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I sometimes get emails from people who have started making their own bread at home but they feel ashamed of using a bread machine. A few people I met on the road said the same thing. I use a bread machine almost every day; I'm not ashamed to tell you that, there is no reason to hide away thinking that "real" bread is only made by hand kneading.  Friends, the truth is that real bread is what you make at home, adding or omitting the ingredients that suit you and your family - the custom healthy loaf. We live in modern times. People keep telling me that there is not enough time to do everything and that they're busy. If you fit that category, or if you're unable to knead bread, or just don't get the same result hand kneading as you do with machine kneading, use a machine. The simple living police will not arrest you.


I use the same bread recipe for almost all my bread now. I add variety to it by changing the type of flour, and sometimes changing from water to milk, or half and half. I also change the additives I put on top. Sometimes it is seeds, sometimes oats, sometimes it's a combination of several things. This same bread recipe can be made into rolls by putting the bread machine onto the dough setting. When the dough is kneaded I shape the rolls and add seeds, then allow them to rise and cook in the oven. The recipe is also good a a fruit loaf - this just needs the fruit added half way through the kneading process, again I bake it in the oven.


The one thing I always do it to mix the yeast and water together to prove before adding it to the other ingredients. You must know that your yeast is fresh, otherwise you might get to the end of the process and find the dough doesn't rise. I think adding the yeast to water before it mixes in with the other ingredients gives a better rise too - the yeast is already dissolved and working before having to work in with the other ingredients.


You will need high protein flour to make bread, this is also known as strong flour or baker's flour. The flour can be white, wholemeal, wholegrain, corn and barley, rye, spelt or any combination of those flours. If you can't find this type of flour, use plain flour and add gluten to it. You can usually find gluten or gluten flour (same thing) at a specialist baking shop, health food shops or sometimes at the supermarket - IGA usually has it. Add one teaspoon of gluten for every cup of plain flour and you will have baker's flour. Don't be afraid of gluten - unless you have an allergy to it - gluten is simply a protein that is part of flour. It helps the bread rise and give that soft fluffy texture. I buy my flour from a bulk food store called Simply Good. They have shops at Morayfield and in Brisbane, details below. You can also buy a 500 gram pack of yeast there as well as nuts, seeds, coconut, cereal, spices, pasta, dried fruit, tea and coffee. I have added these shop details because I'm often asked where I buy my flour. If you know of similar shops selling bulk flour, please add the details in your comment. If might help someone else move closer towards being a home baker.
SIMPLY GOOD SHOPS
9 Samford Road
Alderley QLD
(07) 3856 5000

156 Morayfield Road
Morayfield QLD
(07) 5498 3722


This is my bread recipe - it's tried and true over many years:

Mix the first three ingredients together in a cup to check the freshness of the yeast. When it is frothy and bubbling, add it to the rest of the mix. If, after ten minutes, nothing has happened, your yeast is dead. You have to buy fresh yeast. Once you've opened the packet, pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge.
  1. 2 teaspoons dried yeast 
  2. 1 tablespoon sugar or ½ tablespoon honey 
  3. ¼ cup warm water 
Add the following to your bread machine bucket. It doesn't really matter which order they go in.
  1. 4 cups baker's flour - also called strong flour or high protein flour. It can be any variety - wholemeal, rye, white, whatever. 
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil - this gives a more tender dough 
  3. 1½ teaspoons salt 
  4. 250 mls warm water + more if necessary, but add it slowly, one tablespoon at a time.
Using this one simple recipe and your bread machine, you'll be making additive-free fresh bread every day. If you get it in the machine by 9am, you'll have hot bread for lunch. It you put it into the machine the night before and set the timer, you'll have hot bread for breakfast and for packed lunches. It's probably wise to bake a loaf on the weekend to test it and make sure you have your water amounts right - then use in the overnight timed machine.

If you bake a double batch, wait until the bread is completely cold before packing it in a large plastic bag, expel as much of the air as you can, then seal it and put it in the freezer. The bread will thaw out on the bench top or can be partially thawed and refreshed in the oven to give you warm bread.

When you sit back with your warm bread and enjoy that first bite, I hope you feel good about what you've done. Don't listen to people who tell you that if you use a bread machine it isn't authentic bread. If you make bread that you choose the ingredients for and make fresh, you, my friend will have just made a good healthy loaf of bread that will feed your family and friends. It will also be healthier and cheaper than the bread you buy in a plastic bag at the supermarket. I think that is something to be proud of.


