavour

Birthday flutes of champagne with Rosella flowers

Before leaving the market I purchased two packets of ripe pears for $2.00 each. One of the sad things I have observed since moving to the Granite Belt has been the bulldozing out of pear orchards. When we first moved to Glen Aplin there were three nearby farms with pear orchards, but the farmers were no longer irrigating, spraying or harvesting the fruit. They happily told me to pick whatever pears I wanted.

Ripe pears

This was a wonderful opportunity for me to harvest and preserve organic fruit untouched by pesticides. Yes, I did encounter some coddling moth damage, but with a little work I could salvage a large quantity of fruit for bottling. One by one these pear orchards were pushed out and the ground turned over to grass. Why? There was no longer a market for the pears. Australia has become a busy urban society where mothers no longer have time to bottle fruit and shoppers want fruit they can eat that day, not green pears that must sit on the fruit stand for a week before they ripen.

Six pears for $2.00 was excellent value as they were ripe, but they needed to eaten either that day or the next.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

If you want to read more about life on the Granite Belt buy my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine.

It is available to overseas readers on my publishers site StrictlyLiterary. For Australian readers click on www.australia-book.com.au

As an author I am also publishing in weekly posts the story of my husbands early years in Germany on http://fayhelwigauthor.com Here you will be able to read for free the chapters of The Forgotten Ones.

Technorati Tags: Bright Orange, Corm, Corms, Crystal Ridge, Four Bottles, Fresh Fruit And Vegetables, Fruit And Vegetable, Fruit And Vegetables, Glen Aplin, Grammas, granite belt, Jams, lavender, Lavender Essential Oil, Lavender Products, lettuce, Lockyer Valley, Market 3, Massage Oils, Mauve Flower, Raffle, rosella, Saffron, Seedlings, Stigmas, Sweet Pumpkin

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Country markets like the one held quarterly at Glen Aplin provide an outlet for people to exhibit the products they grow or create. Once many of their creations would have been viewed as little more than a hobby and therefore the hours they spent on embroidery or wood-turning had little monetary value.  A potter could give bowls as gifts to friends and a gardener would gladly share seedlings and cuttings with other gardeners. Now the markets allow these people to plan the production of items for sale and thus get some valuation of their labour. Even so, when I looked at the items crafted for the Glen Aplin Community Market, I was aware of how little per hour each person was paid for their time. It is possible that people who have never sewn or knitted may have no idea of the real cost of producing such items.

Dresses for little girls

Although part of a Christmas in July promotion, these cool little cotton dresses in Christmas fabrics were intended for wear in December. They were selling for only $10.00

For Christmas wear

Recently my little granddaughters who normally live in Hong Kong spent a couple of weeks with me. I haven’t sewn dresses for little girls for a number of years so I begged fabrics and patterns from my two daughters, whose own daughters are now young adults, thus obtaining for free both patterns and materials.

I made each little girl a cool summer dress. The pattern said that this simple style would only take two hours to complete. That was true, but I took extra time to put an applique on one dress and hand embroidery on the second dress.

Rachael

As a form of embroidery I have always enjoyed doing counted thread cross-stitch. I discovered when my children were young how much they appreciated cross-stitch trains, ponies, flowers or clowns embroidered on the squares of gingham shirts and dresses. When when one of my daughters gave me a partially used length of pale pink gingham I decided to embroider Nemo the fish on Elizabeth’s dress, as she loves the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.

Elizabeth

So while I could spend two hours sewing a plain dress, it took me several more hours to produce Elizabeth’s dress. This of course was an act of love and my time could not be valued. The question I  ask, is how much is the stall holder who is selling these $10.00 dresses for little girls receiving for her labour after taking into account the cost of buying fabrics and trims? Very little! Thus I would encourage young parents who do not sew to patronise such market stalls.

Helen's Handicrafts

The stall selling Helen’s Handicraft displayed bags, hangings, applique work, heat packs, tea towels, carrier bags and tea cozies which were all hand or machine made by Helen.

