We had a lovely weekend here with Shane and Alex visiting, and Jamie here for his regular two weekend days while Kerry and Sunny work. Sarndra took the chance to have some down time at home, sewing. All us mums need that when we can get it. Alex and Jamie are the same size now with Alex being slightly taller. They're not quite at the playing together stage, they have problems sharing their favourite toys, but that's normal and it will pass. It was lovely seeing them playing, chasing each other and kicking the football. I am a very proud grandma.

We celebrated father's day in Australia yesterday. I hope all our dads had a wonderful day.




The boys visited Maleny Dairies but there are no tours on Sundays. Still, they saw the beautiful Guernsey cows and the goats so they were happy. If you're looking for a good family day trip from Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast, a trip to Maleny, stopping off at the dairy on the way, is a great way to spend some time with the family.

I'm looking forward to a seeing Shane and Alex this weekend. We'll be looking after Jamie too so having the two boys here together will be wonderful. I hope you're doing something you love over the next few days.

- - - ♥ - - -

'Stories of Simplicity: Reimagining the Good Life' - there are many stories here about people who are living simply

Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

An older farm wife - Youtube

What's killing the bees?

How to be a gardener - the productive garden on You Tube

Kinfolk

Fatale

Another feather: here are some beautiful photos taken at a baking workshop.

Nigel Slater's coleslaw recipe

From the comments during the week

I had the pleasure of meeting Greg Foyster and Sophie Chishkovsky last year when they cycled from Melbourne, via Tasmania, to North Queensland. It was a 6,500 km trip. Greg, is a writer by profession, and he has written a book about the trip called Changing Gears. I was asked to read it a couple of months ago and that is something I hesitate to do if I know the author. I get a bit anxious about telling the truth about a book that doesn't inform, inspire or impress me. I didn't have to worry in this case. I loved the book. In fact, I told Greg I'd take a couple of weeks to read it but when I started the book and put it down, I kept thinking about it and had to keep reading. I finished it in a few days. 

I love and admire Greg and Soph because they were crazy enough to think about doing a trip like this and for continuing to pedal kilometre after kilometre when they were starting to question why they were doing it. They're back in Melbourne now, we've kept in touch, and they're still on their simple living path. I won't tell you anything about Greg's story, except to say that I was surprised by how funny it is, and you can read my endorsement below. I don't think my sheets are as white as he says they are but if they are, it's all due to homemade laundry liquid. ; - )

Greg and his publisher, Affirm Press,  have given me a book to give away. Just comment on why you'd like to win the book and we'll draw the winner out next Tuesday morning, my time. Make sure you leave a link or email address so I can contact you if you win.

If you don't win the book, do yourself a favour and buy a copy. It will be published on 1 September and will be available at most good independent book shops, your local Dymocks and online at  booktopia.com.au

Endorsements for Changing Gears

Recently, The Guardian ran an article about single-use plastic bags and the proposal that people will be charged for them in New York City. Ireland started charging in 2002 and have subsequently reduced the use of plastic bags by 90 percent. Here in Australia, we have towns and cities where individual shops and supermarkets charge if you don't bring your own bags and have to use plastic. In my local area, there are a few shops that have been doing this for a few years now.

I congratulate all those who are taking a stand against this destructive use of plastic. Our oceans are filling with plastic garbage that is killing marine life and birds, our land fill dumps are filling with these bags that take hundreds and hundreds of years to decompose. I cringe when I see plastic bags blowing along the streets and on the beaches.  It shames us all.

What is so difficult about taking your own bags with you when you shop? Whether it is a custom made bag or one you make yourself, you need to have those bags with you when you shop, and you need to use them. I have a very small handbag - only one - and in it I have a large shopping bag, an envirosax, that rolls up to almost nothing. I can easily store it in my handbag and on the rare occasion when I need a shopping bag, I always have one with me. It's not difficult.

