Changes

I have recently moved to the city from my hometown in the country. Our town was not too small, and the suburb I live in now reminds me very much of Orange. Aside from the big obvious differences, there are lots of little things that are almost novel to us now, although I'm sure we will be used to them soon enough. I'm almost used to the big jumbo jets taking off nearby and flying overhead. And the banana trees, yuccas, frangipanis, bougainvillea and other seemingly exotic plants that don't survive the Orange frosts.

There is a wonderful mix of nationalities living side by side, and I don't think we will ever tire of all the different restaurants. One thing I cannot get used to is the enormous Sydney cockroaches. They crawl all over the exterior of the building at night and, I presume, all over the inside while we are asleep. I've been fastidious about cleaning and food hygiene to the point of obsession so we've managed to keep them at bay so far, meaning we only see one inside every couple of days.
Our new home is a little unit in a small complex. We have been pleasantly surprised with the friendliness of our new neighbours, as well as the larger community. People here have stopped to introduce themselves and say hello, they stop their cars to let you cross the street and give a wave if you let them into traffic. I was not expecting that people living in the suburbs of Sydney would be friendlier than some of those in the country.
In Orange, my parents have a wonderful leafy garden and I worked at a lovely little nursery. I have found that I am missing being surrounded by plants all the time. I'm an anxious person a lot of the time and being around nature soothes me.
My parents have brought some of my pot plants from home and we now have a little balcony garden going on. We have parsley, basil, thyme, spring onions, oregano and peppermint as well as spinach, rocket and strawberries. Also a few succulents from home and a couple more that I have propogated from small cuttings found here and there - not stolen, I promise. I also have some cress and alfalfa sprouts growing on the kitchen windowsill.
I've collected some chilli seeds from this seasons harvest, and hopefully I will get some seedlings which will turn into strong plants next season. I did this a couple of years ago and they did really well.
I know it's way too early to be planning summer crops but I'm looking forward to warmer weather when I can grow tomatoes on my little balcony, and I hope to try snow peas or beans also.

I've been binge reading Rohan Andersons beautiful blog Whole Larder Love, and dreaming of a little house with a huge vegie garden in the country. For now I will make do with my tiny balcony garden.