down to earth

Today is a new beginning for me because yesterday I did the last of my public appearances. I made a committment to myself to promote the book for six month and to stop in September. So I had two wonderful days at the Real Food Festival in Maleny, met many people who came along to listen to me talk about simple life and bread-making and now it's over. I have to tell you that although I enjoyed it and felt privileged and honoured to travel around meeting so many interesting people, it is not in my nature to seek the spotlight and I'm pleased to get back to being my anonymous self. I'd make a terrible celebrity.

This is the pop-up Rosetta's book shop at the festival. I know this area well, it's the shed they judge the poultry in at the Maleny Show.

Maleny Co-op had a great stall showcasing all their organic produce.

And, close to my heart, the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre fundraising stall, selling gourmet sausages on local bread, with homemade lemon cordial and Anzacs. We got this stall as my payment for speaking at the festival. Our sewing circle convenor, Pam, made the bunting.

On a sadder note, these two last days were the only days Hanno has not been at my side when I've travelled out. He felt too sick on the weekend to go anywhere, so it all ended quietly with me telling myself as I drove down the mountain that tomorrow would be a new start with my focus firmly on the domestic, with the gate closed, here at home. Yay!

But I have to thank everyone I've met on my travels, particularly those I met on the weekend, for your kindness and generosity. As usual, I came home with homemade bits and pieces that people have made for us and it was good to see Hanno smile when I walked in with a 30 inch long pink, knitted, sausage dog - a draft stopper for the front door.

One of the ladies I met on Saturday was Diana, who picked me out of the crowd and we started talking. As many knitters know, the conversation slowly edged its way around to knitting and Diana asked me about my dish cloths. She's just started making them. I told her that I'm currently making a few looser knit cloths because they dry much quicker and I prefer them now to the tighter knits. I have made a smaller tight knit as a face cloth for a baby (above), but the loose knit larger cloth is for my cleaning and dishes. It's not as pretty as the smaller one, but it's very effective as a cleaner.

The cloth in the photo above is larger than normal and all in plain knit - I think they're really good for dusting and wiping down walls and benchtops. Usually I'd make up a loose weave cloth using about 30 stitches and knit about 30 - 35 rows. The larger one above is about 40 - 45 stitches, on size 9 needles using 8 ply pure cotton.

Today I'm taking Hanno back to see the surgeon. I hope he can stop taking the antibiotics because they're making him sick. Tomorrow we'll go back to the OT to have the splint refitted, then we'll settle back in here at home again. I've already started thinking about getting back into a routine and working on a few new projects. No doubt we'll have weekly OT visits and doctors visits for a while but I'm not committed to any writing work, no public engagements and apart from a few days to fill in at the neighbourhood centre in the coming month, I'll be a homebody. I've missed being in my home. I'm pleased to have that busy stage behind me now and that I can start living a quieter and gentler life again. I hope you'll come along for the ride. Who knows what we'll discover right here in our own homes.

There are few things more grounding and self-affirming than working quietly in your own home to provide comfort and healthy food for yourself and those you love. Yesterday was such a day for me. In between tending Hanno - making breakfast, lunch and tea, with coffee and tea throughout the day, and administering eye drops every two hours, I made a sling and fleece neck rest and thought about the beginnings of a quilt to use up the many scrap fabrics I have here. I hope to start on that soon and have started selecting scraps.

I had two big cans of crushed Australian tomatoes waiting for me in the kitchen so mid-morning I made a spicy tomato relish, enough to do us through spring and into summer. After the relish was jarred and cooling down on the bench, I rearranged Hanno's occupational therapy appointment. We've moved from the hospital to a private OT who specialises in hand injuries. Then a bit of typing to finish the minutes of the MNC last committee meeting and back into the kitchen to make lunch.

After lunch and a bit of knitting I made a date and walnut cake. It is one of those oven foods that smells just as good as it tastes so we enjoyed the smell of it for a couple of hours and a taste mid-afternoon. Then I took the washing off the line, put another load in to wash overnight and I was ready to make our tea. We've been eating leftovers this week. Monday night we had corned beef hash cakes with fresh coleslaw and last night it was the leftover roast pork we had when Kerry and Sunny were here. I just cut it all up finely, cooked a selection of fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden and make a little sauce in the pan. It was delicious.

It was a busy day and I ended it feeling really tired but there is nothing better than getting a good night's sleep because you worked hard during the day. I felt like I'd done well at my work and that I'm getting through the backlog of tasks that didn't get done during our crisis. Today, there is another load of washing in the machine now, I'll be cleaning the floors, making a couple of batches of soap, potting up tomato seeds I have fermenting on the kitchen window sill and juicing lemons for cordial. If I have time, I'll prune the mandarin tree and work on my presentations for the Real Food Festival. And yes, I will rest, but not quite yet.

For all those who live close-by or in Brisbane, if you're looking for something interesting to do this weekend, come to Maleny Show Ground for the Real Food Festival. I'll be doing two presentations and book signings there from 12.30pm on both days. If you do come up, please come over and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you. Hanno will come with me if he's feeling up to it, or I'll only be away from a couple of hours.

