One of the many things I love about the way I live is that I never feel helpless. I feel I'm in control of what I'm doing and where my life is headed. Gone are the days when I got swept along with recessions, credit squeezes or fashion trends. However, we do live in troubled times and I know a lot of people are losing their jobs, their investments and their money because of the current circumstances. It's not just the problems facing our international financial institutions that is worrying, it's also rising prices for food, rent, petrol/gas, and most of the consumer items we buy.

While there is a part of me that realises we need to slow down our rate of spending, I don't like to see what is happening now, because along with the many banks and businesses that are failing, many ordinary folk are too. I wonder what you're all doing to weather this storm. I have a feeling that we are in for a tough time and it will be protracted. The boost of Christmas sales won't be there this year, that will flow on to job losses and more small businesses going broke.

So what can we do to make sure our own boats don't sink?

It's really just continuing on the road many of us are already on - being prudent with our purchases, continuing to pay off debt and doing all those day to day things in our homes that conserve the resources we do have. We are all in different parts of the world, some have large families, some are couples, some singles but we all have things in common - we all have to have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and money in our pockets. We are not helpless! We can plan for what is coming so we're better able to cope with it. So let's go over those home-based activities that will help us get through this.

1. Spend only on needs, not wants.
2. Stockpile food and groceries - this is the single best thing you can do to prepare for tough times.
3. Track your money - make sure you know what you're spending money on.
4. Redo your budget to stop money leaks.
5. Pay off debt. Make a plan today to do it.
6. Do all your tasks in one outing - plan what you have to do so you get everything done in one day - shopping, doctors visits, post office etc.
7. Try to stay home a few times a week.
8. Try to cut out unnecessary expenses - cut down on your internet, phone, cable TV etc.
9. Plan your menu for a week.
10. Cook from scratch.
11. Eat your leftovers, never waste food.
12. Have a couple of meatless meals every week.
13. Stop eating out, stop buying takeaway food.
14. Take lunch to work and school.
15. Stop buying magazines, newspapers, coffees and drinks when you're out.
16. Make your Christmas gifts this year.
17. Stop listening to advertising. Now is not the time to spend.
    
18. Explain to your children about the current tough times and ask them how they can work with the family to cut back.
19. Learn to read your electricity and water meters so you can cut down on your consumption of both those resources.
20. Get involved in your life - this is the perfect time to step up and become more independent by doing more things for yourself at home.

I bet many of you have some excellent ideas for cutting back and for surviving this crisis. Tell me what your plans are to get through these tough times.

Of all the household tasks I do every week, ironing is the one I struggled with the most. I have tried it every which way, and nothing seemed to help me squeeze any joy from it. In the end, I defied my own advice and did it quickly while watching TV. pffffffffffft

However, progress has been made. I hate giving up or giving in to anything. I have pushed and prodded ironing, I've moved from room to room looking for the perfect place and finally, my friends, I can tell you I've hit pay dirt. I have been ironing these past few days and I have enjoyed it! Persistence and the radio were the keys!

I used to have the ironing board set up in the spare bedroom (where there is a TV) but when we had a few visitors one after the other a month or so ago, I moved the ironing board into the small single bedroom left it set up there. I was doing some quick ironing in there a couple of weeks ago and realised I actually liked ironing better without the TV blathering away in the corner. I looked around the room and decided to set up an ironing station as there was a narrow table in there that was perfect for the task.

A few days ago, I moved everything around to suit the ironing. I faced the table to the window, found an old woollen blanket and cotton sheet and covered the table with them. The jewel in the crown though was a radio. I found our little radio that we use when there is a blackout and I put that on the shelf near the table. It actually tuned to Radio National, my favourite station, and that made me realise I would love ironing in that room. All our other radios don't pick up Radio National so I used to download podcasts to listen to on my little iPod. Now I just have to find the electric cable so I can plug it in and not play it with batteries.


So for the past few days I've been testing myself with the ironing and each day I have loved it. There is a radio guide online so I check it in the morning and if there is something interesting I set myself up to iron while I listen. I've been getting through a lot of ironing and I finally feel like I've found my true ironing home. Long live good radio and ironing stations with a view!

