Karaka Berry Flesh Makes a Pungent Dip or Topping

I find the fried orange flesh of the berry of Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus)  makes a very pungent dip or pizza topping resembling a strong cheese, a real kick to it with what I find to be an almost "rude" quality also like that of strong cheese. Also the consistency is somewhat like cheese, not that I believe in one food pretending to be another, it never works, like a person trying to be someone else.

I collect berries from the foot path and gutter below trees in the suburbs, then wash them obviously. I try to select berries that have not started to ferment/rot but by the time I have prepared them this process has invariably begun to an extent. I assume this at least partly accounts for their powerful flavor, I also assume if they have just started to ferment or decay they are still safe to eat but have no expertise in this area, I noticed no odd effects at all after eating it several times.

I should probably mention here most people know the kernels or"seeds"of the berries are extremely poisonous unless properly prepared, even in historical times when they were a major food of Maori there were occasional poisonings, possibly from prepared kernels although this does not seem to be clear. As far as I can gather they are rarely used as food today. 

There has recently been some fascinating scientific research into methods of elimination of multiple toxins from kernels. It concluded no single method tried was sufficient for reduction to completely safe levels, suggesting further investigation into multiple approaches. At this stage science does not seem to offer a guaranteed safe way of preparing the kernel but it is hopefully edging closer. Seems a little ironic in modern times we don't know how to safely prepare what was once a staple in this country.  This study also notes some toxins were detected in the flesh of the berry, presumably at safe levels since there's never been a report of poisoning. (See : MacAskill, J. J. (2013). Quantification of Nitro-toxins in Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) Drupes (Thesis, Master of Science (MSc)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/7566. )

Suggestions for attracting Glow Worms to gardens

It looks like I accidentally attracted the New Zealand Glow Worm (Arachnocampa luminosa) to a (reasonably) shady, sheltered corner of my garden when I put tubs of water there to grow shade loving edible and medicinal aquatic plants.  It seems to be the combination of water, shade and shelter that they particularly like, they are not found in any other niche in my diverse garden.

Glow Worms live in the Ivy at the top of the picture overlooking the plastic tubs of water. 

I can't find any writing about encouraging this species in the garden so thought I'd write about it. I do live only a few hundred meters from a stream that has glow worms but it seems possible they could find their way to much more remote spots as the adult of this insect can fly. It only lives a few days before laying it's eggs but that might be enough time to cover some distance, they've colonized the whole country after all. 

I'm not sure how long it took before they found the spot, the tubs were sitting there for around three years before I noticed their alluring glow, so it may take a while. It's good having them next to a window from which they can be viewed, I might have never noticed them otherwise.The wire mesh in the picture happened to be left there for no reason, interestingly when I took it away they went dark for several days, so I put it back they seemed to get brighter again. Perhaps it reminds them of tree canopy or something else about their natural niche, or perhaps they just don't like change. 

Manuka Tea, likely better mental booster than coffee

I think Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) leaf tea may have the most pleasing flavor the native New Zealand flora has to offer.  Scientists have long known the plant contains the chemical 1 8 cineole (Ref 1), found in the leaves and bark. Recently scientists have found 1 8 cineole from Rosemary and other herbs boosts speed and accuracy at mental tasks (2). They also seem to report as a good thing that it is "negatively correlated with changes in contentment levels" I'm not sure what that means, perhaps it is some kind of mood stabilizer.

Many of the experiments involved inhalation of the chemical through essential oil of herbs but oral administration of essential oil and "extracts" was also effective (3, 4). I'm assuming just drinking the tea is a way of getting the benefits of 1 8 cineole but have not been able to find any experts committing on this. Essential oils can be extracted simply by pressing, crushing plants, I don't see how this would make any chemicals available not available through boiling, though they would be more concentrated. I expect essential oils are usually used in experiments because they can be bottled to prevent evaporation then stored for years and used when convenient. I find Manuka leaves loose most of their flavor in a matter of days once picked, presumably because the essential oils have broken down or escaped (presumably this would pose a serious problem for anyone trying to transport and sell the leaves for tea, significant seasonal fluctuations in quantities of 1 8 cineole in the leaves another issue(5)).

