Since my last post, the weather has improved. No cloud cover so it's cold at night, and the days are crisp and clear, with bright sunshine making colours sing. I finally get to the vegetable patch...
Amidst 
the lush green weeds (otherwise known as successful but unwanted plants) shine the brilliant colours of silverbeet Bright Lights, also known as Rainbow chard.
The glossy green leaves contrast with the almost psychedelic intensity of the coloured ribs - intense pink, orange, red, and golden yellow. Alas, when they are cooked the ribs just look mostly red and they lose some of their zing.
These plants survive a rather bleak site, with not much sun at all in winter, strong winds, and general neglect. But they are planted in soil which has been built up by the use of lots of compost, made from all the weeds which we grow so well, kitchen scraps, shredded paper, and prunings of woody plants. This is not a carefully made compost, although I try to balance the nitrogen and carbon input, so it is used to increase the amount of soil (which was minimal to start off with) and improve soil structure rather than for feeding the plants. But these plants do pretty well, I reckon.
And the photographic models have now been eaten.
Yum.