Helen

I stopped for a few minutes at each stall I visited to explain that I wasn’t photographing their work with a view to copying their designs. Instead I was taking photographs which I hoped would promote their work by encouraging Granite Belt visitors and residents to attend this market.

I’ve had the good fortune to travel widely and when in China I have photographed women at work creating handicrafts which they could sell.

Chinese woman crocheting slippers.

This young woman was crocheting slippers while she stood watching tourists stream past her stall, ever hopeful that her work would catch their attention. What was she asking for a pair of hand made slippers? About one Australian dollar.

After passing these stall holders and walking up a mountain, rain forced me to take shelter amongst a group  of Chinese women who were sitting together. They produced squares of black fabric from their bags and began to embroider traditional designs with red cotton. Naturally they each expected me to buy a square of their work and, at less than a dollar each, how could I refuse. Similar embroidery had been on sale at the stalls below, but when dealing directly with me they offered a lower price.

Chinese women

The point I am making is that no value is placed on the hours it takes for women like Helen to create her works of art, or these women in China.

The item is only worth what people will pay.

Thus such markets serve a useful purpose. They place the producer in a situation where there are prospective customers.

Going out in style

They also serve as a social outing for families who can shop for gifts, buy plants for the garden, or food for the table.

As a resident of Glen Aplin I am seriously considering taking a stand at the next Glen Aplin Coummnity Market to sell my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine. I wrote this book to promote tourism on the Granite Belt, but many locals will also enjoy reading it. As one newspaper review said, my book will be of great value to future historians as it details a period when the Granite Belt changed from being largely a farming community, where city people came to buy apples, to a tourism destination.

Next week I will write more about the Glen Aplin market.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

If you can’t visit the Glen Aplin market you can obtain my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine on http://www.australia-book.com.au or if you live overseas on the StrictlyLiterary site.

If you enjoy my writing style you will enjoy reading my travel blog on http://fayhelwigauthor.com where I’m currently publishing chapter by chapter, my book THE FORGOTTEN ONES. This book reveals Eberhard’s memories of his youth in Germany from 1926 to 1950. I illustrate my posts with photographs, many of which I took during holidays in Germany.

Technorati Tags: Christmas Fabrics, Christmas in July, Cool Summer, Cotton Dresses, Country Markets, Cross Stitch, Extra Time, Gardener, Gardeners, Glen Aplin, Granddaughters, granite belt, Hand Embroidery, Little Girls, Monetary Value, Seedlings, Simple Style, Summer Dress, Two Daughters, Wood Turning, Young Adults

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My Gran, my Mother, Me and my two Daughters learned to knit, crochet, sew, embroider, grow vegetables and flowers, bake cakes and make jam at an early age. We exhibited our needlework or cooking in the country agricultural shows and always when a school, church or some other community organization was holding a fete we contributed our goods and sometimes manned the stalls.

If it wasn’t our church or school holding the fete we went along to purchase cakes and confectionary, but we never bought needlework. As my mother once said to me, “I can make any of these if I want them.”

Today it seems to me the district markets now held in most towns and cities have taken over this niche market. No longer are goods donated to a worthy cause. Instead people man their own stall to sell their produce and pocket the profit. Organizations have realized that they can hold regular markets and make an income  by renting space to the stall holders.

My district of Glen Aplin on the Granite Belt of southern Queensland needed to raise money to renovate the Glen Aplin Community Hall, so now about four times a year a market is held in and around this hall on a Saturday morning. Today, 31st July 2010, I attended this market and took the following photos to share with you.

It rained overnight and has continued to shower today, so there weren’t many outdoor stalls. The first to catch my eye was providing a substance for organic gardeners.

Bags of manure

• Sheep manure @ $7.00 a bag
• Chook manure  @ $10.00 a bag
• Cow manure @ $5.00 a bag
• Barley straw @ $7.00 a bale.

These quantities and these prices are clearly intended for the small garden. When I buy Lucerne hay, containing many more valuable nutrients than barley straw for the purpose of mulching my garden, I need to buy 100 bales  @ $7.00 each, delivered to my garden.