We had a wonderful mixture of resting, planning and working over the weekend. We're getting ready for our new season vegetable garden and both Hanno and I are excited by the all the possibilities ahead of us this year. We produce food in the backyard almost all year. Our growing year starts in March with empty garden beds, builds up as the cooler days pass by and ends, of a sort, in November. We stop planting then but continue harvesting until it's all gone. That varies every year. Last season we had tomatoes until Christmas and the capsicums/peppers, Welsh onions a few herbs and chillies are still growing now. Hanno went along to the local market on Sunday to pick up some seedlings to get us started. He also bought another orange tree to replace the pink grapefruit that died during the prolonged rain. Next week I'll start planting seeds for later plantings.







Hanno harvested all the loofas growing along the trellis. Now I have the arduous ask of skinning and deseeding them. BUt is gives us plenty of loofas for the year with a few to give away.

Living seasonally as we do, it's quite easy to get into a natural rhythm, helped along by cooler days, fewer bugs and the absolute pleasure of wandering through the garden to pick this and that. I think it's a real shame that in my lifetime we've gone from backyard gardeners to being more reliant on trays of fruit and vegetables in the supermarket that look fresh but might not be. I'm hopeful that more people are returning to home grown vegetables, at least that is what I'm hearing, but I wonder it it's true.

You don't need a lot of land to produce vegetables, in fact you don't need land at all. We have a large backyard but our vegetable garden takes only a small fraction of that available space. If you don't have land, you can produce small amounts of fresh vegetables and herbs on a balcony or verandah. That applies all over the world. If you want to grow your own, do what ever you can with the space you have and see what you come up with and if you can improve each year. All gardening is that. Even seasoned gardeners like us have failures, nothing is guaranteed, we learn something new every year, but when everything goes according to plan, you are rewarded for your efforts in many wonderful ways. Gardening is also an excellent way to get the full value of the land you live on. Why just leave it sit there under grass when it could be making a significant contribution to your food budget and your health.


In addition to all the garden planning on the weekend, I also made my first meal from the CWA Classics book - lentil soup. It is as delicious as it promised to be and I'll certainly be taking some of it in a flask for lunch today at the Neighbourhood Centre.


During the breaks to rest my weary bones, I knitted. I finished off an organic pink cotton cowl scarf for me and I've got Hanno's two year jumper out again ready to finish off to keep him warm over winter. He feels the cold much more than I do and even when we were at Tricia's last month - in summer - he was wearing a woollen jumper and slept under a woollen blanket and a doona. He only has one good jumper so this one will be more for around home on those cold mornings and nights.  I have some lovely alpaca here too so I might knit some long-armed fingerless mittens for him too.


We were visited by Jens and Cathy and their dog Koda and new Airedale puppy Tilly on the weekend. We puppy-sat Tilly late last week so she was in familiar territory on this visit and it was a beautiful thing to see Koda and Tiily hit that golden time of day for Airedales - 4pm - and run around like clowns chasing each other in the late afternoon dappled shade.

What a great response to the swap! There are only three more days to sign up, then it will be closed off, completely. Sharon will pair off partners and post that list on the blog soon. When you have your partner, you can email them and ask about colour and style preferences, or decide to surprise each other. All aprons will need to be made and posted by 17 April. Sharon has asked that you include a family recipe in with your apron and I think that is a wonderful idea. These swaps are not about seeing who sews the best - it's more about fun and friendship, connecting with others who live as we do, fun, improving sewing skills if you're a new sewer, and helping others who may not have done something like this before. So I encourage you to join in, even all those shy people who lurk in the background - both women and men. My only request is that if you do sign up, you honour your commitment and send your apron on time, as promised.

We're having the Queensland launch of the book on Wednesday at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. I'd love to see  you if you're close enough to come along. Rosetta's Books in Maleny is organising the event so if you decide to come, please book through them on 5435 2134. Wine and cheese will be provided and the cost is $8. We start at 5.30pm for a 6pm to 7 pm event.

BOOK PAYMENTS - PLEASE READ
If you've paid for a book but haven't received it yet, please email me with your payment details, including the date and your name. Don't worry if you haven't received your book, we paid extra so that all parcels can be tracked. I hope to have all the books sent out this week.   I have a Swift transfer from someone overseas. If you've ordered my book from another country and you haven't received it, please send your payment details as well as the amount and date sent. Also, can Brad Van Hemert email please.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.


No one enjoys a good cook book more than I do. I'm quite discerning when it comes to which ones I like. Above all the cook must have my respect, the recipes must be home cooking for a home cook and if that is packaged in a well presented and easy to read book, that's it, I'm hooked. When Hanno and I went out for dinner with Jo and Eli in Melbourne last week, Jo presented me with a wonderful gift - the very heavy, hard covered Country Women's Association Classics. 

I loved it immediately.

