down to earth

The tools of a revolutionary.

There comes a point when everyone needs to make a conscious decision to make changes that need to be made. How many times have we talked about small steps, how many times have you seen that strategy in magazines, online or in newspapers; how often have you already used the small steps strategy? We all know small steps work.

Everyone in the world needs to change a little, or a lot, to become greener. We need to change our idea that there is a product for everything; we have to stop buying the mountain of products that will end up in landfill or will pollute in some way. Everyone has a part to play in this, everyone needs to help.

It doesn't matter if you can afford to buy lots of electricity or water, or if you can buy new clothes, shoes, paper plates and napkins or a million other products that harm the planet, until the cows come home, we all need to stop doing it. And we need to do it because it's the right thing to do - it is important, it will help, every small step does.

So today my friends, I want you to commit to your change. I want you step up today and decide that even if you haven't done anything yet for your planet, and especially if you have, today I want you to tell me in the comments box what small step will start or continue you along the road to a greener life. I want you to tell me about your change and how it will affect your life. Please don't close this blog down now and walk away. Today is the day when instead of just knowing that something needs to be done, you start doing it.

I commit to stop using tea bags. From now on I will use up the organic black tea bags I have in the pantry, then I will only buy loose tea. I have some metal tea containers that I can use loose tea in that will be similar, but not quite as convenient, as a tea bag. Loose tea is cheaper and better than tea in bags, so I win on that aspect, but if lack of convenience is the price I pay to stop wasting all that filter paper, string, a label and one staple for every cup of tea, that, my friends, is the price I will pay

I want every one of you to email this post to a friend so we can get a million small steps happening. I want you to help me tell as many people as possible that we are doing this. And, most of all, I want to know what you will do.

I am having the most incredibly busy week. Monday and Tuesday were spent at my wonderful job at the Neighbourhood Centre. I have been trying to reorganise a lot of things there since I took over as co-ordinator and consequently, when I'm there, I never have enough hours in the day to get through all I want to do. This week was particularly busy as we had a burglar alarm installed and I had to write procedures on how to arm and disarm the alarm (I set it off accidentally yesterday and nearly deafened everyone in the building LOL), show them how it was done and also write a procedure for our committee members who are the ones who will respond if the alarm goes off. The procedure spells out how to respond safely. Luckily I had another volunteer there with me yesterday, so Bernadette and I showed everyone the ins and outs of the alarm system. We also dealt with a few people coming in for food relief, interviewed a new volunteer, answered the phone too many times, talked to people who came in, cleaned up and tried to organise the place for the volunteers who will be there for the rest of the week.

I usually only work there Monday and Tuesday but today, Bernadette, H and I will go back to change furniture around in our two meeting rooms. Now the alarm is in it changes how we use our rooms at night. We sometimes have local groups using the meeting rooms at night and we have to change them to suit the alarm. Hopefully we'll be finished doing that at lunchtime and I can come home and sort out the swap partners.

When I came home yesterday H was in the kitchen talking to a builder. I told you all that our dishwasher hose sprung a leak recently, well, we had the insurance assessor in on Monday, he said we have to have the floor replaced and to get a quote from a kitchen builder for the damaged cupboards. As it turns out, the entire floor has to be replaced - it's a floating wood floor and they can't match what is down now, so the whole floor will be done. That is the floors in the entire house, except the bedrooms, which are carpeted. The kitchen man said that replacing the kick boards under the cupboards and a few cupboards will mean the entire kitchen will be taken out. The kitchen cupboards have to be removed anyway for the floor to be laid and when the bench tops come out, they will crack, they will also break the tiles behind the benches, as they're all glued together. So .... we will need the entire kitchen replaced too - all cupboards, new tiling, plumbers and electricians in to turn off and reconnect the services. I am still trying to digest this information. At the very least it will mean no kitchen, no walking around the house and workmen here for at least three days. =:- O It also means I have to work out what sort of kitchen I want. Will I have the same or go with something new? I'll have to go to the showroom and see what's available now. Replacing the kitchen is something I didn't think I'd do so I have no idea what I should be looking for. It looks like a few hours on research there.