Trixie on Lucerne hay

An interesting market stand was the one where old iron horseshoes were fixed to aged ironbark timber slabs to create hanging racks that could be used for many purposes. Ironbark is a common name for a form of slow-growing eucalyptus tree.

Horseshoe racks

The woman selling these racks said that when they moved into their home these boards, over 100 years old, had been considered rubbish until they hit on the idea of using them for this purpose. The aged wood was still strong. Ironbark wood was often used in earlier days for fencing and railway sleepers. We discovered more than fifty old railway sleepers formerly used for fencing posts when we bought this property almost 19 years ago. I have used them in many places around our garden and as edging for the Rosemary hedge fronting our Remembrance Field.

WWOOF girls beside the Rosemary hedge

The next stand to catch my attention was not selling an organic or craft product. No, it was a couple of men selling their services as chimney sweeps. In the times of Charles Dickens when people had brick chimneys in their homes skinny little boys were obliged to go down these chimneys to brush out the soot. Here on the Granite Belt there are a few such older homes with brick chimneys, but most people nowadays have combustion stoves with metal chimneys.

Patches, our cat, sits beside a combustion stove.

At Das Helwig Haus we have six such stoves and in past years a son would climb onto our roof at the end of each winter and with a brass brush attached to a rope he would drop it down the chimney. I would hold the rope and he would pull up the brush, before allowing me to again pull it down the chimney pipe until all the soot had fallen through into the fireplace. In recent years I’ve called the local plumber to undertake this job.

Chimney Sweeps

These young men who live on the Granite Belt at Dalveen offered several services.

• Chimney sweeping
• Wood stove sweep
• Fire brick replacement
• Creosote removal
• Dryer vent cleaning
• Water proofing
• Chimney caps
• Repairs
• Gutter clean sweep
• Fire box sealing
• Restoration and re-painting
• Chimney and roof flashing painting
• Gasket replacement

Email:woodfires@dodo.com.au

On such a cold and rainy winter day it was a pleasure to step into the hall amongst the bustling crowd surveying the stands. Behind several tables women were busily knitting while their partners, usually a husband, sold their finished goods. There were racks of beautiful knits for children.

Knits for children

I can remember a time when my mother knitted a pullover every year for each of her six children.

When a teenager I began knitting my own pullovers and other woollen items for my husband and children. Later I knitted for my  grandchildren. I knitted matching pullovers like I am wearing in this photograph for Eberhard and me, but he seldom wears his pullover, saying he doesn’t feel the cold as much as I do.

Fay wearing a handknitted pullover

I mastered many styles of knitting and although I do not buy knitted goods I greatly admire the skill that has gone into such a pullover as this white Arran style which I saw on display today at the Glen Aplin Community Market.

Arran style knitted pullover

These are quality products where the labour of the knitter is undervalued. So it is with most craft products. The wool for this pullover would have cost as much or more than the knitter was asking for her hours of labour. I was asked twenty years ago to knit a garment for a store. When I requested $5.00 per hour for my skilled labour, I was told my price was too high.

There was a time when Eberhard would purchase whole fleeces, card and spin the wool and I would then have the option of knitting with wool in shades of white, grey, brown and black. Many of these garments were given to family and friends.

Now I write. You can read about my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine on www.australia-book.com.au

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

I am also publishing via weekly posts on http://fayhelwigauthor.com another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones. In this book I tell the story of Eberhard’s youth in Germany - the years 1926 to 1950. I also illustrate this book with many photographs I have taken during holidays in Germany.

Next week I shall write about the other stalls represented at the Glen Aplin Community Market.