We also have hessian shopping totes, some homemade bags and those ghastly green shopping bags that I refuse to buy now. We have our collection of shopping bags stored in the boot of the car so when we're out shopping, the bags are already there with us. The main problem now is that many shop assistants are so used to giving out plastic bags, you have you have yours ready so they don't half pack a bag and have to unpack it - with huffing sounds and rolling eyes. :- )

This is one small thing we can all do, quite easily, that will make a difference in our own neighbourhoods.  These bags are often blown away in the wind and some of them end up in the oceans where they are killing turtles, dolphins, sharks, whales and fish. Please do your part in reducing the number of bags in circulation. We don't need them. 

Robyn has a wonderful tutorial with step by step instructions at the forum on how to make a very strong tote bag from an old pair of jeans.  And here is a tutorial for how to make a shopping tote bag in under and hour.  How do you carry your grocery shopping home?

If you have extra milk in the fridge, or can get some, particularly if it's non-homogenised, or better still, raw milk, this is an easy and quick cheese to make. I used the delicious local Maleny milk. The one I have right now is homogenised, but it still suits my purpose. Both these recipe are quick and easy. The cheese will take you about 30 minutes altogether, but you're only actively working on the cheese for about five minutes. If you have a food processor, the biscuits/crackers will take about ten minutes for the grating, mixing rolling out and cutting. Add another 30 minutes to let the dough rest in the fridge. It's a great snack for the family or when visitors drop by. Served with a cold cordial or ginger beer, it's ideal on a summers day.

• 2 litres/quarts of fresh milk
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt 
• Lemon juice, about two lemons - you can use ½ cup white vinegar too but I think the taste is better with lemon juice

1. Place the milk and salt into a saucepan over medium heat. When the milk starts forming bubbles around the outside rim, remove it from the heat.
2. Add the lemon juice and stir. Let it sit for ten minutes.
3. Line a colander with cheesecloth or loose weave muslin, pour the curdled milk in and let the colander sit over a jug to catch the whey.
4. Allow it to sit for two hours then gather the cloth around it and squeeze the last of the whey out. Don't throw the whey out, it's wonderful in all kinds of baking. Whey will keep in the fridge in a sterile jar for months.
5. Store the cheese in the fridge.

The sharp flavour of the biscuits/crackers goes really well with the smooth and creamy cheese. I was going to make up some ginger beer yesterday afternoon too. It's been fermenting for about 10 days on the kitchen bench but I was too tired and put it off another day. It would have been the perfect accompaniment. This is really a delicious snack that contains no added preservatives, or artificial colours or flavours.  I'll write about the ginger beer soon. :- )

I still work outside the home on occasion but the majority of my work is home-based. One of the things that this season of life has brought is the wonderful work of looking after grandkids. We care for Jamie two weekends a month when Kerry and Sunny are working.

Looking after grandkids is not the same as looking after your own children. You don't have that memory of yesterday's tantrum, haven't changed 50 nappies/diapers this week, haven't tried to get them to eat something new, and failed. No, when we see our two, it's just the pure joy of seeing them, looking forward to the time we have together and feeling grateful because I belong to this family.

My grandmother taught me how to wash up - the order of it all, that glasses go first, then cutlery and cleanish plates, followed by mixing bowls, dinner plates and finally, saucepans. I still do it that way all these years later. Hanno has been showing Jamie how to dig the garden and when I look out at them from the kitchen window, I wonder if what he learns while he's here will stay with him over the years. Maybe he'll forget it before he remembers it again, I did that. I remembered it all when I most needed it.

Work helps shape the people we become. When we spend the majority of our waking hours working at a particular job, it influences our thoughts, it regulates our actions and often it helps us slow down. I think this slow and methodical way of working is difficult for quite a few people but if you can manage it, it will bring a kind of gentle rhythm to your days that will help you get through the work. Caring for babies and toddlers, and the work you do in your backyard, can help you slow down because if you look at it carefully, natural systems are always slow. Nature always takes its own time and nothing will hurry it.