For our international readers, the Country Women's Association or CWA as they're affectionately known here, is made up of local town groups of country women who learn from each other, provide support and encouragement in their own towns, fundraise for various causes and administer drought funds to farming families when needed. Many a country fair and agricultural show has a CWA tea and scones stall and when people see that CWA sign, they flock to buy because they know CWA cooks are some of the best country cooks in the land. Profits from this book are going to help provide a health worker in rural areas of Australia.


True to form, the recipes, submitted by CWA members all over the country, are tried and true and it's all about the kind of cooking I grew up with. There is a large soup section, baking, main meals, preserves and desserts. This  book  is full of favourite old Australian recipes presented in a modern form for all those cooks who have only recently taken up the rolling pin and whisk, and for cooks like me who love to be reminded of recipes too good to forget.

MOULD ALERT (again)
I was making a lasagne for dinner yesterday and was just about to pick a wooden spoon from my utensils bucket when I noticed mould growing on my rolling pin and spoons. It had even spread to the plastic utensils next to the mouldy, wooden ones. Luckily I noticed it before I plunged the spoon into the meat sauce. I made the sauce using a clean spoon, then cleaned the utensils in the sink with soap, hot water and a cup of vinegar. Even my rolling pin went in and I hate getting that wet. 

Sorry, this mould on the end of the rolling pin is out of focus.

Yuck.


I did a post earlier in the week about how mould started growing here while the house was shut up when we were away. I just wanted to warn readers in humid climates to check their wooden utensils - and leather shoes and bags,  in case  you need to take some swift action just like I did.  When all my utensils are completely dry tomorrow, I'm going to lay them all out on the back verandah table on a clean cloth to sit in the sun for a few hours.

I think I've sent out all the books ordered so far, the book plates will go out today. If you haven't heard from me yet and have put in an order, would you kindly send an email with your details. Thanks.

I'm really pleased to tell you that tomorrow, Sharon will start a swap here. It's been so long since we've done a swap, they're always a lot of fun, and they can help sewing newbies with their skills. I hope you join in. Sharon will have all the details for you tomorrow.

We've been home five days now and the trip away is beginning to fade into a pleasant memory. It's good to be in our home here, surrounded by the familiar, and comfortable and safe despite the rain and crazy weather. I am beginning to think about the cooler months and the projects ahead. There will be some hard cheese made, lots of knitting and crochet, some red work and, of course, the new season garden. We'll start planning that later this week. It's all ahead of us. I hope you are looking forward to your change of seasons too. This is always a great time of year.

Banks have no interest in you paying off your credit card debt fast. They make a sizeable proportion of their profits from the interest payments made on credit card debt. It is in their interest for you to take as long as possible to pay back what you owe. The average credit card account balance was $3,333 in November 2011. (Source: Reserve Bank of Australia, January 2012) Today I was going to present a lot of current information about what the state of credit card debt is in several countries but now I think that is the wrong way to go about encouraging you to start getting serious about paying off your debt. Seeing a lot of statistics can confuse some people and it angers others. There are some who have become comfortable with credit card debt and believe it to be part of modern life; I am not one of those people. I believe there is such a thing as good debt, and that is the mortgage you take out on your family home. Many of us will carry that kind of debt, many more of us will add to that with credit card debt and personal loans. It is that extra debt that I want to address today.

Unless you're working in a job you absolutely love and see your job as a career or a vocation, like the majority of the world's population, you're probably working primarily for the money you earn. There is no law that states you have to work full time for the rest of your life. If you can pay off your debt, save money and set yourself up for your later years, full time work could possibly make way for part-time work or early retirement. You do not have to work until you drop. You could take time out to enjoy life as well.