It is interesting that the BBC TV series 'Trust me I'm a Doctor' found in an experiment coffee makes you think you are performing better mentally but actually doesn't help, by contrast essential oil of Sage containing 1 8 cineole does improve mental performance (4*). So the humble, largely overlooked cup of Manuka tea may actually be a better workplace drink than coffee (I don't see anything wrong with coffee as recreational drug on the basis of their findings. At least coffee doesn't actually make you perform far worse while making you think you're doing wonderfully as alcohol and cannabis do, though glancing into certain "cool" and "classy" cafes I think this may need further research).

The similar, related native plant Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) is also used as a tea (7) and also contains 1 8 cineole (1). I find the flavor facinatingly unique but overpowering, like essential oil straight. 

I also find it very interesting a popular tea in Ancient Egypt was made from the leaves of Artemisia arborescens, tree wormwood (12), which have been found to contain 0.4% 1 8 cineole (6) perhaps it was the secret of their astounding civilization. It is a very satisfying tea once you get used to it. This plant is also one of the few things not eaten by goats in my experience, because of the strong smell I assume and it takes extreme coastal exposure.

Tree wormwood, Artemisia arborescens, by the sea at Makara beach, Wellington, New Zealand.

I've often wondered why Mint (Mentha spicata) Tea is so popular in the Arab World since it doesn't appear to do anything like coffee, turns out it is rich in 1 8 Cineole (8) .

1 8 cineole is also found in the leaves of a number of other plants used to make very pleasant teas such as Broad Leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia)(9)*, Myrtle (Myrtus communis) (10), once popular with French women, and Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) (11), perhaps this is why the Delphic Oracle of Ancient Greece used Bay as an aid in making prophecies.

Often confused with one another, I mainly tell Manuka and Kanuka apart by their leaf shape. Manuka (above) has broader more curved oval leaves, Kanuka (right) straighter, narrower leaves.









References

1. Brooker S G, Cain B F, Cambie R C. A New Zealand Phytochemical Register-Part 1. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand Vol 1 No7 May 31 1963
2. http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20120127011944data_trunc_sys.shtml
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736918/
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3KpL3khByCkMwS3jmcCQFMb/the-big-brain-boost-experiment

*This BBC experiment tested Coffee against Sage in a one off single experiment, most people probably use coffee to sustain effort over a long period throughout the day, the effectiveness of this strategy was not tested in this experiment.   

5. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:toKutzBZxIwJ:www.mdpi.com/1420-      3049/16/2/1181/pdf+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
6. Singh R J Editor. Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement: Medicinal Plants, Volume 6. 2011
7. Crowe A. A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. 1981.
8. http://www.bio.auth.gr/v1/en/content/mentha-spicata-essential-oils-rich-18-cineole-and-12-epoxy-p-menthane-derivatives-zakynthos
9. Cribb AB JW. Wild Food in Australia. 
 *  The authors experimented with this tea and liked it, I don't know if it has become widely used (proven safe) as a result of their recommendations,  it appears no incidents have resulted from their publication, I like it a lot & use it a few time a month.
10. http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/blogs/aromatic-myrtle-and-its-medicinal-uses/11010104.blog
11. Facciola S Cornucopia II. 1998.

12. I seem to have lost the reference for this, from memory it was an academic Israeli book partially online. Wikipedia says it is a contemporary tea in the Middle East. 

Mealworms raised outside with Passive Solar Heating

I've found mealworms (Tenibrio molitor or Yellow Mealworm) can be raised in black plastic containers outdoors in a temperate climate provide the containers are in a sunny position causing them to heat up during the day. A simple, basically free, form of passive solar heating.

