swirlyness

NEW BLOG ADDRESS

2008-08-05T17:33:00.002+10:00

I have a google account for work, so have had to start a new blog as I couldn't . Please come over to it and visit, and leave a note. I love those.

www.hbrumerskyj.blogspot.com

Sorry for the change, hope to see you there.

Love Hannah

Crochet apprentice

2008-08-01T15:56:00.003+10:00

This is my gorgeous friend, Molly. We were both at my mum's recently watching a movie with my Brother and his Girlfriend and I was crocheting. Molly was so interested that Mum got her a hook and some wool and I started to teach her. Then a week or two ago she told me she had bought wool and hooks for herself, and we went through it again, she had remembered most of what I taught her.

I find it interesting how no-one I teach crochet does it exactly the same, it's kind of like how we all hold our pens and write differently. Molly wanted to make a beret type had, and you can see it here the following day, almost finished. (I think she stayed up late working on it.)
I love teaching people new things, and the best way to attract pupils is by them seeing you doing it. I take my crocheting and knitting, and other projects too numerous to mention to meetings, to movies at friends houses, when I travel and when I go somewhere for dinner. Why waste time when you can make something at the same time.

Go Molly!

Visitors from afar

2008-08-01T13:06:00.002+10:00

Recently I had some visitors. My host parents from America (spent 7 months there when I was 16 with Rotary) came to stay for a few days. I picked them up from the airport in Sydney and we drove back to Nowra via the coast road. This is a spectacular road which goes along the coast between Sydney and Wollongong through the Royal National Park. It travels through coastal clifftop scrub, old growth forests and past beautiful beaches. I have done a hike through this national park, but never driven the distance. One of the highlights, which has been a feature of a few recent car advertisements is the coast bridge. The road was closed for a number of years except to residents as it was too unstable in parts and was falling into the sea, and they replaced it with a road that is a bridge out over the sea around some of the steepest parts.

The time with Mom and Dad K was great, we went to the local animal park. It's so much better than I remember. Previously there was a daily koala talk (about 15 mins) and then you could walk around and look at the other animals, pat the kangaroos and feed them, but look at everything else. They have changed ownership and have 5 or 6 talks a day. We didn't get through everything. We went to the koala talk, the monkey feeding, the croc show and the reptile show and the dingo show. And the guys doing the talks are great. One is my friend but I'm not actually being biased, I think all the kids were entralled. Think steve irwin, but skinny with dark hair and you have trent. Thanks for a great day.

On the sunday we went to a show at our new entertainment centre, a couple who have starred in lots of Australian musicals performing numbers from most of the famous musicals. It was great. At night we had a trivia night at the church to raise money for a Chinese orphanage. Our church is into doing things the whole hog, and so the church was kitted out with bamboo, giant kites and more. Each individual table dresses up and decorates as well. We had a table of Pandas in a cage, ninjas, geishas (you don't need to tell me they're Japanese) My bible study group decided to go as a dragon. We made it all out of recycled materials, and it turned out great.

Joey is under the head, Trent (from the animal park) and his wife Sheree are behind. Lots of fun.

I will catch up more soon, and need new batteries for the camera to take some updates of my garden... coming soon.

Independance Days Challenge Update

2008-07-28T16:47:00.002+10:00

Planted: My apple trees and a Mulberry tree. It's one of my favourite fruits and the tree I bought is already covered in fruit. Can't wait for it to ripen in spring. Maybe I'll get two rounds of fruit.

Harvest something: My cousins harvested all the remaining oranges on one of the trees, and I have been harvesting eggs from my new chickens!!!

Preserve something: Nothing again. It's just the wrong time of year. If I can get a box of cheap tomatoes (end of season) I might do some pasta sauce this weekend.

Store Something: Polenta.

Manage Reserves: Thinking I will buy some extras of staples, as the truckie's strike looks like it is going ahead.

Prepped: Put a deposit down on a self pollinating almond. I'll pick it up after it comes into leaf, so I know it's healthy. The nursery said they prefer to do this. If it doesn't look good they'll give me another. Also bought some asparagus crowns which I hope to plant later this week. Collecting Newspapers for laying under the pebbles in front courtyard, that needs to be finished this weekend as well and the remainder of green manure sown.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Went to Organic food co-op meeting. Went to TEAR fund conference this weekend. Looking at starting a group for Christians in my area who are interested in environmental issues and social justice with a couple I used to work with in Sydney and have moved to my area.

Reduced Waste: Reducing other people's waste. Handing out icecream containers for scraps left right and centre. The chooks love it and the leftovers go to the worms and the compost. The garden will love it too!

Cooked something new: Roast vegetable salad. I'll do it again soon and take photos! It was delicious.

Learned a new skill: Drilling holes in metal, clipping chicken wings

Chookies!!!!

2008-07-22T10:20:00.003+10:00

My girls have come. I have named them Milly, Molly and Mandy and can't tell them apart yet. They are Barnevelders and came from my good friends Eric and Clarissa from Permaculture Sydney West. They brought them to the grafting workshop at Harmony Farm, which I completely forgot to take photos of. (oops) One of them even laid an egg en route. My grandpa has given me some banding tags, so I think I'll have to resort to that until I know them better.

The girls are Barnevelders which is a Dutch breed which lays lovely brown eggs (supposed to be around 180 a year). One of them is double laced, the other two only single lacing, and they are gorgeous. They are not as tame as my last hens, but Frankie, the Isa Brown was hand reared so very tame. I'll work on them as the greens dwindle down taking food in and feeding them. They will come up to me if I stay in the coop for a while, but won't let me touch them much.

Chickens are a great (I think essential) part of a green home. They will pick over any meat and dairy scraps which are not compostible, and will convert kitchen scraps and garden waste into compost much quicker than my compost bin can. (although I still use a compost bin as well.) They process old and rotting fruit and produce wonderful fertiliser and eggs which are great to eat. I also use them as a chicken tractor, to clear a specific area after harvesting, and before planting the next crop.

The photo below is the chicken yard last Friday. I fixed it by putting the star picket at the right of the photo in the ground next to the broken side and then wiring the broken paling to the picket. It worked really well, Also made a loop to hold the gate shut. Very proud of my fixing. (Even my next door neighbour and his builder dad approved) He came over last night to ask if I had chooks, because two of them were in his yard. His cat wasn't sure what to make of them.

Note: In my experience cats are fine with chooks. The cats are generally not willing to risk being pecked and maintain a safe distance. Cats can actually be beneficial, I have heard of people installing a cattery around the chook yard to prevent dogs/foxes etc getting in. The chooks had flown into low tree braches to sleep (I think they only flew over the fence later in the afternoon to nest) and he picked them up and threw them back over. They were happily grazing this morning.

Today I bought anti chicken flying equipment. Basically a Trailer net. You can see the shelter and roost at the back (the chook yard continues around the side of the garage, it would really be wasted space otherwise) I think the chooks are getting onto the roof of the shelter and then going over the fence, so the trailer net will be attached to the gutter of the garage and the top of the fence to prevent them flying over the fence. Hopefully no more flying chickens

Independance Days update - for two weeks.

2008-07-21T11:35:00.003+10:00

Planted: Green Manure, where the lawn used to be. Photos tomorrow maybe? Brocolli and silverbeet seedlings. Jerusalem artichokes, along back fence. May plant another batch somewhere else as I am finding it quite a dry spot.

Harvest something: Cherry tomatoes. It's the middle of winter, but in cleaning up the chook pen I found a bowlful of red cherry toms, going into salad tonight. I will also harvest some lettuce, coriander and parsley for the salad.

Preserve something: Nothing

Store Something: Chook feed!

Manage Reserves: Kitchen now sorted, and is much easier to access. I have a small amount of benchspace.

Prepped: Picked up chickens from a friend rather than the layer pullets. They are Barnevelders and are very pretty. Should lay every one to two days and I have 3 so that's more than enought for me and some to give away/barter. Had a day off Friday and fixed up chicken yard. The gate was broken. Made a temporary nesting box until I can get an old mower catcher. these are great for nesting boxes as they are dark and dry and have a handle on the top to pick them up with.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Went to a working bee day at Harmony Farm on the southern highlands. I think I'll try and go at least once a season. They have lots of fruit trees and I can learn a lot from them.

Reduced Waste: I got chickens. Now I can give them meat and dairy scraps instead of throwing out!

Cooked something new: Didn't cook anything new for me, but did cook with my two year old friend. She wore her special apron and helped me pour pre-prepared ingredients in and to mix and put everything into the container - result. Delicious apple crumble. However she didn't eat hardly any of it. I did though and so did her mum and dad. Cooking with kids is lots of fun, but you do need to pick the recipe and be prepared.

Learned a new skill: Grafting. At Harmony Farm yesterday we had a grafting workshop and I grafted 5 different apple varieties and am now praying for them to take. They say their apples graft the best so I started with them and maybe will try pears or something stonefruit next time.

Surprise Visitors

2008-07-17T16:05:00.002+10:00

Last Tuesday I had a call from an old friend from the church I worked for in Sydney.

He and his wife and daughter were in town and wanted to catch up. Unfortunately Jo couldn't make lunch, but Adrian and Ella did. It was my first time meeting Ella, and she is adorable

I think she is eyeing off my food in this photo. Thanks for the visit guys, it was the best surprise.

Once upon a moon

2008-07-17T15:51:00.002+10:00

Hey diddle diddle

The cat and the fiddle

The cow tried to jump over the moon

but instead hit a star

fell back to earth quite hard

landing in a tree at Docklands

Melbourne...

2008-07-11T00:08:00.002+10:00

Guess where I went tonight!!!

Yep, you guessed it, guys and dolls. At the princess theatre in Melbourne. It was a great night. The cast was brilliant, lisa mcclune, marina prior, gary mcdonald, magda zobanski (so spelt that wrong) and Kenny (Don't remember his name, but he did the movie. Loved the music, the sets, the dancing. WOW.

I'm in Melbourne for a work conference, but had some time off this afternoon and also got to pop over to the Art Gallery. That was brilliant as well. I could have spent a day there and not seen it all, some amazing artworks.

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference and then I am going to stay with friends who live on the outskirts of Melbourne till Tuesday when I return to Nowra.

Catch you later...

Sassafras hike and a bonfire

2008-07-07T13:25:00.005+10:00

The other weekend I had a friend from Sydney come down and stay.
It was good to catch up with what's been going on there with friends and the Permaculture group I was involved with.

On the Friday evening we went to a Taize worship service I had heard of. It was lovely to meet with others from all different denominations and backgrounds. It's amazing how small the world is, meeting people from very different generations to me, with many mutual friends. It was a lovely reflective service, with a shared simple meal for the hour beforehand.

On Saturday Kristjan and I went out to Morton National Park for a day walk. We took the Braidwood Road from Nowra and entered the park via Sassafras. There is no sign there, just a gate, and you drive through some private property before reaching the entrance to the park. About 500m in to the walk there was a lovely campground with amenities and a covered picnic table. Most of the walk was just along firetrail shaded in some parts, like this shot at the beginning of the walk (photo was taken at the end of the day as the sun was setting) and lots out in the open, but relatively flat. Found lots of nectal filled grevillias that beat any boiled sweets or honey for flavour. Sticky sweet, and straight out of the flower.

This is the view we reached after about 1 hours walking. The landscape is much harsher than the ones I often see in photos of european blogs. Maybe not harsher, but different. It is quite dry but within it there are many microclimates, for example, we explored a little over the edge of the cliff line, in a gully where we could scramble down. Immediately you are in a temperate rainforest. This is something I love about my country and getting out into the bush. We walked to a point where a small trail went off the main one, and walked to a nice lookout to eat lunch and then return. It definately got my curiosity and I am planning to return there and do the entire walk, probably will be at least two days, but thats part of the fun.

That evening one of my colleagues was having a barbeque at her property and had invited staff and families to attend. There were two large bonfires, sparklers and lots of food. A great evening. One of my colleagues is the mother of a girl I went to school with and she was down visiting for the weekend while her husband was working down the coast so it was great to catch up with her as well.

The photo at the bottom is of Hayley's master marshmallow toasting skills. The hood is to protect her face and the marshmallow isn't toasted until the marshmallow and the stick are alight. My method is somewhat different, but it was entertaining.

Independance Days Challenge

2008-07-07T10:29:00.002+10:00

Wow, I didn't realise I hadn't posted since last weekend. I have my camera at work today so I will try and download some photos and do another post. It's been a busy week or two.

