Monthly 9 Link-up for March 2015......

 

 Joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 for March.  Where does that time go?

 Nourish:  I was lucky enough to be invited to pick my fill of apples from a local orchard.  Gave loads to friends and family, stewed and froze some and also added my own rhubarb and made a delicious crumble.  Have an abundant supply of rhubarb running wild in the vegie garden so was great to put some to good use.

Apple & Rhubarb Crumble  ..... didn't remember to get a pic until it was almost too late.



 Prepare:  Made a batch of tomato sauce from my tomatoes....not so many this year.  I have another load on the kitchen bench as I write which will hopefully be turned into tomato relish this afternoon!

Homemade tomato sauce....it's a little runny but still tastes good.

Reduce:  Plans are in the pipeline and we may be moving!  Am spending quite a lot of time clearing out cupboards and storage getting rid of all things unwanted.  Trips to the local charity shop are on the horizon.

Green:  Two great books found their way into my hands.  Free-cycled from one of the ladies at book club who was giving away several of her unwanted books.  The Book Thief and Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela ..... I couldn't resist them and happily gave them a new home. 

Free-cycled books....

Grow:  Plenty of fruit on the lemon tree but doesn't appear to want to turn yellow...not sure what's happening there.  Also lots of fruit on the fig tree but it is a constant battle with the local Currawong's to get to them first....those birds wait until they see the purple start to appear on the figs and they are onto it .... looks like I will need to get the bird netting up!

Lemons that don't want to ripen...one is getting almost grapefruit size

Planted out some additions to the vegie garden now that the summer crops are out.  New bed for the potatoes.... and also planted out some snow peas, baby spinach and lettuce.  Another two beds for Broccoli, Cauliflower and Leeks. 

Vegie gardens freshly planted....homemade trellis for the peas using recycled star posts and wire.

Create:  Haven't got to any of my creative projects this month with the exception of the novel.  This is taking up quite a bit of time. Writing Group each Friday is very inspirational and motivating.  Who knows maybe one day I will actually finish it . 

Discover:  It was really a re-discovery, but a beautiful day at the zoo reawakened my inner child... the majestic lions, elephants, gorilla's, birdlife and butterfly house.  Just fabulous and a magical experience to watch my Gboy be enthralled with all that he saw. If only we could all see the world through the eyes of young children.

Enhance:  Bookclub  this month was Her Father's Daughter by Alice Pung.  This is the second book we have had by this  author.  It's a little similar as they are memoirs but still quite a good read.  Also on the nightstand I am eagerly waiting to read my daughter's copy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. So many books .... so little time.!

This months' book club read

 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.....just sitting there waiting for me to pick it up!

 Enjoy:  So much to enjoy in March.... not the least the last of the good weather.  We celebrated a significant birthday in the gardens at the Zoo....it's not everyday you turn 4.  Several dinners out with friends, a 21st, an afternoon Tea to celebrate several birthdays...and a 50th where a little too much wine turned into everyone's worst nightmare ...Karaoke !!

Birthday picnic at the zoo for the super GBOY !!

Here's hoping March held something special for everyone else.  Happy Autumn.

Montly 9 Link Up for February 2015.....

Happy to be joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 for February....Wow it's already March.....time flies when you're having fun.

Nourish:  At last the girls have decided to favour me with a few more eggs....thankfully I was able to get out a few zucchini slices...needed to use up the glut of Zucchini's that I had.....also stewed up rhubarb....it was delicious and there is plenty more out in the garden so I'll need to get onto them.

Zucchini slice is a bit favourite...also uses up excess of zucchini's and eggs.

Prepare:  I had planned to make the MOO washing powder this month but unfortunately didn't get around to it....I did prepare 4 new garden beds ready for planting...a big load of soil and compost to top up the beds....need to plant out some lettuce mixes and whatever else is in season.

Reduce:  Still working hard on trying to reduce food wastage....had some dried apricots that had been hanging around for way to long....used them up by making an apricot slice...had enough to make two of these during the month.

The slice was a bit crumbly but tasted lovely....great way to use up old apricots.