Mealworms of course require heat (and darkness) to survive and flourish but they are also surprisingly tolerant of temporary cold. They survived all winter outside in the containers here, where the night temperature typically drops to between 5 C and -3 C (zone 9, Wellington, New Zealand).

By contrast when I tried raising them inside the house, including above the water heater, this quickly failed, presumably because it was not nearly hot enough.

I had to secure the containers with wire mesh to stop them blowing away in the wind. I also taped screening around the lid to prevent the adult beetle from climbing out, I'm not sure this is necessary they don't seem to have thought of that so far. 

Another problem was figuring out if the containers were safe for raising insects in, unsurprisingly there is not much info on plastics suitable for insects. Some manufacturers market containers as "food grade", suitable for keeping food in, which I took to be ok, but finding one that says that and is black may be difficult. I resorted to buying a blue "fish bin" (for keeping fish in, presumably safe) and painting it black. It might even be possible to make a container out of wood and paint it black if you don't like plastic. 

I just feed them grass and weeds from the garden I know to be edible for humans, reportedly they will eat anything that is rotting.  

I have never raised mealworms with the usual artificial heat so can't compare productivity of outdoor containers with this. So far, I've only had them just over a year, they appear to go through one life-cycle a year.

I haven't spent much time on trying to complete the life cycle, from adult beetles to eggs and so on. Some websites say the beetles will eat their own eggs, I have not found this in any of the books I've found on the subject. Last year some eggs hatched after being outside in the box for winter when I didn't take the precaution of removing the adult beetles to stop them eating the eggs. This year this doesn't seem to have worked so far. Next time I'll try cleaning the boxes which I probably should have done (1.2.) I can't imagine experiencing comparatively mild Wellington winter temperatures is the problem given the much harsher places they are found in the wild.

My interest in mealworms is as part of my own diet and part of an effort to produce most of my own food on a small section. Mealworms appear to contain all the essential nutrients fruit and vegetables lack, so could possibly be a wise addition to a small self-sufficient homestead that can't fit larger animals. 

I tried eating a few the other day, after fasting them for 24 hours. I fried them in olive oil, they were crisp and melted in the mouth, not much to them. I suppose they were a little like the skin of Kentucky Fried Chicken, not bad, but bitter as well, something I fed them perhaps, or the oil? Will have to do more work in this area.

Footnote. What Wetas taste like.

While on the subject of eating insects, thought I'd answer the question "what does a Weta taste like?" I once found a Tree Weta in the bush lying on its back wriggling slowly, I brought it home, it died shortly after. I chewed the body, without cooking it, then spat it out and rinsed my mouth. It tasted exactly like Rotorua smells, like sulphur. I think it is remotely possible a taste could be acquired for it, people live in Rotorua after all. Aside from the exoskeleton it had the consistency of puss. Early Maori ate them but reportedly mushed up with other things (3) probably to mask the taste and texture.  

I defer to Weta experts I've contacted who say we should not eat Weta for conservation reasons. It's possible a case could be made for farming them but I'm not interested in that fight. I also recall reading they can be infested with parasites, it is possible these parasites could be very harmful to humans if they or their eggs were eaten alive.

References.

1. Culturing Live Foods. Michael R Hellweg 2008

2. Eat this Bug. Lynn Davis 1996.

3. Which New Zealand Insect? Andrew Crowe. 2002 

Apparent Zealandia Kaka damage to Avocado Crop

Apparent Zealandia Kaka Bite Marks in Avocado 

Images of damage to Avocado Crop near Zealandia Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. The crescent shape is consistent with bite marks from parrots on humans (1). I could not find any photos of Kaka bite marks but I can't see how it can be anything other than the NZ parrot known as Kaka from the recently instituted Zealandia Native Reserve. 