Planted: Planted out seedlings of rocket I had started, and a herb, if I remember rightly it's thyme

Harvest something: Oranges

Preserve something: Nothing

Store Something: Trying to lower the amount stored to a manageable amount - nothing new this week

Manage Reserves: Trying to only use meat out of the freezer, to create space to store leftover meals. Slowly getting there as most of it's meat and I only eat meat every two or three days.

Prepped: Dug all the Agapanthus out. Now need to remove azaleas. Started breaking up the soil slightly where the lawn was removed and planting green manure. Have hurt my back so this is not happening as fast as I would like. Hoping to do some tomorrow morning...after I take my ibuprofen :) Found contact for layer pullets. Need to order, they will be ready to pick up in a couple of weeks, 12 week old pullets, will be ready to lay come spring.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Hmm, spotted local front garden with a huge lillipilli (native berry) tree. Feeling a harvest coming on.

Reduced Waste: Organised a compost system at work for my colleagues to use. Also given my mum a compost bin, and organised a hook for back neighbours to put a bucket with scraps on as well.

Cooked something new: Kangaroo roast. I have eaten this at friend's houses but first time I cooked it myself. I think I slightly undercooked it, but it was delicious.

Learned a new skill: Not sure if I did this. I taught a friend to Crochet though. That counts I'm sure. I had started teaching her before, but now she has bought her own hook and wool and we worked out for her to make a beret like hat. She's picking it up well.

independance days update

2008-06-30T12:45:00.003+10:00

Planted: More lemon grass, native mint and marjoram. Brocolli seeds, Jerusalem Artichokes. Transplanted my first batch of lettuce from a pot where they were not growing well to the garden. Banana sucker.

Harvest something: Coriander for a soup

Preserve something: Nothing

Store Something: Hmm, this one's hard as I'm trying to get through what I already have.

Manage Reserves: Have gone through almost all my food supplies and only kept 1-2 of anything in the kitchen cupboards, moving the rest to the stockpile. My kitchen is returning to some sense of order.

Prepped: Have been digging out agapanthus from where I am going to plant my espaliered fruit trees. Went to a friends who has horses and picked up three large feed bags of horse manure.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Friend with horses also gave me some of her chooks eggs. Made contact with local cafe who have bought a block of land for a community garden and beginning to liase with them around setting up a local food forum. Whilst digging up agapanthus plants I also pulled out some buffalo grass runners. Went to list agapanthus on freecycle and as an afterthought added the buffalo grass. I had a quick response not for the aggies, but for the grass. Soon worked out the person I was talking to is a local permie I had been trying to contact, and she brought some guys around today to remove my entire front lawn. In return I will go and have a tour of her garden and get some cuttings!! She is also keen to set up a food and growing network to share excess and plantstock.

Reduced Waste: Gave away plants rather than disposed of them. Composted.

Cooked something new: I cooked a sweet potato soup I made once many years ago when first living in a share house. It was very popular but I lost the recipe and found it on a blog last week. It was delicious. I had leftovers for lunch today. Next time I want to make it with my own dried beans rather than the tinned variety.

Learned a new skill: How to get rid of a lawn. Give it away and let them dig it up.... lol

Winter Solstice and Housewarming Party

2008-06-27T14:44:00.002+10:00

Friends around the fire. I got this brazier off the side of the road and it's lovely, works best with small branches which I often pick up when walking home from work. Australian gum trees have a habit of their branches dying on the tree and then falling down in the wind. This means that just about anything that falls out of one of them is good for burning.

Please ignore Deb's bare legs and feet, and instead look at my socks, long pants, scarf and jumper. It was cold, but the fire kept me toasty warm.

My Brother was chef Extraordinaire. He did want an apron though, and this is now the BBQ apron, it's plasticcy, so you can wipe it down.

Friends, Debs and Mera around the fire

Me and my little sis Jonina

There were people inside as well, Michael and Erika my old housemates laughing at Deb's crocodile antics with the tongs.

Figured a party with a fire was a great way to pass the shortest day of the year, now I'm looking forward to the days getting longer, and the food my garden is starting to produce!!!

The Kitchen Fusspot

2008-06-26T16:16:00.002+10:00

The Kitchen Fusspot

They are, in the kitchen at least, late developers. Often genteel, effete, with alittle too much time on their hands. Meals emerge from their kitchens with a sense of expectation, each ingredient having been painstakingly sourced, every direction in the cookery book followed to the letter, and inevitable late. The meal has something of the theatrical production about it, albeit amateur dramatics, as if it has all been so, so much trouble. Which of course it has. And don't we know it.
The kitchen fusspot prepares dinner - a charming though slightly too creamy soup, meat with a syrupy, over-reduced sauce, a dessert as elaborate as an ascot hat and probably just as indigestible - while his guests get more and more hungary, not to say a little pissed.
The kitchen, once tidy enough to appear in the pages of World of Interiors, now resembles a bombsite of stacked roasting tins, saute pans and sieves.
Fusspot is almost always male. He only cooks once a month, if that, and needs endless encouragement and ego massage. The production starts several days before, with working out what to cook with the aid of a pile of cookery books of the celebrity chef variety, and a shopping list, often taken to bed. There may be a tasting of the wines to be served, many of which have come from his own cellar. The menu will be changed every day, each dish chosen for it's ability to follow its predecessor perfectly, to match the wines, to show the cook at his most competent.
The directions will have been analysed in a way the poor cookery writer never dreamed of, each line dissected and filleted and the given a jolly good roasting.

from "Eating for England" by Nigel Slater.
As I read this passage over breakfast it reminded me of some meals that have been cooked for me. I'm sure some of you will relate.

Independance days challenge

2008-06-23T14:53:00.002+10:00

Planted: Lemon grass (from local markets) Comfrey, from my friend Sue and Frilly Endive (seeds from friend Roberta)

Harvest something: Nothing this week

Preserve something: Ditto

Store Something: Coles have weekly bulk buy specials here lately. I bought 5 tins of tomatoes ten individual serves of tuna and 12 tins of coconut cream, all of which I use quite a bit through this and got them all for more or less half price.

Manage Reserves: Have made one of the cupboards in my laundy my stockpile and am going through the kitchen cupboards to keep only 1-2 of each item there and any multiples will go in the stock pile so I can manage my food better.

Prepped: I had some friends come stay on the weekend, we spent sunday morning pruning and then I spent the afternoon mulching after they left. I think in future I will keep all the long branches to use as stakes and pea trellises, but only thought of that after I had had fun turning them into woodchips.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Volunteered at our local organic food co-op at the markets. We were out of most of our bulk produce as the co-op had a stall at world environment day and obviously did a brisk trade. There were the usual free range eggs and fruit and veges from local growers but the local sourdough bakery messed up our order and lots of shoppers were disappointed.

Reduced Waste: Mulching prunings (I think I won't do the rose prunings though as I have too many thorn incidents as it is. They will have to go off property. I want to try and do a compost tea with the weeds I pulled out. I won't put grass runners into the compost, but if they decompose in water first and create liquid fertilizer I think they may actually die.

Cooked something new: Trying to think. I don't think I really cooked much this week at all. Oh, I made rissoles, and I don't think I've ever done that without my mother standing beside me telling me what to put in.

Learned a new skill: Pruning roses!! Never had them growing up, so that was definately a new skill. Somewhat painful as they were severly overgrown and I couldn't find my gloves.

A dinner party, and my trip to work...on foot.

2008-06-20T12:06:00.005+10:00

Well, two weekends ago I went to canberra to pick up furniture from some relatives. Last weekend, I had my first dinner party. It was a lovely night of delicious food and great company. Robi and Adam on the right brought a lasagne, salad and garlic bread, Tracey and Jill on the left brought dessert (cheesecake and apple pie) and Lynda brought drinks. I provided an entree of a Tom yum soup, with fish and dried mushrooms and rice noodles.

All these guys are people I know quite well from my church, but none of them really knew each other before the night. I quite enjoy introducing people and building community. Invite them, chuck them in a room together and watch new friendships grow. Whether anyone decides to catch up again apart from at another dinner party I hold, I love the fact that when they meet again they will no longer be strangers.

Also, I thought I would share my walk to work with you. This is only possible because of the direct decision I made to buy a home close to town. I am now located in a place where I literally would never need to drive a car again. At the moment I am still driving, although only to places I can't walk to. My church is a 7 minute drive away which is not realistic to do late at night. Should petrol become un realistically expensive I will either have to carpool more with others (I am already trying to do this where possible) or consider moving churches, which is not an option I really want to consider as I love my church. The other option is riding my bike, which I have bought and used now. Anyhow, also withing walking distance are all the local shops, the town's main bus station, from which I can get to the train station, the beach, and most capital cities in Australia. I can also walk to my mother's home, and numerous friends, hospital and doctors etc.

These hibiscus bushes are my first stop. They were overgrown and completely covering the path until someone who will remain nameless and is not me took to them after an evening shift (about 1am) with a pair of branch loppers. This has made the path accessible and the bushes a profusion of flowers.

The bushes are next to a doctor's surgery which has the most beautiful cottage garden, including a pathway of lavender bushes. These are always full of flowers and smell divine when the sun is out. I am planning to take some cuttings soon.

This is our central town park. Within the park is the local guide hall where I did Brownies and Guides from age 7 to 15. This park was definately part of my childhood. It has some lovely rose gardens and more recently camellia gardens which add to to park. A regret for me is that council decided to remove the waterlillies which used to cover the surface of the water. Now the ponds are much dirtier and much less attractive, and I worry about the nutrients which flow into it I believe as storm water. I have often thought of secreting a couple of plants in at night. Any one have any that need dividing???

One thing I love in our town is that local artists were commissioned to paint all the electricity boxes. There are some brilliant ones and this one is by no means my favourite, it's just the one I pass on the way to work. One has a circus theme, another cows. If I remember, I'll try and photograph some more if anyone would like to see them. It definately improves the streetscape.

This photo is one of the last parts of my walk, and probably the most depressing at the moment, a constant reminder of the rising cost of living, but also as I walk past it an encouragement that everytime I walk I am not only saving the environment, but also my hip pocket. It definately motivates me to think of ways to not need to use the car, like shopping at the hardware store in town rather than Bunnings, like riding the bike to my friends house, which is harder and takes more time, but leaves me fitter and the planet healthier.

What does the rising price of petrol challenge you to do??? I'd love to hear some of your creative ideas, and focus on what we can do to change. There's lots of fears and concerns but lets help each other find the answers.

Hannah

ps. Rhonda at Down to Earth just pointed out an interview that screened last night in Australia with Richard Heinburg, oil expert. You can read the transcript here

Independance Days Challenge

2008-06-16T12:38:00.002+10:00

Sue at Dog's Little Acre has been posting about her independance days challenge each week I think, and I thought I would try and do it too as it sets out different tasks and if I have to list it out, I'm more likely to get it done.

Here goes for last week:

Planted: lettuce, 2 varieties, turnips, kohl rabi, parsnip (although I am unsure whether this is still viable) christmas lima bean, sweet pea, nasturtium. Oh and garlic (found 4 heads on sale for 50 cents as they were sprouting. can't hurt to chuck them in and see if they grow.)

Harvest something: Parsley

Preserve something: Lemon Curd

Store Something: Rice. I am eating a bit at the moment as part of a challenge with Tear fund australia.

Manage Reserves: Have found all stored food from when I lived in Sydney I think and am trying to manage using it all up so I can start preserving fresh produce.

Prepped: Bought reclaimed steel spikes for holding up retaining wall and star pickets from council tips buy back centre. Picked up old logs from family's old house to use as retaining wall for new garden. Just need to drill holes through them and get them in now.

Worked on Local Food Systems: None, but will be this coming weekend.

Reduced Waste: Composting non shiny paper in the compost. Using old coffee cups (paper) as seedling pots. Mulching with dried out lawn clippings.

Cooked something new: Lemon Curd, see above. Tom Yum Soup. with fish and dried mushrooms (entree for Sat night dinner party)

Learned a new skill: Can't think of anything for this week.

Lemon Curd (Mmm)

2008-06-16T11:57:00.003+10:00

This photo from here (I forgot to take a photo last night)

I made lemon curd yesterday and though I would post the recipe

2 lemons zest and juice
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons butter

basically whisk constantly while bringing to the boil, (you don’t want eggy bits cooking on their own) and then lightly boil for 5 mins and pour into clean warm bottles. This amount makes one bottle but you can just multiply the recipe to make more. It was very easy and quick to make, only about 15 mins work all up at a maximum.

