Hello! I'm back with a relaxed frame of mind and feeling refreshed and ready for the next few months. You all know that I love writing my blog so it took a lot of self control to not be here. The computer is capable of stealing my time, and my time is my life, so I need to step back from it occasionally and connect only with the outernet. The outernet for me is my family, home, backyard and a community full of people. Those four elements are reflected heavily in my blog and without them there would be nothing for me to write about.

For the next six weeks or so I'll be posting when I can. I'm withdrawing from the Neighbourhood Centre and that requires a fair bit of my time because I'll be training the new manager and stepping down from the committee. I'm also doing the last of my book publicity engagements and then I'll be back, heart and soul, to my simple life. I have to tell you I've enjoyed this past year. We did things I never expected to do, we met some fine people, we travelled around. It gave me a brief look at a faster and busier pace of life and I'm grateful to have had it. But I'm also happy to be returning to quietness, solitude and a slower pace. Getting up in the morning, knowing that all I have to do is tend my home, is how I want my days to be. I'll be pleased to give up living according to my diary and calendar. I gave away all my watches when I left work, now I can retire the diary as well.  I want my days to be directed by sunlight and the seasons, not by a timepiece, computer alarms and reminders. Ahh, the serenity. ;- )  Sorry, only the Australians will know what that means.

We're having a great weekend so far.  Sarndra and Alex stayed here on Friday night and Kerry, Sunny and Jamie will be here shortly. We love having the family visit. We get to spend time with those we love the most without the hassle of driving through traffic, which is annoying and tiring for us. Watching Alex and Jamie discover so many things in our back yard is such a joy. They both love watching the chickens and the blue parrot we're looking after for friends. I have no doubt there are many things to discover out in the world for them right now but here they see "old Australia". We can all sit in the sunshine, enjoy afternoon tea and look forward to a roast pork dinner. Nothing much changes here now and while some would not see that as a plus, here bread is eaten hot from the oven, I still serve food like steamed puddings with homemade jam on top and instead of looking for the new, we take pleasure in the old and familiar. This, by far, is my favourite life season and I love sharing it with my grandsons.

And here are some links to check out.

• Becci's Domestic Bliss
• Little Home in the Country
• Tillie and Coco

Hanno and I are going over to Bell for another workshop on Saturday, 18 August. We're looking forward to seeing Karen and the women at Pips 'n' Cherries again; we had such a great day with them last time. This workshop we'll be showing how to make five minute bread, yoghurt scones, buttermilk scones and cold processed soap. 

The workshop will run from 9.30am till about 3pm so there'll be plenty of time for questions and talking. If I remember correctly, last time there were a lot of both.  It was a typical country get-together with lots of good will, plenty of tea, good food and sharing, not just by me, but by everyone. I have no doubt this will be the same. The cost is $50, which includes a delicious home-cooked morning tea and lunch. For catering purposes, bookings are essential on 4663 1184.

We hope to see you there.

I've found that I benefit from taking short breaks from the blog so that is what I'm doing now. I have a some things I need to do, I want to write a few pages for myself, and Hanno is hobbling around with gout so I'll be looking after him and doing some of his chores. I'm also going to take the opportunity to change the blog template again. The distorted photos on the home page are annoying me. Take care of yourself. I'll be back soon.

Here is a little reading material that I had ready for Friday's weekend reading.

Last year we welcomed two babies into our family – Jamie is now 16 months old and Alex is 12 months. Hanno and I have already looked after both our little boys to help their parents have some free time together and I have no doubt there will be many more opportunities to look after them in the future.


A lot has changed since I had my own little boys to look after. Ideas about diets have changed a lot and I’m wondering how this reflects on how babies and toddlers are fed now. Jamie and Alex were breastfed exclusively for six months, then they had breast milk and solids. I think they’re still having a nightly feed before bedtime, although Sunny told me she wants to wean Jamie soon. Both boys have good appetites and eat a variety of foods.