This is my ideal ironing room, it's Deb's from Homespun Living. Isn't it gorgeous. Mind you, I think only people who are living simply would describe a laundry room as gorgeous. :- ) Another ironing post, this time from Posy.

It just goes to show me, yet again, that most simple ordinary things hold their own joy and beauty, if only you look enough to find it.

I spent a small amount of time sowing seeds yesterday. In the past, I used to have trays and trays of seeds but now that we have a continuous garden, I get by with a large planting in March and then just sowing small numbers of seeds to fill in spots that arise during the year. Yesterday I planted up four golden nugget pumpkin seeds, four lemon cucumber seeds and six Moneymaker tomato seeds. The pumpkins will be planted where the kipfler potatoes are now, in the front garden, the cucumber and tomatoes will go into the vegetable garden when the snow peas are removed. That should have happened by now but we're behind with some work because of the fence building and my writing. No matter, everything happens in its own time.

I thought it might help some of the new gardeners if I wrote a little about sowing seeds. It seems to be a mystery to some and I remember when I first started gardening, I was never sure of the right depth to place the seeds or if I was doing the right things when I sowed my seeds.

The best seeds to sow are open pollinated or heirloom seeds. If you plant them. not only will you get vegetables far superior to those you buy in the supermarkets, you get the old varieties that have better taste. And the bonus is you can save the seeds from one of your plants at the end of the season and use them for your next planting. Using seeds from your own garden will give you plants that are better suited to your own conditions and if you keep planting your own seeds, they will improve each year. In Australia you buy heirloom seeds at Green Harvest, Eden Seeds, Diggers, Phoenix and a number of other small places. For gardeners in other countries, do a Google search for "open pollinated seeds" or "heirloom seeds" and you should find something close to you. There are many heirloom seed companies and they have their entire seed catalogue online, so it's just a matter of selecting what you want, paying for it and waiting for the post to arrive.

The general rule for seed planting is to plant the seed twice as deep as its size. So if you have a seed that is 1mm, you plant it 2mm into the soil. If your seed measures ¼ inch, you plant it ½ inch deep. Some seeds (beans, peas,) benefit from soaking in warm water for 24 hours - this breaks the hard seed casing and speeds up germination. After you soak the seeds, plant them into moist soil or seed raising mix and then don't water until they germinate. Please note: it is only pea and bean seeds you have soaked that don't require watering - all other seeds you sow must be kept moist, not wet. Parsley seeds can be soaked in hot water for 24 hours, then sowed just like other seeds - into moist, not wet, soil.

Seed raising mix in a bag is quite expensive to buy. The potting soil you use doesn't need a lot of nutrients in it, so don't use your best mix. All the nutrients the seeds need are inside the seeds, you just need to supply moisture and a growing medium that will allow the tiny new shoots to emerge easily. I often use compost in the trays and just cover the seeds with seed raising mix or potting soil mixed with sharp sand. Whatever you cover the seeds with needs to be light to allow those little shoots through.



Once the seeds are in and covered, put a tag on them with the name and date then water them gently with a spray bottle. I use a mix of water with a little Epsom salts added to water in. The Epsom salts is magnesium and it helps germination. The ratio is one teaspoon to one litre (quart) of water. If you have any left over, water your vegetables or citrus trees with it.

So that's it! Then you just wait for the first little bits of green to poke through and plant them when they're ready to plant. Tomato seedlings need extra care before they're planted in the garden though and I've written about that here.

Before I go today I have a couple of extras I'd like to add. Yesterday when I was working on my book, I spent quite a bit of time going through the archives. I was really touched by so very many of the comments you've made over the months. I read every comment that's made each day but reading them in one block made me realise, yet again, how much you all add to this blog. A little green community has built up here that is knowledgeable, supportive and generous. I sincerely thank all of you who regularly comment.

I also want to thank Sharon who is a constant help to me both on the blog and behind the scenes in emails. Sharon organises all the swaps and also posts on weekends to give you wonderful links for projects and gifts. I have added Sharon's email to the side bar so if you have any questions about swaps or links, you can email her direct.

