I've been thinking a lot about the recent workshops I've presented along with Hanno and Tricia and if I had to come up with one word to describe my feelings about the workshops, it's motivating. After both the Lockyer Valley workshop and the Blackheath workshop, I came away motivated and sure that what we're doing here it right for us, right for our community and a small step in the right direction towards repairing some of the environmental damage we've done in the past. I doubt we'll ever make up for our share of the damage our indiscriminate shopping has done but I swear I'll never stop trying to. I also felt a recommitment to the way we live after both workshops because of the people I spoke with and knowing that we'll all working in a similar way towards shared goals.

The two workshops were very different. Lockyer Valley was organised by a strong community group, originally formed to help oppose a gas pipeline snaking through the small communities in their valley. I'm very pleased to report that the pipeline didn't go ahead. The Lockyer Valley is a beautiful area just west of Brisbane that has a strong tradition of fresh food production. But now many of the primary producers are going out of business or moving to other work when it's available. Often it isn't. The workshop brought those people together to share ideas that may be beneficial for all of them and encouraged talks about a way forward. The group applied to the local council for a grant to pay for the workshops.

We held a community forum at the end of the workshop to create a list of actions to take into the future. There is a possibility they'll form a small simple living group and share ideas and skills. Carol Stephens, who leads the group, told me that many farmers are frugal by necessity rather than choice and they're in that situation when the general cost of living is rising. It makes life difficult. Carol said the pressures of falling commodity prices despite the rising cost of food in the supermarkets, rising production costs and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns all contribute to make primary production dangerously unsustainable. Farmers and family farms have always been the backbone of Australia and now that network of farmers is fragile.

One thing we can all do to help our farmers is to insist on buying Australian fruit, vegetables and meat. If you can travel out into these small rural communities on a weekend, stay, buy fresh produce there and that money will stay in the community. It's a small gesture but our farmers need our support and it is worth doing. We should also be asking our local members of parliament to address the problem of unclear food labelling in Australia. I want to see food labels that clearly indicate what has been produced in Australia and what is Australian owned. What is so difficult about that? A label that tells me a product has been processed in Australia from imported ingredients doesn't tell me anything. The government must do something about labelling now that benefits our farmers and the consumer, not the multi-national corporations that are filling more and more of our food shelves.


The more recent Blackheath workshop was full of people who were committed to living simply and who wanted to meet like-minded people. I organised that one and participants paid a fee to attend. I talked about various aspects of simple living, how Hanno and I work to save water, electricity and money, how we pay our bills and try to cut down on what we can. All of us want to live well on less and this little hall was a good place to talk about how we all try to do that. There was a calm and friendly atmosphere at Blackheath - similar to friends at a picnic. When I sat with those knitters, there was no other place I would have preferred to be. We shared recipes, stories and our hopes and, I think, we all thoroughly enjoyed the contact with others who share a similar outlook on life. I know I certainly did.

So when I drove back home from those workshops - both of them a long way from home, I had a chance to think about that time I spent out in those communities. And I have to tell you I came home feeling really motivated and inspired to keep going, keep blogging about what we're doing and keep writing about what this simple life is all about. Because it's different for each of us, there is no must-use recipe, there is no right way. These workshops are important and I must try to do more of them. They show me, as well as everyone who comes along to them, just how diverse, empowering and enriching simple life can be. And when we're all working alone in our homes far away from anyone who understands what we're doing and why we're doing it, the fond memory of those connections we made with like-minded people will see us through.

I'm going to start writing a new book soon and so I'm hoping to fit a few workshops in before that. There has been interest in Lismore and Brisbane so they may be possibilities. I also think Orange, Wagga, Canberra or Mudgee, as well as Dalby and Warwick in south-west Queensland might also be possible. If you're interested in attending a workshop, and you think others in your region may be interested, please let me know.

Below is the program of talks I'll be giving at the Sunshine Coast Libraries soon. The talks are free but you have to book. You can do that here.