Click here to see the guest presenters.

The Real Food Festival is returning to Maleny in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland and this year it's going to be bigger, better and lots of family fun!

Last year over 4500 visitors flooded through the gates and, with the support of major sponsor IGA Sunshine Coast, the 2012 Real Food Festival has been extended to two days to give more people the opportunity to participate.

Highlights:

· Over 100 exhibitors – all from the Sunshine Coast – with displays covering a wide range of food and food-related interests, from primary producers to prepared food

· Cooking demonstrations in The Natural Foodstore Real Food Kitchen, featuring talented local chefs and special guest, Martin Boetz, from Longrain

· A special Market Chef cook-off between Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson and State Environment Minister Andrew Powell

· Eumundi Markets Kids Arena, which is dedicated to inspiring kids with pizza-making, Market Chef competition between high school teams, plant potting, talks, activities and entertainment

· Jeffers Market Nourishing Ideas venue, which will host experts sharing advice on eating for good health for the whole family

· Food for Thought talks on subjects such as local food systems and indigenous food heritage

· Live entertainment with seating on hay bales under the Big Red Tent

· Book signings with speakers and presenters

The Real Food Festival is about authenticity: all food on display has been grown or produced in the Sunshine Coast bioregion according to the interconnected Slow Food principles of good, clean and fair. You’ll be inspired by our passionate producers and chefs, and have a fun family day out.

Dear Everyone.

It seems like an age since I wrote my Temptation to Spend post last Tuesday. Little did I know what was about to unfold. Hanno's accident was shocking and frightening for us both but we got through it together and we feel like we have a new beginning. Before I go on, Hanno has asked me to pass on his sincere thanks to everyone who sent a message. He said he was humbled that so many took the time to let us know you were thinking of us and praying for us. I thank you too. It was pretty grim bringing Hanno back home after his stay in hospital to see where it all happened again. The memory of it came flooding back and it was quite upsetting. Having all those messages of love and hope to show him lifted our spirits and got us back on track again. So, thank you, friends, even though a mere thank you doesn't seem to cover the appreciation we both feel. To tell you the truth, we both feel loved.

The first run through the garden with Opa after sitting in the car for two hours.

Hanno said he thinks his accident happened because he knew the chain was a bit loose at the end of the work he was doing last Wednesday. He'd chopped what he needed to chop and the final thing he did was to cut a long thick vine that was hanging down. It got caught on the loose chain and that was that. He should have not continued, he should have stopped, tightened the chain and continued on another day. He is very lucky he's still alive to tell that tale. He also said he would never use the chain saw if I wasn't here, and if you use one, or someone in your family does, they should always have someone within calling distance in case they need help.

One thing really struck me when I got to the hospital and was waiting to go into the ER to see Hanno - I was definitely not prepared for an emergency. Oh yes, I had a stockpile and freezer full of food and a backyard capable of feeding us but there were so many things I didn't have. I had a mobile phone, but it was barely charged. I had to quickly phone the kids and I couldn't stay on the line to reassure them. That had to wait until I got home. I didn't have up-to-date phone numbers in the phone memory. I had Jens's old mobile number. The car had almost no petrol in the tank. I had to fill up driving home in the dark after I left Hanno at the hospital. It really taught me a lesson, but a lesson too late to help me through that crisis. I have promised myself to always be better prepared in the future.

Kerry did a few jobs while he was here so Hanno can relax. He watched from the sideline though.

So when the dust finally settled, Hanno had severed his radial artery and the tendons going to his thumb, there was ligament damage and the muscle was sliced right down to the bone from the base of the thumb right up to about a quarter of his arm. He also damaged his index finger and that is sutured along its length. And yet even with all that I can truthfully say he was so lucky. He was a fraction away from death, and he knows it. There are so many things he can't do now. He isn't allowed to use his arm and hand for 6 - 8 weeks but he's starting occupational therapy today, so at least he's on the road to recovery. I'll have to stay close by him for the next month or so. There is no way he can look after himself apart from making a cup of tea or pouring a glass of water. It's going to be a busy few weeks ahead for me but I'm a tough old bird and I'm sure we'll get through it.

Harvesting fresh vegetables with mummy.

Putting them in the delivery truck.

It's okay, Opa, I'll drive.

This crisis has really shown me the power of the family. The kids were on the phone constantly after the accident and Jens and Cathy came over on the weekend after he came home. Shane and Sarndra called repeatedly. Kerry and Sunny came up yesterday and stayed overnight and of course, Jamie was here with them. Watching him get out of the car when he arrived and take Hanno's finger to walk with him through the garden boosted Hanno's morale more than anything else could have. Hanno has some important work with those two grandsons and as Kerry said, we need him here for a long time.

In the next few days I'll be busy in the kitchen making yoghurt and tomato relish, pickling beetroot and making up a couple of batches of soap. I'll take you along with me if you care for a journey into the kitchen. Oh and BTW, Aldi has Australian crushed tomatoes in big tins - almost 3 kgs, for $2.95. I bought two cans to use for the relish but I want to go back and get a few more cans to have in the stockpile cupboard - I didn't have the strength for them today.