Back in the old days, babies and toddlers were commonly given salted and sweet food. I didn’t know anyone who was gluten or dairy intolerant, or who had an allergy to nuts. I knew of one baby who was allergic to eggs and my son Kerry didn't like eggs. He still doesn't. I think good free range eggs are excellent food for toddlers. When did you introduce eggs?  What egg recipes do your children like?

When I fed my children, I wanted them to eat what we ate. I have always cooked from scratch so it was no problem to first puree things like mixed vegetables and fruits and later on, process meals like roast chicken and vegetables, vegetable soup or lamb and rice in the blender so they were a good consistency for my babies. It wasn’t long before we had a good system going and we were all eating the same food, although in different consistencies. When my children were weaned they drank water, cow’s milk, Milo and a variety of fresh and processed fruit juices.

If you have a baby or small children now, what do you feed them, and when? If you have time, would you set out a day’s menu for me, including drinks and snacks. I have a feeling things haven’t changed much, except for the food allergies, but who know, I might be completely off here. It has happened before. ;- )

Last Friday I spend the morning with a group of the most wonderful women. I was invited to be the guest speaker at my local Country Women's Association (CWA) annual general meeting which was held at the new Botanical Gardens in Maleny. It's very rare for me to feel like I'm one of the youngest in the group, but in my mid-60s, I think I may have been. There we sat, about thirty of us - members and visitors, in a rotunda, set into the side of a mountain looking out over the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains.  Morning tea was served - scones with jam and cream and tea or coffee. Perfect. After all, this is the CWA.

The Maleny branch of the CWA started in 1928, just a few years after the first Queensland and New South Wales branches opened in 1922. On 11 August, the Queensland CWA celebrate their 90th anniversary.

The CWA is a big part of my Australia and I'm sure it means a lot to many other Australian women who read here. Whether it's tea and scones at an agricultural show, being the recipient of drought relief, which the NSW CWA administers, support for baby health clinics or rural fire brigade, if you live in rural Australia, the CWA has influenced your life in some way. How many of us have driven through country towns to see those cute cottages proudly wearing the CWA badge? Those little houses may be called Rest Rooms, the CWA House, or the CWA building but whatever it is called you know that the good works of many women have happened inside for many a long year.

Over the years, during the wars Australian soldiers have fought in, CWA ladies from all over the nation worked to provide care parcels for the troops. That work still carries on today and the ladies in my branch at Maleny sent a much appreciated Christmas care package to an Australian solider serving in East Timor. They are also supplying birth kits for women in East Timor. During the Vietnam War the American government asked the CWA to help provide hospitality to American troops on R&R leave in Australia. As a result, over a four year period, over 280,000 American troops spent time with Australian families. And they do all this work with no fanfare, just quietly working away on cake stalls, selling raffle tickets, providing friendship, and being ready to step in when needed.

Nowadays, older people are often seen as being out of touch. Well, maybe some are but from what I could see of my local CWA ladies and those who visited from other branches, these are people of family and community. They help carry on the old Australian values of equal opportunity for all, resilience, friendship, compassion, and the rock solid propensity to stand up for family and neighbours in good times and in bad. 

I think CWA numbers are falling. My local branch has only 10 members, soon to be 11. I am joining my Maleny branch as a supporter member. I don't have the time to join as a branch member, if I could, I would, but maybe that is for a time in the future. But I do want to help maintain this strong and significant part of Australia and I can do that by becoming a member. You can too. If you live in the city or the bush and you'd like to support the CWA, go to their website and see what you can do.  This is from the CWA page: The CWA owns a range of properties built and maintained by members. In recent years there has been some controversy concerning the sale of the organisation's bush community halls. Some individual branches did not have enough members to continue paying for their upkeep, including council rates, insurance, electricity, water and maintenance. Nine halls were sold in New South Wales between 2003 and 2005 ... 

While I was reading through the QCWA website, I found the link to this story about what Germaine Greer thinks of the CWA. Read it, it's really interesting.