Title	Date	Time	End Time	Library	Registered	Max
Living simply living smart	9/07/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Coolum Library	14	25
Living simply living smart	10/07/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Nambour Library	25	35
Living simply living smart	11/07/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Maleny Library	14	40
Living simply living smart	17/07/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Cooroy Library	15	40
Living simply living smart	26/07/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Kawana Library	13	25
Living simply living smart	31/07/2013	2:00 PM	3:30 PM	Beerwah Library	12	30
Living simply living smart	2/08/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Maroochydore Library	19	40
Living simply living smart	6/08/2013	10:00 AM	11:30 AM	Caloundra Library	32	40
Living simply living smart	15/08/2013	1:00 PM	2:30 PM	Noosa Library	20	55

Additional Reading
Report on food labelling law and policy (Australia).

Just before I travelled to Blackheath, I received this email from "Mary". I asked if it was okay to use it in a post because I think it shows how empowering simple life can be. Mary wrote:

I first began reading your blog while pregnant with my first child back in 2009. I remember the amazement I felt back then that there was someone out there living my dream and felt inspired by you. Since then I have taught myself to cook from scratch, bake and grow at least the herbs, lettuce and spinach I use regularly. (Due to rheumatoid arthritis I can't maintain a full vegetable garden) I began stock piling and began teaching myself to knit and sew. As time has passed I found the tv on less and less and look forward to the quiet in the evening after my children are on bed. My life has become a lot simpler and as a result I am a lot happier, for 15 years I suffered from depression but since really living this simple lifestyle the depression has cleared, I still have bad days but I get through them and continue walking the path of my life. A simple life and getting back to basics and being true to myself cured what 15 years of medication could not. 

It is now 4 years later. I gave birth to my second child five months ago and then six weeks ago my partner was made redundant. I can honestly say that if I had not discovered your blog all that time ago I would be homeless and hungry right now. My disability payment barely covers rent and bills and we are only surviving right now because we only live on the basics and had built a stockpile. I have enough food to feed my family for a month right now and we are eating quite well. Vegetables and meat from the freezer and pantry (canning and preserves) baking sweet treats for my son and drinking water and tea. It is the skills I've learnt from your blog and book (your book was my 30th birthday present and the only thing I wanted) and the inspiration to cook from scratch and stockpile that is allowing us to be comfortable and not too stressed with our circumstances right now.

Mary, I wonder if you agree with me that the depression may have lifted because you took control of your life. I think that when you have a compelling purpose and plan for your days, you have structure. Maybe that structure helped you through. Whatever the reason, it's wonderful. I know when I took control of my home, I felt empowered by it. There is nothing like that feeling. Sometimes it feels like you're running a small business and that you're the CEO and work staff all rolled up into one. You know your decisions can make or break your family and in your case, you set your family up for success while working through your health problems.

I'm sorry to read that your partner lost his job but there is no better way to face that situation than with a stockpile, the knowledge you have and the ability to make do with very little. You've done really well. I'm proud of you.

Often people think this kind of living is for those who are retired and have the extra time for it. I think Mary proves it's for all ages and for many circumstances and how making a series of simple changes can be life changing.

If you have some tips for Mary, please add them to your comment. There may be something she's not yet tried that will make a real difference to her situation. Thank you.

I can't help myself. It's winter here. I have to do a knitting post.

I'm starting to see myself as a dishcloth queen. When I travel around, I ask people if they knit and if they do, if they knit dishcloths. It surprises me that not everyone does this kind of knitting. One of the many aspects of simple life is to home produce what you can in the time you have available. We had some beginners knitting and crochet sessions at the Blackheath workshops and I hope that will start those ladies off on a lifelong supply of dishcloths. 

This knitting is portable, easy and empowering. Since I started knitting dishcloths, I haven't bought Chux or any other dishcloths from the supermarket. They are expensive here costing about $4.50 for a pack of 10 or $6.50 for a pack of 20. If you're buying them and not washing them and reusing, they're costing you somewhere between 35 to 45 cents each. Why would you want to spend that kind of money on something you're going to throw away? Over the years I've saved a lot of money not buying into this commercialisation of dishcloths.  I use pure cotton dishcloths for washing up and facecloths, and rags for the dirty cleanup jobs when you usually need to throw the cloth away. The rags are simply old bed sheets and towels that are on their last legs but are cut into eight inch squares cleaning rags to extend their life.

