GO HARD SEA EAGLES

I took on a role as coach of Burnett Heads Junior Rugby League Football Club Under 10's at the beginning of this season simply because my daughter was playing for the first time. Seeing the reason we moved back here was to have more quality family time, the decision seemed reasonable.

Its been a bit difficult, kids behavior, not listening so forth, and the first two games we were trounced pretty heavily by kids that were twice our size. But it has been an improvement from week to week. The first game my team lost all purpose. The second game, although a vast improvement, the other team trounced us hard.

But although there has been the hurdles at training, they have improved. But it was apparent that they didn't believe in themselves. You see, 70% of the team haven't played before, many not knowing the rules.

I'm not about the performance, I'm about the learning of the skills, improvement and most of all enjoyment. I don't care if they loose, I just want to see them improve, and learn the skills of playing position, and team football.

Well, today I am proud to announce that the Burnett Heads Sea Eagles U10's had their first win today, 14 - 8 against Brothers Blue.

Its not about the win, although as a coach I am excited for them. Its about the way they played, playing their position to a tee. Both teams put on a great and exciting display of footy. You could have mistaken it for a game of an older age group.

I was so proud of my little team with big hearts, and especially when I asked them prior to the game, "Do you believe in yourselves", the answer rang loud, "Yes".

So, well done on the win guys, but I am mostly proud of the way you played.

Winners are grinners :)

THE VEGIE PATCH

I think that a simple vegie patch is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things that you can attempt as a family. Not only do you end up saving money in the long run and have a good, all year round supply of fresh organic produce, the time spent with the family is most satisfying and educational. It's just a damn good excuse for some great family time with your kids and partner.

It is not a hard thing to attempt and depending on the size can be very cost effective. To get ours set up it cost around $150.00, that's including everything from seedlings to some soil additives and stakes. It could have cost less if we had used a major department hardware/garden store, but we chose the little guy down the end of our road.

After we had moved into our new digs, a vegetable garden was high on the list of priorities. We were lucky enough to have a strip down one side of the house that had been used before that was in full sun for most of the day. Although it was in a state of disrepair, it didn't take long to come together once we started, done and dusted well and truly in under a day.

We set about the preparation by stripping out all the old vegetation and weeds, except for one eggplant that was still bearing fruit. Turning over the soil a few times to break it all up we then added a couple of bags of good quality garden soil and turned in well. After this we opted for some blood and bone and turned in well again. I then gave it a light water and allowed to soak in a little before planting out, then after planting we gave the seedlings a good drink and then covered with sugarcane mulch to help with moisture retention....see easy.

We have a myriad of seedlings that we decided to plant, butternut pumpkin, silverbeet, black jack zucchini, golden squash, brussell sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, long green and lebanese cucumber, chillies, yellow butter beans, butterhead, cos and green oak lettuce, peas, capsicum, beetroot, roma and ox heart tomatoes, celery, carrots, leeks, sweet corn, and I threw in an old pineapple head to see how she goes. We also have a small bay tree and olive tree in large pots and there's the herb garden that I germinated from seeds and most of which has just been transplanted into a couple of three tier garden stands.

Of course you don't have to go to the extremes that we did, but it gives you an idea of cost, $150.00 for all this. Just pick out what vegies and herbs you like the best and start with that.

Our garden is still only fresh, just a couple of weeks now and has a way to go, but it is growing well. At first a couple of seedlings copped a bit of a hiding from some little nasties munching their way through the patch, but I have been using an organic liquid fertilizer and things are turning around. The overall growth and health is improving and the seedlings that got munched, well you wouldn't know it now.

Here we have placed our taller growing plants at the back, and have moved forward in size

I've been using an organic liquid fertilizer called Dr Grow It All, and it is literally magic in a bottle. I purchased some at the markets last weekend, and well what can I say, except wow. They have honestly grown at least 4 times as much in this past week, then they did in the first two of being planted. It works well at keeping the nasties at bay as well.

If you're in a situation and rent like us, and there is nowhere you can put a garden without digging up the yard too much (lets face it some landlords don't appreciate this), there are varieties of above ground garden beds that you can purchase and easily assemble. Here are just a few varieties.

Of course you can always build your own from timber (do not use treated) or do what I did once, I picked up some old 200 lt plastic drums and cut them in half length ways and drilling drainage holes along the bottom, then supporting them with some old pieces of timber, or bricks, so they didn't roll over. By assessing how much room you have and making the most if it, you're on a sure thing.