The way I see it is that the CWA has stood by us, working for the women and families of Australia for the past 90 years. Now it's our turn to help support them by increasing membership if we can, and by working with them, showing that we share those Australian values we all talk about. What's that saying about putting your money where you mouth is?

All foods that are grown have a particular season when they're naturally at their best. The seasons in the southern hemisphere are the opposite to those in the northern. The closer you live to the equator, the less the seasons play a role in what can be grown. Food grown in season will be fresher and cheaper, and it will probably have been grown in more natural conditions - not in a glasshouse or hydroponically. The problem we have today is that unless you grow your own, you don't know what is in season. We've forgotten our seasons, and in general, all thoughts of how the seasons work to produce food has been lost to many of us.

This is one of the areas we need to reskill ourselves. Homemakers in the past would have commonly known this information, we should all learn it as part of our move towards being more self-reliant and aware.

Seasonal food chart UK  and here

Seasonal food guides Australia

Seasonal food chart USA - fruit and vegetables

I think the question most often asked while Hanno and I were on our book tour was "Is this only for retired people? Surely you couldn't do what you do if you worked for a living." I'm sure all of you living a more simple life will know that organisation is a big part of making it work. With menu planning, stockpiling, routines, lists and working with the seasons, you can do most of what you want to do, even if you're working outside the home as well.

Part of my yearly organisation is to make jam. We have jam on toast and scones andI use it in cooking sometimes. If I want good quality jam, made with no artificial additives, I have to make it myself. I know I can make enough jam for almost a year in half a day but because we like two jams - peach and strawberry, and both those fruits are available in abundance and cheaply in different seasons, I have to organise myself to make two separate batches, usually six months apart. Those two half day jam sessions give us good quality jam for the entire year, with enough to give as gifts as well.

In Australia and New Zealand too probably, it's now strawberry season. It's time to make jam! Strawberry jam is one of the easiest jams to make and the taste is much more intense than any commercial jam you will buy.  There is a recipe here. I would add pectin to it. Here is an American recipe for strawberry jam.

You need to understand the role of pectin in jam making too. There is a good explanation here. Pectin is the natural fibre that helps jams set and become spreadable but not too runny. Often jams made without added pectin will be too runny to stay on your toast. You can buy pectin to add to jam, and there is no reason why you shouldn't use it. Fowlers Vacola have a pectin pouch you can buy at the supermarket in Australia. I have no doubt powdered pectin available in other countries too. Jam sugar is available too, this is sugar with pectin added to it. I prefer not to use jam sugar because I like to regulate the amount of pectin I use. I like jam that isn't solid but isn't runny either. When you buy pectin, check that it doesn't contain dextrose or any other additive you don't want.

A guide to pectin in fruit.

In Australia we use the English method of jam making and preserving. Those of you in the USA and probably Canada too, use a different method. Please be guided by what you think it the correct way. 

Here, we use recycled jars and most of us don't process our jams in a water bath. We believe that hot jam going into sterilised jars that are sealed immediately and properly, is enough to keep the jam well in the cupboard. It has been done this way for hundreds of years. Jam has a high sugar content - sugar is a preservative. If you follow the guidelines and sterilise your jars and lids properly,  that delicious jam you make can be stored in the cupboard for months.

If you've never made jam before, try it. Start with a simple jam like strawberry, and I'm sure you'll be convinced by the taste alone, that it's something you should do in strawberry season every year.

Congratulations to my good friends Jo and Eli who welcomed their first child into the world yesterday! Sophia Rose was born at 4.30pm. Jo is my Penguin editor and during the process of writing and editing the book, and after, when we finally met, we all became firm friends. The photo above was taken on the day we met in Melbourne, earlier this year. Jo and Eli will be wonderful parents and I look forward to meeting Sophia. I'd best get a wriggle on with the cardigan I'm writing about below.


