Oh hey it’s me again.
Twice in one month, you lucky things!
 
Don’t worry, I won’t make a habit of it. You just get one dose a month from here on out, in the last week of each month. That’s until I go on holidays / AWOL again and stuff the whole schedule.
You’re a resilient bunch though, you'll manage.
 
I’m typing with toes and ankles crossed that we maintain power for long enough to get this column finished, and a few hundred Banksia Bulletins printed. Sure, typing with my fingers crossed would be more lucky, but it just would not be efficient, or accurate.
 
Kudos to everyone for soldiering on through the waves of power outages, even you smug generator-owners! I hope you’re embracing the opportunity for a digital detox, reconnecting with friends and family over a good old fashioned game of cards, reading a book by torchlight and no-cook picnic dinners! Most importantly, I hope you’re supporting each other through what admittedly is, a pretty annoying period of time. Remember, life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it.
 
Another bright side for you: y’all are entitled to claim $80 each time the power is out for over 12 hours. Yahoo!! Pop into the CRC and we’ll happily help you make the claim online—we’re literally pros at it right now.
 
Big thank you to all of our advertisers and content submitters who have contributed to this edition! Thanks to you there’s heaps of content for our wonderful readers to sink their teeth into this month. We’re of course never satisfied though, so keep bringing it on for next month—and all year. Please and thank you. Ideas for new segments / columns / spreads / exposes(!) are always welcome too!
 
Hope you and your gardens are enjoying this little drink of rain!
 
Jill Hayes
Editor | Banksia Bulletin
Coordinator | Quairading CRC
 

Hello there 2020. I’m going to completely ignore your first 31 days because to be honest I’m not sure where they went, or if they even existed, so really – this is week one. If you happened to do something productive with your elusive January days, kudos to you – you’ve got a head start on the rest of us!
 
I’m actually somewhat sitting in both camps. I spent my Jan in the blissful winter of central Europe (I saw snow in Poland! I drank Champagne in France!), it was much fun and a far more comfortable climate that the Wheatbelt at current.
 
I, of course, even learnt a few things:

• Heaps about WWII
  
• Peaking through windows and walking around lobbies is just as cultural - and far more affordable - than actually buying the museum entry ticket
  
• I can sleep VERY well on airport benches, particularly when it means saving cash on a night’s accommodation
  
•  And the most shocking: they don’t use top sheets! On beds or on benches. It’s ridiculous. You gotta have a top sheet.

 
But for real, I’m feeling fresh (it’s literally day one back at work, novelty obviously hasn’t worn off just yet), clear and ready for an epically huge 2020. Which is lucky, because it feels like we really have hit the ground running already.
 
Our February events list at the Quairading CRC includes our annual Cuppa with a Copper (including Bickie with a Banker!) next Friday 14th February—romantic, we know! Pop down from 9:30am to chat to our local bankers and coppers. The following week we’ve managed to secure a visit from Kidsafe WA, who will be delivering a short and sweet workshop regarding child safety at home, on the farm, during play and on the road—let us know if you plan on joining us for that one (Wednesday 19th, 10am til 11am). And pushing through to March, we’ll be hosting a very cool workshop with Johanna from Wild and Waste Free (Narrogin based!) about how to reduce your waste! Keep an eye on our social media and the Passion Sheet for details on that one through the month. So many things to keep you informed, engaged and better equipped for the year ahead!
 
Happy Feb!
 
Jill Hayes
Editor | Banksia Bulletin
Coordinator | Quairading CRC