It looks like the Kaka attacked the fruit on at least three occasions separated by several weeks, but they did not destroy all of the crop, about half were damaged and in earlier years none were (the trees are young, so far bearing small crops of fruit for about four years). I get the impression the Kaka are investigating the fruit, being intelligent curious animals, having checked them out them it appears they had no further interest in them. So far it does not appear they are obsessed with eating the fruit or fruit in general but it is too soon to be certain. Avocados do not ripen on the tree and are "said to be toxic"(4) when unripe, at least to humans, it is hard to imagine any human getting any pleasure from eating the hard unripe fruit, I don't know about parrots.

Still, if this is damage from Kaka I find this rather annoying, I'm not against reserves or natives, I plant quite a few natives myself, but always edible ones where I live, alongside edible exotics. I think realistic environmentalism promotes local self-reliance through edible and useful plant and animal species near where people live to reduce unnecessary resource depletion, waste and pollution associated with transportation. Unproductive untouched reserves like Zealandia are, in my opinion, better located in remote locations away from people for the good of both people and pristine native ecosystems. 

Having a few reserves in central city areas may even be ecologically counterproductive if it people think it excuses all the damage they are doing everywhere else (a phenomenon known as the 'licensing syndrome' (2)).  Reserves may also be bad for the planet if they protects species that destroy efforts at sustainable land use such as self-sufficiency in food. I suppose Zealandia may also have a rather high carbon footprint if travel for tourist visitors is taken into account, although probably no tourists travel to New Zealand just to visit Zealandia. 

To say kaka should be able to run rampant because they are "natural" is a little like saying we should we should drink untreated water because it is "natural" (although admittedly probably not quite as extreme). Pristine wilderness is dangerous to humans despite the fact that it is often romanticized by people thoroughly insulated from it, as the environmental thinker Rene Dubos pointed out (3).

I emailed these photos to the Zealandia, Forest & Bird and the Department of Conservation, they suggested nets and planting something more desirable to distract them, perhaps that's the best we can hope for, unfortunately I find nets ugly & oppressive. They also pointed out it is illegal to "disturb" such species, so it sounds like Zealandia Kaka can destroy your property (such as home fruit trees which are much "greener" property than Zealandia I've argued) and you'll go to prison if you try to scare them off (!%#@!!???). Actually they mentioned (unsuccessful) attempts to scare them with balloons without any suggestion this was wrong so I assume reasonable attempts to scare them are legal. As far as I can see in the legislation "disturb" is only mentioned in the context of hunting protected species (as it should be), reasonable, humane, shooing of wildlife does not appear to be a concern, which seems like common sense surely.

I did recently realize the Kaka essentially ignored the bitter unripe green fruit of  a Pawpaw/babaco cross "Rainbow Valley" a few feet away from the Avocado. It appears they may have sampled them just a little (picture) and decided they didn't like them.

These unripe fruit are supposed to be edible, I eat them cooked sometimes, but they are quite bitter. Apparently birds can detect at least some types of bitterness in order to avoid poisonous plants. Seems like a (non-toxic) bitter spray might be a possibility for some crops, especially if it can be washed off the fruit when harvested & somehow made so it doesn't seep into the flesh. There does seem to be a least one commercial bird repellant spray for protecting fruit. It seems like a major long shot but perhaps sprays could even be used to prevent Kaka from stripping bark off of privately owned trees looking for edible moth larvae.

I also caught a Kaka in the act of eating some of my first crop of Loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica). I told it to bugger off, it obliged but was lurking around again shortly after. Interestingly the fruit had just reached full ripeness that day, apparently birds detect ultra-violet light coming from ripe fruit we can't see, though doesn't explain the damage unripe avocados, probably they are more curious than most birds. 

Go for the glow | New Scientist

I've found Loquat fruit can be picked when partly green, not fully ripe, and ripened indoors, which may also be an option but reportedly the taste is not as good (4), I think this is true but have not had enough to be sure. An exquisite tasting fruit at its best, rather like pineapple and apricot jam.  

