This morning I went out to guerilla garden. First of all the sedges (cyperus gymnocaulos) and the knobby club rush (ficinia nordosa); going into the banks of a culvert. The suburbs are full of these unloved places where native plants could grow and habitat could be created, bare earth could be under a blanket of beautiful plants. Yet so often, none of these things happen. This is my third planting of sedge in this spot this season–last season I thought every sedge I planted had died, but this morning I found two that had survived.
Once planted, I picked up the fallen leaves from nearby culvert, made of concrete, and piled them up around the sedges. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have with people who pass in the street, about fallen leaves. Rich, amazing bounty, regarded by so many as an inconvenience and as trash. I have literally explained to people many times why I am picking them up (because I want them) and then had to explain how I will use them (compost, mulch, weed suppression, you name it) and sometimes even how (you can lay them on bare earth and they will return to soil, but better than it was).
On outing 2 I finally planted the last of the bottlebrush and tea tree, alongside the public transport corridor. And picked up the litter there. I took a bag that sheep manure came home in specifically for the purpose because there seems to be nothing quite like public transport infrastructure, for rubbish. Sometimes it just blows there, I guess.
Then I went to the local cafe and collected their scraps and coffee grounds. At home, in go dead street tree leaves to bring the carbon needed for composting to go well, plus this bag of paper towel from my “work” place. I’ve just decided it doesn’t make sense for it to go to public waste systems when I could bring it home and compost it. Yes, I’m taking my own hand towel and using one I can wash and use again. Meanwhile, these went into the compost bin too. The bag will go back in my bike bag for next time.
And then I have spent part of the day re homing things other people don’t want. And that neither they not I want to go to waste. This coverlet has found a new home via local Buy Nothing, and I have several other items waiting.
I don’t know quite what to say for myself today. Why am I posting about all this?? But it did strike me eventually that it has been a day of perfectly pleasurable waste work, which I am now capping off by mending yet another of my not-too-glorious undergarments, with part of someone else’s dead t shirt. I cut a pattern from a piece of used paper covered in text (that goes to the compost here too), and pinned it on; cut out two patches and pinned them on, folding over to reinstate some fabric where it has worn away. This garment is so worn, it seems a bit ridiculous to mend it. But I have not yet managed to let it go; and it is an old fave. So I decided to do it anyway.
Two patches, one under each arm; and then–as I am going that far–a little patch at the hemline (*cough* this was overlocked with no hem when this garment was new–long, long ago) where I have never noticed it has come adrift.
And after a long phone call and some instructional video watching… here it is. I tried two different threads–didn’t love the first one (perle cotton) in use so switched to the blue thread (sashiko thread).
And if nothing else, I guess I will learn about how that feels to wear, and how it washes. As well as–how long before more of the garment wears right through! And that is a wrap on my waste work day.
Local & Bespoke 