So how do we go about that? How can we draw a line in the sand and start paying off debt with the absolute intention of being debt-free, except for the mortgage, in the next few years.
  • Lay-by and layaway plans are making a comeback. Until the creation of credit cards in the 1950s, and their common use by ordinary working people in the 1970s, we all used to save up for what we wanted and needed to buy. Many people used lay-by or layaway schemes, which was a way to pay for products in instalments before you could take them home. It was a kind of forced saving. Many shops are bringing back their lay-bys and layaways, or expanding them to include a wider range of products and prices. More info below.
  • Stop spending. Adding to your debt will stop you paying off what you already owe.
  • Think of prices in terms of work hours. For example, if you earn $40 an hour and you want to buy a new TV that costs $2000, you will have to work at your job for 50 hours to pay for that TV in cash. If you put it on your credit card or get a loan, it will cost more. And remember, that 50 hours work is on top of what you'll be working to pay off your other debt.
  • Save an emergency fund. Everyone has unexpected debt from time to time. The fridge will break down, the dog will get sick, there will be something that crops up just when you can't afford it. Most of us put those unexpected payments on our credit card. If you have an emergency fund you don't have to do that. You can pay in cash. It's amazing how confident you'll feel when you have that buffer between yourself and unexpected debt.
  • If you have more than one credit card, pay off the one with the highest interest first.
  • Don't fall into the trap of paying the minimum payment each month. That option is the best one for the bank, not you. If you never pay more than the minimum payment, it will take you about 50 years to pay off your credit card. Every month you pay, you're also being charged interest, and it's usually high interest, so what ever you bought with your credit card will cost you about double what it cost someone paying cash. That doesn't make sense.
  • Pay cash. If you do that, you'll find you're much more likely to check for bargains and not be fooled into paying for something you really don't need.
  • Track your money to see where it is being spent. At the end of every week, work out your non-essential spending - all those cups of coffee, magazines, takeaways, movies, chocolates etc that you don't need. You non-essential spending amounts are your potential savings. Continue tracking for a month to see your spending patterns, when you have a month's worth of tracking, you'll see clearly where you can cut back and save.
  • Know how much debt you have. Sit down with your partner and work out what you owe. Then work out a plan on how to pay it off.
  • If you're doing this with your partner, don't lay blame, and forget about what you spent in the past. It is not productive to say: "YOU spent $200 on football tickets last month." or "YOU spent $400 on a pair of shoes." What is spent is spent. Draw a line and go forward from that point.
  • Make some of your own products - homemade soap, laundry liquid, bread, dishcloths etc will save you a lot of money. 
  • Think about different ways to save: Cancelling your pay TV or mobile/cell phone will save money. Cutting back on groceries with prudent buying and stockpiling can save money. Reusing and recycling will save buying new - shop at op shops.
  • Renegotiate your monthly bills such as insurance, phone and internet accounts. Even electricity accounts might be able to be renegotiated. Do some research first and know what the competitors are offering before you phone your provider. Be polite and let them know you have done your research, ask for a better price and hopefully they'll give you one rather than lose you as a customer. At the very best, you'll get a good reduction, at the worst, your payments will stay the same each year.
I am not going to tell you this is easy. It's not. In fact, if you've got a lot of debt and you've been flashing the plastic for far too long, it will be difficult. But it's not impossible and it will get easier. Starting is the hardest part because as you start to see the rewards of your debt reduction efforts, you'll feel in control and motivated to keep going. We have no debt. We paid off our mortgage in eight years instead of the twenty years we signed up for. Paying off our debt was one of the important milestones for us, I guess it will be the same for you. I do know for sure that once you've made the decision to pay down your debt, started working on it and made some progress, you'll feel a kind of liberation and satisfaction.

Credit card debt is one of the most insidious and treacherous modern life traps - it will stop you living to your potential. If you're up for it, I refer you to Lisa's debt challenge on the Down to Earth Forum. There are many people there making a commitment to paying off their debt and getting support and encouragement as they go, from others doing exactly the same thing. If you decide to take this important step, click on the link and join in. Let me know what you're doing - I am interested and really encourage you to do this. If you've paid off your debt, or are in the process of doing it, please tell us how you did it. Your tip might be the one that saves someone else.

Additional reading
An excellent credit card resource - check out how long it will take you to pay off your credit card debt here 
Reduce credit card debt - Australlia
Reduce credit card debt - UK
Credit card calculator
Lay-bys and layaways
With all this rain around we've developed a mould problem in our home. Usually we have the front and back doors open and that good ventilation stops most moulds from establishing. However, with the house locked up for the past week, the high humidity and the rain, mould is now growing on the wooden walls near our front door and on the lower parts of cupboards in the kitchen.

Most of us will find mould growing in our homes at some point. Either in the bathroom or, in humid climates, on the walls, like we have now. You'll need a safe and effective remedy at some point, so I hope one of these methods works well for you.

Mould is not only ugly to look at, it can cause health problems so if you see mould growing, do something about it straight away. The longer you leave the problem, the harder it will be to get rid of it effectively. If you have asthma or any allergies, you should do this type of cleaning with a face mask on so you don't breathe in any spores. Many people use bleach on mould but I've found it just takes the colour out of it, you think it's gone, but it soon grows back. The best treatments are safe ones that don't rely on harsh chemicals or bleach. Don't try to brush it off with a dry brush or broom first, that will just spread the spores around and the mould will probably establish in another area.

MOULD FIRST AID
  1. Mould loves dark, poorly ventilated rooms - open the windows and doors and keep the air moving through the room.
  2. Mould loves warmth and moisture - if condensation is building up, open the window and wipe down damp surfaces.
  3. If you have mould in the bathroom grout, it's almost impossible to remove. It's best to remove the grout, treat the tiles with vinegar or tea tree oil and re-grout.