Green:  Nothing new to report here unfortunately ....  the compost bins are slowly turning to compost...should be ready in the next few weeks....worm farm is going well.  Trying hard to be conscious of electricity usage....and water conservation.

Grow:  Things are winding up in the vegie patch although the tomatoes are finally ripening...seem very late this year...planted heritage variety and they have been very poor producers....the Grosse Lisse have done okay though....I love home grown tomatoes....people are also very appreciative to receive the excess.

Tomatoes ripening on the bench....the chooks won't leave them alone if I leave them once they start to ripen.

Create:  Devastated that I have nothing to report here.....have been so busy ...I know...poor excuse...but I haven't had the chance to work on the mosaic or the quilt ....have done a couple of chapters on the novel though so it isn't a complete waste of a month.

Discover: My man and I took a couple of days holiday last week... stayed at a friends coastal property which was great (nothing like a free holiday)....my daughter and grandson joined us for an afternoon and we went on the ferry to Queenscliff....I rediscovered this beautiful town...haven't been there since I was a child....it was an amazing day out....spending time with the little guy is one of my favourite things...he is fabulous.

Even managed to take the dogs on the ferry....Daphne is a nervous passenger so I had to nurse her

Enhance:  As always my love of reading which I truly believe enhances our everyday lives..... this month book club is The Invisible Girl...a memoir written by the father of a young woman who dies of anorexia....its was incredibly sad and moving...not sure that it helped to understand this terrible illness but it was a very poignant reminder of the vulnerability of the young.

Have also gotten back into my yoga classes....haven't been for ages and I really missed it...it's difficult to find the right teacher and luckily I have found an amazing women who if just perfect... it is Ashtanga yoga which is new to me...have done Hatha  yoga for many years on and off... it's similar but I think a lot more spiritual....I love it.

Enjoy:  I celebrated my 56th birthday this month....nothing more enjoyable than sharing it with my husband and daughters, complete with a homemade birthday cake decorated by my gboy....... I received loads of lovely gifts and was very spoilt as always....

Making my birthday wish with the help of my gorgeous Gboy.....Grandchildren are one of life's treasures.

 My absolute favourite gift  was a painting from my special little man...it's a painting of us all..my husband and I on the left (that's me with the grey hair and my red headed man), his mum and auntie on the right and him in the bottom right hand corner...I have hung it on the wall in my home office.

He finger painted this for me .... with a little help from his mum

I had such a busy February...so much to enjoy.... had a few difficulties with my fathers illness and not reacting well to his medication and suffering early dementia.... but you have to take the good with the bad.....am loving getting back into yoga...it's so helpful in dealing with tough times...Namaste !

Monthly Link Up for January 2015.....

Joining in with Linda to start off the new year.  I missed December...way too much happening and I didn't get the time (sad face).... but it's a great way to share what has been going on and also good to look back on.

Nourish:  I've spent a bit of time in the kitchen trying to make nourishing but cost effective meals.  I have decided 2015 is the year to try and save money.....I made a lovely cheap and cheerful chicken pie which I posted here.  Used some unhappy bananas and made a de3licious banana and raspberry bread and made a healthy slice using up some dried apricots that had been hanging around in the pantry for ages. 

Prepare:  The zucchinis in the garden have been prolific once again....so I made zucchini relish and loads of zucchini soup which is in the freezer....still having to give lots away though, I didn't have success cutting them up ,then blanching and freezing them last year...they were very soggy and flavourless...don't know if anyone else has any ideas on preserving them.

My zucchini relish with homemade labels and into the pantry...

 Reduce:  Still trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use....I don't want plastic bags at the supermarket even though the shop girls don't appear to want to put meat into anything but plastic and I have to ask them not to use the plastic bags....my recent trip to the butcher caused raised eyebrows when I asked them not to use a plastic bag as I had my own bag.  I have no problem with putting wrapped meat into non plastic bags.

I love my hessian shopping bags...I have several that I always use...they last for ages

Green: I have been busy turning the compost and hopefully will have some suitable for the garden beds soon....also the worm wee has been great.  I have also bought the ingredients to make the washing powder from  Here.  Will see how that goes.