I use knitting cotton to make my cloths. I usually use plain cotton but sometimes I'll use organic cotton if I'm making some as a gift or facecloths for a baby. Any sort of 100 percent cotton is suitable and you can use whatever size needless you have on hand. I usually use needles anywhere between a 4 and a 6mm. Cotton is the best option because it dries fairly fast, it can be easily washed with the weekly wash and when dried in the sun, the sun will disinfect your clean cloth beautifully. I have about 20 cloths in my kitchen basket so I have plenty to use and replace every day or two. When the cloth is dirty, I hang it over the side of the wash basket so it's not in with the dry dirty clothes. It's just washed with the regular washing and hung out to dry. Used in this way, a cotton cloth will last about five years and in that time it's saved you a lot of money. If you're not knitting or crocheting your cloths I hope this post encourages you to do so.

Start with a slip knot. I'm using a nice Japanese organic 4ply cotton here with 5.5mm bamboo needles. I'm using two strands of cotton on this cloth. If you want a loose weave cloth, just use one 4 ply strand.

If you're a beginner, don't try this until you're a bit more proficient. For someone who has knitted cloths before, use this stitch as your first row after the cast on. It will give you a smooth and firm bottom edge, not the loopy edge you often get with a plain cast on. It's easy - the stitch is the same as a knit/plain stitch but you start it off by putting your right needle into the back of the stitch.

The half completed second row of knitting into the back of the stitch. You can see the neat edge it gives on the right needle.

And here is the first two inches of the new dishcloth and below, a few more inches. This one will take me one or two days to complete, just knitting when I have a spare hour.

Your cloth can be any design. Let's face it, your dishes don't care if you are a neat knitter or you knit in plain or purl. All they need is for the stitches to be strung together so that makes these dishcloths the best sort of beginners' knitting. Even if your first cloth looks like a dog's breakfast, it will still be able to be used. Your next one will be better.

If you're a knitter but have never knitted a dishcloth before, start by casting on about 30 - 40 stitches in either 4 or 8 ply cotton. Or you can do what I've done in the photos above and use two strands of 4 ply. Knit into the back of the stitch for the second row. That will stop that loopy untidy border that usually happens to a plain cast on row. Do about 5 rows of plain stitch to make the bottom border, then go on to 5 plain at the beginning and end of the row with whatever stitch to make up the middle of the row. In this example I've used stocking stitch. The 5 plain at the beginning and end will give you a nice border. End with five plain rows and cast off.

If you're learning to knit, and I hope this post will encourage you to start, look at this link: it's a good beginners guide to casting on. It's slow and it gives you a good chance to see the stitches and practise on your own needles. This is a follow on link to learn knit or plain stitch. The next is a guide to doing purl stitch. And finally a cast off guide. That's it!  So your pattern will be:

First row: cast on 30 stitiches

Second, third, fourth and fifth row: knit/plain stitch for the entire row.

Next row: 5 knit/plain stitches, then 20 purl stitches, then 5 knit/plain stitches.

Next row: Knit/plain stitches for the entire row.

Next row: 5 knit/plain stitches, then 20 purl stitches, then 5 knit/plain stitches.

Next row: Knit/plain stitches for the entire row.

Keep knitting those two rows until it's almost as long as you need it to be.

Then finish off with knit/plain stitch for the entire row and repeat that row four more times.

Cast off.

If you have any problems, go to the knitting forum here and I'm sure someone will help you.

That will give you a good dishcloth. It's plain but you're a beginner and it doesn't matter if you make a mistake. Hopefully you'll knit a few of these and improve with each cloth. It's a great way to start knitting. If you're confident after a couple of cloths, look for some new patterns on the web and try something a bit more daring.

I really hope you try this. It might feel strange at first to be holding those needles and cotton while trying to loop, slide and pull, but trust yourself and keep going. Learning how to hold the needles and cotton can be tricky but the more you practise, the better you'll get at it. And if you successfully teach yourself to knit, tick off another life skill you've mastered.

If you're knitting dishcloths, or anything else, I'd love to see it. If you can, put a link with your comment so we can see what you're doing or post a photo on the forum. You never know, your knitting might be thing one thing that inspires someone to take up their needles and start.

It's been a big couple of weeks here with preparations, workshops and travel. I'm really pleased to be home and I'm looking forward to a restful weekend. I hope you are able to spend time doing something you love over the next few days. See you next week!