In the end, how ever you choose to do it, you're bound to win, and the joy from partaking of the fruits of your own labour are wonderful. It is fun for the kids, healthy and sustainable. Depending on the size and extremities that you go to, its is relatively low maintenance, simply a water daily, a good drink of liquid fertilizer once a week and that's about it...have fun out there :)

INTRODUCTIONS...

Firstly, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Ian and I am currently residing in a beautiful part of Queensland, Australia called Burnett heads. It is approximately 15 km north west of wonderful Bundaberg.

As the title of this blog suggests, I am an ex truckie and have now become a house hubby. Why, you might ask? Well, I might answer, "Why not." But seriously, it is mainly through necessity.

I have been in the transport industry for over thirty years, some stints of long haul and interstate driving, some local, some in management and some as a yard monkey. Its always been good to me, I have never been out of work, unless as at times like these, I have chosen to be.

We left out beloved Burnett Heads to move south into NSW to help care for my sick mother about 18 months ago. It didn't work out as planned and I ended up running long haul for a local company. I had been driving here but it was local, home every night and a good company to work for. The mob down south weren't bad, but a transport company none the less.

You see there are two types of driving, there is the kind as I had here in Bundy previously working for a local roofing manufacturer, driving their vehicle and carrying their product. and there is driving for a transport company. And whilst the degrees of, how can I put this, 'workability', can differ from transport co, to transport co, with some being better than others, in the end they are all transport companies. If you've ever been involved in this industry, you'll know what I mean.

Anyway, fast approaching fifty, and in a situation that I was away from my beloved family (you see I'm a very big family man, in more ways than one...lol), a minimum of five nights a week, it was taking its toll. Partnered with long days, minimum rest, a lack of excersize and only average dollars, it wasn't what I would call ideal for me. My health being effected, with a weight increase and constant fatigue, my family being effected as I was hardly at home, and too tired on weekends when I was home to bother, we came to the conclusion to move back to where we call home, Burnett Heads.

Well move back we did, and things have been on the improve. Unfortunately our timing was a little off, as we moved back here the week of the floods through Bundy, tornadoes and water spouts through Burnett Heads, and a Category 1 Cyclone hitting the region. It wasn't the best time to be living in a camper trailer.

Of course things have smoothed out, and we eventually found a house to rent that we are making our home. Sharon, my wife, was offered work and the whole house hubby thing started from there. You see, we are not a stereotype, and I'm glad that these days it is becoming more acceptable for the husband to stay at home. Being completely knackered from the past twelve months, it didn't take too much convincing for me to swap roles with my wife.

Now that we have settled, we are starting to get established, boxes unpacked, made the home comfortable, tidied the yard, and have become, as we were before, quite sustainable. Now, not sustainable that has become synonymous with Anthropogenic Global Warming (real science, and the earth itself has proven that all to be nothing more that politically motivated bullshit), but more sustainable as in self sufficiency. And this all in an average sized yard.

We have got our vege patch sorted and planted out, and focusing on organic growing. The brewery is set up and in full operation, churning out full flavoured, naturally brewed beer.

And I suppose that this is the purpose of this blog, yes because of some boredom...lol, but to hopefully encourage others in the same thing. We are just simple people, not experienced or avid gardeners, and whilst I have always enjoyed home brewing, I wouldn't consider myself to be a master brewer.

When you search the web, there are so many variables, so many 'experienced' people, that in a way it can become daunting. So if we can see people just like us doing these things, it might just give us that nudge in the right direction we needed.

There also might be men out there that have become like me, a house hubby. And believe me when I say this, there is still a kinda stigma that has to be pointed out by someone along the way, you know comments like, "We know who wears the pants in your family", "Does she have bigger balls than you?" and many others. And even though house hubbies are becoming, how can I put this, a lot more 'socially acceptable' there's always one in the crowd.

There is also a lot to get used to, budgets, house work, cooking (which has always been a passion of mine), getting the kids ready for school along with lunches etc. It can take its toll, where do you start?

So guys be encouraged in house husbandry, and girls (you may have just been dumped out of the work force), join me on my journey, join in and offer advice, tips or hints. After all we have this life, and our families, to enjoy to the fullest, so why not make the most of it and do stuff that you can enjoy.