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I learned to iron clothes with flatirons heated on the top of a wood burning stove.  These stoves had metal plates  over the fire which could be lifted off to provide instant flames to boil a kettle quickly, although usually kettles, frying pans and cooking pots received sufficient heat through the heavy metal. Every day the top of the stove was shined with a combination of mutton fat and black shoe polish. Cakes and biscuits were baked in an oven heated by the wood burning in the firebox at the side. Every cook quickly learned to regulate the heat by the size of the wood selected to use that day and the type of wood available. Every baker learned to gauge the temperature of an oven by placing their hand in the oven to feel the heat prior to putting the tin or dish on a higher or lower shelf.

Ironbark, a form of hard Eucalyptus, was the favoured wood of most cooks. It burned slowly, giving off a steady heat. Importantly it burned away, leaving very little ash or coals to be cleaned from the firebox. There were times when my mother only had Brigalow wood, but this was also considered a good wood, although it burned more quickly and hotly. The cooks of those days adapted their cooking styles to the type of wood available. It was often a matter for scolding when the cook discovered her wood box empty and no man available to split more wood for the stove. As a joke men would say they were giving “The Missus” a new axe as a Christmas present.

Nowadays, I only use wood for heating purposes. Here on the Granite Belt we have cold winters with most nights in June, July and August dropping well below zero Celsius. The weekend clientele of guests visiting the district during the winter months demand cottages with a wood fire.  It is a novelty they enjoy. We have two big combustion stoves in our main house and individual stoves in the four self-contained apartments. In years gone by we purchased Ironbark wood, already split, from one of the many suppliers in this district. There are several old trees, many of them already fallen, throughout the open pastoral country. Wood cutters pay the land owner to go on to his property, cut these trees into sizable portions with chainsaws and then deliver it to the purchaser. It is a seasonal industry.

When we decided to remove so many trees from our garden in August 2008, I wondered if we could utilize the wood, rather than create a bonfire.

Storm damage

These trees along our entrance road are an ornamental Ironbark from Western Australia, mostly grown for their beautiful silver foliage and pink blossom.

Ironbark blossoms

The decision was made and the trees were lopped. A word that describes this process is pollard. I was familiar with the term poll as in poll cattle who have had their horns removed, or like Poll Herefords have been bred without horns. It was only this week when corresponding with Julie Spicer at the St. Merryn Community Gardens in Cornwall that I read lopped trees are called pollard trees in England.

At my request the McNicholl Brothers reduced the logs from all our removed trees into short portions.

Radiata pine wood

My wwoofers stacked them in several heaps to mature into dry firewood.

Stacked firewood

By this winter the wood was dry and I decided that we would burn it in all our fireplaces.

Aged wood

Now the question – how would it burn?

Good wood – bad wood.

As I expected wood from different trees burned in different ways. Wood from the Radiata pines and the willow trees burned quickly, giving off good heat and creating little charcoal. These are the woods most appropriate for starting a blazing fire, but this wood didn’t burn slowly enough to maintain an even heat in a warmed room, or continue a fire throughout the night without the need for stoking, the beauty of aged Ironbark timber.

We had a large quantity of wood from the various forms of Eucalyptus trees removed from our garden, so I hit on the solution of starting off our fires each morning with pine or willow wood, then adding chunks of the various Eucalyptus woods, sometimes burning both types of wood at the same time.

The Eucalyptus woods burned more slowly, but they made too much ash and often smothered their coals. This has meant that I have to clean a bucket of ash and coals from my wood fires at least twice a week. I was reminded then of the way in pioneering days whole forests of Eucalyptus trees were felled and burned to create charcoal which could readily be transported to the cities for domestic use. Also in many third world countries land has become eroded because the forests on the land were destroyed to create charcoal, a salable product easily transported.

Not being one to waste a resource I discovered the solution was to remove the ash from the charcoal and return this cleaned coal to my combustion stoves.

Charcoal

As a way of shaking the ash from the charcoal I used a former insect screen door. In an earlier post I showed how I used this door as a shade cover over summer vegetables and also to prevent my cat and dog digging holes amongst the vegetables.  I find many ways to recycle waste household items in my garden. The ash can be worked into my compost bins and the charcoal returned to a clean firebox. Once lit it burns away to ash.