Mould is an accumulation of fungi that will start to grow if the conditions are right, such as in the presence of water and warmth. In our case it was the humid air and the closed house that started off our problem. We can't get rid of the humid weather, unfortunately, but we can create a well ventilated space and that's what we've done.

Treating mould effectively requires a two stage attack - washing the mould off and drying the area and finishing off with either clove or tea tree oil in a spray. Tomorrow, when I'm home again, I'll wash the walls with hot water, bicarb (baking soda) and vinegar. I'll use 4 litres/quarts of water, ½ cup white vinegar and a tablespoon of bicarb. Washing the walls should remove the spots of mould but I need to clean around this space too - if any spores are left, they'll re-establish the mouldy growths again.  If you have mould on hard surfaces - like cupboard doors or smooth walls, you can use the liquid solution above or a paste of vinegar and bicarb (baking soda). Wipe it on the surface, leave for 20 - 30 minutes, then wipe off completely with a clean damp rag. Make sure all the solution is off, then wipe over with a dry cloth.


For the second and final treatment, the lovely Shannon Lush, Australia's cleaning guru, recommends ¼ teaspoon of clove oil mixed into a litre/quart of water in a spray bottle. I have no clove oil here but I do have tea tree oil and that works well too. Just add one teaspoon of tea tree oil to a cup of water in a spray bottle, shake it well. After you've completed your initial cleaning of the surface, spray that over the affected areas and leave it on.  If you notice the mould growing back, repeat these steps, always finishing with either the tea tree or clove spray.


If you have fabric that has mould growing on it, wash it in a couple of litres of water to which you add two tablespoons of homemade laundry liquid and two teaspoons of borax. Soak the fabric overnight in this solution, rinse well and dry in the sun. If that doesn't remove the stains, you may have to soak the fabric overnight in a solution of hot water and oxy-bleach, like Napisan, Dri Pak or OxiClean - or their generic alternatives.

Good luck with your cleaning and don't let mould grow too long before you do something about it.

BTY, we had 108 mm/just over 4 inches of rain yesterday.

We were away for just two weeks but when we returned  and drove into our little lane, it felt like we'd been gone a lot longer than that. The trip home was exhausting and a bit harrowing in places as we had to drive through the edge of the flood waters but it was SO worth the effort. Both Hanno and I want to thank everyone who travelled to their local bookshop to meet us. We left a trail of loyal friends behind us and many book shops sold out of copies of the book by the time we left. I was amazed, and probably shouldn't have been, at the generosity and kindness of these people who we'd never met but who felt like, and treated us like, friends. Not only were there warm and comfy hugs there were jars of jam and pickles, home brew, banana bread, gluten-free muffins, dishcloths, soap, chillis in oil, cards and many good wishes brought along for us to take away as mementos. Thank you so much. Both Hanno and I were over-whelmed at the friendliness and generosity of you all. We were treated like the king and queen! It was quite something.

We stayed a few days at Tricia's on the way down south. This is a lovely family dinner at Tricia's - Hanno, Tricia, me, Danny and his girlfriend, Laura. David was behind the camera - cooeee David!

We checked into The Olsen, an art hotel chosen for us by Penguin. And yes, the cricket was on TV so that was on before we did anything else. Wow, such splendour! That bed you can see above is the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. I thought my bed at home was great, but this one beat it.

Along the way we also visited Byron Bay for an interview with local journalist Megan, 2GB in Sydney with Chris Smith (Sydney's biggest radio station), the ABC studios in Melbourne for a number of interviews, including one with Richard Stubbs (which made it into the Weekly Redux along with Graham Nash, Ralph Fiennes and the wonderful Frank Woodley!), and to the massive Herald Sun building for an interview there with journalist Jane Howard who whispered to me: "you wrote this book for me, didn't you?" We went from Byron Bay to Blackheath to Sydney to Melbourne to Ballarat to Castlemaine to Bendigo to Albury to Canberra to Bathurst - where we were caught up in the floods, and home via Dubbo, Gilgandra, Tamworth, Armidale, Dorrigo, Belligen and the Gold Coast. It was an exciting and life-affirming trip because everyone we met was generous with their praise of the book and the blog and we were made feel special every place we went! We were to have visited Wollongong to meet friends but that was not to be and the political shenanigans got our spot dropped from The Circle. Oh well.

On the beach at Byron Bay with Megan. 

Oh dear, I knew I should have written down everyone's name. I think this was at Albury. Sorry ladies, please remind me in the comments so I can add it here. Update: The pregnant lady at my side is Alison - it's baby number 3.

