Wellbeing Wednesday.....

The skies are sunny and Spring is everywhere....but  I've been spending a lot of time taking my folks to doctors and hospital visits...spending so much time around sick people and the elderly has made me take a good look at my own health....I always have the best intentions but continually fall of the healthy bandwagon...It really is time to take not only mine, but also my man's health seriously. I really want us to enjoy old age (not there just yet!) and think it's really important to do as much as you can to maintain a healthy mind, body and soul.

Juicing is an easy way to get lots of good stuff into you...I keep forgetting to make them...will aim for 4  times a week....it's messy cleaning out the juicer but worth it.

My favourite mix, organic carrots, apples, oranges and kale from the vegie patch

Drink straight away....I really love the taste of this one.

 Eat more vegies...I shop weekly at the local organic store in Kallista...the amazing colours of fresh fruit and vegies  bursting with goodness.....also need to up the fruit intake...don't think we are doing the two pieces of fruit per day.

Lovely organic vegies...the milk is what I use to make my own yoghurt and the organic sourdough is made locally.

 Healthy lunches....today was chicken and avocado with garden greens and feta.....will try to enjoy salad vegies daily...it is tricky over winter but so easy when the sun is shining..



Today's lunch.....I love avocado and use it on sandwiches instead of butter..

Keep growing our vegies...the broccoli finally got some good solid heads on them...will pick these babies for dinner tomorrow night.. 

Beautiful broccoli heads...finally..

 On the weekend I purchased a seed sprouter...I know you can sprout in a jar but I think it will be easier in this contraption....instructions say sprouts in 3 - 5 days.....see how we go...it's only been one day so far...should be great to add to salads.

Sprouting seeds....alfalfa and been shoots

 Also need to concentrate on fitness....my man's okay...but I am very unfit...will try to walk the dogs everyday and continue with my yoga practice...along with a busy garden and house to maintain that will hopefully be enough....While keeping my spirit strong with meditation......Namaste.
What do you do to stay healthy ?

Broody Hens and Honey Bees.....

The Bee workshop I attended on Saturday was a real education and got me to do some serious thinking...I didn't realise how much of a commitment it was to take on a Hive, regular checking in Spring to ensure the Hive remains disease free and that the Queen is still OK and laying her eggs.....the need to prevent swarming and ensure they have enough room in the Hive....strict hygiene and ensuring no bee by-products or honey from your hive are left lying around in case other bees come in contact with them....the list goes ...I genuinely want to do this but feel I need to get a bit of hands on experience before I go ahead and commit myself to the maintenance and upkeep of a Hive....I had no idea that a single hive can contain up to 60,000 bees in Spring...I find that incredible...I also have to ensure that I have the correct location to place the Hive...so the delightful Bec from Becs Bees has invited me to go onsite with her when she opens up one of her hives to see how I go...really looking forward to that.  It will be quite the challenge but will certainly help me decide if I am up for it. Responsible beekeeping is quite involved including registration and yearly honey samples sent to a lab for disease testing.  It's all food for thought.

The little bags on the honey bee for collecting her pollen....nature really is incredible...

Two of my light Sussex girls have gone broody again...last year I put them in and out of a broody box and it drove me crazy because the next day or two they were back on the nest.....it went on for ages until they eventually gave up but they wore me out....this year I don't have the heart to stop them and have decided to let them sit on a four eggs each and see how they go....hopefully better than the first year with them.. when 2 out of 3 eggs hatched and after 9 weeks I found out they were both roosters...thankfully Isa Browns don't appear to go broody....although it's beautiful to see the girls on the nest so determined to get chicks and so contented...

This is the first time they have been broody at the same time....they have snuggled up together...it's now just the waiting game and see what happens in 21 days....they are on fertilized Isa Brown eggs so hopefully I may wind up with a couple of hens...fingers crossed...anyone else got broody hens on the go?

Friday's Musings......