Meanwhile, what became of the pollard Ironbark trees? They have bushed out nicely and will soon be flowering again.

Ironbark trees

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

Fay’s book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine is available on http://www.australia-book.com.au

This book is an account of a year in her life with Eberhard managing a busy Bed and Breakfast home in a wine tourism district in southern Queensland, Australia.

Fay is also publishing her book The Forgotten Ones free to her readers on http://fayhelwigauthor.com If you have ever wondered what it was like to live as a child in Germany during the 1930’s and then be drafted as a teenager into the Germany Infantry to fight a war, you can share Eberhard’s memories of his experiences by reading The Forgotten Ones.

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When we purchased this farm in 1992 the small cottage that was to become our home and which was later extended to provide guest accommodation had no garden but was surrounded by native Eucalyptus, wattle and T-trees.  The house had been constructed in the midst of a clump of Eucalyptus trees. We brought in a bulldozer to clear ground for our guest wing and at the same time thinned the trees on our northern side to allow in more winter sunlight and the establishment of gardens. We allowed the tall Eucalyptus trees at the front of our house (the eastern side) to remain. I insisted on the total removal of all the trees on our western side because I knew that Granite Belt storms came from the west and I saw those trees as a possible threat to our home. Sure enough the first vicious storm we had came from that direction in 1994 and threw the roof of our cold room onto the roof of our house. Plus it belted us with hail. But no, no tree came crashing onto our roof.

Next, in 2001 a small tornado approached from the west but once more our house suffered no damage although five large Eucalyptus trees in our front garden were broken and tossed across our front fence and car shed, damaging both. Fortunately our car was not at home as I had taken two WWOOF girls on an outing. Only Eberhard witnessed the devastation as it happened.  I addition to destroying five Eucalyptus trees in our front garden that storm smashed five similar trees  outside our front garden.  This tornado came like a bouncing ball, destroying those ten trees and then bouncing off to tear a roof from a shed near Glen Aplin. The damage to our garden was immense and I had to establish another garden, minus the advantage of shade trees. My friends tried to offer me consolation for the loss of my beautiful garden, saying, “See it as a challenge.”  I needed time to grieve for my loss.

Patches on a tree trunk

By 2005 it was only tree trunks like the one above that revealed where once  shady trees had sheltered our front garden. By 2010 these stumps have been totally covered by green vines or hidden by spreading conifers and no one now visiting our garden is aware of the damage it experienced.

In 1994 I planted Radiata pine trees along our northern garden boundary, where already there were a several eucalyptus trees. These quick growing pines soon reached the height of the neigbouring Eucalyptus trees. Between these trees and the house I established a number of deciduous, Northern Hemisphere trees. My aim was climate control. Close to our northern veranda I placed low growing conifers or deciduous trees. Behind them I positioned the taller growing deciduous trees. Finally, against the fence I grew an evergreen hedge of cotoneaster shrubs under the taller Eucalyptus and Radiata pines. As climate control this provided our garden and house with cool green and shady growth during the summer months. Then as autumn arrived we enjoyed the colour presented by the leaves of the elm, oak, ash and maple trees. Following leaf drop, the winter sunshine poured onto our northern veranda.

I was happy with this portion of my garden until February 2008, when another narrow tornado like storm came from the north. These little tornadoes twist and break trees in their path, sometimes leaving a trail for a mile or two.

February storm

This shocked me. As I considered the broken Ironbark Eucalyptus trees along our entrance road and the two Radiata pine trees thrown onto our Remembrance Field, I realized that had the tornado struck our garden immediately to the north of our house, several Eucalyptus and Radiata pine trees could have fallen across our garden, breaking down the deciduous trees and damaging our house.

Downed Radiata pine trees

I knew we were no longer safe in thinking that storms only approached from the west. I decided to eliminate the risk.

McNicholl Brothers had come with their a crane and excavator to remove the broken trees from our garden in 2001, so I asked them to remove the trees threatening our house, but to try to do it without damaging the garden.