See you tomorrow. ♥

Travelling around as we have this past year, we're met hundreds of people and thoroughly enjoyed the experienced. Many of the conversations we've had have been filed away and some I'm still thinking about. Having contact with people we don't know has been such a stimulus for me because I'm hearing the thoughts of people of all ages who crave simple life and want to talk about it. Most of the questions are along the lines of starting the process of simple life, many are about the practicalities of recipes or producing vegetables, bread, soap and other household commodities. However, sometimes a statement or question surprises me and I keep thinking about it.

One recent statement surprised me but when I thought about it later, I wondered why it had. It fits perfectly into how we live now. Like it or not, we live in a materialistic culture and frugality is usually only spoken about by those living it. I had a conversation with a delightful woman who is well and truly on her way to an enriching and wholesome rural life, but she didn't start out that way. She told me: "We had never thought about saving before I read your book. We didn't think it was important."

It is. It is the key.

I have no doubt that this woman was taught the value of a saved dollar by her parents but the trouble is that even though many of us learn thrift when we're children, we unlearn it when we're in our teens and twenties. Then, although we think we're rebellious and pioneering our own trail, we're actually conforming to what our peers are doing - and mostly, that is spending.

Here is a quick list that would be a good starting point on your road to financial freedom:

Stop spending on non-essentials.
Use cash only - it feels like real spending as you have less and less cash in your purse.
Make your own cleaning products. It's cheaper, you'll get better products and it's much healthier. Make your own laundry liquid. It works! Many people have told me on my travels that they had thought about using it for a long time before they made their first batch but the results were great and they wished they hadn't waited so long. Make your own laundry liquid.
Stop buying food and buy ingredients instead. Cooking from scratch will save money and help you reduce the amount of artificial additives you eat.
Draw up a budget so you know how much you have to spend on living expenses such as food, rent/mortgage, transport, health, entertainment, grooming and clothing at the level expected in your job. Thrift and The Plan
Stop using disposables. Read about it here.
Shop at secondhand shops and garage sales.
Check if you can lower the cost of your phone, internet, insurance and any other recurring costs. Do a review of these now and repeat it every 12 months.
Make a conscious effort to cut down your usage of electricity and water.

I would be very interested in reading your ideas about saving too.

So yes, saving is important. It can help give you a life free from the anxiety that goes along with over-spending and the debt that results from it. Always remember that a saved dollar is better than an earned dollar. You won't pay tax on a saved dollar. Also, if you're tempted to buy something you know you don't need but really want, think of how many hours you'd have to work to earn the money to buy it. Are those new shoes worth four of your life hours?

The temptation to spend is always in the background ready to spring on you. I'm still temped to spend occasionally and I have to fight it. And even when you've paid off your debt and have a few spare dollars, instead of spending, think about cutting back on the amount of paid work you do. Gaining a good work-life balance, where you have more time to do what you love, will enrich your life more than any trip to the mall.

It's not often you have a crowd of people turn up to look over your garden but that is what happened here last Sunday. Permaculture Noosa came to look at our garden. They were such a lovely group of people from a very strong permaculture group that supports and encourages Permaculture and organic gardening in a domestic and community setting.

Here is the group at the tea table. President Judith is the woman with the grey scarf and Jacki, is next to her in the check jumper.

President Judith Anderson asked me if they could come for a look when I spoke at their meeting a few months back. It seemed like such a long away in the future when I said yes, and the day arrived sooner than I expected but it was a true delight. The group looked around the garden and the chook house and then we settled in on the verandah in the shade for morning tea and a chat.

Morning tea time.

I had baked scones and two of the ladies brought cakes - a carrot cake and an orange cake. The scones were eaten with homemade strawberry jam and Maleny cream which, by the look of it, every one enjoyed. Afterwards I spoke about our simple lives and as I had already made a loaf of bread, I used that as my prop and talked about five minute bread.

Organisations such as Permaculture Noosa support experienced gardeners but they're also a great way to get into backyard vegetable production. One of my favourite bloggers, Karen at Gooseberry Jam told me her cousin Jacki would be one of the visitors and sure enough, Jacki and husband Andrew came along with their two children. She told me she joined the group so she can learn as much as possible about gardening while they're still in their suburban home, and, of course, that is just the way to do it. She's picked a great group of mentors. There must be something in the water at those Gooseberry Jam homes because Jacki is just as delightful as her cousin and we hit it off straight away. All in all it was a good day, although Hanno was suffering from vertigo and had to sit on the verandah watching the action.

I think I inherited the love of gardening from my mother because she was a keen gardener but I learned mainly by trial and error and from reading books to correct my mistakes. But having said that I've had a vegie garden for over 30 years and I'm still learning. I doubt you ever stop.

When did you start gardening? Do you have any groups in your community that support experienced and inexperienced gardeners?