Now, some responses to yesterday's post. Thanks to simple quilter who gave me the information to identify those tiny blue flowers we have in our lawn as lobelia. :- )

Rose, what a wonderful man Paul Newman was. RIP Paul.

Cassie, good luck with your garden. Lucky you have such a great helper there.

Lindsay, it sounds like you're starting off on an incredible journey. I'm pleased I could help you on your way. Please stay in touch and let me know how it goes for you.

Amanda, congratulations on the new baby. I hope things have settled down for you now. (hugs)

Donna, our haystack sits there for a while so the seeds die off. You can definitely use your hay for mulch. Just take a handful of hay and put it in your garden, water it and see what happens. If it does grow weeds, often you can just pick them out when they're at the green shoot stage. Usually it will just be the seeds of the plant, be it lucerne, wheat, rye etc. In that case, again, you just weed it out. But if your little test of mulch doesn't grow anything after sitting in the garden for three weeks, you'll know there are no seeds in it.

Hi Quinne, I hope that little baby of yours is chubby and giggling. :- )

ADDITION: Many of you know that I'm a great fan of Path to Freedom, it is the one site I've continued to visit for many years. Here is a video of theirs, it's well worth the time it will take you to view it. Make sure you visit the blog Anais writes. It's really good.

We had quite a full weekend with Hanno finishing the new chook fence and me flitting between writing and household chores. Of course there were lots of breaks and tea on the verandah so it was a productive and relaxing time for us. I watched the neighbours go in and out all weekend, mostly for short trips and I wondered if they were picking up forgotten groceries or DVDs to watch. I was just happy to sit and watch their comings and goings while I knitted and thought about what to write.

It's a lovely time of year now, the spring flowers are blooming, birds are visiting from far off places and it's bare arms weather - ideal for sitting with a lemon cordial and letting the world pass by. I am happy here, I feel as much a part of this place as all the trees deeply rooted in dry soil. We all get our nourishment from being here and I can't imagine being anywhere else.

Hanno did a great job on the fence using mostly recycled materials. We did have to buy the fence posts though. Almost all of yesterday was taken up with him making a patchwork of wire for the bottom of the fence. The top of it is all one roll of wire but the bottom is many different pieces. Even though it took a longer time to complete, he's happy to have used the scrap wire that was already here.

And here in the late afternoon, is the finished fence. You can see Hanno in the distance just putting the finishing touches to it. Seth and his ladies have been inspecting the new work and I think they all approve.

Hello ladies. I will be posting more of our swap photos tomorrow. Today I would like to give you links for more ideas for making holiday gifts for our friends and families. Making gifts is about putting a little of yourself into something that you give to your friends and family; it is one of the best things you can do for the holidays. You save money, maybe recycle fabrics or remake things, but still give great gifts all the while giving a piece of your heart to the recipient. I have a few more links with great ideas for gifts for everyone in the family. One site I love is Burda Style. You can download free patterns (over 128) for all ages and sexes, and they also have great how-to's- photo tutorials to walk you through step-by-step sewing techniques that can be difficult or confusing; http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns look through the patterns and click on the how tos for help. Recycling old doilies into useful bags is another idea that is fun with great results: http://scrumdillydilly.blogspot.com/2008/09/dilly-doily-bag-tutorial.html

Pink Penguin shows us how to make a pretty patchwork bag: http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2008/09/tutorial-reversible-patchwork-bag.html

Ricrac gives us a how to on recycling an old sweater into a softie for a child (not too young unless you are careful with the eyes!) http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/09/racing-snail-tutorial.html For the crocheters out there My Picot has free patterns to make all sorts of pretty things: http://www.mypicot.com/index.html including tutorials explaining techniques.

Oliver and S gives us a tutorial for simple skirts for the little ones: http://www.oliverands.com/patterns/Oliver+SLazyDaysSkirt.pdf and finally I will leave you with an embroidery post that shows you how you can change a design by stitching it in different ways: http://www.craftstylish.com/item/9811/how-to-use-one-pattern-three-ways

I will be posting photos on our flickr site tomorrow and will be back again with ideas for the holidays and the changing seasons next week-end.