 

Grow:  The garden has been growing well but not as good as last year...maybe it's the crazy weather we are having now....40c one day and the 18c the next...I don't think the poor vegies know what's going on.  The corn grew quite a few ears but they didn't quite develop inside to the ends...so about an inch on most of them has no corn...no idea why this happened.



The corn is edible but funny looking

Quite a few tomatoes on the plants...but not as many as last year...still enough though



Zucchinis are everywhere.....they grow so fast if you miss one within a couple of days they are like huge gourds

 The pumpkin vines went crazy but quite a few of the baby pumpkins didn't develop... just turned yellow and dropped off...I think they may not have been fertilised even though I did have a bit of a dab at them with the stamen from the female plant.

Pumpkins are also a bit tricky this year....there's quite a few there but a lot didn't fertilise

Create:  I've been pretty busy this month with my elderly parents unwell,  so creativity was a bit out the window...didn't quite finish the block of the month on the quilt I am working on...only two blocks of the month so far and I think I have had this for about 10 months...need to lift my game...


Still not finished this block......only managed the 2 blocks so far



This is an old photo of 1st block....it's finished now....

I have also planted a couple of pots in the greenhouse with Basil...I am planning on using the terracotta pots with Basil plants in them as gifts..... hopefully they will continue to grow and I have created cost effective but lovingly cared for gifts.

Growing basil from seeds in the greenhouse....hopefully they will flourish

 Discover:  I discovered that not all 3 year olds are the same size....photo of my Gboy dressed in his Optimus Prime outfit and my nieces daughter Olivia dressed in his Bumblebee transformer outfit...only 7 months difference in their ages...it's really the long and the short of it I think.

Pictures really are priceless.... my Gboy is tall but Olivia is also petite.

I also discovered that... yes two of my baby chicks were roosters.....hardly babies anymore they are nearly 13 weeks old....unfortunately I will have to give them away as I don't want to keep roosters...

These two teenagers will be moving out very soon.

 Enhance:  The book for bookclub this month was A World of Other People....it's actually a bit difficult to read as there is not much punctuation in the book and you need to reread it every now and then so that you can follow what's going on.....bookclub should be interesting as always. 

 Enjoy:  It's summer so there is so much to enjoy...we've been to a lovely wedding...a good friends 60th birthday dinner....moved my mother-in-law into her long awaited retirement village unit...and I spent a lovely couple of hours at the local lake with my daughter and Gboy... far more enjoyable to just watch them on the paddle boat... thankfully I wasn't out there paddling !!

 

My daughter and Gboy are out on one of those paddle boats

Monthly 9 Link Up for October ......

Joining up with Linda for the monthly 9 link up for October....the weeks fly so fast...great to look back and see what everyone has been up to.

Nourish: Our health was in the forefront of my mind this month...had success with the first time using the seed sprouter....

Sprouting seeds for adding to healthy salads....

 Prepare:  Dare I say I have been preparing for Christmas...there I said it out loud....we have got quite a lot of entertaining to do in the lead up to Christmas....lots and lots to do....but it's my favourite time of year so there will be no complaints from me.  Will be trying to create a few homemade gifts this year...hopefully will blog about them is they turn out OK.

Reduce:  This weekend was tomato planting time...Cup weekend in Melbourne...to avoid the need to buy new trellis for the tomatoes to grow on, I reused old garden stakes and using sticks that had blown off the gum trees into the yard and managed to make a rustic looking trellis...all tied together with string....see how it goes.

Rustic twig trellis....hopefully the tomatoes will grow ok on it.

 Green:  At last I have my long awaited greenhouse....my man spent a lot of hours constructing this for me....so many pieces.... this should now allow me to grow all my own seedlings from scratch....and hopefully grow food in the colder months of winter.....can't wait to get started.



The Greenhouse......great construction job from my main man.

 
Grow:  Been a bit of action in the vegie patch...really happy to have grown a few cauliflowers...and some lovely heads of broccoli...first success with them...beetroot is not as good as last year and leeks are ok but quite short in the stalk.... lettuces however are abundant. 