This is my Penguin publicist Dianne Biviano with me in the ABC studios in Melbourne. She did a wonderful job promoting the book and put together that incredible itinerary I posted.

Uh oh! This is what we found in Ballarat!

Also in Ballarat were Lisa and her cute baby.

Linda from The Greenhaven Good Life and Christine from Slow Living Essentials - in Castlemaine.

Lisa and Janine with Hanno in Bathurst. Lisa was the first radio journalist to interview me many years ago. 

In the ABC studio with Richard Stubbs. I really liked doing this interview. He was such an interesting man.


Hanno and I in the ABC Melbourne studios.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was to meet, for the first time, my editor, Jo Rosenberg. Over the course of me writing the book, and the editing of it, Jo and I developed a very special friendship. She is a little younger than my own children and she feels like a daughter to me now. Jo and her gorgeous husband Eli took us out to dinner at a wonderful  Caffe Cucina in Chapel Street. Wow, the food and atmosphere there was superb and while the rain fell outside and we talked and laughed over dinner, and when we walked in the rain back to our hotel a short distance away, I felt that this night was one I would remember forever.

Here is is four of us at Caffe Cucina - Jo, Eli, Hanno and I.

The next morning at the Penguin office, Jo and I in her office.

We went to the Penguin headquarters the next day to meet some other Penguins, namely Allison Colploys who designed the cover of Down to Earth. Oh my, what a charming girl she is! A delightful mix of shyness and youthful exuberance and just bursting with talent. Allison won the young designer of the year award in 2009. Hello Allison!  Meeting you was one of our highlights. :- ) I really was supported by a large group of talented women in the making of this book. On the way into the Penguin building I heard someone say: "there is Rhonda ... and Hanno!" It was Kate from Fox's Lane blog. We had never met before but I have commented on her excellent blog and she on mine so, naturally, in the way of the blogging world, we "know" each other. What a great surprise! This book certainly has lead me towards many incredible people; a wonderful side benefit.

I loved that people saw Hanno and I as a team, because we are that, and a couple of people asked him to sign their books too. He was recognised on the street and when he couldn't find the bookshop after parking the car, he asked Janine and Roger for directions, and they just happened to be on their way to meet us. I loved the friendships that have developed invisibly and easily over the years and that when I spoke about my family: "We stayed with Tricia.", "Kerry is staying at our place." etc, everyone knew who I was talking about and no explanations where needed. Lots of people asked about the babies and I will be sure to tell Jamie and Alexander that when they were little, people loved knowing how they were and what they were doing. But most of all I loved that I knew deep down to my bones that the trip was a success and we would have been poorer for not having done it. It was exhausting, hard work, scary, and a bit intimidating meeting all those people but we had such a wonderful time that I know we will not forget it - ever.

When we got home on Saturday night, as I lay in my own bed, the thing that made the most impact on me was the silence and the darkness surrounding us. Almost everywhere we stayed in those two weeks had unfamiliar noises and lights that illuminated the night. But back here at home I found comfort in the dark silence and I slept soundly in my own bed. Simple pleasures, yes, but genuine and satisfying nonetheless. It's good to be back with you.

We're safely back home!  Blogging resumes as normal tomorrow.  Thanks for your patience. :- )

Unfortunately I didn't win the Bloggie this year for best Australian blog but I do congratulate the winner - Joanne Nova.   Well done Joanne. :-  )
Sorry I've been so slow in getting this information to you but it's been very busy here. Today we'll be here:

1:30pm Dymocks Melbourne, Lower Ground, 234 Collins Street, Melbourne

3:30pm Readings Carlton 309 Lygon Street, Carlton

WEDNESDAY

11:00am  Book City Ballarat, 222 Sturt Street, Ballarat

1:00pm Stoneman’s Book Castlemaine, 101 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine

2:30pm Collins Bendigo, Shop 9 - 10 Fountain Court, Bendigo

THURSDAY

9:00am  Dymocks Albury, Shop 3, 557 Dean St, Albury 

4:00pm Paperchain, 34 Franklin Street, Manuka Canberra

FRIDAY

12 noon: Books Plus, 157 Howick St, Bathurst

WEDNESDAY - 14 March


6:00pm  ROSETTA BOOKS, 30 Maple Street, Maleny  

  
Please come along if you can, we'd love to meet you.

We're not able to come to Wollongong, I'm sorry. After Canberra we go west again.

Everything is going well. Last night we had dinner with my adorable editor and friend, Jo, and her husband Eli. I hope to have the time to do an update post tonight. 
I'll be at Dymocks, Readings and The Avenue in Melbourne next Tuesday afternoon. I'll have more details about times on Monday.

