Veronika Wild

Happy Easter & Happy Spring! Yes, I know it's not Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, but Easter is the time of year that Tasmanians plant their Spring bulbs for a lovely show when Winter is over. Something to look forward to after those long dark days. Below are some of the things we used to do to make spring come sooner.  Bulbs  Find a glass jar with a narrow neck - milk bottles used to be perfect, fill it with water to just below the rim and pop a hyacinth, daffodil or tulip bulb on the top. The bulbs shouldn't touch the water or they will rot. Some gardeners lift and separate their bulbs at this time of year, so you may be able to badger them for a few, but you can usually pick them up quite cheaply at dollar stores and gardening centres. If you chill them in the refrigerator a bit first, they work even better. Then keep them in a warm dark cupboard.   Look at them from time to time and top up the water if necessary. Soon you will see long white roots grow, then ...

-Image by Copilot   There are in fact quite a few empty chairs around our dinner table of late. Youngest son has gone to work in Queensland. Two of the older granddaughters have just gone to Melbourne to study.  We knew this was going to happen. My daughter was looking forward to less squabbles about whose turn it was to take out the recycling or stack the dishwasher, less noise, a bit of space in the bathroom and less chauffeuring. But the house is so quiet. There’s not much excited chatter around the dinner table, no one needing a costume for tomorrow, no music blaring from bedrooms. Freedom is a strange thing. I felt the same when my daughter left for college, when my oldest son moved in with his girlfriend and when my big sister left for work in New Guinea. I wonder how the youngest granddaughter is taking it? An only child at last. No more nagging and bullying by big sisters, and yet...Who is there to play cards with or watch a silly movie? She won't be far behind....

-Image is AI generated by Microsoft Copilot The ocean doesn’t respect borders, politics, or loyalties   - neither do a lot of fishermen, it seems. Thank you to those who do. The Ocean's job is to move heat, carbon, nutrients, and life across entire hemispheres, well beyond the jurisdiction of any one country. The first part of this post is about how countries manage declining fish stocks and avoid conflicts.  The second part is about ways in which we can help.  1.      Managing Fish Stocks The Role of National Governments National governments generally set overall fisheries laws, quotas, reporting requirements, and conservation frameworks, while in Australia at least, State governments manage inshore fisheries, licensing, local closures, and compliance. Both levels of government are increasingly having to intervene due to climate ‑ driven stock collapses — including emergency closures and orderly licence buyouts. Only a few weeks ago, Ta...