The day didn't turn out quite as I expected yesterday. Hanno was supposed to have his eyes checked but before he went he  visited his son, Jens, and discovered Cathy's car had broken down on the road to Hervey Bay while she was going to visit her parents. Hanno phoned the specialist, reorganised his eye check, and helped Jens retrieve Cathy and the car. He was away all day. 

My rest day took on a life of its own.

I replied to a few emails, and please forgive me if you've written and I haven't written back. I do try my best and am working through the list. After that, I tidied my desk, shredded a some papers and made a few notes. Cup of tea time again, I sat outside in the sun with Hettie on the garden bench, felt the coldness of winter, made a few mental notes about plants and seeds, picked a Chinese cabbage and some herbs and went back indoors. I love being home alone, there are no expectations.

I picked up my knitting, hoping to get two sleeves on a baby cardigan finished, but I went to sleep in my chair and woke about an hour later with the phone ringing. That got me moving again so I cleaned up the kitchen table, wiped it down, and put on a clean table cloth. Washed up, then outside into the front garden to check out what's happening there. I picked a bunch of fragrant, pink Salvia and some gerberas and came in again. After lunch I sat down to watch about half of Downton Abby that I recorded, and knitted as I watched (poor Mr Bates!), then read more of Kate Herd's wonderful book Kitchen Gardens of Australia - specifically the part about Gay Bilson's garden in the Adelaide Hills. I wrote about Gay here In Praise of the Domestic.

Hanno made pea and ham soup on Monday night so it was wonderful knowing it was in the fridge and nothing had to be prepared for dinner. Rain on the roof, candles lit on the table, soup bubbling away on the stove with its aroma reminding me how much Hanno and I share. I wandered in and out, made more tea and sat in the sun when it came out again. The cardigan sleeves aren't quite finished but I feel I've made progress and had exactly the day I needed to have. The quietness here suits me.

What is your ideal rest day?

I have, on purpose, not written much about growing older in the past. I thought that maybe others aren't as interested in the process of ageing but I've been thinking a lot about it lately and if ordinary people don't write about how it feels to grow older then how will other ordinary younger people know that it is something to cherish and to look forward to? Seeing our 1976 photo on the blog yesterday jolted me into some sort of common sense. That was who we were then, we are different now. Both are good.

I am in my mid-60s and even though I've slowed down a lot I really only know my age when I see myself in the mirror, or when I look at Hanno. I am proud of my age, I'll tell anyone who asks, and I've never really understood the reluctance of some to tell their age. This is part of me. I own everything I am - including my age. I am not just a number.

I clearly remember teasing my mother and father about being old and forgetting things. I am at that stage now and if I don't write down what I need to know, I often forget it. I used to have an excellent memory so this forgetting thing is one of my ageing regrets. I also get tired quickly now. I still have the energy to do what I want to do, but now I have to put aside time to recover too. I've just had a busy two week period where I worked every day doing various things. Today will be my rest day. I'll do a quick clean up and then I'll sit down with my knitting for most of the day. Hanno will be out having his eyes checked so it will be a quiet day here and I'll take advantage of that.

My health has always been good and remains so. My blood pressure and cholesterol are good, I don't take any medication and most days I feel fine. I think that for me, sleep helps to keep me healthy. Whenever I don't sleep well, I get a cold or a cold sore, or I can't concentrate enough to do my work. As long as I get  enough sleep, I'm ready for anything.

But there are so many other things that I have to be thankful for now that have come with the increasing years. I feel I'm finally understanding how I fit into the pattern of my life and all the lives I'm connected to. I feel more confident now to do whatever I want to do and if it doesn't suit everyone, that doesn't bother me. I feel much more generous now than I ever did before and I'm much more inclined to give rather than take. 

There is no expectation of perfection, in fact I cherish the imperfections - they seem more human to me. I am more forgiving - I can see the reasons why some things happen; but I'm also more unforgiving. I'm not prepared to accept underachievement, meanness or intolerance and will challenge it when I see it. I see beauty more clearly than ever before, and more often. Silly things make me laugh now and tenderness makes me smile. 