There are quite a few small things happening too. It's H's birthday next week, the boys and I want to buy him a pushbike, so Shane and I have been looking around for that. We're expecting visitors soon - my sister and Kerry with his Canadian friend. We still have quite a bit of the vegetable garden left to plant up - that's important and can't be put off. I'm trying to work a few hours everyday on the ebook, but haven't done anything for the past week. So all of that is happening as well as our normal chores that must be done every day. It's been a stretch to get it all in. I wish I lived in an Amish community where I knew everyone would come and help. Now wouldn't that be a good thing? : )

But as my mum would say, at least I have plenty to do and I know I'm alive. I always enjoy writing my blog, it helps me sort through what has to be done and organises each day before I face it. And besides, I wouldn't be dead for quids. (That's an old Australian saying, sorry if you don't understand it.)

So for the time being, this simple life isn't so simple but I'm sure it will return to gentle ambling again soon. Life is full of the unexpected, it's often what makes us look at our lives in a different way, so I'll just go with the flow and see where I end up. Whatever will be, will be. Wish me luck.

There could be anything down there but it's important to have the area under your kitchen sink clean and organised, with all your cleansers and cloths close to where they'll be used.

Store your kitchen cleansers, cleaning brushes and cloths under the kitchen sink. Or if you have a stack of hand made wash cloths, find a good looking container and have them sitting on your window sill. That's where mine are. I like looking at them when I wash up and they look good sitting there proudly displaying their home made origins.

I can't show you a photo of my under sink area at the moment, as we're still waiting for the insurance assessor to inspect the damage we had when the dishwasher hose split; it's empty. But when it's full, I have a small plastic basket to store my bicarb and soap in, and there is a pair of rubber gloves hanging over the side. I go through stages of using detergent, when I have dishwashing liquid for hand washing or dish washer detergent for the machine, it's stored in the basket with the bicarb. In another small plastic box I keep a bottle of ammonia, a box of yellow laundry soap, a bottle of white vinegar and some brushes. This keeps everything together and they can be easily be move to one side if I need to store something behind them.

Next to all this is our kitchen rubbish bin, which fits in nicely under the sink and is not out in the kitchen for the dogs to check out or visitors to see.

I wonder what it looks like under your kitchen sink. Does it need a clean out? Is today the day? If it is, it won't take long; it's such a small space.

If you want to clean that area, remove everything, wipe the space out with a soapy cloth and dry it all with another clean cloth. Then go through all your products and remove everything you don't need - either throw it out is it's old and unusable, or put it in the laundry room if you'll use it for other cleaning duties. Find a couple of containers that will conveniently hold the items you want under the sink, place everything in them and put them back under the sink. Make sure you have everything you'll need for kitchen cleaning.

See, all done! Now you can go and enjoy your morning tea knowing you have one important cleaning area in your home all tidy and organised.

Don’t forget to lock this cupboard with a childproof lock if you’re a parent of small children or if you have small children visit your home.

This is my flat bottomed fruit bowl that I use to store and ripen fruit on the kitchen bench. Using a flat bottomed bowl will allow you to store the fruit and veg without piling it on top of other things. Oh, and they might just be chocolates stored on the top with the macadamias. ; )

I always try to eat fruit and vegetables as fresh as possible but often there are times they need to be stored for a few weeks. I love giving scrap food to my chickens and worms but giving them a full lettuce or tomatoes because they're starting to rot is wasteful and against my frugal nature.

So how should we store fruit and vegetables until we eat them?

One of the problems with store bought fruit and vegies is that you don't know how fresh they are when you buy them. Get to know what is growing in your region in each season. There is a seasonal guide to fruit and veg in Australia here and an American guide here. An apple may have been kept in cold storage for a few months before you buy it, onions may be months old as well. When you buy your fresh produce, try to buy it from a road side stall or green grocer. Unlike the big supermarkets, they must turn over their produce quickly to remain in business. Look at what you buy and if there are signs of aging, don't buy it. Buy only undamaged produce and be careful not to squash or bruise it on the trip home. There is a guide to buying vegetables in the northern hemisphere here. Lots of info about fruit and vegetables in Australia here. What to look for when buying vegetables. A guide for storing fresh vegetables here.