On Friday 2 March at 12 noon, we'll be at Bathurst, Books Plus at 157 Howick St.. I hope our western friends can come in to meet us.
Hello everyone! We're still in the Blue Mountains and yesterday Hanno, Tricia and I drove out to the little heritage town of Millthorpe. It is a beautiful town, untouched by modern development with many old homes and shops. We had lunch there and came back via Bathurst. A lovely drive.

Today I'll be on 2GB Sydney radio with Chris Smith, talking about the book. After that, we'll drive over to Glebe to sign books at Gleebooks on Glebe Point Road. We'll be there from 3pm so if you're in the neighbourhood stop by and say hello. We'd love to meet you.

Kerry and Sunny are at our place at the moment. Sunny's mum and sister and her children are visiting from Korea so they're there too.  Yesterday they went to the mall at Maroochydore and saw my book on sale at Collins book shop. Kerry took a photo of it! I loved that he did that. My whole family is proud of this book and while I have been thinking of it as my book, I now know it's our family book.

I've had a lot of people ask where we'll be so here is the itinerary, including the radio, TV, magazines and newspapers:

PRINT COVERAGE

AUSTRALIAN HOME BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Extract to appear in May issue

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER NSW
THE SUNDAY HERALD SUN NEWSPAPER VIC
THE SUNDAY MAIL NEWSPAPER QLD
THE SUNDAY MAIL NEWSPAPER SA
THE SUNDAY TIMES NEWSPAPER WA
body+soul

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY STYLE MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Review to appear in April issue

HOBART MERCURY NEWSPAPER TAS
Interview to appear February 28

INSIDE OUT MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Review to appear in the March issue

COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Review to appear in the April issue

GARDENING AUSTRALIA MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Review to appear in the April issue

MADISON MAGAZINE NATIONALLY
Review to appear in May issue

SHOP TILL YOU DROP MAGAZINE NATIONALLYl
Review to appear in the April issue

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
Review to appear in March

FERNWOOD MAGAZINE
Review to appear in April issue

AAP NEWSWIRE
Story to appear 22 February

THE AGE NEWSPAPER VIC
Epicure
Review to appear in February

CANBERRA TIMES NEWSPAPER
Review to appear in March

ORGANIC GARDNER MAGAZINE
Review to appear in May issue

ONLINE

Booktopia
10 Terrifying Questions

Hoopla
Wendy Harmer

Rachel Smith
RealityCheck

PUBLICITY

CHANNEL SEVEN NATIONALLY
Today Tonight
At: Rhonda’s House, Sunshine Coast, Hinterland
To air ?

TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY
BLUE MOUNTAINS

12:30pm Vic COMMERCIAL RADIO 89.9 LIGHT FM MELBOURNE
(11:30am Qld) Afternoons
Interviewer: Clayton Bjelan
PRE-RECORD

WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY
BLUE MOUNTAINS

11:00am AAP NEWSWIRE
Interviewer: Jennifer Ennion

FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY
2GB Chris Smith
2.10pm

3PM
Gleebooks signing
Glebe Point Road, Glebe

MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY
MELBOURNE

2:00pm Vic ABC RADIO GOLD & SUNSHINE COAST FM
(1:00pm QLD) Mornings
PRE-RECORD

3:30pm Vic 891 ABC RADIO ADELAIDE
(3:00pm SA) Afternoons
Interviewer: Sonya Feldhoff
LIVE

TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY
MELBOURNE

9:00am CHANNEL TEN NATIONALLY
Interviewers: Gorgi Coghlan & Yumi Stynes
LIVE

10:00am Arrive for
10:05am 666 ABC RADIO CANBERRA
Mornings Interviewer: Alex Sloan LIVE

11:00am 774 ABC RADIO MELBOURNE
tbc The Conversation Hour Interviewer: Jon Faine
LIVE

5:00pm Vic 720 ABC RADIO PERTH
(2:00pm WST) Afternoons
Interviewer: Gillian O’Shaunessy
LIVE

4:45pm Vic COMMERCIAL RADIO 5AA BRISBANE
(3:45pm SA) Drive
Time tbc Interviewer: Amanda Blair
LIVE

10:00pm Vic 612 ABC RADIO BRISBANE
(9:00pm QLD) Evenings
Interviewer: Peter Gooch

PRE-RECORD

WEDNESDAY 29 FEBRUARY
MELBOURNE / BALLARAT

11:00am BOOKSTORE VISIT & STOCK SIGNING
Book City Ballarat

1:00pm BOOKSTORE VISIT & STOCK SIGNING
Stoneman’s Book Castlemaine

2:30pm BOOKSTORE VISIT & STOCK SIGNING
Collins Bendigo

THURSDAY 1 MARCH
ALBURY WODONGA - CANBERRA

9:00am Store visit Albury-Wodonga
Bookseller to be confirmed

12 noon Leave for Canberra

4:00pm Arrive in Canberra
4:30pm Store visit Canberra
Paperchain Canberra

FRIDAY 2 MARCH
WOLLONGONG

Wollongong: ?