When I work during the day making the bed, baking our bread, peeling vegetables, cleaning the stove or the fridge, I feel that everything is as it should be. How could it be otherwise when I am doing such useful work. And when things aren't right, when I'm worried about something or someone I know is gravely ill or has died, I tie on my apron and start work and I know I can continue on. If I was everyone's grandma, I would make sure that every child carried out domestic tasks everyday. I would  show boys and girls how to look after themselves and others. Children learn respect, loyalty, generosity, kindness, tenderness and compassion when they take part in the day-to-day running of the house. Hopefully they'll learn what you teach them; they will definitely learn what they see.

Domestic work can remind us of where we come from and it's capable of carrying traditions forward. The food you cook, the way you garden, and sewing and knitting in traditional ways are most likely to be the places where memories of your culture thrive, or survive. House work fills bellies, helps us sleep soundly and keeps the family safe, clean and tidy. Carrying out that work with grace and sensitivity protects your family and demonstrates the love and respect you feel for them. Chores will come and go and responsibilities will change over time, but I hope there never comes a time when those in my family, or yours, don't have to do the work of family and home. It helps makes us what we are.


Brisbane Writers' Festival
On Friday 6 September, from 10am till 1pm, I'll be conducting a masterclass called A practical guide to simple living. It will be held at the State Library, the cost is $80 - $90. There are three places left. To book online, go here and go down the page a little to find the date.

Another week has come and gone and now the time approaches for many of us to slow down and relax. Remember, you can't be at your best unless you look after yourself. This is not being soft or lazy, it's an important part of active life. 

Thanks for your visits. I hope to see you again next week. xx

When the GFC started in 2008 I remember writing that although many people would lose jobs and there would be a lot of heartache, it might also put a lid on consumer spending for a while.  It did that and there were job losses and suffering but now, five years later, even though we've been told the crisis is over, businesses are still closing and caution is in the air. There is no such things as unlimited economic growth and it looks like what we've got now might be the new normal. But I'm no economist, I have no idea what will happen in the future, I just don't want us to go back to indiscriminate spending and debt.

If we believe our politicians, Australia got through the crisis better than most other countries. However, we have problems with the car industry, food farming and retail at the moment and we are told the mining boom is coming to an end. I'm thankful that we were already well and truly into our simple lives for a few years before the GFC hit. We had already seen for ourselves that moderation and prudence brought its own rewards and it wasn't a big stretch for us to cut back even further, just in case.



When we first made our change we looked at what we could live without. We gave up a second car, pay TV and a few other things and I can honestly say I've never missed them, not for a minute. I think we give possessions and the services we get used to more importance than they should have. Doing without hasn't made me feel deprived. I feel strengthened by it; we needed to make changes and now I feel that we could do almost anything.

When we first started living as we do, I was surprised by how much we could save simply by making a few changes and adjustments. Now that I look back on it, I see the most difficult part was deciding to do it. After that, the biggest and best changes came after we cut back all the obvious excess, and then saved more by changing the way we shopped, stockpiling and making a lot of what we used to buy. Through all of this, we've never felt deprived, we've never missed what we gave up, we never wanted to go back. This frugal economy suits us.

When I see what is around me now, the life Hanno and I have built here, I'm proud that we made every change we thought was necessary. Shopping has been replaced by home production, stress has been replaced by contentment, waste has been replaced by sustainability, and anxiety about the future has been replaced by the certainty that we have all we need. We have enough.

I know now that when we made all these changes, it wasn't only physical changes we made, it was also a change of mindset. We have happily gone from being rampant spenders to being frugal stewards of our land and I can't see that changing. There are conflicting messages about the end of the GFC with many "experts" telling us that the good times won't return any time soon. As far as I can tell, the good times are here now. Hanno and I might not have the money (or the inclination) to spend like we did in the past, but we're happier. Even if the economy boomed, we wouldn't change how we live; we would never go back.  How have you faired over the past few years? Have you changed for good?