I've finally reached the point when I feel okay about doing whatever I feel like doing. There is this new freedom to be discovered in older life. People's expectations of you drop considerably. We're not expected to keep up with everyone else so we live at a slower pace and I can tell you that life in the slow lane suits me just fine.

But the thing that I love most of all is that freedom to use my hours exactly how I want to. I've put the days of frantic work behind me, my needs are meagre now, my ambitions have changed and no longer have dollar signs attached to them. My ambitions now are to live well, to be part of a fine family, to lead my family by actions rather than words, to do no harm and to enjoy every day.

I have friends who really hate being older but I've accepted it and I think I enjoy life more now. Let's face it, it's much better than the alternative. If you are lucky enough to age, you're a survivor because the only alternative to ageing is death. And even that makes sense to me now.

What a weekend we had here! We went to Farm Fantastic on Saturday. It's a huge farming expo, the largest outdoor expo in Australia. We were in the Food for Thought tent where I talked about simple life, did demonstrations on how to make laundry detergent and five minute bread and we made two 'from scratch' meals from leftover lamb. Hanno set himself up at the front of the tent, sold books, chatted to the passers-by and kept himself warm with hot coffee. It wasn't a big crowd but those who came along looked interested. A few knew me, most didn't, still, there seemed to be a genuine interest in our life way of living and the demonstrations.

Annette Long organised the tent and what a great job she did. Annette has a radio program, every Tuesday morning at 10am, on 101.5FM community radio in the Moreton Bay region. If you're a local, tune in. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 Here is the little farm yard on top of the cake.

 Of course, Opa was there to help Alex with the fruit, and to eat some crackers.

 Aunty Cathy and Uncle Jens.

 Shane with Alex, making sure he had enough to eat.

 One of the fruit platters provided.

 My son Kerry with his son Jamie.

 Sunny and Jamie. When Kerry was a very little boy, he used to walk around with a little Donald Duck figure in his hand. I've noticed Jamie often has something in his hand that he likes to walk around with too.

Days like this one are such an important part of family life. They give us an opportunity to celebrate important family milestones, they help us show we love each other enough to put that day aside for the family, they give us wonderful days that will help balance out the bad days and they help us form memories that we look back on later. Strong families don't just happen, they need work, time, the expression of love and a commitment to being part of a tight unit. Days like this, and the memories of it, are the glue that help us stick together.

I am pleased that learning is a lifelong process. It brings interest to our lives, it enables us to improve and change what we do and how we live. A system that offers to sell you everything you could possible need doesn't exactly support the idea of learning, nevertheless, if you step back from a purely materialistic approach to living, learning is what you'll be doing. None of us is born knowing everything we need to know. Being prepared to skill ourselves to do what we need to do in our chosen way of life is an attitude that is developed as we mature.

It's better than it used to be, but even ten years ago, it was much more difficult to find creditable information about many of the "from scratch" tasks we all commonly carry out in our daily lives. It was accepted then that housework was done by women who "stayed at home" using appliances that made it all just as easy as could be. Then and now, there were chemicals to spray and wipe, poisons to rid homes of insects and mice, super phosphates to fertilise vegetables and many many shops where you could buy anything from a bottle of water to anything your heart desired. (I wonder what our great grandparents would say to us about buying water to drink.) Times have changed; there is an alternative now. Now there is a more realistic understanding that we all do some form of house work, that home is our haven, that it's a much safer and sustainable option to reduce the number of chemical products we use in the home, we understand the concepts of seasonal and local produce, developing community, solar and wind power, self reliance, recycling and the wise economy of restraint. We are still tough on women who "stay at home" but I'm hopeful that too will change. Soon.

