Well my friend let me down and did not turn up until this morning. But the wood she delivered will be useful. Mainly 'brash' from the trees they cut down two or three years back it is thin, dry and ideal for building the lastest type of raised bed I have read about, the name of which eludes me. Basically the concept is that you build a pile of rotted timber then cover it with sawdust and leaf rubbish (in my case probably the contents of one of the compost bins) and add soil on top. The timber retains moisture (think fallen trees in rainforests sitting there oozing moisture) and so you don't have to water so often. Not sure how this sits with the chemistry of avoiding sawdust in your garden unless you have a high nitrogen fertiliser, but worth a try I reckon since I don't have enough soil to fill them up to the top.

So next problem was heading into town to make scarecrows. Clearly my understanding of scarecrows diverges from that of the others, but at least there was a frame to build mine on, and enough straw to poke out of the openings around neck, hands and ankles. The other three are more what I would call poseable dummies, with no frame and little straw.

The howling gales that traditionally accompany show week have continued to blight outdoor activity, so apart from bunging in some of the celery seedlings (which are pot-bound and not coping with the drying wind), I didn't get much else done apart from engaging in a discussion on FB about the Tasmanian Forest Industry.