Blue Mountains:

Springwood: Turning Page

Blackheath: Gleebooks

Bathurst: ?

WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH
SUNSHINE COAST

6:00pm BOOK EVENT: ROSETTA BOOKS - the Queensland launch
At: 30 Maple Street, Maleny

I hope to see you somewhere along the way. It would be great to put some faces to names.
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I'm Rhonda Hetzel and I've been writing my Down to Earth blog since 2007. Although I write the occasional philosophical post, my main topics include home cooking, happiness and gardening as well as budgeting, baking, ageing, generosity, mending and handmade crafts. I hope you enjoy your time here.

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Popular posts last year

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Trending Articles

NOT the last post

This will be my last post here.  I've been writing my blog for 18 years and now is the time to step back. I’ve stopped writing the blog and come back a couple of times because so many people wanted it, but that won’t happen again, I won’t be back.  I’ll continue on instagram to remain connected but I don’t know how frequent that will be. I know some of you will be interested to know the blog's statistics. 
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Every morning when I walk into my kitchen it looks tidy and ready for a day's work. Not so on this morning (above), I saw this when I walked in. Late the previous afternoon when I was looking for something, I came across my rolled up Zwilling vacuum bags and decided they had to be washed and dried. So I did that and although I usually put them outside on the verandah to dry it was dark by then. I turned the just-washed bags inside out and left them like this on a towel. It worked well and now the bags are ready to use when I bring home root vegetables, cabbages or whatever I buy that I want to last four or five weeks.
Image

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When I was doing the workshops and solo sessions, I had a couple of people whose main focus was on creating the fastest way to set up a simple life. You can't create a simple life fast, it's the opposite of that It's not one single thing either - it's a number of smaller, simpler activities that combine to create a life that reflects your values; and that takes a long to come together. When I first started living simply I took an entire year to work out our food - buying it, storing it, cooking it, preserving, baking, freezing, and growing it in the backyard. This is change that will transform how you live and it can't be rushed.  
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Creating a home you'll love forever

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Time changes everything

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It's the old ways I love the most

I'm a practical woman who lives in a 1980’s brick slab house. There are verandahs front and back so I have places to sit outside when it's hot or cold. Those verandahs tend to make the house darker than it would be but they're been a great investment over time because they made the house more liveable. My home is not a romantic cottage, nor a minimalist modern home, it's a 1980’s brick slab house. And yet when people visit me here they tell me how warm and cosy my home is and that they feel comforted by being here. I've thought about that over the years and I'm convinced now that the style of a home isn't what appeals to people. What they love is the feeling within that home and whether it's nurturing the people who live there.
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Back where we belong

Surprise! I'm back ... for good this time. Instagram became an impossible place for me. They kept sending me messages asking if I'd make my page available for advertisers! Of course, I said no but that didn't stop them. It's such a change from what Instagram started as. But enough of that, the important part of this post is to explain why I returned here instead of taking my writing offline for good. For a few years Grandma Donna and I have talked online face-to-face and it's been such a pleasure for me to get to know her. We have a lot in common. We both feel a responsibility to share what we know with others. With the cost of living crisis, learning how to cook from scratch, appreciate the work we do in our homes, shop to a budget and pay off debt will help people grow stronger. The best place to do that is our blogs because we have no advertising police harassing us, the space is unlimited, we can put up tons of photos when we want to and, well, it just feels li...
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Making ginger beer from scratch

We had a nice supply of ginger beer going over Christmas. It's a delicious soft drink for young and old, although there is an alcoholic version that can be made with a slight variation on the recipe. Ginger beer is a naturally fermented drink that is easy to make - with ginger beer you make a starter called a ginger beer plant and after it has fermented, you add that to sweet water and lemon juice. Like sourdough, it must ferment to give it that sharp fizz. To make a ginger beer plant you'll need ginger - either the powdered dry variety or fresh ginger, sugar, rainwater or tap water that has stood for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate off. You'll also need clean plastic bottles that have been scrubbed with soap, hot water and a bottle brush and then rinsed with hot water. I never sterilise my bottles and I haven't had any problems. If you intend to keep the ginger beer for a long time, I'd suggest you sterilise your bottles. MAKING THE STARTER In a...
Image