I left Tricia's on Tuesday morning after my nephew Daniel poured warm water on the windscreen to get rid of the ice. It took about an hour to get to Mudgee where I had a couple of cups of coffee with my good friend Susan. We had a lot to catch up on; it's been too long since I've seen her. I spent the afternoon driving to Armidale and arrived there after dark. Having registered at the first motel I found, I showered and fell into bed, and then lay there for a few hours unable to sleep. The overnight temperatures were minus zero again, and again I had to pour water on the windscreen before I set off in the morning. The car was so warm and cozy but outside I could see sheep gazing on frozen grass. I was pleased to see the sun rise. After a long and tiring drive, I drove into our driveway around 2.30pm. Hanno was waiting in the garage and after a long hug, we walked inside to share the happenings of the previous week.

 It was cold outside.

Sunrise just north of Armidale.

 The little town of Merriwa NSW.

I'd been looking forward to seeing Tricia and meeting everyone at the workshops but it turned out to be much better than I'd anticipated. Despite some setbacks with the hall, Tricia organised hot drinks and food for all of us and together with the food brought along by several of the women who came along, we were well fed and satisfied. Thanks Tricia and thank you to everyone who brought food to share.

This is the Sunday group. From left, standing: Brad, Alyce, Ally, Corinne, me, Petra, Virginia, Rhonda, Rose, Lydia, seated from left: Alison, Marilyn, Erin, Joy and Leanne. 

Tricia is really keen for me to organise more workshops in country towns but I'm not sure of the interest. I'd have to have a couple of towns close to each other and there would need to be about 15 people at each event. If you think that would work in your town, email me and we'll see what we can do.

Here we have some of our Saturday group, from left: Michelle, Cathy, Larissa, Christine, Sam, Michelle, Nadia and Chantel. 

 Saturday group again broken up into knitting and crochet groups.

 Concentrating on their crochet: Ally, Alyce and Petra.

And what can I say about the workshops. Of all the workshops I've done, this weekend was my favourite. There were so many people there whose names I knew, who I felt I'd already met and when I eventually did, I felt an immediate bond. It's there you know, that invisible thread that connects all of us. I felt it very strongly at Blackheath. We share a way of looking at the world that isn't so common nowadays and when we sit and talk there is a common understanding.

Along with around the table discussions about cleaning, preserving, freezing and housework, I made up a batch of laundry liquid and the other Rhonda showed us all how to blend and roast spices for curries. Tricia taught some ladies how to crochet and I taught some how to knit. Those who didn't do either watched a video on how to make compost and operate a work farm.

 This was my view of the Sunday group as we sat around the table discussing this and that.

Thanks to everyone who presented me with a gift. I appreciate homemade gifts so much and shall treasure those I received at Blackheath. Thanks to everyone who spoke so kindly of me and who whispered such kind words in my ear. Thanks to everyone for sharing their own stories, it was very moving and inspiring. For me, and I'm sure everyone who heard those stories, it brought us closer together and confirmed that we are indeed sharing an enriching and significant life journey.

Hello everyone! I'm still at Tricia's and it's freezing. We had a wonderful weekend meeting some beautiful people at the workshops we ran here. I'm so pleased I decided to hold theses events because I think it did us all good to meet, share, learn and connect. 

Alyce, Rose, Erin and Ally were among the 14 who came to the Sunday workshop.

I forgot to bring the cable that connects my camera to the computer so I'll have to make do with this photo I took on the camera. It's a bit blurred but you'll get the general idea of it.  When I get home I'll show some more photos, including a group photo taken on the second day. I wish I'd thought of it for the first day as well.

I'm heading home tomorrow and will take photos along the way again. I'll have more time for photos on the way back because I'm not doing the drive in one hit. I'll be overnighting in Armidale and driving home the following day.    :- )

I had such a wonderful time on the 1500km trip from home to Tricia's. I got up at 12.30am, had a cup of tea and a crumpet, organised myself and drove out the driveway at 1.45am, heading south. The trip to the Gold Coast, which usually takes two hours, took only 90 minutes at that hour and by the time I reached the southern end of the Gold Coast it was 3.30. I pulled over and had a walk around and a cup of coffee, then crossed over into New South Wales at around 4am. I drove down the Pacific Highway until sunrise, then turned inland at Grafton and headed for Armidale.

This is the road from Grafton to Armidale. It's lined with thousands of tree ferns and other rain forest species and winds up across the Great Diving Range, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

This photo was taken at the summit, from a lonely lookout, where the trees parted to give the perfect private viewing of the clouds below, with mountain peaks poking through.