You always notice how quicker the weeks fly by as it gets closer to Christmas.... already the shops are full of Christmas and it's still October.  Strangely our local supermarket has Halloween and Christmas items out at the same time....don't remember that happening before....but then they had hot cross buns out in early February...go figure.
It's been a busy week ...mostly full of the usual, but my thoughts go out to a lifelong friend whose daughter is in ICU after she developed pre-eclampsia, underwent caesarean section, and is now suffering a  life threatening condition called HELLP syndrome....hopefully she will make a full recovery .... baby is doing well...once again reinforcing the fact that our grasp on life is so precious and precarious.
Spring is in full force around here...beautiful sunny skies today...the seeds I planted and nurtured in the mini greenhouse have unbelievably grown ...first time I have had success...snails didn't manage to find these ones..look forward to planting them out in the next week or two.

Corn seedlings....first success growing from seeds....need the big greenhouse now I think.

At rear: nearly all the pumpkin seeds sprouted...in the front only a few zucchinis ....still happy with that though

 The cauliflowers finally have little heads appearing...not sure if it is too late in the season and they may go to seed before they get any bigger...there's been so much leaf growth I didn't think they were ever going to get a head on then...it's a waiting game.


The cauliflowers in the patch have finally started to show their heads....

Busy weekend ahead which includes a Bee Workshop on Saturday...am very interested in having bees so thought I would do the workshop and see what exactly is involved... see how we go hey.

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.
 

A Couple of Busy Weekends......

It's always the way...nothing much in the diary for a while and then you get a couple of really busy weekends on top of each other...I squeezed in a trip to the circus with my favourite little guy....his first time and I think he thought the best part was the popcorn...

My g-boy loves his popcorn..at 3 he wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about

Some very clever young performers....I hadn't been to a circus in I don't remember how long.

Was actually a bit nervous watching this guy...he was a bit shaky.

 I had also received tickets from my daughter last Christmas for Les Miserables....how fantastic that was...we don't see a lot of theatre as a rule but this show was absolutely amazing.  My man and I loved every minute...spectacular and mesmerising.  Can't say enough good stuff  about it.


A young cast of relatively unknowns......they were exceptionally good.

We also had our monthly luncheon hosted by J & M ...... an absolute feast of Moroccan delights...a lovely filo pastry nibble filled with goats cheese, pine nuts, coriander, sundried tomatoes and other goodies...delicious....from Robbie and the big K.  J & M served up two huge casseroles of Moroccan lamb and Chicken dishes...flavoured cous cous....not forgetting Moroccan bread made with semolina......and a tasty  Moroccan salad from J&A....My offering was supposed to be something to have with coffee...I attempted Moroccan almond macaroons....they didn't turn out as well as expected so I camouflaged them with Terry's orange segments and apricot bites...they did all get eaten but perhaps everyone was just being nice !!

The usual suspects all tucking in to a delicious Moroccan feast......

My sad little macaroons.....which I tried to disguise amongst this mandala of chocolates and apricot bites.

 Realising how fortunate we are to live in a country like Australia and share great times with good friends...I received a timely reminder from Oxfam regarding a fund raiser they are having in October...it asks you to join in  World Food Day 16th October, by inviting friends over for dinner and making a donation ...buy locally and act globally.  Food is something we take for granted here....it's a great idea to try to do something for others who are so less fortunate.

Sad Day in The Hen House .....

I usually spend a bit of time each day watching the hen house girls....just for the pleasure of watching them and also to make sure they are all ok...yesterday I noticed one of the girls was continually straining and lifting her tail and I caught a glimpse of featherless, dirty bottom which looked very odd...I prepared a salt bath and popped her in it and then noticed the area below her cloaca was very red and swollen...it appears to be full of fluid and she is waddling....I have no idea what this could be and Google has put up a few suggestions.....I isolated her into a smaller cage and brought her inside and have kept my eye on her overnight...while she appears bright enough and is eating and drinking.... her poop is very strange in colour...some of it looks like cooked egg... and her bottom is getting more swollen...I have made the decision to take her to the vet and put to sleep...she is almost 3 years old and I'm not going to put her through things suggested on Google such as piercing the swelling with a syringe and draining fluid or putting anything into her vent....I've put her in the sun....she's had yoghurt (her favourite) and water and now off to the vet...I only wish I had it in me to put her down myself but I am not brave enough....it's a sad day and more tears will be shed before the day is over

She looks really well from the front end...a little trouble standing straight..

