Wednesday 3 December 2014

Slow Living Monthly Nine for November .....


Just joining in with Linda for the November Slow Living monthly nine...can't believe the year has gone so fast and so much has happened...

Nourish: Hadn't had the chance to get to the supplier for bread flour for a few weeks....really missed my homemade bread...raisin loaf was the first thing that went into the bread maker.  I was on a detox from the naturopath due to arthritis pain and inflammation... no gluten, no dairy and no sugar...I only lasted 9 days out of the 4 weeks...it was incredibly difficult and I have to admire those that can follow this regime....Will try to eliminate different foods in the New Year.


Home made raisin loaf...it is delicious and so much nicer than the store bought variety.
 Prepare:  Like everyone else I am trying to get prepared for Christmas...we hosted a family gathering for 28 people which required quite a bit of preparation.  ... Trying to work out how to get Christmas gifts for everyone without buying into the crass commercialism that is the Australian Christmas season...have a few homemade ideas....lip balm, bath fizzies and a delicious "white Christmas" recipe I would like to try...also preparing cookie mix in jars as gifts...did some last year and they turned out okay.

Reduce:  We have the use of a wood chipper...it will be living in the garage on permanent loan...we used it to shred all of the branches we took down along the sidefence from the neighbours hedge...into the chipper and then mulched under the fruit trees...

Green: I created a very small garden pond that I hope to encourage frogs into, to create some biodiversity in the garden..water for bees and insects ...hopefully the frogs will eat any mozzie larvae...I installed a beautiful water Lillie that my dog daisy devoured and left just a few straggly leaves...hopefully it will grow back....if I don't hear any croaks soon I will buy a couple of little guys to go in there.

Little water pond for frogs...hopefully


Grow:  The vegie garden is loving the last of the Spring weather...rain and sunshine in the same day....everything is growing really well...it grows so fast we sometimes don't get the chance to eat it before it goes to seed...need to be a bit more on the ball and use them up.


Newly planted more corn and butternut pumpkin
Tomatoes are going well

Nothing grows quite as quickly as baby chickens....it is amazing to see how much they grow overnight....from checking on the internet I think the white one is a male...they all still sleep under mum...very cute.

These little babies grow like weeds....

Create: My daughter had a lesson on making Candles and Melts...so we had a session and made a few goodies for Christmas...really enjoyed making the soy melts..they are very easy ... popped on some home printed labels and they are good to go....they are in plastic packing but it is reusable..just pop the melts out into a burner and the packaging is good to reuse.


Not a very good photo but you get the general idea.
Discover:  It was a month of discovery for me....I learnt that I can't change things just because I want too....I realised how much I enjoy playing "words with friends" each morning..... all part of brain training and trying to avoid dementia !! ...I have 18 games on the go with 2 very close girlfriends...I was initially much better at it than they were having always loved scrabble, however over the past year they are not so rusty and are winning a few......better lift my game!
"Word's with Friends" on the iPad each morning over breakfast..a great way to start the day.
I also discovered that no matter how much love and attention I give to sick animals nature will take it's course ...this poor old girl didn't get any better and we lost her on Tuesday...I always get a bit sad when I loose a hen..... they are such stoic birds...she died without too much fuss thankfully. She is from my original 4 isa brown hens...Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie...yes the Sex in the City girls...what can I say I had just watched the movie...I know, no excuse.....only Carrie left now.
Poor old girl   ....RIP
Enhance:  I managed to get to writing group at the Community House a couple of times this month...it has been a bit hard to get there with doctor and hospital visits with my aging parents...It's great to get to the group when I can...it encourages me to continue on with writing the novel...!!
 Book club for the month was Careless People..a non fiction book based on Scott F Fitgerald and the writing of the Great Gatsby...have to admit it is interesting but very hard going...don't think I will finish this one.  My girlfriend lent me A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar...it's really good and am enjoying this one...would recommend.


























Enjoy:  It's the end of Spring and I have really enjoyed this Month...Lots of catching up with family and friends ....seeing how all the kids have grown...news of my cousins engagement....I try to keep focussed on the positive to help deal with all of the difficulties we all face each day. Enjoy the run up to Christmas and remember things don't have to be perfect.