Above : Large conifers that were killed by Kaka on private land close to Zealandia. The Kaka killed it by tearing off the bark. The trees had to be cut down as they were endangering the road below, costing over $3000. I told the city council, who self-righteously reintroduced kaka to the area via Zealandia, but they didn't offer to pay.

Kaka near Zealandia with exotic conifers they killed in background. 

Research indicates kaka are much more likely to attack certain exotic confers, Lawson cyperus, Japanese cedar and macrocarpa in particular though apparently they may attack any tree, especially if encouraged by feeding for instance. They have ignored many other non-coniferous natives and exotics in this area. 

I'm pretty sure my damaged trees are Cupresssocyparis x leylandii (close up photo below), which is a cross between macrocarpa and another conifer. So if you're wonder what trees NOT to plant in Wellington you might want to skip these. They have also killed several Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) nearby. They also attacked a redwood nearby.

It is unfortunate they attack such enormous conifers as they can become very dangerous and are expensive to cut down. 

I believe it has always been known kaka tear bark off of trees looking for grubs to eat, this fact was probably ignored in the self-righteous zeal of government conservation decision makers when they decided to reintroduce kaka to Wellington. 

   

References.

1.  http://forums.avianavenue.com/index.php?threads/bird-bite-photos-warning-graphic.2394/ 

2. The Willpower Instinct. K McGonigal. 2012.

3. The Wooing of Earth. R Dubos. 1980.  

Dubos argues convincingly the "natural" places we really like being in have been significantly modified by humans. Few would want to spend time in the New Zealand bush if the world's largest ever predatory eagle, the Haast's Eagle, had not been made extinct by early Maori settlers (apparently by causing the extinction of its main food source, the Moa). It is considered likely this eagle preyed on the first human settlers. Perhaps if genetic engineering advances sufficiently we should bring this species (or Tyrannosaurus rex) back  in the name of conservation, to prey on humans, because it is "natural" and "pure". Better still trying to defend yourself when they attack would of course have to be illegal because they're "native" and "pure".  

Obviously the cause of nationalistic purity has characterized well known, and once very popular, devastating ideologies such as Nazism. I'm not saying nationalist conservation zealots are as bad as Nazis but the use of reserves as something that excuses destroying the planet , while making self-sufficient homesteads difficult or impossible because of destructive protected species, may be in the end be far more harmful to humanity, despite "good intentions". 

( http://www.wingspan.co.nz/extinct_birds_of_prey_new_zealand_haasts_eagle.html)

4. Discovering Fruit and Nuts. S Lyle. 2007.

Tasty berries of some hardy epiphytic bromeliads

Small fruit of Aechmea gamosepala (left) & Quesenelia marmorata (right) which I sampled as food recently. The dark purple ripe fruit of the Aechmea was sweet, not outstanding in flavor but good. The Quesenelia was much milder and less sweet in flavor, but nice if you eat a lot of them, rather like custard. I have only sampled each a few times, on one occasion the flavor of one of them (don't recall which) was exceptional, quite complex and rich, I think this may have been when they were completely ripe, perhaps over-ripe. Figuring out the best time to pick them deserves investigation. I was surprised to find the skin of both fruit is too tough to eat, you have to squeeze the flesh out with your teeth holding the skin with your hand, probably not a plus though possibly could become habit forming like sucking on a lolly. 

Other bromeliad fruit I've tried are Neoregelia marmorata which is small, white and tastes bland but I suppose could possibly be added to dishes such as stir fry as a vegetable (the small purple flowers are also quite tasty but not produced in significant quantity) and Aechmea nudicaulis var cuspidata fruit which is small, orange and mildly sweet and pleasant.

I decided to try the fruit largely on the basis of the article Bromeliads: Edible and Therapeutic by Michael Spencer 1981 . Journal of the Bromeliad Society Vol XXXI (4). There is specific reference to Quesenelia marmorata and Aecmea nudicaulis being edible, I don't believe I ever found a specific reference to Aechmea gamosepala fruit being edible, only general statements about the genus having edible fruit as well as virtually no reports of toxicity in bromeliads except in unripe pineapples.