Her rear end tells a different story...it is almost touching the ground when she stands

The swelling is causing her feathers to stand out...it is warm to touch and swells below her legs

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had this problem with their hen.....it's not vent gleet, could be Ascites found here ..she may be laying internally....the prognosis is not good and she could possibly live for a little while getting progressively worse.....but I don't want her to suffer unnecessarily . It's  a hard decision... this website helped enormously , but I think it is the best solution for her.

When is Grey OK? ..........

I have had a constant dilemma with regard to greying hair.  At 55 I have been continuing to colour my hair even though it goes against my commitment to live a simple life and avoid using anything that contains nasty chemicals.....I have tried organic Henna which was a disaster...but friends and family have continued to tell me that grey hair is too aging and that I will add 10 years to myself.....but surely there is an age where it is socially acceptable to be grey.....why is it that most women feel the need to continue to colour, shave and pluck hair that naturally wants to remain how it is. We have been conditioned to conform to a model of appearance that probably has no place in free thinking individuals.   I am so over trips to the hairdresser to colour the regrowth of grey hairs that increases with every visit...it stings my scalp and is a very uncomfortable 40 minutes.....why do I continue to do this?....I suppose I am still conforming to what is expected in mainstream society.....obviously vanity and a bit of fear about how I will look with grey hair....but I think it should be OK to let nature take it's course and let my reluctant follicles age gracefully....something so simple appears to be a real hurdle for me....when there is so much suffering and heartache in the world how does my hair colour even rate a mention.....I just need to get over it and go grey...

Jamie Lee looks fantastic with grey hair and it seems so natural

Judy Dench always look great but of course grey at this age is expected I think. .

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.

Where Does the Time Go?...........

We had a really busy weekend moving my daughter into her new home......Sunday night locking up the chooks my man found one had died and its neck broken and the feathers picked off, no other damage.....the other girls were looking very subdued and nervous...next morning silence from the henhouse and I thought the worst.....but they were ok just too scared to come out and kept looking skyward....I think that a large bird has attacked them and tried to carry one of them off and has only managed to kill it .....I hastily erected the bird netting over their enclosure and they came straight out and have been happy since.....I've had the chickens for over 2 years and this is the first one I've lost to a predator....have managed to keep them safe from Mr Fox, but didn't think of attacks from above.

Wedding anniversary and bouquet .....so lovely....I feel very lucky to be sharing my life with

such a terrific man.....he really is a special person.

An anniversary bouquet.....lovely to celebrate every milestone.

Am racing to finish of a crochet project for my daughter's new house....haven't crocheted in a long time, but it's like riding a bike.....you just get back on.....hopefully this cushion cover will be finished soon.....

Progress on the cushion cover is quick when I have time to get onto it....12 ply works up fast .

Another project is renovating the ensuite.......so far all we have managed to do is start to pull our the shower......fingers crossed we can arrange reliable tradesmen and things will so along smoothly....does it ever???......renovating anything is problematic at times....see how we go !!

Yikes, I hate renovating but our ensuite needs fixing....including leaky broken shower.

I can't believe that we are heading into September next week....where does the year go....it flies past and before you know it another year is gone.....I took the time today to sit in the sun with a cup off tea and just enjoyed doing nothing for 20 minutes...just being thankful for my life and all that it entails...the good and the not so good....it really is what you make it....so make the most of it.

Surely They Can't be Serious.......

I received an email from a solar company today with this link to an article in the media outlining the government's intention to scrap the RET (renewable energy target).....