If you grown your own, leave it on the tree, vine, bush or in the ground as long as possible without it going off. Things like corn and peas deteriorate rapidly as soon as they're picked, so if you're picking those things, make sure you eat them the day you pick them. If that's not possible, pick them on a day you can freeze them and pick just before you start your freezing session. Almost everything you'll freeze will need to be blanched before you freeze it. Blanching is just dropping the vegetables into a large amount of boiling water for a few minutes, then quickly removing them and dropping them into cold water with ice cubes, which stops the cooking. Blanching kills or slows down enzymes that spoil food. There is a good blanching guide here.

If you want to eat your fruit and vegetables fresh, you'll need to store them in a few different ways. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic should not be refrigerated. Potatoes should be removed from the plastic bag, checked for damage - throw away any damaged or green ones, and place the potatoes in a basket or container that allows air in. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Sweet potatoes may be stored on top of the potatoes.

Onions are the same, but store them in their own container in a cool, dry, dark place.

I store garlic with my tomatoes on the kitchen bench. Tomatoes tend to lose flavour in the fridge, so it's best to place them in a bowl and keep them on the bench. They will continue to ripen and will be best eaten when they're fully ripe. The red colouring in tomatoes, and all red fruit and veg, is very good for you so eat red fruits and vegetables when they're fully ripe.

Leafy greens - wash, shake the excess water off and store in a plastic bag or plastic container in the fridge.

Celery - wash, shake of excess water and wrap tightly in two sheets of aluminium foil. Have no celery sticking out, seal it up and store in the fridge and it will last, crisp and fresh for at least six weeks.

Root vegetables - always remove the green tops as they will take moisture from the root. Wash, dry completely and store in a plastic box in the fridge, or wrap in foil in a similar way to the celery.

Mushrooms - never wash them. Place in a non-plastic bowl and cover the bowl with a moist clean cotton cloth. Use within a week.

Citrus - if they're fresh and you'll eat them within a week, leave them on the bench in a bowl. They'll develop their true flavour if not in the fridge. If you're not sure how old they are, store in the fridge in the crisper.

Buy bananas fresh and eat them as soon as possible. Don't store them in the fridge as they'll go brown. If you don't think you'll eat the bananas soon, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer. Do not peel, store them in the freezer as they are. When you defrost them, you can use them in cakes and muffins. Guide to freezing fruits here.

Pears I leave on the bench to ripen properly.

Apples go in the crisper of the fridge.

Fruits like cantaloupe/rockmelon, papaya/paw paw and pumpkin, will store better in the fridge if you remove all the seeds after cutting them open.

Peaches and nectarines can be ripened on the bench. If they're ripe, store them in the fridge and eat asap .

Ripen avocados on the bench. When they're ripe, store in the fridge and eat asap.

If you have any good tips for storing fruit and vegies, please add them to the comment box. Thanks!

BTW, I'll be contacting people about partners and assigning the remaining partners later today. If I don't yet have your email, please send it to me, or contact your partner via their email and let me know.

This post is by guest writer, Bel. Bel's blog is here.

Through time and across cultures, the menstrual cycle has been sacred and taboo, celebration and woe. In our society, menstruation is generally treated as an inconvenient condition. ‘The curse’ sentiment lingers while our negativity toward our monthly bleeding shapes our daughters’ expectations. In order to feel good about our bodies and their natural processes we need to accept and love ourselves as we are. If it weren’t for menstruation, there would be no human life.

Modern advertising for disposable menstrual items focuses on the products, not the physical, spiritual and emotional process that is our cycle. Females are bombarded with many sterile, slim, paper products that invariably announce that periods are things you should not feel, see, smell or tell others about. But are the disposables as convenient and hygienic as we’re led to believe? With disposable options there are the issues of cost, dioxins and other chemical nasties, landfill and the environmental costs of production of all those individually wrapped, perfectly white sanitary items.

There is a myriad of alternative menstrual products. Cloth pads and liners are more comfy, cool and clean than the feminine hygiene items that the supermarkets stock. They are readily available in many health food stores, some markets, by mail order and online. A comprehensive list of online cloth pad sellers can be found here. I recommend that you try a sample pad or pack before purchasing all of your pads from the one seller. There are so many types of pads available, and only you will know which suits your size, shape and cycle.