Removing Radiata pines

While one man manipulated the excavator his brother stood in the bucket to be raised high into the tree where he applied a chain around the trunk of the tree and partially cut the wood with a chainsaw. He would descend and the arms of the excavator would reach up and grip the tree trunk. As the machine reversed the tree would break and be lifted up and over our fence and shrubs.  In the same way lower pieces of the tree trunk were removed.

Tall eucalytus tree

Next to be removed was this tall Eucalyptus tree on the lower side of our gate way.

The excavator was then shifted to the other side of the gate to remove two more Radiata pine trees and a large Peppermint gum.

Three more trees removed

This completed the removal of the trees along the northern fence, but there were still trees to be taken from the area between the fence and the house.

Internal trees

Fallen giant

Chainsaw work

Open view

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

The men then had to remove the largest of all the trees, a huge Eucalyptus that towered over the garden, but was too far from the fence for them to lop with the chainsaw.

I was amazed by how neatly they felled that tree to drop along a pathway they had already cleared of trees, so that only one of the deciduous trees, a Scarlet Ash, lost a branch.

Finally the men using chainsaws cut the big log into segments and lifted it over the fence with the jaws of the excavator.

In recent years many new people have moved to live on the Granite Belt, delighted that they can construct their homes in a wilderness setting amongst granite boulders and well grown Eucalyptus trees. I am concerned that such new residents see these trees as good trees, without recognizing they could be dangerous trees, exposing their homes to damage from wind storms or the horror of a bushfire.

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I recount watching a bushfire roar through the tree covered hills of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

I love trees and have been fascinated by them since childhoold. I remember giving a lecturette on the subject of Eucalyptus trees when at the Yamsion primary school.  I recognise people should not build their homes in dangerous locations.  Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I discover the beautiful forests of Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

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Weeping Willow - Stanthorpe

It is winter now on the Granite Belt and most of the Weeping Willows have dropped their leaves.

This is a tree much favoured around the world for its lush green foliage. It is frequently planted in parks. But, in Australia it is  classified in some areas as a noxious weed.  Read what I have say about these trees and please add your comments.

The Willow tree originated in China and spread via the Silk Road to Egypt and through Europe to reach England.

The Weeping Willow is a beautiful tree to use for large yards and has a number of interesting aspects. You might be surprised to learn it is a medicinal tree as well.

The Weeping Willow tree is a member of a family of trees and scrubs that contains over three hundred and fifty different varieties. The varieties of willows have many widely different characteristics, but they are all remarkably alike in many ways. Most of them occur in moist soil in cooler climates and mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Willows are remarkably fertile trees and easily cross fertilize between species. These occur naturally or as the result of deliberate cultivation.

The Weeping Willow is what is called a cultivar. This is a type of tree sharing similar characteristics that results from the cross fertilization of two species. In the case of the Weeping Willow, the original “parents” were the Chinese Peking Willow and the European White Willow. The Chinese Peking Willow hangs straight down, whereas the Weeping Willow has a wider canopy.

Chinese Willows at Lijiang China

Weeping Willows, like most willows will easily take root from cuttings or fallen branches. There is a story that the English poet, Alexander Pope, once begged a twig from a packet of twigs that were sent to a certain Lady Suffolk from Spain. He planted this twig and it grew and thrived. The legend claims that every Weeping Willow in England today is a direct descendant of this original twig.

Weeping Willows are often planted along waterways because their thick roots form a protective barrier against erosion from the activity of the water.

Willow tree in waterbird habitat

However, these beautiful and popular trees are not always welcome World travelers. Weeping Willows were extensively planted along Australia’s waterways, but were recently declared an “invasive weed” by Australian authorities who are attempting to replace them with native species.