Daily goodies from the vegie patch.....

Create: Things are a bit slow in the creative area...still working on the mosaic and have a huge list of things to start on and finish before Christmas....better get cracking..

This project has been ongoing....but am getting back into it now that the warmer weather is here.

Discover:  Spent this month trying to learn all I can about bees...attended a workshop and hands on experience opening a hive....really want to have my own hive .... hopefully in the not too distant future.

The opened hive....bees really are fascinating...and the honey would be such a bonus.

Enhance:  The books I am reading this month....The Last Love Story...is for bookclub..unfortunately once again not a big fan.  I'm starting to think that I am a bit hard to please when it comes to novels...will see what the others think next week at the local community bookclub.

  I have just started The Rosie Project and have it on sound advice that I an going to LOVE this one....it has been doing the rounds for quite a while and everyone seems to rave about it ...so am giving it a go...hopefully I will fall in love with it as well.

Enjoy:  I'm enjoying everything at the moment...Spring is here and life is good....obviously not without its ups and downs but I'm a big believer in making the most of every day ... life is what you make it...follow your dreams and see where they take you.

Slow Living Monthly 9 link-up September 2014........

Once again I am joining in with Linda for the monthly link up.  September has been a very busy month for me..... lots of extended family stuff going on.  It's good to look back of the month and see what's been happening here....

Nourish: Eggs are back.....I'm down to five hens at the moment....but thankfully they are all laying...averaging 4 eggs a day which is great...I usually keep 8 chickens so waiting for 3 local girls to get to point of lay before I pick them up.

Prepare: Not much happening in the kitchen .... but I have prepared a new garden bed for the tomato seedlings which I'll be putting in on Cup weekend. ... had a bin of chicken poop which was slowly fermenting over the last few months....phew, was pretty nasty when I took off the lid and spread it onto the bare vegie garden... turned it over and covered with sugar cane mulch....hope the tomatoes love it.

Reduce:  Took Fiona's advice here and have also been adding the chicken manure and straw to my compost bins....I think there are too many vegie scraps in there (I have fussy chooks they don't eat vegie peels)...manure should improve the quality of my compost.

Green:  I have found my long awaited Singer treadle on ebay which my man is going to polish up and remove the old machine......I am going to recycle the stand to hold my Singer160th anniversary machine.....my daughters are arguing over who gets the old machine...they both want it to display in their craft rooms.  Repurposing this stand is so much better than buying something new.

finally found a vintage Singer treadle at a price I would afford and a location that wasn't too far away.. needs some TLC

I want to put my Singer onto the stand and leave it set up permanently in my studio/craft room....

Grow: Spring sent me dashing out to buy up on all the seedlings only to plant them and have the snails and slugs feast on them....so I have planted seeds in the mini greenhouse and see how it goes...the corn seeds have gone great...others a bit slow..... Still have lots going on in the garden from winter....we had to locate and empty our septic tank and yes...the vegie beds were on top...had to dig two up and loose the plantings...not sure what is wrong with my broccoli but I have loads of leaves and small heads...the cauliflowers are all leaves .... its' been slow going but the recent sun and spring rains have caused lots of quick growth. 



 

I had to locate the septic tank for emptying...we have only been here 2 years so didn't know where it was...!!

 

My first flower on this native

Create:  Haven't had much time or opportunity to get much done but did complete the crochet cushion cover for my daughter...need to get cracking on all my other projects !

 

12ply wool certainly makes quick easy work...pattern was on the wrapper of the balls.

 Discover:  As always the love of books and reading brings great things to discover....Book club for the month is The Tall Man...a novel about aboriginal death in custody on Palm Island...it's factual and extremely difficult to read without feeling a sense of helplessness and a little shame at what has happened to indigenous Australians over the last century.   I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is one of the autobiographies of Maya Angelou, famous American poet who died recently.   And I'm also reading the Happiness Project which I have had for a couple of years and pull out every now and then when I feel I need to re-evaluate where I am with things.....