Although these fruit do not seem to be very noteworthy food I think they are a small but positive addition to the edible garden because the plants can grow without soil as air plants or epiphytes, producing in niches where most, if not all, more useful crops could not, so don't compete with them for space. I like to grow epiphytes attached to a house. They have tolerated winter night temperatures averaging around  + 5 C  with occasional frosts down to around  -3 C.

Spender also mentions eating the petals of Billbergia, I tried the petals of Billbergia bruauteana, they are soft enough to eat but have a slightly strange unpleasant flavor so I regard them as inedible, possibly toxic.   

Expectation Adjustment as willpower tool (for self-sufficiency)

I've tried quite a few willpower (self-regulation/self-control) techniques from books by Roy Baumeister and Kelly McGonigal and others, all quite helpful. But have found for me personally, wanting to boost my performance in efforts to be self-sufficient in food production, the best technique has been to adjust my expectations of how pleasurable and easy gardening is and should be.

I suspect most people interested in getting back to nature and growing their own food because they don't like the industrial "system"  have a rather "idealistic" "romantic" "hippy" "greenie" "Garden of Eden" idea of what gardening will be like, everything will be harmonious, cooperative and nice. This view is not limited to "greenies" this has been called the Pastoral Fallacy (7) and the Arcadian Fallacy. New Zealand was largely colonized on the basis of this myth/lie. Early advertisements in England for the country  typically said things like " everywhere pigs drunk from eating fermented wild peaches, begging to be shot" (8). Perhaps all societies since prehistory have held such beliefs about new frontiers.  So this particular adjustment may be of use to this relatively large group of people in particular. It simply means changing your expectations to accept gardening will indeed be magical, beautiful and pleasant but at times may also be ugly, disappointing, unpleasant, boring and difficult.

I don't think doing this is especially unusual, since thinking about this I've noticed people quite often talk about "being prepared" psychologically, for instance I recently read (something like) "rats make wonderful pets but they only live a few years so be prepared".  I just haven't seen it discussed in science based writing on willpower/self-regulation, so it seemed worth writing about.

"Expectation adjustment" is my term, I got the idea after noticing many of the willpower techniques Baumeister reports on already seem to exist in the military, such as tidiness and eating well (glucose believed to be the chemical basis of willpower) which reminds one of the saying "an army marches on it's stomach". So I started wondering about other thing the military do, since sacrificing your own life and killing others in battle are probably the most difficult things a rational person can attempt to do (5) and an effective army really needs to be more rational than emotional (6). It seems to me the expectation and acceptance they are going to do something extremely unpleasant and undesirable is a major factor in how soldiers are able to conduct war, or even disaster relief, imagine if they expected it to be nice*.

There is a cruel but hilarious experiment in Baumeister's book that seems to touch on this, by Mark Muraven. Runners were given equal distances to run, but some were told the run was shorter, then were told there was more to do once they'd completed this, these runners performed poorly for the remainder of the run compared with the other group (pg 34 Ref 1). This was discussed in terms of conservation of energy, but to me it is an example of being psychologically prepared or not prepared; "expectation adjustment".

I think this phenomenon may also have something to do with overcoming addiction through acceptance of the unpleasantness of addictive cravings "riding the wave" McGonigal talks about. (pg 225 Ref 2). Also ascetic people are better at difficult tasks I recently heard (3) by taking the emphasis off seeking pleasure I suppose this makes you more ascetic, temporarily.

The reality is sometimes gardening is negative, weeds and pests are competing with you and would gladly take over your niche if they could, you can't always be nice to all plants or animals. The elements don't care about you, nor does the land itself, but if you use your head and your body eventually you'll get back what you give. The aim of being self-sufficient should presumably be a degree of autonomy or independence, if seeking pleasure gets in the way of this it will have to be dispensed with for the moment. In the end you'll have far more beauty and pleasure that way.