The most interesting thing about the Weeping Willow and its willow family cousins is it medicinal history. Cultures as far back as Mesopotamian recognized and wrote about the medical uses of willow bark. Early American cultures also discovered that willow bark had medical uses and the most common one was in the relief of pain and inflammation. In the 18th Century, the active extract in the bark was isolated. It was a substance called salicin. When salicin is in solution in water it is very acidic. This acid is called salicylic acid. Just before the start of the 20th Century, a chemist created a substance based on salicylic acid that was not as tough on the stomach. This substance was ultimately named aspirin. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Weeping-Willow—An-Overview&id=774589

In a politically correct environmental way of thinking the Weeping Willow trees should be removed from all National Parks. Yet, since the time of settlement of Australia these trees were often planted for a purpose – to soak up water and to prevent erosion. There are people who believe that the dreadful landslide which claimed lives at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains National Park resulted because Weeping Willow trees were removed from a wet site above the ski resort, which then allowed water to build up and cause the slip.

Upright growing willows

In my garden I have preferred to grow another of the willow cultivars, this tall upright species.

When we first moved to The Granite Belt in 1992 several of these trees had been planted at The Bramble Patch Berry Gardens. In recent times I have observed that a row of these trees near the shop were reduced to fence height.  The trunks sent out masses of side shoots and now this is an attractive thick hedge, which no longer drops leaves on the roof of the shop.

I planted my row of trees to soak up moisture from a drain and allow them to grow tall as they also provide wonderful afternoon shade for the rear of my vegetable garden during our hot summer days. Where mine are situated, leaf drop is not a problem.

Weeping Willow clump

This is an example of Weeping Willows forming a clump in a waterway of The Granite Belt.

In such a situation they are surely a weed, encouraging blackberries, honeysuckle, privet and other weeds to grow amongst them. It is for such reasons that environmentalists consider they should be removed from all Australian water courses. It is also thought that they contribute to flooding by hindering the flow of water in our streams.

There is a different point of view. Such trees as this clump of Weeping Willows do serve a useful purpose. Last year when reading Peter Andrew’s book Back From the Brink, it made me take a good look at their benefit to the environment. See posts on the subject of shade and erosion in my archives for November 2009.  Peter maintains that until the colonial settlement of Australia our rivers spread out their water and ran above ground in times of flood, thus allowing water to soak beneath the surface of the soil and gradually move down to the lowest point. Following settlement and the clearing of land around watercourses the storm rain was forced into channels, cutting its way into ever deeper streams, thus forcing water into rivers, resulting in the severe flooding we encounter today.

Peter maintains that trees like the Weeping Willows not only hold the soil to prevent erosion they encourage grass, weeds and other debris to build up thus once more forcing flood waters to spill out over the land where it can soak into the subsoil while silt adds fertility to the flood plains. Furthermore Peter said that we should be growing such shady trees as Weeping Willows beside our dams and watercourses to shade our waterholes and thus prevent summer evaporation. He maintained that their roots would suck up much less water than would be lost to evaporation on a sunny day. During the cooler months of the year these trees loose their leaves and their growth becomes dormant, at which time they require no water.

What do you think? Are the Weeping Willows which have been introduced into Australia and now flourish along the streams of The Granite Belt a weed? Should they be removed?

For further information concerning environmental concerns about the willow trees here is a site offering extensive information. http://www.hoadley.net/cremer/willows/docs/WillowInBiodiversity.pdf

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I share other insights concerning the National Parks and wilderness areas of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I recount conversations I had with Eberhard concerning his early year in  Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

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To some people any tree is a good tree. They know that trees take carbon dioxide from the air and return fresh oxygen. For this reason they call trees the ‘lungs of the world’. They know that through evaporation trees add moisture to the air, which in turn leads to rainfall. Trees also green our view.

In years gone by the forester of Europe was a highly regarded man for it was his duty to ensure that forests were replanted and managed in such a way that there would always be a supply of timber and firewood. However, in Australia in the past twenty years the Forestry departments appear to have lost out following a propaganda campaign instigated by urban people who believe that no tree should be culled. State governments have created more forests and National Parks, but not provided more money for the management of these areas, thus allowing weeds and feral animals to flourish. State governments have created new laws pertaining to land clearing and under such acts as the Remnant Vegetation Act stopped people like Eberhard and me from management of land that we had purchased in 1992. Although we own our land and pay rates on the whole area, we must now be unpaid caretakers of this portion of our property. Many other country people were similarly affected and none of us were ever offered any compensation for this land grab.