Enhance:  Our lives are so full.. I look for ways to enhance the lives of others... World Food Day is being celebrated on 16th October....Oxfam ask supporters to join in.

Don’t let 1 in 8 people go hungry.

Celebrate World Food Day by registering to Eat Local Feed Global with Oxfam in October.

It’s easy:

• share a lunch or dinner with friends or family;
• hold a Hunger Banquet at your school or university;
• have fun, take action and raise money in support of Oxfam’s life-changing work.

Once you register, Oxfam will send a pack containing everything you need to help reduce global hunger. 

 Enjoy:  There was much to be enjoyed in September...Circus's , several dinner's, a lovely luncheon, Father's Day and not forgetting Les Mis.....all up a very enjoyable.... if not demanding month...hope yours went well.
 

Monthly 9 Link Up For August.....

Joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 link up.  The year is flying by and spring is here...such a beautiful time of year and so good to get out into the garden again after the cold wet days of winter.

Nourish: It just takes a few days of sunshine to nourish the soul...last week we had three glorious sunny days to send Winter on it's way...washing on the line coming in smelling of fresh crisp air...one of my favourite things....nothing can compare to clothes dried in the sun with a gentle breeze...

Prepare:  Haven't spent a lot of time in the kitchen this month....did make a big pot of chicken stock from carcasses I had frozen .... can't wait until I have garden goodies to play with. . Did have to prepare the chicken run against predators...covered it in bird netting to prevent overhead attack from predatory birds...lost one of my girls early last week.

Reduce:  When my daughter moved into her new place she took a bit of our furniture to help get settled.  I needed to replace a unit for the spare room and managed to source a lovely little cabinet at the local second hand shop which they had refurbished.....loads of character...they just don't make furniture the same way anymore and it's upcycled..what's not to love about that.

Lovely second hand cabinet for the spare room...displaying one of my old paintings.

Green:  There is always something new to learn about being green....I've only recently discovered the problem of micro-beads...I don't use exfoliants or shower gels but I have in the past never realising what they contained and how it could be a problem.  This Green lifestyle article explains the damage they cause to the ocean and marine life and the health complications when humans ingest seafood contaminated with micro plastics.....food for thought !

Grow:  Last weekend I got very busy in the garden, weeding, turning over garden beds and planting out additional seedlings...zucchini, lettuce and capsicum to add to the broccoli, cauli, garlic, potatoes, strawberries, onions, leeks, beetroot, spinach, kale and peas that have been slowly growing over winter....and have taken off with a bang after last weeks sunny days..

Create:  Am working on a crocheted cushion cover for my daughter....almost finished, didn't quite get it done in the month...but I have included it anyway.

Current project ....will post a picture when completed

Discover:  I've discovered that the current government does not have it's priorities in the right place as far as I'm concerned.  I usually try to avoid politics but I have to say I am appalled at several of the decisions made by these poisonous politicians.....not the least is removing not only the carbon tax but also the mining tax and then in the same meeting they are cutting funding and staff to the Red Cross assisting the refugees, they have also scrapped the renewable energy target thereby diminishing investment in renewable energy ...that says so much about where there priorities are.

Enhance:  Bookclub update for August reading...The Vanishing act of Esme Lennox....very moving novel about a women who has been forgotten in a mental institution for 61 years....and what happens when she is handed over to her only living relative... The Elegance of the Hedgehog....not sure where this one is going...should have finished by now but it's hard going...has been translated from French into numerous languages...maybe something is lost in translation !!


Really enjoyed this one....

Have absolutely struggled with this one....translated from French it is hard going.

Enjoy:  We had a great weekend away to Castlemaine which was fantastic...so great to get away and see all of the sights around the Victorian goldfields .  We also went to see James Reyne at Crown...the tickets were a gift for my man's 60th from my daughter's....it was great, even though I am not a big fan of Crown Casino and all that it stands for.

 

Bit hard to tell from the photo but this is James Reyne...they played all the songs from Australian Crawl Days.



Compiling the monthly list is a great reflection on how I have spent the month and motivates me to live a truly inspired, creative and simple life. Happiness is where you find it.