* I'm not entirely certain adjusting expectation always fits the psychologists definition of willpower/self-control/self-regulation.  I've even wondered if this approach, at least the way I have been using it, actually makes me have less self-control as I seem to take more risks and become more daring as a result of not worrying about unpleasantness, trait normally associated with poor self-control or impulsivity. There are times when we need less self control (when conceiving a child or getting a flash of artistic inspiration) and times when we need more (when dealing with a misbehaving child or developing an artistic idea into a work of art).

Finding ways of deliberately reducing willpower/ self-control, for specific tasks for limited periods, may turn out to be just as important for a full balanced life as ways of increasing self-control, which appears to be the main, or even sole, focus of science at the moment.

At times I find the terms will power/self-control/self-regulation rather confusing anyway, for instance in a famous experiment children who resist the temptation to eat a marshmallow are considered to have more willpower than those who stared at it & usually gave in and ate it, that seems more like a technique that serves the will than actual will to me. I find adjusting expectation to be a  a way of doing something I believe I should be doing but don't feel like doing, which is all the matters to me, not terminology.



After thoughts.

Since writing the above I emailed the authors of "Self-Regulation and the Five-Factor Model of Personality Traits" in "Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation" about my experiences. Corina Lockenhoff responded explaining that what I decided to call "expectation adjustment" sounds like what psychologists call "task framing", a term I was unaware of & will most likely use in future.

Another possible insight since writing the above is I noticed I've been working much more in the garden since moving my studio to my home, before I was catching buses across town to get to my studio. It appears the commute was draining my willpower, an example of what Baumeister & Tierney refer to when they say "pick your battles"; we all have limited willpower, we have to save it for the most important things, don't try to do too many challenging things. 

The thing is I would have never thought catching buses through town was depleting my willpower as I find negotiating the chaos of public transport and city crowds entertaining and educational. But perhaps maintaining civility in such anarchy does exactly that, drains willpower, probably a good example of what Ivan Illich called Shadow Work (9); unpaid toil and time required to support industrialism. Even more so if it is actually eclipsing our ability to do sustainable autonomous work by depleting our self-control, leaving us in a state fit only for impulsive activities, probably impulsive consumption of addictive industrial commodities in particular. Sometimes it may be a good idea to be on the lookout for seemingly inconsequential, even enjoyable, things that are depleting vital mental energy, stopping one from being able to do the important things. 

In other words, in order to do something you want to do, but find impossible, you may have to drop one or more activities from your current routine. I find this a very humbling idea, it makes you face your limits. But expecting the science of self-control to help us perform multiple superhuman feats, as I was, is probably unrealistic. Such high expectations may ironically be a symptom of the prevailing culture of narcissism/grandiosity psychologists like Baumeister (1) have criticized extensively for weakening self control.    

Finally, it also seems possible I simply became "home-centred" moving my studio home, before I was probably mainly "town-centred". "A man cannot have two masters" as a Christian friend of mine used to say, perhaps that means he also cannot have two "centres".  

References

1)Willpower. Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Roy Baumeister & John Tierney 2011
2) The Willpower Instinct. How Self-control works, why it matters
 and what you can do to get more of it. Kelly McGonigal 2012
 3)  Jim Mora interviewing Marc Wilson on 'refutation' of Baumeister's ego depletion theory. Radio New Zealand 11:06 am 30/4/16
 http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201798981/marc-wilson-ego-depletion
4) Overwhelming Terror. Love, Fear, Peace and Violence among Semai of Malaysia. Robert Knox Dentan, 2008.
5) Our Inner Ape. A Leading Primatologist Explains why we are who we are. Franz de Waal 2006.
6) Civilisation. K Clark. 1969
7) The Ideal Society and its Enemies: The Foundations of Modern New Zealand Society 1850-1900. Miles Fairburn. 1989.
8) Shadow Work. Ivan Illich 1981