I got this off a blog (can’t remember who sorry) and thought I would make it as I had homegrown lemons from my grandpa to use up and free range eggs in the fridge and the markets are on this weekend so I will be getting more! The smaller butter method will keep in the fridge for a few weeks and and they said if you want to keep it longer replace the 2 teaspoons butter with 2 table spoons of butter and it will keep up to 12 months unopened and then the same.

Can’t confirm the storing ability, but can confirm the yumminess. Great use for eggs and lemons. A friend and I had some on banana bread yesterday and it was delicious.

There will be more posted tomorrow with developments at my house...so long as I can get a photo taken in the morning. You have to guess what of!

Hannah

Fireworks

2008-06-12T16:59:00.003+10:00

June long weekend is a special weekend in Canberra. It is the only weekend of the year you are legally allowed to let off fireworks. This year was the most restrictive ever, with fireworks only going on sale Friday morning and only to be used between 5 and 9pm saturday and sunday of the long weekend. It's a Public holiday in honour of the queen's birthday, although it isn't actually the Queen's birthday, please don't ask me to explain that one.

My grandparents had some furniture they were giving me and my friends were doing fireworks so I thought I'd combine the two trips into one. It actually turned out to be a very productive trip. Firstly because my aunt and uncle had a bunch of furniture they gave me as well, photos will come soon after it's all set up. All told I was given a three peice lounge setting, a coffee table, a dining table, five chairs (to match three I already had and make 8 in total, a rug for the garage, a heater, some blankets, some books and some home grown fruit. There's more I have to pick up another time.

It was also productive in that I was able to catch up with lots of people who are important to me and spend time with them. I drove the back route 4WD through Nerriga (unsealed road after the rain = lots of fun, but I only did it unloaded and came back via the sealed road) and visited a friend who is building a low impact house there. I had lunch with my Grandma and we went shopping. I stayed the night with aunt and uncle and spent some good time with them. I went to church with a friend from Sydney who has moved to Canberra and caught up and encouraged each other. I spent time with my Grandparents on the other side. I caught up with three of my cousins and with a bunch of friends. And then on the way home stopped in on old friends from high school youth group days.

This is Xavier, my surrogate nephew, he loves this jumper and it's right next to the kitchen, keeps him amused while mum is busy cooking.

Me with my gorgeous cousins. We had the couch outside in the driveway to watch the fireworks.

My cousins playing with sparklers. I love special effects. We had goes at writing our names but the shutter didn't stay open long enough.

The boys setting up the fireworks. We all took turns lighting them, even my young cousins (with close supervision.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend, Now I just need to recover!!!

Around the house

2008-06-06T12:09:00.003+10:00

This is the delicious cauliflower soup I made this week.
Cauliflower, potatoes and onion (and I added two turnips) chopped up and put in the pot.
Add a tablespoon of oil and 1/4 cup of water, heat until bubbling then cover and cook on medium for ten minutes. Veges should be steamed and softened, but should not be dry.

Add tblsp grated ginger, crushed clove of garlic, 3tsp turmeric, tsp ground coriander, tsp cumin seeds s+p and cook stirring on med-high for two minutes (this is the point at which the photo was taken. The veges all got more yellow still. Then add 1Litre vege stock and simmer 20mins. Puree before eating.

This got praise from all my siblings, my brothers girlfriend and friends. (and I thought it was pretty good too.

The other night I made Risotto and there was some left over so I made some risotto balls. Just got some mozzarella and put a small piece in the middle of a chunk of risotto and molded it much like a meatball, then rolled them in breadcrumbs.

I think traditionally they would be deepfried but instead I sprayed them in light oil and baked them while a cake was in the oven. Delicious fresh and reheated. Great way to use leftovers.

In the growing challenge I have some sprouts emerging from my seed trays. Broad beens lettuce, and peas of some kind (I can't remember if they are snow or ordinary.) I also planted some more and mostly things I haven't grown before: pidgeon peas, chicory, thyme, dill, warigal greens. Can't wait for them to come up. I do need to get some silverbeet in too, as it's so good in winter.

I'll also explain my potting cups. These are the cups you get coffee in, and I get all my coworkers to rinse their cups out and keep them for me, I then rip the bottoms out and fill with potting mix and seedraising mix. They do need to be in a sealed container such as an ice cream container or plastic tray to keep the soil in but by the time they are planted out the roots generally are holding all the soil together.

Because they are waxed they do not wick the moisture away from the plants like the newspaper pots can sometimes do, and when they are planted out they provide a small barrier to protect tender young seedlings from the slug attacks that used to decimate my plants. they then gradually breakdown and add to the organic matter in the garden.

Now I have to wait for the ground to dry out a little, (it's been raining since the weekend) so I can prepare some more garden beds to plant out all these plants.

Also on the weekend I went out to our local tip which has a buy back centre and found a perfactly good electric mulcher. I have been thinking about getting one of these for a long time, but the cost was prohibitive. This was only $15 and was thrown out a branch was jammed. The tip manager just dislodged the branch and hey presto as new mulcher.

I promptly went home, got a cord to fit and mulched some weedy trees. I believe they are a native legume so I will use thema s mulch and in the compost. I also picked up some cheap concrete reinforcing wire. One of the sheets I have set over the broad beans and will support them as they grow. I simply folded it into an a frame shape and the wire was cut off with spikes that I pushed into the ground.

You can see the broad beans have grown a lot since the last post You can also see my sexy gumboot (there are two) that I got in new zealand. There is another sheet of wire I will use to grow the snow peas on and then I'll have to go back for more.

Day at the abbey

2008-06-04T16:52:00.003+10:00

I spent Friday night and Saturday at the abbey at Jamberoo. This was the abbey that featured in the recent tv show however, I have been visiting here since I was in high school. I am not catholic, but I am contemplative in my spiritual journey as a christian and have found it a blessing to visit and spend time with the nuns here.

This weekend was a Taize retreat day. I went up the night before as I like to visit the abbey and spend time in the grounds and in quiet, and love the early service at 4:30am. It's really special to wake before the world does and walk under the stars to the chapel which is lit only by candles and gather with others to pray for the day.

The retreat day was also great, joining in song and prayer and having sessions run by one of the nuns and the chaplain who is a carmelite priest. The theme for the day was silence, about making space to listen, to engage with the world. So often the noise of the world can drown us out, and we need to still ourselves. That may be simply turning off the TV, lighting a candle, or just engaging with those around you. I am inspired to practice silence more.

Actually one interesting thing was that I didn't feel as much of a difference going there as I normally do. It usually feels so different to be still and quiet. However I think not having a TV has allowed me to be a bit quieter and listen to those around me, listen to God, listen to myself...

The drive there is lovely, along the coast of south eastern Australia. I was going to post a photo but it didn't load up. Have a lovely night all.

Rock Climbing and Rock Shifting

2008-05-27T14:48:00.007+10:00

Had a wonderful weekend. The Princess Warriers (adventurous part of the women's ministry at church) went rock climbing at Wollongong on the Saturday.

This is my good friend Mera climbing one of the walls...
And my other friend Debs belaying her (her job is to make sure Mera doesn't fall) I splurged on a pair of sherpa rock climbing shoes which were on sale from $140 to $60 in my size. (I had been borrowing another friends but hers were actually a size too small)

We had to stop at the Berry Donut Van. These are the best donuts in the known world. They only make them to order, and they really are good.

See the fatty goodness :)

So to make up for the cholesterol, I not only climbed rocks, but shifted them. I need to put in a retaining wall to build my next vege garden, and there were some bricks at our old house I was going to use, but then I saw the rocks which were meant to be garden edges years ago sitting in a huge pile in the garden and decided to use them. After loading about a third into my little barina hatchback, I had to unload a few as the exhaust was nearly dragging on the ground.

It took three loads to move them all, and they are bordering my driveway at the moment, I'm unsure as to whether to build the wall with or without concrete. While I was at the old house I also found some self seeded parsley and coriander and transplanted a few to my new house, and the parsley has already been trimmed to go in last nights dinner.

I am still going to bring the bricks, planning on paving a small courtyard area at the front of the house, building a firepit at the back and also using them to pave some paths. Picked up a load this morning before work, but a few more trips to go. It is using petrol, but as I am not paying for them and am recycling old bricks I think it's worth it, and it's only a three minute drive.

On the hot water front, I am getting a solar hot water system. I had some plumbers come around to do quotes and one has given me a set price for solar which is less than instant gas to buy and install with the local rebates (Renewable Energy Certificates, Federal and State.) Bonus also being my hot water is heated primarily from the sun's energy. They will install an electric booster for when there is not the solar power to heat the water which will work by only heating half the tank. They also came yesterday and took out the old tank and installed a temporary tank that will stay until the solar system is in. They are my new best friends!!! I had a long soak in the bath last night in celebration of there being hot water.

Lastly, my roses are still blooming a week away from winter. I pruned all the dead branches out and they are growing more flower buds. I'll have to wait longer to give them a hard prune. They are lovely greeting me each day as I walk home.

Water feature? inside my house

2008-05-22T17:35:00.002+10:00

The joys of owning a new old house. Now for me but old. Structurally it's very sound but somethings are past their useby date. The paint in the kitchen for one. The hot water system for another. While I was planning to replace this in the next year, I wasn't planning on doing it in the first two weeks. However, I woke up to a water feature in the hous, As there is a drain next to the system the damage is very limited, but I couldn't turn the tap off to the system and had to turn the mains tap off. So no toilet at the moment. Going home to try a shifter on it, and the plumber is coming around for a quote first thing in the morning, and if I haven't turned it off by then he will do it for me.

I am going to replace it with an instantaneous gas system. It's environmentally cleaner, and will use much less energy as I only heat the water I need, not storing large amounts ad infinitum.

On the gardening front, I planted my onion sets this morning, behind the broad beans (hoping they companion okay. After I planted them out I realised the mains was turned off so I used my saved washing up water. Then thought they would die without more, so I went and met my neighbour Dan, who seems like a nice neighbour to have (and he has a mandarin tree that's overflowing.) Street community here we come!!! He said he tried to visit another day and say hi when he saw the car there, but I wasn't home. That's the wonderful thing about living in town. I don't have to drive the car most of the time.

Gardening and Food - What more could you want!

2008-05-20T16:04:00.004+10:00

Also on the weekend I had a friend over for dinner. My second guest. And my fridge arrived, so of course we had to go and buy ice-cream. :)

I cooked a baked caseroley thing. Sliced up one onion, two potatoes, two carrots and a parsnip and added lots of cherry tomatoes from the garden, a cup of vege stock and then put four marinated kangaroo steaks on top and put them in the oven. Cooked for around and hour on a medium heat, delicious. I think Kangaroo is my favourite meat at the moment. In Australia it is really the meat that makes sense in being environmentally friendly. They don't compact the soil like cattle and sheep, they eat native grasses (keeping them trimmed preventing bushfires) and they don't require as much water or care. I also think that the quality of meat we get is much better and cheaper than the quality of beef and lamb we get in supermarkets. And I got these reduced to clear so half price the normal price.

For dessert we made up some chocolate muffin mix, but I read the recipe wrong and we put too much water in and worried they would be puddingy we made them in some coffee cups I had.....

perfect!

This morning I planted some more, after wrestling with a huge IVY plant growing THROUGH my fence from next door. It's so rampant I think I'll have to speak to them/weed kill it or it's going to damage the fence. I then dug the weeds out of the back garden and planted two rows of Broad Bean seedlings (not yet from seed I know, but something new) I also have a punnet of red onions that I'll plant out tomorrow.

I thought I'd show a photo of my Kaffir Lime tree now...

I watered in the broad bean seedlings by hand (watering can was a Christmas Present from Mum a few years ago. My siblings thought it was a strange gift, but it's been wonderful. Also fished out a rectangular basin from the garage I use for paper making to put in the sink for washing up so I can recycle the water onto the garden and it fits perfectly!!!

And lastly another photo of Choc muffin coffee cups, and my friend Deb, because they were so yummy, especially with Creme Brulee ice cream...