ADDITION: Lots and lots of handmade toys.

I was interested to read in the Why are you simplifying? post that several readers said they wanted to look after the planet, especially their own piece of it. While I believe we never really own the land we purchase, I do firmly agree with the idea of looking after the land we live on. The concept of looking after your land is firmly rooted in our psyche. When our ancestors went from the hunter gatherer phase into the domestication of animals and agriculture, their ability to produce food on the land they lived on meant the difference between life and death for them.

Maybe it's coming back to that.


Think of the difference it would make to our planet if we all cared for the piece of land we live on. I'm not just talking about producing food on that land, but I do include gardening. I mean instead that we get rid of weeds and chemicals from the land, we provide habitat and water for wildlife and instead of stripping our land for the house we build, we leave space for indigenous trees and plants and save some of the natural vegetation. We need to be encouraging reptiles, mammals and birds to our land and hope that they make it their home too. In my own country, our beautiful Koala is in trouble because the trees they favour as food are being cleared to make way for more housing. You can still see Koalas in the wild if you care to look for them, but they're becoming a rare sight these days. Imagine a world without Koalas! I hope I never see that day.

So what can we do? We should start where we are and work our way out.

Have a look in your back and front yards and see what's already there. Do some research, this is a great project for the children, to find out what used to live where you live. If those animals and birds aren't already extinct, find out how to make your land a place they would like to live and do that. Make sure your pets can't stalk the wildlife and keep your cat inside at night. Slowly, you may be able to attract your local wildlife back.

In Australia you can do surveys to find out what birds live locally, or migrate through your area. Hanno and I are currently taking part in a nation-wide bird bath survey. We are counting the number of birds that visit our bird baths, noting the amount of time they spend here and what birds they interact with. There are similar surveys you can sign up for at the Birds in Backyards site. Here is some information about making homes for Australian lizards. If you know of any wildlife surveys in your own country, please let me know about them and I'll add the links to this post.

We can also help by buying pure breed poultry instead of the common brown chooks bred for the caged poultry industry, or if you're on a farm, keeping the pure breeds of sheep, goats and cattle.

Once your own patch is as good as you can make it, move to the street you live in and maybe nearby parks. Pick up any rubbish you see and make sure you never add to the problems in your neighbourhood.

Never let anyone tell you there is nothing you can do. Start with your own home and work out from there. Be proactive and find out what you could do to help your own community. Even if it's picking up rubbish on the street, educating your children about local wildlife or making your own backyard a refuge for birds and smaller critters, it is significant and worthwhile work. No one else will come along and offer to do that work on the land you live on. It is up to you, my friend.

Karen has asked me to write about the Australian tea tradition. I'm not sure that tradition continues today but this is my version of what it was like in the old days.

Tea used to be a part of most people's days. In Australia, we had a cup of tea with breakfast, often with toast, another cup was had between 10 and 11am for morning tea. Then another cup at lunchtime with a sandwich, another around 3pm, when the children came home from school. And there would always be a pot of tea sitting on the table to be enjoyed with dinner at night.

When I started drinking tea, and I suspect this was a similar scenario around the country, my mum made a little cup of tea for me that was about 20 percent tea and 80 percent milk. I grew up in a family that took their tea without milk so, of course, eventually I drank black tea with no milk. I still do today - I have my tea black with a teaspoon of honey.

Real tea is made from the plant of the camellia sinensis bush. It produces black, white, green and oolong tea. Herbal teas are not teas at all - they're herbal infusions and don't contain the amount of antioxidants that tea does. I make rosella tea from our rosella bushes, and that is more like a herbal tea than real tea.

I prefer loose leaf tea to teabags. Teabags are generally made with inferior tea and don't taste as good as a freshly brewed pot of tea. Tea bags are over packaged too. They are a one cup unit of a paper bag, string, a cardboard tag and, usually, a staple or glue. The box of tea bags is usually a cardboard box wrapped in plastic or cellophane. Loose tea is just a cardboard box with an internal paper bag. I have written about making tea in a previous post which is here.