The New England Highway is bordered on both sides by trees with either autumn colours or bare branches; it is spectacular. The countryside is brown, in sharp contrast to home where consistent rain over summer has kept everything beautifully green. I was surprised to see quite a few businesses and shops with closing down signs, and two pubs for sale. I haven't seen that before. A sad sign on the times, I guess.

Lunch was had in Tamworth and I happily drove on with short bursts of loud singing, interesting and  intelligent discussion on Radio National, the window down, then up, and stopping occasionally to take a photo or two. I wanted to reach Tricia's before dark so apart from one stop to fill up on fuel and one for a toilet break in Mudgee, I drove on. Sure enough, I pulled into Tricia's driveway just after five. She was waiting, the fire was blazing and hot soup was ready to be served.

Tricia with Johnathan by the fire.

Tricia is looking after her grandson Johnathan at the moment. Yesterday, Tricia, Johnathan and my nephew David, all went to the Megalong Tea Rooms for lunch. This little cafe deep in the Megalong Valley has been operating in the same location since the 1940s. The menu is simple, delicious and mostly home-made. After lunch David helped us with the shopping for the workshops and then took the train home.  

I'm not sure what we're doing today, Tricia might be coming down with a cold so it might be a day of knitting in front of the fire. Poor us. LOL

I just realised this post didn't come through as scheduled. Sorry, it was supposed to be published on Monday morning.

I'm off on a solo road trip today. I'm driving down to visit my sister and for a workshop in Blackheath. I'll be meeting several readers and members of the forum while I'm down there so I'm really excited about the trip and what it will bring.  In the next week or so, there will be no regular posts as such, but I'll be posting photos along the way and checking for your comments.

Membership on the forum has been suspended for the time being to try to rid ourselves of spammers. If you are interested in joining the forum, email me and when I come home, I'll arrange it.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. :- )

This is Hanno at the Susan River Homestead near Hervey Bay. We visited there on Tuesday to give a short talk at the Queensland Carers Retreat.

While I worked in that little room, I could smell chicken casserole slow cooking on the stove. I thought about all the people who have no warm room to tidy up and no casserole to eat.

Fortunate.

If you're keeping chickens in the backyard, often you'll reach a point when you have too many eggs. Luckily, eggs are always easy to give away but they're also very easy to use up. Two of my favourite egg-based meals are quiche and creme caramel. Both recipes can be made many different ways, this is how I make them.

Quiche

Don't be put off by making your own pastry. Like everything else, it's a skill that can be learned and when you do, it will open up so many other recipes. I did a tutorial on how to make pastry here, so I hope you are guided by that and make your own pastry case from scratch.

The pastry has to be blind baked first. That's just the cooking term for baking the pastry case without the filling in it. To blind bake, you prepare the pastry in the flan dish, cover it with a sheet of baking paper and pour on some chick peas or beans to weigh the paper down. Bake that in the oven till it's a soft golden colour, then remove it from the oven, take the paper and beans off, add the filling and pop it back into the oven to bake.

Quiche filling

Eggs are always the main ingredient for a quiche filling. I used six eggs in my quiche and a cup of cream. The other ingredients were just what I had in the cupboard. Quiche is a flexible recipe and you can add whatever suits your taste and you have handy in the cupboard or fridge. In addition to the eggs, I added mushrooms, leeks, spring onions, garlic, capsicum/red pepper that had all been pre-cooked and allowed to cool down. When the pastry was blind baked, I poured in the egg mixture and baked the quiche in a moderate oven until it was golden brown.

Quiche is one of those versatile meals that can be served hot or cold. I love it both ways with maybe a slight preference for the cold version. It's a good food to add to lunch boxes and the perfect choice for a light lunch of dinner, with the addition of a salad. Your fillings could also include bacon, ham, celery, eggplant, spinach, kale or potato - all pre-cooked and allowed to cool.

Creme Caramel

I think this might be my favourite dessert although we don't often have it at home, if we dine out and it's on the menu, I usually choose it.

Ingredients ...

...for caramel

¾ cup white sugar

1 cup water

½ cup sugar

1 cup cream

1½ cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 eggs

This dish must be slow cooked in the oven. Preheat your oven to 165C/330F. 

Tasty and versatile egg recipes are like gold when you have chickens roaming in your backyard. What are your favourite egg recipes?