The Growing Challenge - Kaffir Lime

2008-05-19T13:27:00.002+10:00

I had a great weekend, my first in the new house, and took the advantage of mostly good weather to do some gardening. I have not put any beds in yet, so am limited in what I can do, but I went to the nursery to buy seed raising mix and came back with a Kaffir Lime tree. These are lovely trees and well suited to being in a pot, so that's where mine is at least for the moment. Later on it may go into the ground. There were a couple of large pots left when I moved into the house so I cleaned one out and potted it up into that, with my compost!!!! (The first lot I have ever successfully produced.) It was watered and left to grow.

The good thing with Kaffir Limes is that you don't have to wait for them to fruit to use them. Many Thai and asian dishes call for finely sliced Kaffir Lime leaves. They are predominately used for their leaves and zest, as they do not have much juice, but the juice can be used again. They are easy to recognise because of their double leaves and are usually grafted onto some reliable rootstock. I was careful to pick the one with the strongest looking graft and lots of bunching branches rather than a straggly looking one.

When looking for a photo for this post (as I forgot to take one) I found out that they are useful in green cleaning as well...

"Kaffir lime shampoo leaves the hair squeaky clean and invigorates the scalp. It is believed to freshen one's mental outlook and ward off evil spirits. Kaffir lime has also been used for ages as a natural bleach to remove tough stains. When I was growing up, mother did the wash entirely by hand, and nothing worked better on stubborn stains than a few drops of kaffir lime juice, mixed with a sprinkling of detergent. Not only does it clean effectively, it is inexpensive, natural and sweet-smelling. For rural villagers, a single kaffir lime tree supplies enough limes to keep the whole house and family clean.

In folk medicine, the juice of kaffir lime is said to promote gum health and is recommended for use in brushing teeth and gums. The essential oils in the fruit are incorporated into various ointments, and the rind is an ingredient in medical tonics believed to be good for the blood. Like lemon grass and galanga, the rind is also known to have beneficial properties for the digestive system."

(From this website)

Kitchen Colours

2008-05-16T15:26:00.003+10:00

So, I really don't like the colour of my kitchen. Not that they are terrible colours, they just don't really fit with the rest of the house. In the middle picture of the previous post you can see the walls are discoloured and the cupboards are a bright blue. The dining room which is just off the kitchen is a gentle dark pine green colour with a very matte finish, and the blue just clashes.

So I want to paint it. I was originally thinking Paprika type red, like the feature wall in this computer generated image, with a sort of yellow background. I then remembered I had some vintage Laura Ashley Wallpaper from a garage sale that was used in kitchen renovation and they bought one roll too many. I grabbed it and found that it matches the paprika colour perfectly, however rather than yellow, it has a light olive green as the contrast. Much like the wall on the left of the picture below.

I'm thinking about keeping the walls beige/white and then painting the timber trim and cupboards olive green and the cupboard doors paprika, and the space between the cupboard and the benchtop on the right of the photo putting the wallpaper.

Please let me know what you think, other ideas etc???

Ps, i have to go, my fridge is being delivered.

Unpacking and Planting

2008-05-14T13:19:00.004+10:00

See the sold sticker. I had to leave it up to take the photo. Now I can't take it down because I hurt my hand, more on that later.

Spent most of this weekend moving house. It was great weather (Thanks God) and had help from wonderful family and friends who I couldn't do without, especially mum, brother and his girlfriend and deb :)

Above is my kitchen, however it won't look that way for too much longer. I have ordered a fridge to fit that space. Should arrive early next week. Also I am going to repaint as that colour scheme doesn't really fit the rest of the house. I am thinking Paprika kind of colour for the doors and white for walls, Unsure about possibly adding some light orangy yellow for the wooden features, corner shelf just visible on the left and the window frames. Suggestions????

The paint is so thick I think it will be a bit of work to get it off. Perhaps scraping rather than sanding? The other thing I am thinking about is replacing the kitchen sink and it's unit as it is really quite old and decrepit, and the drawers are too small and not on runners. Brother's girlfriend works at a kitchens place so might talk to him about it. Cost will be a factor, the bank balance needs to stay healthy at the same time, and there's a mortgage to pay now :) Maybe I'll just repaint and wait and see.

Below is the sunroom, which needs new curtains or ideally blinds but is lovely and warm, but lots of ventilation for summer. Shade will eventually be provided by my almond tree which is on order for winter (Growing challenge). Thanks to my sisters boyfriend for use of his ute pictured in the background, and my work colleague for hers (not in picture)

Well, I couldn't handle moving in and not planting anything, so I went down to the nursery and bought a small punnet of lettuce seedlings which I planted in a pot out the back, so I can pick some food soon. There are a few cherry tomatoes left as well from previous tenants planting, and some oranges ripening on the trees.

Thats all for today....

Happy Gardening

Hannah

Moving house and a new challenge

2008-05-08T16:41:00.002+10:00

First of all, I am moving house this weekend. My house settles tomorrow and I am going to pick up the keys in the afternoon and start moving. Organising services to be connected today and a colleague is lending me her ute to help move. I am on the phone connecting electricity and gas and organising friends and relatives to provide their brawn and muscles to help with the move.

I did a final inspection this afternoon to check on the property and all seems in order. The only thing I need to do when I move in is get some electrical work done and paint the kitchen.

Got to head off now, but the other thing is that I have joined the harvest keeper challenge on Path to Freedom. The aim is to preserve the food we are growing. More soon.

Land of the long white cloud

2008-04-29T11:05:00.001+10:00

I have been away from the computer for a few weeks now, travelling by campervan through the south island of new zealand. Have just spent the morning at the ashford centre (home of the said spinning wheel and lots of other goodies. I'll be home in a week or so, but those of you who pray please lift up my housebuying, banks wanting expensive checks and things they didn't ask for at the beginning. Talk soon Hannah

Colo River Fun

2008-04-10T16:15:00.002+10:00

I spent last weekend at Colo River with one of my closest friends Rae, her baby boy Xavier, her husband and their housemate and my Mum. We stay at a private holiday park that I am part owner in, kind of like a time share. It's a beautiful part of the world, just north of Windsor in the Hawkesbury northwest of Sydney. The property has about 30 cabins that owners can stay at and a private beach, playground, tv rooms and sporting areas. The best thing is that there's no mobile coverage, so it means you really do get away from every thing.

I find that life is so busy and full of information that to stay healthy and sane I need time away. Sometimes this is at a Benedictine Abbey, sometimes it's hiking in Wilderness Areas, and sometimes it's Colo river. Kayaking up stream with only the birds to keep me company.

Having friends there with me was really special. We spent lots of time drinking tea, reading and being amused by Xavier's antics. He's really a happy little boy, only cries when he's due for a feed or tired. It was a great blessing walking around and doing things with Rae as she had a difficult pregnancy becoming almost bedridden and having to use a wheelchair for much of the last 10 months. She's a walking talking miracle!
And so is the little guy. This was his favourite toy of the weekend. It's the strap from the picnic blanket he's sitting on.
We even took him kayaking in the baby harness on my front, as Rae had enough trouble getting herself into the boat, but loved it anyway (Xavier didn't like it as much :) He also made it very hard to paddle. We also visited the markets in Windsor which were lovely, the plaza was full of stalls with lots of homemade crafts and food.

Shopping Tote Swap

2008-04-08T14:01:00.002+10:00

This is the cute Shopping Bag that Susan made for me in Rhonda's swap. It is lined with Bright orange material and has a cute pocket on the outside. I think it's one of the bags styled after the plastic shopping bag design. I haven't used it yet, but will take it shopping tomorrow as I'm having some friends round for dinner. She received my bag a few days ago and liked it as well.

I've bought a house!!!!!!

2008-04-04T12:47:00.002+11:00

It's official, I am buying this house. I signed the contract yesterday, and I paid the deposit at lunch today and as I write this I expect my solicitor should be exchanging the contracts. It's all very exciting, but I feel more relieved than excited right now, I just was not looking forward to having to look for another house and going through all the stress of inspections and negotiating a price.
It is a solid brick house, with a sunroom added on the back and a new steel fab garage out the back. It is three bedrooms, and has two living areas, plus a seperate dining room. The bathroom is redone, but not the kitchen, although I'll be looking at repainting initially rather than putting a new kitchen in.

It's a great block, the house is set with the living areas to the north and the garden areas are all north facing too, and on a north facing slope so should be great for growing. At the front the brick wall is about 5-6 foot high, (I can't see over the top of it) and I see great potential for a courtyard mandala type garden here with some espaliered fruit trees and a garden seat.
The back is also on a slight slope and there is already a chook run which needs a few repairs behind the garage. The car won't be allowed in the garage of course, it will be some storage and then a workshop/creative area. Oh the possibilities, I'm even thinking of planting some of my growing challenge winter seeds now before I can even move in. Then they will have time to grow before I move in so there is food straight away. actually there are already a couple of citrus trees (not in great health though) a paw paw, a grape vine some herbs and millions of cherry tomato plants. (I have been going around there and picking food already :)

Saving seeds and so much more (Growing Challenge)

2008-04-03T14:00:00.003+11:00

So....Why was I in Gulgong???

Because the national seedsavers conference was there of course! About 50 people from Australia and overseas met at the Gulgong showground to be fed the delicacies only the show society wives could dream up (think homemade scones with homemade jam and cream, homemade lamingtons - far cry from the packaged variety, lunch plates with over 15 types of food on the plate, and all of it delicious, oh and trifle for dessert)

Oh and there was the whole seed thing. Seedsavers was set up my Michael and Jude Fanton and supports and teaches seedsaving in australia and around the world. I am part of my local seed network in the Shoalhaven where we distribute seeds and other plant stock at the Tomerong Markets each month.

We had some great speakers, David Murray on Genetic Modification - widely known Australian Author (I had actually borrowed one of his books from the library the week before and was surprised to realise he was the author, and that he only lives an hour away from me.) Peter Andrews was another speaker who was brought to Australia's attention through an ABC program Australian Story (I remember when presenting for Permaculture at the Royal Easter show last year everyone talking about him (you can see an excerpt from the show if you click on his name) I watched the show and later purchased his book, in which he talks about Natural Sequence Farming, his way of studying the hydrology and nutrients in the land to amazing results.

We also had workshops on developing local seed networks, saving different kinds of seeds, both edible and native. Sue Pridmore, a local from near the Gulgong area came and did some basket weaving, which was intrigueing. I have decided that after I work out weaving on the loom, it will be my next project.

My friends and I camped in the showground under the cattle yard roof without tents and this was the view from my sleeping bag when I woke up....

Utter Bliss! New friends made, and lots of exciting seeds swapped to give me lots to plant as soon as my house is mine....Please pray for the sale to go through this week, I am signing the contract today but the solicitor needs one more piece of information before I can exchange and the owners are starting to grumble about the time it's taking.

Historic Gulgong

2008-04-01T15:51:00.002+11:00

I visited Gulgong this weekend. It was for a purpose which I will talk more about tomorrow, however just thought I'd share some photos of the town. I got up quite early on Sunday morning and went for a walk.

This is a beautiful building, says it is art rooms, not sure if that is a studio or a gallery. Gulgong is the town where one of Australia's most famous poets, Henry Lawson lived.
I just loved this little chook run with it's ladder up into the shed with small gum trees shading it from the hot sun. If I was a chook I'd be happy to live there.

(oops, forgot to flip it around) An older house in Gulgong, just caught my eye. I wonder what that house has seen, the children who grew up in it, the marriages, the fights, the laughter and the tears, the hopes and dreams (in a mining town, probably often unfulfilled.) If houses could talk....

We'd all want to shut ours up.

It's true though that houses are more than the space we occupy, they are memories, they are happy times and sad.

Lights off....thinking caps on

2008-03-28T15:37:00.005+11:00

I, like many others will be participating in earth hour tonight. This was started in Australia last year and picked up by many, to the point where this year it has gone global. The idea is that for one hour (8-9pm friday 28/3/08) as many people, businesses, govt depts turn off all lights and non essential technology.

There has been some criticism of it claiming to have reduced emissions by so much depending on how many people sign up. My understanding of this is that it takes a few hours to switch a powerstation down and then similar time to start up again and if they do not know exactly how much less will be used they can't really cut back the power production.

I personally see this event as a part of a growing recognition by people and communities that things need to change. It's exciting that people are getting involved. However, if all people do is turn their lights off for one hour a year nothing will change. Instead use this time as a household to brainstorm ways of reducing your emissions, your waste, and your energy usage. Look at ways you can get involved in your community, in lobbying govt for change. Be creative. If this doesn't build momentum for change then why bother.