All of these concepts require something of us. They require that we think about what we hope to do in our lives and then learn what we need to deliver those hopes and dreams. If anyone should ask me what is the major difference in my life now compared to before, I'd have to say mindful learning. First there is learning how to do all the small step tasks that we now take for granted, then we learn how they all fit together. Hopefully the fitting together closes some systems so they sustain themselves, require no new inputs, yet still deliver year after year. When we have all that in play, we improve what we do and how we do it - we become experts in our own homes. And that requires more learning so we keep improving. If you're lucky, you'll never lose the will to learn and it will be a lifelong activity.

Remember though that learning is not done in isolation. Often when you learn, you teach at the same time. Being a role model for your children, encouraging them to spend time with you while you cook, sew, knit, mend, plant, harvest,  construct, clean, create and nurture will show them how to do it too. It may not give them the ins and outs of each tasks, but it will give them the attitude to learn. And that, my friends, is one of the greatest gifts.

Thank you for your good wishes yesterday. I'm fine today, I just needed a relaxed day to recharge. I am learning a lot about myself lately and I do know when I need to step back and sit down. Since the book was published, I have become very busy and in the past month, have gone back as manager of the neighbourhood centre. It's really a full time job that I try to do in about three days. I've also been doing a fair bit of writing, a lot of speaking engagements and have tried to keep on top of my house work while staying in touch with the family and enjoying my new role as granny. I'm not complaining, in fact I think the work load keeps me on my toes. I have always been the kind of person who gets more done, the more I have to do. I like feeling the pressure of work, I like being pushed to my limits, I like going to bed at night knowing I've done my fair share. I like feeling that I'm really alive.

Our daily bread with the remains of the previous day's bread cut up in a bowl, soaked in leftover gravy, and ready to feed to the chooks.

But now that I'm getting a bit older, I also need more down time and for that reason, and so I can spend more time with Hanno and my family, I'm consciously cutting back on a few things. I'm letting go of the Women's Weekly column - last column will be in September, I've closed down the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog, I've closed down my Facebook and Twitter accounts and stopped doing a few other smaller things. I'm staying at the neighbourhood centre for the next couple of months to help recruit and train a manager but I'll leave as a volunteer worker and resign from the committee at their annual general meeting in October. That place has been such a big part of my life in the past six years. I think I am a better person than I used to be because of my involvement there and I will surely miss it. But it's time to move on.

A new season.

A few of the things I'm leaving behind have been very close to my heart but I'm much better off without the flimflammery of Facebook and Twitter. I think they're ugly spaces on the net and I've often felt a bit disappointed and disgusted when reading the stream that flies past. I created both the Facebook and Twitter accounts to link to my blog and announce new posts. I rarely wrote there, preferring instead to put the full measure of my words in my blog instead of cutting them back in FB and Twitter. Until I read Facebook, I thought that, generally, we were kinder people. I thought most people thought in a similar way to me. I honestly don't know how we got to this point. That drivel wastes so much time and a lot of it has an underlying tone of disrespect and self interest; I'm really pleased I won't see it again. I am not inspired by seeing out of context quotes superimposed onto the image of a kitten or the setting sun, and seeing animals suffering or in chains makes me so sad I can barely think. I am inspired and heartened by walking outside, breathing fresh air and working, or by talking to the people in my community. So that is what I'll continue to do.

So, what will be happening here? Of course my blog will continue. I love connecting with you and when I do have to take it slower because of the odd tired day, I miss you. I'm keeping the Down to Earth forum going because there is a wonderful community of people there now and it is a great partner to the blog. My business partner Ernie and I will start our workshops soon - I'll let you know when - and we're also starting up a blog to support the workshops and an online magazine about sustainable homes and communities. One of the good things about the four of us working together - Ernie and Jenni, Hanno and I - is that we'll all take it slow and easy. We aren't out to conquer the world. We want to enjoy what we do, we want to slow down and really see and experienced all that will unfold for us.

But I'm interested in knowing if you've had to do this kind of reassessment and change. If you have, what did you do and how successful was it?