Fabric pads are quite easy to sew at home, which is a special menarche or moontime ritual in itself. Bright and funky fabrics (or whatever your preference is) make this project lots of fun. And if we’re going to bleed, why not make it fun? If you browse the free printable pad patterns here, you will see that there are many designs to choose from. I have tried and prefer this one and this one. Or you can do what our mothers and grandmothers and those before them did. Pads can be as simple as a few strips of old towel, held together and to your pants with a safety pin. Or face washers folded into quarters lengthwise. But I do think the slim, snap-on version is more comfortable! Pads can be made from recycled materials – towels, bunny rugs, old clothing, buttons etc. The fabrics need to be absorbent and easy to wash and dry. On the underside of the pad, polyester fabrics can be used and help create a leak-proof barrier. Fabrics can be purchased specifically for that leak-proof barrier if you prefer – taslon, PUL, polar fleece etc.

Cloth pads are not a hassle to store or clean. Used pads can be placed in a small bag such as a cosmetic bag for when you are home to rinse and soak them. The ones with wings fold up onto themselves and snap shut so only the outer layer is showing – this is great for transporting used pads. There are many different methods for washing pads, as you can read here.

If you prefer internal methods of protection, menstrual cups are a reusable option. The most common brands available are The Keeper, Diva Cup and Mooncup. The former is latex rubber, the other two are silicon. The Keeper is available in Australia from http://www.menstruation.com.au/ and http://www.moonpads.com.au/. The others can be ordered from overseas, postage is fairly cheap because the item is lightweight and delivery is usually only a week or so. If you type any of the brands into a search engine, it is easy to find local suppliers or mail order services worldwide.

As well as reusable pads and cups, sea sponges and organic disposable tampons and pads should be considered. The sustainability of most commercially available disposable menstrual products is a valid concern. We are making greener choices in our food, clothing, cleaning and health care. We use cloth nappies on our babies, so why not cloth pads for ourselves and our daughters? If you’re initially turned off by the ‘ewww’ factor (I was), please still try cloth at least once. The environment, your budget and your body will rejoice!

May knowing and celebrating your natural cycles encourage wellness and empower your spirits and those of your daughters.

* Photo - these pads I made for my firstborn daughter's menarche. I tried to create different shapes, sizes, absorbency, textures and colours. Some are for daytime use, some for night, some for going out (with matching storage bag) and some are liners for in-between days. She loves them and has hardly used a disposable item since her periods began.

I’ve learnt a lot from my blog neighbours. When I left work I thought I might find myself in a cultural and intellectual vacuum. I was excited about reskilling myself in many of the life skills I’d forgotten and needed to relearn, but I expected that it would be a lonely job where the tumbleweed of a thousand yesterdays would roll through my days like a lazy Sunday. I expected my physical spaces to be filled with a million discoveries, but I thought my mind would stagnate and I would seek, and not find, kindred spirits.

It’s funny what happens when you least expect it. I discovered the mother-lode of intelligent, friendly, caring and talented women all tapping away on keyboards in their own homes and connected via millions of cables and links across the www.

This blog community is a wonderful thing. It’s enriched my life to know some of the women I’ve met online. I’ve learnt more than I thought possible, I’ve seen the most beautifully hand made clothing, dolls, knitting, soft furnishings, bags, quilts, curtains, embroidery and crafts of all shapes. I’ve been amazed by gardens producing healthy organic food that have inspired me to be a better gardener. I’ve read recipes that make my mouth water and have made my family and friends smile when I presented them on our own kitchen table.

But the thing that really surprises me and gives me a lot of joy, even now all these years later, are the intelligent, well thought out and defined ideas I discover most days when I’m reading the blogs of other women. Some posts deserve a larger audience as they open minds and expand thoughts but even though we have to be content with what we do and who we reach within our neighbourhood, I’m sure, that in the future, some of the blogs around now will be seen as a meaningful and significant part of our time. Here are just some of the posts from the past week or so that have made me read a second time:

Natalie's post on the history of work and women in the home.
Jenn'y post on enriching family life.
This post by Kate made me celebrate our changing seasons, something we don't do much of in Australia.
Jewels writes about the family like no other. This post celebrates children, generosity and being a brother and a sister.

This post by Stephanie clearly illustrates the world wide embrace of the blog community. It shows us how bloggers around the world reach out to others with friendship and generosity.

And although it's a month old now, I have to include this profound and wonderful post by the duck herder about living in tutti fruiti time.

Thank you for some wonderful reading.