I personally will be enjoying earth hour over some candles and a bottle of wine with my friend Sue in her strawbale house talking about the national permaculture convergance she has just been to. Better finish work quickly so I can get there sooner. Talk later. Hannah

Eco House

2008-03-26T16:59:00.002+11:00

On the way home from the hike we dropped in on a friend. He and his wife have a property in Nerriga which is inland from Nowra on an unsealed road to Canberra. There is a little cottage where we shared a cup of tea and saw his rough set up with car batteries powering a 12 volt lighting system and his portable dvd player, and gas used for cooking and refrigerating, but only when they are staying there.

They are building their dream home, and once finished plan to live there almost full time, but a lot of the preparation and work is being done by him and I think he really enjoys being a hermit in the bush, but was still glad to show off the house.

They have excavated large areas visible in the bottom photo, the house will be on two levels and once completed the earth from the excavation, currently in piles at the top of the hill will be pushed back over the roof and native grasses grown.

This first photo is of their water tank, the structural parts internally are made of reinforced steel with concrete brick surrounds and once complete will be filled with concrete and the timber frames removed. this is done because the house will be built on top of it. They are planning to use solar power for lighting and heat pumps to heat water and provide air conditioning in summer at the same time. They have a worm farm and reed bed system for sewage and then using the water to irrigate the fields down by the creek where they may look at growing some of their food, although it looks like it will be a battle against the critters, white ants demolished their orchard that was her 50th wedding anniversary.
It was great to actually see the place after hearing about it for a long time.

My house process is continuing, just waiting for all the red tape of title searches and bank approvals and valuations, all of which are not concerning, just time consuming. . . more updates soon.

Easter Hike

2008-03-26T16:18:00.005+11:00

Went on a lovely hike over Easter Long Weekend with a group of friends from my bible study at church. There were six of us, and we headed off after the morning service on Good Friday to Wog Wog, an area of Morton National Park on the south coast of NSW. It took about an hour to drive there and then a four hour walk through ghostly gums and rock monoliths

We camped at a place called cascades, so named because of the lovely...cascades there, swimming was enjoyed by the braver members of the party, myself included, and did a good deal to wash away the sore muscles and make you feel alive (around 15 degrees celcius and colder out than in.)

A picture of the group around the campfire, with my lovely tent in the background. I didn't get to sleep in it though due to the gender mix, and I did miss it a lot. Had a lovely dinner and sat around the fire as the mist settled in for the night telling stories and drinking tea before heading off to bed with a nalgene bottle full of hot water.

My friend Frances took this photo of the gum trees and I thought it was just beautiful, the dampness in the air makes them really come alive in their colours and kept us comfortable while walking. This area can be very difficult to walk in in hot weather as you can very easily become dehydrated. No danger of that on this walk though, and we enjoyed walking as it kept us from getting cold. (I must add a note that the weekend before I spent in balmy sunshine only half an hours drive away from here sunbaking and snorkelling for hours. - gotta love the weather)
And here is Gareth, a hiker on the rock. A small arrow led up the hill and around the back of this huge rock monolith of conglomerate stone, lookes like millions of giant pebbles stick together with dark concrete and lovely to climb. I feel so priveleged to live here, and to have health that enables me to get out in God's creation. For me this trip was as much my Easter worship as any church service could be. The bible says that all creation honours God and as I walked once again through this area I could not but agree.

The Growing Challenge

2008-03-19T14:20:00.005+11:00

I have decided to join Melinda's growing challenge. I was going to wait until I was somewhere I could start planting, but when she said she was so close to 100, I thought I could join and start planning my planting. I know that's always a good idea :)

The garden challenge is that you commit to growing at least one thing from seed this year that you have never grown before. You also have to write at least once a week about how it is going (or growing). There are now at least 98 people joined and Melinda writes a report on some of the gardens each week.

You have to identify your zone. I went to this website which is part of the Botanic Garden's website, and you can look at other interesting things, like records of native plants and their uses amongst other things. It says that my zone is 3-4 in Australian standards. One of the good things on this site was that it showed a comparison for American zones. In USA I would be in zone 10-11.

The difficulty is that a zone is a large area, and you may find micro climates in that zone, or even on your property created naturally or artificially to grow things with very different requirements. For example to grow something that is frost sensitive in a colder zone, I had a lemon tree growing in my house in Parramatta, Sydney which frequently had frosts through winter, but as it was in a north facing spot and had a mango and a lilli-pilli sheltering it above, it fruited all year round. I think the best way of working out what grows well, is as the author of that site says. Look at plants with similar growth requirements. If lemons can grow where you are, then look at the zone requirements for lemons, and then you should be able to grow other things within that zone.

And my own challenge? I would like to try some eggplant this year which I have grown from seedling but never from seed. I would also like to grow more varieties of lettuces, Pidgeon Peas, and banana passionfruit, which I remember my grandmother growing at the back door of her house when I was much younger.

Until I can start planting. I will plan to post some of the techniques and ideas I have learnt about gardening over the years, some permaculture techniques and propogation techniques. Until then, happy gardening.

Hannah

Termites and Mortgage Approval

2008-03-13T15:47:00.003+11:00

These are termites, actually the flying variety. Unfortunately the damage they can do is .....

This!!!!

The pest inspection found termites, fortunately very localised, in one spot that I had noticed some decay, and in the extension part of the house, not the original part which would worry me more. I am now in negotiations with the owners through the real estate to drop the price by the amount treatment will cost, or for them to carry out treatment. If not treated, the whole house could fall down in a matter of years - that doesn't really appeal to me. If treated, there should be no further damage, but it is costly.

The good news I just received is that the bank has conditionally approved my mortgage, conditional on a valuation of the property, to make sure it's worth what I'm paying for it, so if the I can't pay and they foreclose they'll get their money back. I understand that. But they're not going to get a chance to foreclose.

It's really hard to not jump into planning and buying too much, but I am getting very excited. I have bought one item, which was a single futon from Ikea that I have wanted for over 6 years, and stopped myself by rationalising that I didn't have the space and didn't want to lug it around. Now I am going to have a study/spare room hopefully in just a few weeks, which is quite small, so it will be great to have in there, and is really comfortable to sleep on. I have also made arrangements with a friend for some Barnevelder chickens, an heirloom breed. I know, I know, nothing else, nothing else. I am going to post this and then sit on my hands and tell myself to wait until I have a contract.

Dreaming of a Quarter-Acre Lot

2008-03-10T13:29:00.003+11:00

Well, actually I'm no longer dreaming, and the quarter acre is more and eighth of an acre, but all things aside, I am buying a house - Well, that's the plan. I put this picture in as I feel like I've just taken on almost more than I can handle, and that's just all the paperwork to get the house.

I moved back to the sizable town I grew up in from the big smoke of Sydney last year for a number of reasons. My mum had found out she needed further cancer treatment, I needed to move house (and rentals in Sydney are a nightmare) and I missed the coast, and the outdoors.

I was looking at purchasing a property within a year, however decided to wait until mum had finished her chemotherapy to start looking in case she was not doing well and needed assistance with her own mortgage.

Then in January I think it was my housemates (a married couple) decided to start househunting. I was intending to move with them and continue paying rent and helping them out, however the house they found while lovely has no garage. (currently my house full of stuff is in storage in half the garage where we live.) I realised that I would need to get a storage unit if I was to move with them so decided to start looking at properties. First few were dismal and in poor repair.

Then my brother mentioned that one of my sisters had been around at his place looking at houses for her and her husband to do up. He had seen one that he thought I should look at, and had called the real estate to find out that the house was vacant and I could go round that evening and look from the outside and if I liked it arrange to look through it.

That happened just a couple of weeks ago. I didn't realise just how stressful making an offer on a house would be. Wow! At last we reached a figure we could both agree on and then I arranged for building inspection. That happened today and I got the go ahead from the builder!!!

Next step pest inspection and Mortgage approval and then I'll have a house. This is just a little bit daunting and very exciting. On the weekend after I calmed down from the offer being accepted I realised that by the time I move into the house, it will be almost a year (2 months off) from the time I moved. Funny how time flies.

I haven't posted a lot about gardening and living because it's hard when you share a house with people who have a giant dog and digs up all the garden and rips apart your plot. The house I am hopefully buying has a northerly aspect, some established fruit trees and vegetables from the last tenant and potential for so much more.

I will continue to post as the process goes on. Please keep me and the house in your thoughts and prayers if you have time that all will proceed without issue and I'll be able to move in soon.

Hannah

Baskets of Flowers - a teacosy pattern.

2008-03-05T14:08:00.003+11:00

Just posting a photo of the tea cosy I made for Sarah in the swap at Down to Earth. I crocheted the flower and put a mother of pearl button for the middle of the flower. The teacosy is two squares stitched in basket stich with rib stitch at the top and bottom to give it the stretch it needs to go around the teapot.

I thought I would post the pattern in case anyone would like to make one like it.

For this size Teapot the pattern I made was:

Cast on 36 stiches using 3-4 size needle. (This can be increased by multiples of 4)

Rib Stitch

(Knit one Purl one) repeated to the end of this row.
Repeat for 14 rows.

Basket Stitch
(a)(K4 P4) Repeat to end of row. Repeat for four rows.
(b)(P4 K4) Repeat to end of row. Repeat for four rows.
Continue (a) and (b) until you achieve the desired length.

Rib Stitch

(K1,P1) Repeat to end of row. repeat for 6 rows.

End off. (This is the top)

This is one side. After you have made a matching side Sew them together up the sides approximately 3-4cm (depending on the placement of the handle of the teapot) and across the top from each side approximately 2cm. Embellish or not as you desire. You can knit a plain layer to increase the insulation and attach this inside or use a piece of felt or flannel (but this will limit the stretchability of the cosy). Sarah lives in the warmer parts of USA so I didn't think this would be necessary.

Hannah

Tea Cosy Swap

2008-02-28T11:25:00.002+11:00

This is the beautiful Teacosy I received in Rhonda's last swap at Down to Earth. Sarah from New Mexico gave it to me, and it arrived intact. I love the different blue fabrics, I made an offer on my first house this morning and it has a blue kitchen. More about the house soon. Anyhow, so the colours are perfect. I love the detail of the words tea and the little teapot ornament. Sarah also sent the great chilli fabric. She is from New Mexico and it's pretty hot there :)

I knitted my tea cosy for her, and forgot to take a photo so hoping she emails one to Rhonda.

Pay it Forward

2008-02-19T14:54:00.003+11:00

I have joined the Pay-it-forward giveaway, and am going to receive a gift from Bittersweet Punkin (thanks in advance) Now I am going to pay it forward...
Here's a chance to get a surprise from me, on a surprise date, in the next 365 days. Here are the rules:

1.~Leave a comment on my blog that says you want to play. First three folks to comment and PLAY will get a gift from ME. (If I don't know it already, let me know how I can contact you, an e-mail is fine.) EDITED: I did not say the item had to be handmade...just a surprise prezzie....

2.~Do the same thing on your blog! The first three folks who leave a comment and commit to doing this on their blog, too, will get a surprise from YOU at a surprise time in the next 365 days!This should prove to be fun.....and interesting.This is a great way to make new friends too.....let's see what happens.Just copy all my..pic and all..and use it on your post.

At last, Sorry.

2008-02-13T12:31:00.004+11:00

Today was a very special day for Australia. This morning in parliament and broadcast live across the nation, the Primeminister apologised to the Aboriginal People, and the Stolen Generations for the systematic removal of children from their families for the eradication of the culture, language and identity as a governmental policy until the 1970's.

There is a misconception among many people who believe that this was done because the children were being neglected or abused, and while that may or may not have occurred in some of the situations the facts are that there were official governmental policies to remove children to eradicate the aboriginal "problem"

Brisbane's Telegraph newspaper reported in May 1937,

Mr Neville [the Chief Protector of WA] holds the view that within one
hundred years the pure black will be extinct. But the half-caste problem was
increasing every year. Therefore their idea was to keep the pure blacks
segregated and absorb the half-castes into the white population. Sixty years
ago, he said, there were over 60,000 full-blooded natives in Western Australia.
Today there are only 20,000. In time there would be none. Perhaps it would take
one hundred years, perhaps longer, but the race was dying. The pure blooded
Aboriginal was not a quick breeder. On the other hand the half-caste was. In
Western Australia there were half-caste families of twenty and upwards. That
showed the magnitude of the problem (quoted by Buti 1995 on page 35).

