Spring in the Valley

By Chris R.

Spring is one of our favourite seasons in the Valley. The days are warming, the paddocks lush and the animals look cheery in the sunshine. It is also a great time to walk through the gardens and spy the different flowering plants brightening our surrounds. The gardens are fertilised with straw and manure from the Valley. No chemicals are used, ensuring native animal visitors are safe from poisoning.

Native white clematis grow around Tasmanian tree ferns under the eastern facing eaves of the house. They twine among the leafless wisteria and cover the brick work. Spring bulbs, including tulips and ranunculi, which have escaped browsing by the native bandicoots and rabbits are a show, brightening garden beds and pots.

 

Wheelbarrows sourced from council verge collections have been repaired and planted with annual flowers and vegetables. They can be moved to cooler spots as the summer weather approaches. 

 

Vegan Recipe: Shamb and Cheezus Golzemes

By Chris R.

This is a cruelty free take on the traditional Turkish recipe. The sheep approve, and it is delicious! Makes eight golzemes. 

Ingredients:

 -1 pack of light wheat wraps or similar

Shamb mince:

-1 packet of Vegie Delights mince

-2 tbls of vegan Worcestershire sauce

-2 tbls of soy sauce

-2 tbls of barbecue sauce

-2 tbls of tomato sauce

-2 tspn of garlic

-1 tbls of vegetable oil

Fillings:

-1 tub of Cheezus cheese – original or smokey can be used

-1 bunch of silver beet, chopped

-1 cup of parsley, finely chopped

Method:

-For Shamb mince: 

Lightly fry the garlic in the vegetable oil until golden, add all other ingredients, mix well and cook on low heat for around 15 minutes, stirring regularly.

-To construct Golzemes: 

Lay out the wrap bread. Spread a generous amount of Cheezus cheese, then layer with shamb mince, silver beet and parsley. 

Fold in half and place in a lightly oiled frying pan.  Cook until light brown and then turn to brown the other side, pressing down on the golzemes throughout. 

Delicious!

Duck House Renovation

By Chris R.

The renovation of the duck area was a priority task at the PVAS busy bee. During autumn, Daria Duck suffered a case of bumblefoot, a painful and potentially life threatening infection of the foot pad, often caused by hard or rough ground. Daria spent twelve weeks in the warmth of the house and after vet visits and three rounds of strong antibiotics, we were relieved that her foot made a full recovery. 

Fearing a recurrence of the infection in Daria or another duck, the vet advised that the substrate needed permanent modification. After much consultation, we settled on placing synthetic turf over the hard, rocky ground. We were rapt when Green Planet Grass offered their services and provided turf free of charge for the project.  

 

The Saturday before the busy bee, a staff member from Green Planet Grass visited the Sanctuary, measuring up the area. The following week we were able to collect the turf and yellow sand to form a stable pad for its installation.

The busy bee crew did a fantastic job shoveling and leveling the site, producing a professional finish for the ducks' new home. The volunteers were rapt to see Daria reintroduced to her sisters and all three birds enjoying the padding that the turf provides.

We are very appreciative of the support provided by Green Planet Grass to ensure the Sanctuary's rescue ducks are happy and healthy! Be sure to keep them in mind for your synthetic turf requirements - check them out at www.greenplanetgrass.com.au