14 comments:

  1. What a great problem to have in the garden! Growing faster than you can harvest. I love the structure for the tomatoes. Looks great. Yes, enjoy the Christmas lead up. It's going a little faster than I would like and there's no resting on the weekends due to heaps of social engagements. Oh well, I can rest in January!

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    1. I think we will all look forward to the rest in January Linda...must admit I love starting the New Year.

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  2. Your raisin bread looks amazing. I'm currently on the liver cleaning diet (dr Sandra Cabot) that came out about 15 or so years ago. It's strict but real food and slowly I can feel the kgs moving. I'm not weighing myself just doing the 8 week programme and seeing how I am at the end of it. I'm a chocoholic and I'm surprised because I haven't had any sweet cravings. I guess that's what happens when you feed your body real food. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

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    1. I did the Sandra Cabot's liver cleanse about 10 years ago...I still make her minestrone on a regular basis. I rarely weight myself...it's all about how you feel I think, not how much you weigh. Hope it gives you health benefits Kathy.

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  3. Hi Suzie - Your raison bread looks delicious - I try to eat gluten free but It's not always easy. I found a product called cup4cup which is comprised of different grains but not wheat. It's actually quite good.
    Sounds like you have quite a bit on your Christmas to-do list. Somehow, it all manages to get done.

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  4. I love seeing pictures of young gardens, just as we here in the U.S. are entering into the dead of winter. :)

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  5. Love your cute little pond,it is allways a good idea to have some permanent water for small creatures that visit the yard.
    Frogs are Very environment specific, they will come to you if you make a suitable place, it is not advisable to take them from their habitat,even tadpoles will die if relocated to an unsuitable pond.They like shelter and cool shade, so grow some plants around the edge of the pond and some piles of rocks for shelter from predators.
    A solar light nearby is also good, as it will attract insects for the frogs to feed on. Now is a great time to set up, as frogs breed after rain and often leave their own habitat looking for a mate and a new area to live in.
    If you live in a cane toad area, they need 15 inches of water to breed in (so make yours shallower) and you will not be helping them breed.
    Good luck with encouraging some new visitors to your yard.....often you will hear them before you get to see them.

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    1. Thanks for the handy tips Margaret...we don't have cane toads in Victoria thankfully...I will plant additional water plants and the solar light... sounds like a great idea.

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  6. Lovely post Suzie :) I did a few homemade gifts last year - rosemary salt, shortbread and fruit mince pies, but the one I loved the most was an appreciation letter my husband and I swapped.
    Oh your girls look beautiful, hahaha I am a sex in the city fan so just smiled reading their names :D Our chicken coop is almost ready for our first lot of little ladies and I'm so excited to finally have them!
    Warm regards, Jan

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  7. Hello, I'm joining you from Linda's blog. You frog pond looks great! Sorry about your hen. The little ones are very cute. The white one could be a rooster, but its so hard to tell when you have some that are different to the others, it could just be growing faster :) but I suppose you have to expect a few roosters in every hatch!

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  8. Hello Suzie, I'm just stopping by from Lindas blog to see what others have achieved in November! I love seeing other peeps gardens and agree on the not getting it eaten fast enough……especially when its cold and wet out doors and I'm too lazy to make the trek to the garden! MInd you, when its tomato and cucumber season we manage fine!
    Lovely to visit you!

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  9. Stopping by from the Monthly Nine, I will be interested to see if you find foods that really do help the arthritis! I have found that the best way to attract frogs is to not want them! :) So maybe you could stand near the pond and muse aloud about how much you would hate to have frogs....they are contrary critters and will come for that reason alone. The large bullfrog who lives under the house through the winter just croaked his agreement! Sort of like an alarm clock!

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  10. Wow what a busy month. You have had so much going on and lots of it seems like it would be enhancing your life so good on you. Yes it is hard loosing chickens but if they had a good life that is what counts.

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  11. Your posts are always full of happy busyness. It is lovely to read about what is happening on the other side of the world! I wish we were in the season of garden plenty ;)

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