By the 1930s Neville had refined his ideas of integrating Indigenous people into non-Indigenous society. His model was a biological one of `absorption' or `assimilation', argued in the language of genetics. Unlike the ideology of racial purity that emerged in Germany from eugenics, according to which `impure races' had to be prevented from `contaminating' the pure Aryan race, Neville argued the advantages of `miscegenation' between Aboriginal and white people.
The key issue to Neville was skin colour. Once `half-castes' were sufficiently white in colour they would become like white people. After two or three generations the process of acceptance in the non-Indigenous community would be complete, the older generations would have died and the settlements could be closed.

The local protector of NSW, James Isdell, supported the mission's concern to rescue `waifs and strays from the bad contaminating influence of natives' camps'.

The half-caste is intellectually above the aborigine, and it is the duty of
the State that they be given a chance to lead a better life than their mothers.
I would not hesitate for one moment to separate any half-caste from its
aboriginal mother, no matter how frantic her momentary grief might be at the
time. They soon forget their offspring (quoted by Dr Christine Choo submission
385 on page 14).

In 1927 Dr Cecil Cook was appointed Chief Protector and Chief Medical Officer of NT. He was the first full-time Chief Protector since 1914. Cook was preoccupied with the continuing increase in the numbers of mixed descent children, foreseeing `a danger that half-castes would become a numerically preponderant under-class, in conflict with the white population of the north' (Markus 1990 page 92). Cook's solution was similar to that proposed by Chief Protector Neville in WA, namely, the absorption of people of mixed descent.

"Generally by the fifth and invariably by the sixth generation, all native
characteristics of the Australian aborigine are eradicated. The problem of our
half-castes will quickly be eliminated by the complete disappearance of the
black race, and the swift submergence of their progeny in the white ... The
Australian native is the most easily assimilated race on earth, physically and
mentally" (quoted by Markus 1990 on page 93).

the Governor-General stated in August 1996,

It should, I think, be apparent to all well-meaning people that true
reconciliation between the Australian nation and its indigenous peoples is not
achievable in the absence of acknowledgment by the nation of the wrongfulness of
the past dispossession, oppression and degradation of the Aboriginal peoples.
That is not to say that individual Australians who had no part in what was done
in the past should feel or acknowledge personal guilt. It is simply to assert
our identity as a nation and the basic fact that national shame, as well as
national pride, can and should exist in relation to past acts and omissions, at
least when done or made in the name of the community or with the authority of
government ...
The present plight, in terms of health, employment,
education, living conditions and self-esteem, of so many Aborigines must be
acknowledged as largely flowing from what happened in the past. The
dispossession, the destruction of hunting fields and the devastation of lives
were all related. The new diseases, the alcohol and the new pressures of living
were all introduced. True acknowledgment cannot stop short of recognition of the
extent to which present disadvantage flows from past injustice and oppression
...

ONe thing I feel strongly about is that the policies regarding the Aboriginal people were not to protect the children from harm so much as protect the purity of the European race. What happened in Australia to the Stolen Generations is Genocide

Genocide is defined by the International Criminal Court and the United Nations as,

... any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or
in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: a. killing
members of the group; b. causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; c. deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to
bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; d. imposing measures
intended to prevent births within the group; e. forcibly transferring children
of the group to another group (article II).

I am glad that our government has acknowledged this, and I applaud the Labour government for following through on the Bringing Them Home Report Working and living in the Redfern community and growing up on the south coast of NSW where there were numerous children's homes has deepened my respect for the Aboriginal People and the struggles they go though. I hope, as the Prime Minister said that the apology given today will help remove a great stain from the nation's soul and in the true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land Australia.

I pray that we will learn to give every person a fair go, regardless of the colour, creed, or gender. I pray that those who have been sceptical about this apology will change their minds. I pray for those who have been touched by these policies and grown up hurt and lonely and confused, for those who were abused, beaten, demoralised and isolated. I pray that you will have peace, and that this apology would start to mend the wounds in your hearts.

What will I make???

2008-02-08T14:11:00.000+11:00

I went to the op shop today to get an apron (for preparing wool for spinning) and found a whole lot of quilting fabrics for a bargain. They were all done up by colours and I bought a blue one which I have shown here, and a green one, which has some lovely fabrics too. I also got a ball of pink cotton yarn for making more dishcloths, I am on my third at the moment, inspired by Rhonda, but the cotton I have was too thin so I have started crocheting them. I like this as I don't have to focus too much on what I am doing, and can make them while chatting to my mum, or last night at the bushwalking club meeting. People are always surprised that someone under 60 is making something by hand which frustrates me.

Home made things do take time, but they give me a sense of satisfaction, of pleasure, and purpose. That I can contribute to the economy with more than my credit card (Which I only use as a debit card, and a regular amount of my pay goes into it each fortnight) I also love giving a gift that is handmade, it says I have thought about and put time into this gift. Anyone can run down the store and buy a present, but something made by hand speaks volumes to me.

I also finished and sent off my Tea Cosy for Rhonda's swap to Susan in New Mexico, I did knit that one and crochet a flower to go on it, but wrapped it up before I remembered to take a photo. I'll have to wait until she gets it and sends a photo to Rhonda to go on the Blog. Now I just have to wait for mine to arrive.

I am already thinking about what to make next with these fabrics, but I will wait until I have finished the project I am working on now.... Or maybe not, who needs one project when you can have ten!!!

Spinning around

2008-02-07T16:11:00.000+11:00

I have spun my first wool. So exciting. I went along to the local spinners and weavers group last year and began to learn to spin. You have to spin two bobbins of wool and they ply them together by spinning them onto a third bobbin the opposite direction to which you spin them individually. This creates the tension that holds it together and stops it from unravelling.

At my first lesson I learnt how to comb a shorn fleece and how to spin the wool, but had to wait until last saturday to learn to ply. Not really that hard at all compared to the spinning part. I now have a lovely bobbin of wool ready to wash and then make something.

For anyone interested in spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, crocheting (hmm they're good at cooking too!! I can definately reccomend you contacting your local spinners and weavers if there is one. Jam packed with people ready to share the skills they have. The local group offered me a spinning wheel on loan, gave me some fleece to get started with, and are always willing to answer silly questions.

At the meetings they always have a show and tell, and this meeting one woman had been to a felting workshop and brought back some examples of her work, from front to back it is a scarf, a hat and a bag, all so colourful and fun. I love the colours of the bag in particular and the softness of the texture.

Another lady is very creative with needle felting, and creates exquisite animals, especially Australian natives. The photo below is of a bilby she was comissioned to make by another member of the group for her sister who lives in Canada. It is being entered in the local show this weekend, and I'm sure it will take out a prize.

Moss and Rocks and Falling Water

2008-02-06T14:02:00.000+11:00

On Sunday I went for my first walk with the Shoalhaven Bushwalkers. We went to Granite Falls, a spot just south of Nowra on the South East coast of NSW (Australia) About half an hours drive from where I live.

It was a tough walk, all off track, walking through bush that is essentially untouched, taking navigation from creekbeds and ridges identified in the maps we had. I loved it. We walked across the top of the falls to start and then down a ridge to the creek in the first photo. We stopped here for morning tea and then spent an hour walking up the creek to the base of the falls. The area around this spot is famous for it's beautiful sandstone and very distinctive mountains, the budawangs. Granite falls however is as it's name might suggest, made of granite. It is spectacular, with the water falling to one level and then over another, and from the base was breathtaking.

We then walked down the creek to where it joined a larger river, and there was a great swimming hole where we stopped for lunch and to refresh ourselves.

We then fought our way back up the river against lots of undergrowth and back up the hill to where we had left our cars. Although walking in this way is probably a lot harder, I find it so rewarding in that I am going somewhere possibly no-one has ever walked before, somewhere special. The places you go that are hidden from most of the world but are so amazingly beautiful, remind me that there is a God, and that he created the world. Every bit of it is spectacular, even the parts that almost no-one looks at. And all that you can do is stand in awe and breathe .... Thankyou.

2008-01-23T12:34:00.000+11:00

I have decided to join Rhonda at Down to Earth in her challenge to give 3 gifts back to the earth this year, I hope I will continue with this forever, and I am sure that I will get used to living without these things.

I pledge to never again use a polystyrene cup, and to lobby the groups I am involved in to do the same. I will take my own cup if I plan to get takeaway coffee or do without. I will not buy disposable picnicware and I will not buy food packaged in polystyrene. This will require thinking ahead, going to the butcher as well as to the supermarket, but should be a fun challenge.

I Pledge to not accept a plastic bag, except where required to wrap meat. This will be harder I think as there are so many times you don't think about the plastic bag, eg Around the grapes at the supermarket, I am not sure if I will be able to cut out all plastic bags that are packaging on food, but I will attempt to do so. I have a friend who opens the supermarket packets after she pays for the items and pours the food into her own containers and gives the plastic back, I want to see if I can do this, but where possible I will shop at my local food co-op. It's only open once a month so this will be more difficult, and they have a very limited range.

I pledge to not buy bottled water. The energy costs in this are so extreme, when the water in our taps is more than adequate for drinking. I will not throw out the bottles I do have, but will refill them and use them rather than buy any new ones, and will use the nalgene type unbreakable plastic bottles that I have for hiking.

I want to continue to simplify my life and recognise that it is not an easy thing to do in a world where we are pushed to produce more waste. I will try and be accountable if I slip up and share any interesting events that occur in the pursuit of my gifts to the earth.

Hannah

Violet Sea Snails

2008-01-22T16:24:00.000+11:00

I have been reading an amazing and inspiring book called COLOUR, a natural history of the palette by Victoria Findlay. It has been amazing to read as she traverses the globe seeking the natural sources of the colours that define the world we live in. The chapter I am reading at the moment is the one on Violet and it is amazing to read how these snails were found that exude purple pigment that can be used as a dye. Hundreds of years ago the women would send off their men with skeins of cotton to the coast of mexico to an island where these snails live. They would search for the snails then blow on them so that they release the pigment, smearing it on the cotton which turned green and then purple and then released the snail back to the sea.

At one stage a japanese company won the contract to collect the pigment, however when the locals found out they were killing the snails they caused such an uproar that the contract was cancelled and returned to the local men.

Some of the dyes and colours were so valuable that painters could only afford to use them if their patrons bought the dyes for them. Other colours were poisonous and caused the painters to become sick, but they were so passionate about achieving the right colour, that they continued using the paint regardless.

It was only very recently that synthetic dyes were discovered, but their relative cheapness has meant that almost all of the natural dyes are rare or extinct now. I remember as a child playing in the yard of my neighbours house, collecting the different coloured clays that were dug up as their pool was put in and making paint with them. They seemed somehow more special than the bright paints that came out of the tube. I would love to paint again with the ochres of the desert of Australia, creating the sunburnt land with colours that have been forged by the earth. I have done some natural dying of wool which was amazing, using different mordants to create greens and blues from barks of the eucalyptus trees that grow here in Australia.

Hmm, I think I might need to get out the paints. The world looks better when it's purple.

Hannah

I've been away

2008-01-16T16:06:00.000+11:00

Hello,

I thought I would just explain my leave of absence for those who come to my blog. I am around, but life has been very hectic with the holiday period, some leave during which I led on a camp for highschoolers in my local area, (http://www.campconqueror.org/) and my mother starting her chemo therapy program. She has unfortunately discovered that the drug's ability to exacerbate the effects of exposure to the sun (some 20-30 fold) can in fact act retrospectively. She is now suffering from third degree burns to her shoulders, arms and legs as a result of a seaside stroll three days before her last batch of chemo. Please keep her in your prayers and thoughts, we are praying there will be no lasting damage on the use of her legs especially due to scarring, and tell people you know going through similar treatment to be careful.