They think we should continue with masses of this !!!..........................

Instead of aiming for this where possible.........................

Or this...........

Is this logical???....I am so mad that money drives every decision that this current government makes......what is wrong with people !

Wonderful Weekend Away.......

My man and I were long overdue for a weekend away so for his birthday and our anniversary we took a trip away to country Victoria....headed off on Friday..stopping in at Trentham on our way to Castlemaine....a trip to Daylesford on Saturday and then Hanging Rock on the way back home on Sunday....if you've never taken a trip around Victoria's historic gold field towns...it's a beautiful way to spend a sunny, if not a bit chilly, weekend.

First stop was Lunch in Trenthan at the Red Beard Bakery....all products sourced locally...my man's sausage roll .

Local goodies line the wall of the Café...I love shops that sell regional produce

Relaxed style of the café....it was a great spot for our first stop



Lots of recycled items in the brick fence ....it was amazing and so creative. ..loads of clever people in rural Victoria



Next stop Trentham falls....the highest single drop waterfall in Victoria...another little gem hidden away.

One of my absolute favourite parts of the Australian Countryside....I adore the rows of quirky letterboxes that are dotted around the place....impossible for me not to stop and snap a quick pic..

I'm sure the letterboxes are as individual and quirky as their owners....so much to see when you take the time to look.

Our accommodation at Castlemaine was the Coach House a lovely conversion that sits in amongst a beautifully restored Victorian homestead on 5 acres...only spent 2 nights but we think we could live in Castlemaine .... would love to restore one of the many old houses that are dotted around the town....it's nice to dream about.

Our accommodation...1900's coach house conversion...lovely and very rustic inside.

 A visit to Buda House in Castlemaine was a great insight to life in the late 1800's...the house appears as it would have been in the early 1900's and is of significant historical value to the local area....information about the Leviny family can be found here ...the daughters helped to inspire the art and craft movement in rural Victoria.

Buda House and gardens....unchanged since the early 1900's .... maintained by the local community.

Art and handicraft fill the home.. including this amazing stitchery created by one of the Leviny daughters.



Saturday saw us in Daylesford for lunch...have been lots of times as I love Daylesford...our usual trip to the Convent Gallery and as always lit a candle for our sister-in-law and now also for our friend Heather who we lost earlier this year....it's a lovely place

We lit two candles in the convent chapel....... it's a sentimental reminder we do each visit.

The Convent Gallery Daylesford...lovely place to pop in and check out the artwork

 Friday night dinner was at the Railway Café and Saturday night was a slap up 3 courses at the NewNorthern..very fancy...lots of locally sourced foods, and things we had never eaten before...quite an experience.....Sunday morning saw us taking brunch in the Run Rabbit Run café in Castlemaine ...it was our favourite café...my man's meal was called Cowboy Scrapple...and I had Grandma's Toastie.....before heading off to the hauntingly beautiful Hanging Rock..

Ed's brunch...Cowboy Scrapple...chorizo, chilli cornbread, eggs and special chutney...he loved it

The walk up Hanging Rock ....we didn't get to what they charmingly call the summit...we only went as far as the Hanging Rock...that was far enough for me ...very steep and it was very cold. 

The start of the walk up the mysterious Hanging Rock....the visit to the display and information room is really interesting.

This is the actual hanging rock...didn't know that was how they got the name. it's the small suspended rock 2nd from the left.

 What would a trip to Hanging Rock be without a lunch of bread, pate, cheese and our favourite Oyster Bay....it was a quick lunch as it was only 6 degrees while we were there....sun was shining .....but still pretty chilly.

Lunch in the chilly car park....joined by two very friendly magpies...they enjoyed the sourdough.

 We had a great trip.  It was so good to spend time away together just the two of us....eating out, sightseeing, looking through shops....enjoying good food and great experiences ... we really should do it more often....We all need a break at some time.. Will have to think about planning our next getaway....so many great spots only a few hours away.