One of the reasons I like tea is that there is a ritual that goes with it. Instead of just filling a glass and drinking it, you have to slow down, prepare your cups and pot, and wait. Waiting is part of tea making so it suits a simple life well. Hanno and I have incorporated tea drinking into our lives and we almost always stop whatever we are doing at around 10am and I make a pot of tea. When it's poured we take our tea to the front verandah where we sit and talk, while I knit. It's a lovely part of the day that I look forward to. Hanno does too, because if I'm late making morning tea, he comes in and says: "do you want me to make the tea?" :- ) It's like nothing can continue until tea is taken. Neither of us had the luxury of a regular morning tea when we worked so it's become a ritual that we look forward to, and through it, and our talking on the verandah, we have reconnected and grown together towards our older years.

I have a catch-up day today. Although Hanno has told me to concentrate on my writing and he will do the laundry and most of the indoor work, there are some things I need to do and they will be looked after today. We also have two special visitors today - Shane and Sarndra will arrive late this morning. They aren't staying long but just seeing them is a joy that I'm looking forward to. I'll make a batch of walnut and cranberry biscuits soon so we have something for our morning tea. We also have two other visitors expected - Koda and Tessa - Jens and Cathy's Airedales. Jens and Cathy are in Europe at the moment and although Cathy's father has been staying at their place to look after the dogs, he has to leave for a week to go to a family wedding, so we will keep the dogs here for that time. There's is never a dull moment here.

There are always things happening outside. At the moment, Hanno's project is to fix the fence on the chook run and to add a taller gate. The chooks have been flying out to free range whenever they feel like it. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but as we have tomatoes and lettuce growing in that area now, if we don't keep an eye on them, they pick the lettuce back to their cores before we even know they're out of their run.



I was overwhelmed at the response to yesterday's post. How generous of you all to share your lives with the rest of us. It made me smile to read so many of them and to know that we are all striving to live authenticity, having rejected the madness of this consumerist age. Reading how others have changed can be quite a powerful message to those who are still wondering about their own lives. Thank you for taking the time to add your story, it might be the one that helps convince someone else that a simple change is possible.

One of the many pleasures I have found in simplicity is a rediscovery of the seasons. I no longer try to block out or ignore seasonal weather, trying to make everyday the same with air conditioning, I embrace the seasons now and work according to them. Yesterday I spent the day writing but had short breaks to do the seasonal chores that couldn't wait. Our storm season started early and the past two nights we've had wild and loud thunder that sounded like bowling balls rumbling along then crashing into a wall of light. On those nights the heat builds up and then breaks with rain falling and cooler air. On that first stormy night, still warming wrapped in my winter bed, I knew the next day would bring a transition to a summer bed.

Sure enough, the next morning, I opened up the windows wide and stripped the bed completely. I removed Hanno's electric blanket and rolled it up around a pillow for safe storage during the summer, then took the bed protector off and washed it with the sheets. This is the season for cool pure cotton sheets. My flannel cotton sheets are now washed, line dried and folded in the linen cupboard until the seasons change again.

I went back to writing for a while until Hanno brought in a small basket of windfall lemons. The storms have started to pick the lemon tree for us, and when we have a lot of lemons, I make summer cordial.

I have posted more swap photos-don't worry if yours is not up yet I post them in batches so I will be posting more all this next week. If you haven't sent me your photo, please do try to send it soon! my e-mail is :cdetroyes at yahoo dot com I have also found some fun links for ideas for our hand-made holiday. For knitters, here is a fun edging to try: http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_knit_a_quotPicotquot_Edge/
For ideas to give the little ones I have two links: http://blueyonder.typepad.com/photos/bandana_pants/ and http://paperdollygirl.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/baby-gift-burp-cloths/
For the cook here is a fun apron tutorial that you can use to make matching chef's apron: http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_sew_an_adjustable_chefs_apron/
For those who like to read in bed here is an easy tutorial on an organizer: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=574 Sew Mama Sew http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/ is showing us a lot of ideas on making things for the home so be sure to check out the blog for ideas and tutorials.
Here is a lunch tote idea for those who ride bicycles to work or school: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/lunchbag
I will be back later in the week with more ideas for han made holiday gifts and to let you know when I have posted more photos. Hugs Sharon