I am looking forward to this saturday going to our local markets at Tomerong this weekend, doing some shopping and helping at the seed savers and the local organic food co-op through the day. It's a wonderful local market where there are lovely people to make friends with, food to eat and bargains to find, and a chance to talk to people about living sustainably, especially in regards to the food they eat. In seed savers we grow and save seed from heirloom varieties of vegetables and fruit in order to preserve their existence and also encourage people to grow varieties that thrive in the local climate. Our local group gives away seeds and seedlings grown from those seeds with donations welcomed, and helps people with questions that they have about their gardens. We are affiliated with the seedsavers network www.seedsavers.net which was started by michael and judy Fanton and run courses and a seedback in northern new south wales, in Australia. Their handbook is a great resource for anyone interested in growing and saving seed, and also has instuctions on how to use some of the more unusual varieties. I can highly reccomend it. Does anyone have any unusual or rare species that they grow, perhaps we could do a swap? (unfortunately this would be geographically limited due to customs and quarantine restrictions.) I think I could swap with anywhere else in Australia but WA?? Correct me if I am wrong.

8 Things (Tagged)

2008-01-16T11:43:00.000+11:00

8 Things I Am Passionate About
My relationship with God
My family
My friends
The young people I work with
Growing and cooking my own food
Permaculture
Creativity
Encouraging those in my life to live more simply and more fully

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
Travel through Africa
Get married
Have Children
Own a stripey cow (or goat)
Hang-glide
Write a novel
Have no regrets
Explore as much of Australia as I possibly can.

8 Things I Say Often
I love you
I miss you
You’re Cute
God loves you
The world is better when it’s purple
I think I need to go to the beach
So…How’s stuff?
Is anyone up for a bushwalk…rockclimb...surf…insert word here

8 Books I've Read Recently
The bible
The o’Malley Series
Whitethorn (Bryce Courtney)
Mao’s Last Dancer
Colour
Cookbooks
Burning up Eddy
Trauma and Recovery (for work)

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over Again
To God be the Glory
How deep the father’s love for us
Amazing Grace
Healer (Mike Guglielmucci)
Hillsong
Probably most songs from musicals
Hallelujah Chorus
Calvary (Torniquet – I think)

8 Things that Attract Me to My Best Friends
Sense of Humour
They encourage me
They inspire me
They teach me things
That I can be myself with them
They value things that I value
They like me
They love God

8 People Who Should Totally Do This
http://duaneraegreen.blogspot.com/
http://simpleaussie.blogspot.com/
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/
http://emilyswhatsoeverthings.blogspot.com/
http://aspotwithpots.blogspot.com/
http://www.lintrezza.com/blogger.html
http://danceofsmallthings.blogspot.com/
http://avisionsplendid.blogspot.com/

2007-11-23T12:42:00.000+11:00

I wanted to write a post on the benefits of flowers and water. This is a shot of my friend's front yard. She owns her lovely home, and I am still sharing while I am looking for a place to buying and continuing to save. The benefits of flowers and water in your garden are significant.

It makes it a pleasant place to be. This is not an ordered garden, It just grows as plants self seed or as she puts cuttings in and tends them. I am sure that some of these were there before she moved in. Some people want ordered gardens, I am more of the casual look, but can appreciate an ordered garden as well. My grandparents have every different plant in it's own bed and seperated from the next species. Whatever it is your garden needs to be somewhere you enjoy being. Put some ornaments, mosaics etc around. I love having a place where I can hang a hammock under a deciduous tree, it can shade me in the summer and be a warm sunny place to sit in winter.

It brings life into the garden. Flowers and water attract insects who come and perform an essential role in pollinating your fruit trees and vegetables. Many birds also come to eat insects, nectar and hide in the safety of the plants from predators. Kate from Our Red House (see links at the side) has just written in her blog about a nest of baby birds they found in their garden. Growing up we had a family of magpies who would generally produce at least one set of offspring each year. We had a bird bath and natives with flowers outside and could watch as first the parents sought food for the baby and later brought it out to learn to fly.

It keeps your garden healthy. Many of the insects who are attracted to the flowers you are growing will assist in managing the pests in your garden, rather than you needing to resort to a chemical spray which is dangerous for you and your family, and kills off the good insects as well, leaving your garden more susceptible to attack.

If you can build a small pond, you will possibly attract frogs into your garden, who are great company and also great at managing your pests, especially the slugs and snails, which can be harmful for chickens in larger numbers.

Hmm, that's all I can think of for now, but if you can add anything please comment on this post. Ta and talk next week.
Hannah

A book with a view

2007-11-21T16:01:00.000+11:00

I also wanted to share today about a great book I am reading. Back from the Brink by Peter Andrews. His story was shown on Australian Story earlier this year as a follow up to a story done a couple of years ago and when I was on the Permaculture stand at the Royal Easter Show this year probably 30% of people were talking about this story. I watched the show on the internet (either youtube or the ABC website - can't remember) and was challenged by his ideas, that fit in with my own. Recently I was in the post office and saw his book for sale, and had to buy it. Then I had a nice surprise when I went to pay for it and it was half price.

I had an early meeting this morning and had some time before work so I took the book down to the river and read for a while. He is talking in the bit I have read so far of his observations of the different conditions at two properties his family owned, one very rural and large and dry (a few thousand acres) and the other smaller (50 acres) and irrigated and fertilised. He noticed that the stock on the irrigated property would deteriorate and there were stock losses from illness, whereas stock on the other property occasionally died from thirst or fire but did not require the level of maintenance. Gradually he came to an understanding through observation of the properties and travel to America and England to look at horse properties there that biodiversity and no tilling made a difference to the ongoing success of the property. I loved the remark he quoted from an english farmer that pasture was not healthy unless it had over 40 and preferably closer to 80 species of plants growing in it.

From watching the show I know that there is more to come about him buying a property that was very run down, saline and eroded and applying what seemed crazy techniques to most other agriculturalists but as the photo on the cover of the book shows he was able to bring land that was dead back to life, and his farm is a green belt through a surrounding brown landscape.

Just thought I'd share a photo of where I was reading. Nowra, the town where I live, lies along the Shoalhaven River, which is a beautiful river in the Shoalhaven. It is lined with rocky cliffs with some of the best rockclimbing in Australia until the town where it opens to a flood plain. Where I was sitting was just at the end of the cliffline and there is a lovely spot that catches the morning sun with a comfy rock to sit on.

Visiting Port Stephens

2007-11-21T09:31:00.000+11:00

I was in Port Stephen's for a friend's 60th birthday on the weekend. He's the one just behind me (Roger) and Ainsley his wife is in the background. My mum and I drove up there Friday afternoon, dropping in on the way to my best friend from junior high who I had not seen since then and had lost touch with after she married while I was overseas and relocated. We got back in touch with each other through myspace (thank god for the internet) and arranged to meet as she lived on the way to Port Stephens.

On Friday night there was a formal dinner and I was surprised that of the people sitting at the table I knew all bar two personally (out of ten) and had expected to know only a handful of people in the whole party. One couple were pastors of my church in Sydney I have recently left to move down the coast and their son. They were there because they started the church of the same denomination that my friends attend. Then there were a bunch of men who are all leaders on the scout camp that my friends have assisted on for years and that I went to help at this year as well, and then two men from the church (Oh and my mother) It was really nice to have that interconnectedness, and a small reminder that our huge world is not so big and definately not so far away. I love meeting new people and have made some new friends on the weekend as well, gradually as my world becomes bigger, the world as a whole becomes smaller, and places and events have more meaning because of the connections I have there.

I remember hearing that there are seven degrees of separation between everyone on the planet. Eg I know someone who knows someone who knows someone etc etc etc who knows anyone else in the world. I was thinking about this and about who would be someone who it would be hard to know. My first thought was - the president of the united states. I thought about it and realised there are only three degrees of separation between me and the president of the united states. It may be more between me and some people but in general I believe the gap is small. Between me and the Queen of England there is only two, as both my sister and my grandfather had personal encounters and conversations with her when she had a visit here when I was younger. I say this not so to namedrop but to think and to challenge us all to think about our connectedness. The more we are connected surely the better the world will become.

Anyhow, I had a lovely weekend. Above is a photo of us sailing on the bay in my friends yacht and below is the view from the restaurant where the dinner was held. The world is a beautiful place.

Having an impact.

2007-11-13T16:21:00.000+11:00

We have an election coming up in Australia, everyone's favourite time of year. Someone was saying today that shops are claiming their Christmas shopping is down because of the election, but I don't believe that. I personally would go shopping to avaid having to watch the endless screening of political backstabbing and attack that invades the television at this time.

However, I then thought about the potential to have an impact as an individual at a time like this. A lot of people prefer to do their world changing one seed at a time in their backyard, however there is an amazing opportunity for people who care about sustainability, the environment, the value of families, and workers rights to stand up and be counted. Politicians are out in the community holding forums and get to know you sessions. Why not try talking to them about the things that are important to you.

I think it's great to get out there and lobby your council and your politicians for the things you want to see, be it green waste bins, rebates on green power, community gardens. It may not happen, but then again, you might plant a seed, or be the nth person to talk about that issue and tip it over the edge.

I think a good way of raising an issue is letter writing. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper and send a copy to any councillors, politicians etc that you can locate, and then follow it up with a phone call. I have done this on a number of occasions and have seen people take notice of it. Make sure that your letter is brief, to the point and you back up your argument. Most newspapers like to have different topics to print.

Good luck and let me know if you are successful, or if you have any other ideas for ways of having an impact.

Making Aprons

2007-11-12T16:17:00.000+11:00

I am hard at work at the moment making my apron for my swap partner Bren. This is the second swap I have participated through Rhonda's Blog "Down to Earth" which you can link to through the links on the left hand side of my blog. I am really enjoying working with the fabric I bought to make it something with beauty and meaning and not just something practical.

I really like aprons, but I like the ones with bodices as well as skirts. There is something special about putting on an apron when you get ready to cook or clean, or to go and pick vegetables from the garden for dinner. I have a lovely babushka doll apron that is my favourite to wear. My mum got it for me at some markets on a holiday once, and it has lovely colours and fabrics. A friend of mine has a lovely hand appliqued apron with birds and dragonflies that she has never used because she likes it too much (it was made for her as a gift). We decided she should use it for a peg apron, as then it will not get very dirty.
I found this picture of a patchworked apron that I would like to try copying, I like the idea of incorporating those skills of beautiful handywork into something practical like an apron, that takes it from being something to keep the dirt off your good clothes, to a thing of beauty in itself.

An apron was the very first thing that I made on a sewing machine with my mum, learning how to hem and to decorate it. It was green with a pattern on it, but I can't remember what. It was a waisted apron, which I probably wouldn't make now, but I was very proud of it at the time.

Aprons speak of working to me, but working with purpose and passion for a house you care for and a family and friends that you love. It speaks to me of not being afraid to get your hands dirty, to make a mess, to be creating. It says I am happy in my home and in my family. It says that doing the little things well are important.

Mountains in the Mist

2007-11-09T13:08:00.000+11:00

I had an amazing weekend. Met with some guys from the outdoors club at my uni and went down to the Budawangs (a wilderness area with great bushwalking and lots of mountains) which is out of Milton on the NSW south coast, about an hour south of where I live. It was forecast to be wet, which didn't stop us, but did mean that I forked out for a proper hiking rain coat - a goretex. It cost a bit, but really was worth it.

The first night we stayed at the campsite at the carpark for the start of the walk. First thing in the morning packed up wet tents and headed up the mountain. It was wet, misty, foggy but lots of fun. You initially walk up straight towards the castle, a huge mountain with a rocky top which was the aim of our walk but as you get closer, other mountains appear. Walked up a narrow ridge to the base of the cliffline through forests with the ridge dropping off dramatically to either side.

Once the cliffline is reached the vegetation changes and we found ourselves walking through dense scrubby plants walking over small creeks and past breathtaking views. Breaks were short as the weather was not inviting and in fact, the cool weather made it much easier a walk than the previous time I had been there in a 36 degree heat wave. At this stage you do not walk much higher, rather follow the cliffline around the mountain to the otherside, where the mountains really unfold.

We dropped our packs in a cave and went exploring through monolith valley, a protected wilderness area that is full of rock topped mountains, monoliths (huge towering stones) and deep pockets of rainforests. We walked through to the other side and it looked as though we were standing on the edge of the world as the fog was blocking out the mountains which I knew were there, only 400 metres away. We went back through the valley, locating a beatiful natural stone arch and other spots where my breath was once again taken away before we left the valley to cross the last section before the climb back down to where our packs were. Problem. The mist was so thick that we couldn't see the surrounding mountains which are normally a wonderful guide to the meandering path. Shall we say it took a while to get back through that misty, swampy and disconcertingly darkening valley. A few prayers were offered up and at long last the boys listened to me (lol - it's actually completely true) and we made it back.