The cost of everyday luxuries

Our vegetable garden is getting there. It's been slow this year. Hanno had several health set backs and is still consulting specialists - he has an appointment today. But through it all he's kept the garden going. Some days he'd do some weeding, some days he'd just water what was growing but in the past few weeks his strength and drive have returned and the vegetable garden has moved ahead.

The main crop, the one we're both sweating on, is the garlic. I used garlic in today's main meal and we're down to one and a half heads left of last year's harvest. If it lasts another two weeks, the new crop will come in just in time. We're picking strawberries at the moment. Big, red, juicy organic strawberries.  It's one of the fruits that tastes so much better having been grown in the back yard, rather than in a field with thousands of others. If you have no room to grow fruit trees at your place, strawberries may be within your reach. They grow well in the garden but also love to be grown in containers, hanging baskets and plumber's pipe with holes cut in the side. If you're never grown fruit before, find two or three virus-free strawberry plants, plant them into rich soil, give them full sun and stand back. Hopefully, you'll be rewarded for your efforts.

I doubt we'll grow potatoes in this year, but that's okay, they'll be there for us again next year. I asked Hanno the other day how long he wants to keep the vegetable garden going and said he's happy to work on it for another few years. But we're making changes to make the work easier when we can. Recently we bought a compost tumbler; it's supposed to make a batch of compost in about six weeks. We move the tumbler with a handle so there is no shovelling to turn the heap over. It seems like a step in the right direction.

At the moment we're growing, bok choi, daikon, wombok, green beans, beetroot, rainbow chard, silverbeet, tomatoes, garlic, strawberries, chillies, corn, kale, cucumbers, lettuce, parsley - curly and flat leaf, Welsh onions, leeks and last year's solo eggplant is flowering again. We have two capsicum/pepper plants from last season that look healthy but have no leaves. I'll cut them back and see what happens. Hoepfully, they'll spring back to life again for us. I've planted sweet peas and a Buddleia in pots at the front of the garden and hopefully, they'll bring in the bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Right now is a good time to grow vegetables in our region. There are few bugs around, the air is warm enough to encourage growth, but not humid, which brings powdery mildew and its cousins. So we'll be content with this smaller garden for now and shop at the local market when we need to. I hope you've discovered the joys of vegetable gardening. It is one of life's true gifts to get your hands into soil and connect with nature.

What fresh feasts will be on your table this season?

The August decluttering challenge continues with three items going today. I am finally giving away my red dress. I kept it for years, even after I stopped wearing it, because I thought I might like it again. Then I decided that wouldn't happen but because the side of the dress has a lot of buttons right down the side as a design feature, I decided to keep it so I could remove the buttons, then it would go. Well, it's been waiting to have those buttons removed for about five years. The buttons are still there, so is the dress. It goes today. Also going are two pairs of shoes. The challenge is still going strong over at the forum. If you want to join in for the last two weeks, you can write your own blog post about it and leave the link to your blog in the comments here, or you can join in the forum thread here.

We had a slow and relaxed weekend. The weather is changing from the cool of late winter to warmer days and nights. It's been a short winter this year and not as cold as it usually is here. I have the feeling it will be a long hot summer.

One of the joys of living where we do is that the weather is often perfect for six months of the year. Spring and Autumn are ideal, summer is too humid and winter, although nothing by European and North American standards, is cold. Spring is almost here. Hanno worked out in the garden most of the weekend. He dug a huge hole to plant the new lemon tree and unfortunately hit a lot of clay. He added gypsum to break it up a bit, filled the hole with compost, chicken manure, garden soil a good sprinkling of organic fertiliser and then built a fence around it so the chickens can't scratch at the root ball. It's in a sunny part of the chick run so when it's fully grown there'll have more shade in there. It's growing alongside a native fig, a pecan tree and another Eureka lemon. Now we have to keep the water up to it over summer and make sure it gets away to a good start. You can never have too many lemons.