This map shows our property, but two thirds of it is shaded. That two thirds supposedly represents remnant vegetation. We can not remove any trees from this area which means we can not use it for agricultural purposes. We put our 14 hectare property up for sale last year and held a widely advertised auction sale in October, but received no bids.

Why? Probably because this land is no longer available for agricultural purposes.

But what are these wonderful trees that must be preserved?

Eucalyptus trees

Various trees

These are trees selected from the book Wildflowers of the Granite Belt.

Not surprisingly, many of them are eucalyptus trees, commonly called Gum trees.

Individually these trees are valuable to the ecology of a district, but when something triggers them to grow in a manner never seen in Australia until about a hundred years after white settlement one must wonder if it is advantageous.

What triggered these trees to grow like weeds? The explanation is that the introduction of the European honey bee pollinated all the blossom of the then thinly spaced eucalyptus trees. There was a large quantity of fertile seed, resulting in the development over the past century of thick stands of weedy looking trees.

Protected trees

This stand of spindly eucalyptus trees are on the portion of our land which is now protected as remnant vegetation.

Such thickets of trees pose a grave threat when the land is not managed properly and can result in devastating bushfires.

Bushfire

So, in writing about the Wildflowers of the Granite Belt I would classify many of these remnant vegetation forests as a proliferation of woody weeds spreading like a cancerous rash across the country. Yet this statement is somewhat like kicking a sacred cow, as so many people who don’t have to live with such dangerous forests believe they are essential for the well being of the human race.

Among the trees shown on the page labeled ‘Various trees’ is the Black Cypress pine, Callitris endicheri.

Black Cypress Pine

We have several of these tidily shaped trees on our land. They are much slower in growth than the eucalyptus varieties and are destroyed by bushfires, unlike the eucalyptus which over thousands of years of Aboriginal burning adapted to fires.

Thus these Black Cypress pine trees are in danger of elimination as they can not compete for space against the eucalyptus varieties and are destroyed in the bushfires fueled by the thick stands of eucalyptus trees.

On these two pages of Wildflowers of the Granite Belt only one tree is singled out as a weed species. It is the introduced Pinus radiata – commonly called the Radiata Pine. This tree originated in the Caribbean and was brought to Australia as a plantation timber. A large forestry of Radiata pines was established on the Granite Belt at Passchendaele early last century. These trees thrived and when young are an attractive shape. It wasn’t long before residents of the Granite Belt were planting small forestry plantations, or windbreaks of these trees on their land.

When we bought our farm in 1992 there were a few young Radiata pine trees on our land. I liked the bright green foliage and bought extra young trees from the State Forestry Department to plant on our land in 1993.

Radiata Pine trees

I wished to green our winter view, provide shelter and future timber. As the trees matured the large black cockatoos have come to feast each year on the pine cones. Many Australian birds have adapted quickly to eating the grains, nuts, cones and fruit brought to Australia by the settlers from the northern Hemisphere.

As yet, I have found no self-sown Radiata pine seedlings on our land, but young Radiata pine trees are thriving along the verges of the New England Highway and other district roads. Presently they are small trees competing for space amongst the other woody weeds growing unchecked on this State and Council managed land. I believe more should be done now to thin all these trees, (not only the pines) or within another ten years the Councils will have a major job clearing fallen trees or overhanging branches from the highway and roads.

What a wonderful resource these woody weeds could be if the road sides of the Granite Belt were thinned back to a few, well spaced,  mature trees. Small Eucalyptus trees, radiata pines and other woody weeds shredded for wood chip could provide a financial resource for our shire councils instead of being allowed to grow until destroyed by bushfires. What do you my readers think of this suggestion?

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I recount watching a bushfire roar through the tree covered hills of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I discover the beautiful forests of Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

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