We reached our campsite just as dark approached, cooked dinner and soon afterwards went to bed.

But the weekend didn't end there, In the morning when I un-zipped the tent there were blue skies. Just a few metres from where out tent was was the lookout from where both the first and second photos were taken. The misty one about 15 minutes before the other with me in it. The same mountain top is visible in both. It really was magical to watch the mist and fog swirling around the mountains with only the rocky peaks sticking out.

After breakfast we packed up and headed back up to the main track from the campsite and then spent the morning climbing the castle, a very famous bushwalk in our area. It requires quite a bit of climbing and scrambling to get to the top, including a few places where ropes are placed, but nowhere you would need a harness. Once you get to the top it's about 500 metres to a kilometre across the top which is covered in dense scrub and lovely circular rock pools with frogs swimming in them across to the opposite side where you get this view.
The big mountain in the front is Byangee walls and it's the same mountain as was in the other pictures but from a very different angle. Looking at both of them gives you a bit of an idea of the height of the mountain we climbed. I think it's around 870 metres up. The pointy mountain in the distance is pidgeon house, another slightly easier bushwalk that is frequently attempted, and has ladders installed to get up to the top so less climbing is involved.

After grabbing some lunch back at our packs, we took a shortcut through a tunnel that involved passing all the packs through the tight spots, and then a long walk back down the mountain. I have spent the majority of the week recovering physically, and thinking about where I will go next.......

Am also working hard on my apron for the swap on Rhonda's Blog (see the link to "Down to Earth" on my blogroll on the side) I am making one for Bren in the US of A and very excited.

Pink Balloons

2007-11-01T16:01:00.000+11:00

Today I went to the funeral of my friend's mum Lyn. She has been struggling with breast cancer for 11 years and this monday gave up the fight after developing a serious brain tumour. My friend was her full time carer for over a year as her capacity to function gradually decreased, but never her love of life or her family.

Everyone was asked to wear pink, which is the colour that represents breast cancer research. It was lovely as Lyn had planned her own funeral about a year ago, and her biggest instruction was that she wanted it to be fun, no sad funeral for her. My pastor conducted the funeral and decided to talk about the colour pink. He even rang up the cancer council to see why they chose the colour pink - yes it was because pink is a girls colour!!! He gave out pink kit kats and tim tams (both Australian chocolates, which have been made with pink fillings as a fundraiser for breast cancer research) and talked about the artist "pink" She has a song that says If god was a DJ, Life is a dance floor, Love is the rhythm, You are the music. If God is a DJ, Life is a dance floor, You get what you're given, It's all how you use it.

It was a challenging week for me as my mum has just had a mastectomy and has been fighting breast cancer for almost 4 years now. Things look good at the moment, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. We know that over then next 6 months she will undergo some really vigorous chemotherapy and then need to be driven 3 hours each day to receive radio therapy as our city does not have a linear accelerator (we're lucky - people up to 2 hours south of us have to drive 6 hours return for the treatment.)

We each only get one life, and we don't know what life will serve us. We can't control that. The only thing we have control over is ourselves, how we respond. Do we get scared and shy away, give up and lose hope. I choose to live, to believe, to take steps like eating well and exercising that give me life, to try and live with no regrets, never pass up an opportunity to do something new.

My challenge to you is to do something new, it might be a bit scary, but it's likely going to be really fun as well.

Go horseriding,
Learn to dance
Play a new sport
Explore a bushwalk/trek and find a beautiful bushwalk
Make a new friend
Learn to sew
Try a new recipe
Do some volunteer work
Work in a soup kitchen
Offer to babysit a friends children to give them some time alone (or together)
Paint a picture
Go for a swing at the playground
Join a choir
Go see a musical/opera/play etc
Go to a day spa

If you do one of these, or something else, please let me know and tell us about it, and have fun.

The Art of Bottling

2007-10-26T09:45:00.000+10:00

This week I spent a lovely evening with some new friends bottling pears. It was a lovely night and a great time to get to know them better, enjoying a lovely wholesome dinner with some wine with the sound of bottles clinking in the background. Looking out through the north facing passive solar windows at the darkening bush enjoying the small things.

For those who are interested I use a fowlers vacola system which is an Australian system of bottling fruits and vegetables. It uses a glass bottle designed to fit a rubber ring and corresponding lid on top of the rim. A clip holds the lid and ring in place during the cooking process, and as the bottle cools down a vacuum seal is produced that will keep fruits for about 12 months.

I grew up eating fruits preserved in this way for sweets my entire childhood when we went to my grandparents (my parents didn't give us sweets very often so this was very special) but I never saw my grandmother making them. Last year some friends asked me to came around for a night of bottling and in much the same way they showed me practically how it is done. Shall we say I was hooked.

I bought some bottles at op shops and garage sales and then had the idea of speaking to my grandparents, who had a spare bottling unit and gave it to me complete with thermometer, more jars and stainless steel lids (very exciting as these can be reused, whereas cheaper-tin lids can only be used once or twice.

So when I was catching up for coffee with some new friends and they mentioned they had gotten a unit second hand but were too afraid to use it because they didn't know how, I suggested we get together and have a bottling night. I went to the local wholesale fruit market and asked how much a box would be. one box was 18 kilos which was a bit much for us to do in one night, but they were happy to sell me a half box for the same amount per kilo (about half the advertised price.) It pays to ask and to get to know your shopkeepers. Hopefully once I buy a property I won't need to but fruit to bottle, but until then I still buy fruit, making sure it is on special and in season so that I get the best price for the best quality. Things like pears and quinces and stone fruit are very seasonal and ideal for bottling because you can't buy local all year round.

We spent an hour or so peeling and slicing and packing the fruit into the bottles and then filled them with water, placed the rings and lids and clamps on and stick them in the stovetop unit and left them to simmer away while we cleaned up and then enjoyed our dinner. We had energetically peeled more pears than fit into bottles so we stewed some up in red wine, raw sugar and cinnamon served with double cream for one of the most delicious desserts out.

My bottles don't look quite this good ( and I don't have enough people to eat this many yet) but I'm working on it. And I have some more bottles of pears to open - just whenever I feel like. I have new friends who I'm a lot more friendly with, and that was a blessing.

Love to you all til next time. Hannah

PS, my mother has just had surgery for a mastectomy, hoping this is all that's needed apart from the dreaded chemo and radiotherapy. If you have a faith please hold her up in your prayers.

BLOG ACTION DAY!!

2007-10-15T11:04:00.000+10:00

Today is world blog action day, an idea that was generated to say what if people all over the world could unite today to talk about one of the most important things in the world, the environment.

My journey in relation to the environment has been quite a long one. I grew up in a family that loves the outdoors, we had a very large houseblock by Australian standards for town dwellers and gardened and went bushwalking and camping frequently. My grandparents were all keen gardeners growing up during the war and in hard times and they produced a significant proportion of their food theirselves.

My family was also a Christian family and through my own growing faith and reading of the bible I came to an understanding and conviction of our great responsibility to steward this amazing planet which sustains and provides for us.

During my time at university I became more politically involved and aware, understanding more about how decisions are made and I guess, becoming more sceptical about the political systems. For me coming across the idea of permaculture was a lifechanging experience, as for me, it just made sense. Permaculture is about designing systems that work with nature and with the experience of nature to be sustainable. It involves gardening, house design, community networks and governance if you want to as it is a design system. It was developed initially by two taswegians (Tasmania is the island state just south of the mainland of Australia) and is now studied, practiced and taught all around the world.

For me i love the idea of working with nature and not against it to provide food, shelter and warmth, I love the fact that it is a positive movement, that is rather than protesting about things it doesn't agree with it is about offering alternatives, applying changes step by step. For me I don't have to be an island unto myself, I value relationships and learning off my friends, whether in person over coffee or working together on someone's garden or over canning up seasonal fruit, or over the wonder of the internet.

I am now known as the hippy to my family and friends, but I haven't made these changes in my life because I am afraid, I think fear can only incapacitate, not empower. I am afraid for the future of the world, but I also have hope that there is an alternative to the destructive way we are living. I live this way because I have tried small changes and found my life to be richer and more enjoyable. I get satisfaction from the food I cook and from preserving food, from harvesting food I have grown myself in soil I have helped create through composting my waste. I love creating things that I wear and use with my own hands, and I love the friendships I have made through this way of life. Slowing life down a little is very powerful.

Signing off, Hannah

Spinning Around

2007-10-12T09:47:00.000+10:00

I have wanted to learn to spin for a while now, and was in a craft group (part of the permaculture group I was in in Sydney) where others learnt to spin but at the time I was working on some weaving. So when I recently moved back to the South Coast (of NSW) I thought I might look into it some more.

A friend at work told me she learnt to spin at a day course half an hour up the coast, but when I called them they are no longer running the courses. I tried to contact spinners and weavers locally but couldn't get onto one group and another met during the week which was impossible for me due to work commitments.

Then the other day I went to the new exhibition at the local art gallery, and it was an exhibition of works by the spinners and weavers. I met some of the members and found out that the local group meets on a Saturday and the next meeting was the coming Saturday. I went along and met a great bunch of women, a couple of men too, although they weren't spinners. They showed me how to comb a fleece and how to spin and offered to lend me a wheel to practice on until I buy one.

One lady had just had her sheep shorn and sold me a fleece to get started on and off I went to pick it up, however on the way there was a garage sale, and I found an ashford spinning wheel very similar to the one in the photo, (my camera won't hook up properly at the moment) This one only had a single treadle, but is very simple and compact to fit in my small hatchback. I had a go at spinning on it and it was fine so I ended up with my own spinning wheel. I could only justify it because I had learnt to spin that morning and I had told myself I wouldn't buy a wheel until I could spin.

I am really enjoying spinning, either watching the television or talking with friends and it really is quite meditative, and satisfying as you see the bobbin fill with wool. It's a lovely sound as well and the lanolin on the fleece is beautiful and soft on your hands. Next time I go I am going to learn how to ply....and then make something.....more then.

Sprouting with Joy

2007-10-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

I was introduced into a simple and easy way to make your own sprouts at home by friends in my permaculture group in Sydney and now that it is getting more towards salad weather here in Australia I have gone and bought my supplies from the local health food store and started. I bought chickpeas and mung beans, you can buy these from your local supermarket if you prefer. I then soak them overnight in a bowl of water (lukewarm but not hot) Then they go into the salad spinner. If you don't have one of these I reccomend it, it's great for washing lettuce and fruit before putting it in the fridge as it removes all the water that helps grow mould so they last longer. This isn't the same as mine but it's a similar idea, you have a basket inside a bowl and the basket is spun around like a centrifuge or the spin cycle of a washing machine using a handle on the lid, a push button or a pull cord.

So place you soaked sprouting grains and beans in the lettuce spinner and give it a good spin. Then eery 24 hours minimum, wash the sprouts in fresh water and spin them again. They are ready to eat when you see them starting to....sprout! Sprouts are delicious in sandwiches, salads, blended up with some tahini for a delicious dip, you name it.

Sprouts are highly nutrition, they can be grown locally year round, which means less embodied energy, and they are a great source of protein and vitamin C. A sprout is a seed starting to grow into a vegetable and can be made from the seeds of vegetables, grains, legumes, buckwheat and beans. And they are delicious. I will try and post a photo of them once they are ready to eat in a few days.

Introducing Me!

2007-10-08T14:11:00.001+10:00

I thought I should post a photo so you know who I am.
Cheers
Hannah

Starting somewhere

2007-10-08T12:42:00.000+10:00

This isn't really a start, because it's just an addition to the journey, I hope some people might join and be a part of over time. It's called swirlyness because swirly was already taken, and a good friend and I often wish each other a swirly day. Not a happy day, because most days aren't 100% happy, but swirly for me speaks of something that is joyful no matter what comes your way. It is full of colour and light and hope and life.

I had a swirly weekend. I am housesitting for a friend from work and last week two cats went missing, on the weekend I found one quite paralyzed from a paralysis tick and is now in the animal hospital having treatment. This was stressful and still is as the other one is still missing.

Yet also on the weekend I ran into my sister down town accidentally, I leant to spin and straight afterward happened accross a secondhand spinning wheel at a garage sale at a great price, I had some good friends round for dinner, I had a friend from Sydney call to tell me she was down my way looking at and we caught up for lunch. Altogether a most lovely weekend. Hope yours was too.

Hannah