Those chooks are so entertaining. I went out very early to let them out and, as usual, Fiona was first out of the coop into the run, followed by all the others, with Lucy last. It's always in that order. Hanno had dropped one of his gardening gloves in the run and it was laying there, just one glove - natural coloured linen and canvas, nothing too drastic. Yet those chickens carried on like they had a 15 foot python in the backyard. They cackled and squawked and ran in and out wanting a better look at the glove. None of them touched it. Only Lucy, the mother hen, stood back and watched the carryings on with me. They only settled down when I picked the glove up and removed it. They know every inch of their territory and just one thing out of place sends them into a flap - literally.

In the front garden, Hanno pruned back a lot of the ornamental plants and trees. I'm growing old roses now, I have two bushes in, and have just picked the first flower for my desk. It's a very pale pinky-white - a shrub rose called Summer Memories. The other one is a David Austin rose called Claire Rose. They're growing beautifully at the moment but we'll have to help it through summer with extra water this year and hopefully they'll grow well after that. We also have a rose climber called Cecile Brunner which is a tiny pink rose. My mother grew it in her garden and it really loves the weather here. It's on the arbour out the front twinning itself through the wisteria. I'm also trying to cultivate hydrangeas this year. I bought them about 12 years ago, have not been successful in my plantings, but have kept them going as cuttings in the bush house. Now they're in a space just off the front verandah that gets morning sun and remains in shade the rest of the day. I hope it works. I have a feeling they like it there.

Hanno and I both see the garden - front and back - as an important part of our home. The trees provide shade and habitat for wildlife and birds, and although the garden is not grand, it suits our house well. And of course, the back yard provides us with fruit, vegetables and eggs, as well as ample space for grandsons to run around like crazy clowns or build roads in the sand pit.

I go out into the garden early now the weather is warmer. Just after sunrise, when the birds are calling out for the first time that day, I wander around, looking and thinking, watering this and that, clipping, moving and imaging what will come next. I understand now why gardening is such a popular pastime for retired folk. Not only is there a lot of gentle and robust work to be done, there is life and the potential for growth and change and as you grow older, it's wonderful being a part of that.

Making do with what you've got - withchinthekitchen

How to make sauerkraut - cityhippyfarmgirl

The true story of a seven year marriage

Is there really organic honey?

From the comments here this week:

moleymakes

red dirt momma

dylan's dress

At one of my library talks recently I was asked "do you make bread every day?" It was half way between an accusation and a cry for help, as in, please, say no! Well, I have to come clean, I don't make bread every single day, but I make bread most days - probably six days a week. I don't see having bread left over as a problem, it's just the opportunity to create something else with it. Apart from toast, croutons and feeding it with warm milk (powdered) to the chooks during winter, there are so many uses for stale bread.  

I know there are many of you who are trying your hand at bread for the first time, so I thought it would be a good idea to share some of these links for uses for stale bread. When you use stale bread to make something else it doesn't have to be the best piece of bread or, if you're making breadcrumbs, even the same type of bread. But if you're using plain bread and sweet bread, make sure you keep them to their own recipes. If you're new to bread making and you don't like the taste of your bread, if it's not too far off the mark you may be able to save it by turning it into something like bread and butter pudding. Making a pudding out of it will add extra flavour and if your bread's downfall has been that it looks okay but it hasn't got much taste, then go for the pudding option and add more flavour when you make your next loaf.

• Bread and butter pudding or Banana bread and butter pudding
• Italian bread salad
• Bread cases
• Bread sauce
• How to make and freeze breadcrumbs
• Scroll down the page to find Orangette's Nanny's cinnamon toast snacks. I can vouch for these. Delicious!
• Nigel Slater's French toast
• 15 unexpected hacks from chicken soup to broken glass

And now it's over to you. What do you do with your stale bread that's not already on the list?