Sun day

How I love a Sunday!

The day lies open before me.  No expectations.

I postpone my planned soak in the tub.  Later.  I may get grubby yet...

Time beckons, not threatens.  The sun shines with warmth.  A pretty dress kind of day.

Will I plant new seeds for winter growth? Will I empty beds of spent summer growth?  Reacquaint myself with the spinning wheel?  Endless options.

Rag rugs to continue, ponds to dig.

Or books.  Books read to children; or a novel in the hammock with no-one but me....

And then my bath.  Once my passions are sated.

On Sunday time is my friend.

Change

In permaculture it is often said that within a problem is the solution.  David Holmgren's classic example is, "You don't have a snail problem, you have a duck deficit.".

Today I've been thinking about the fact that the answer to climate change is in the term itself.  Change.  We need change.  We need a change in government attitudes and policies.  We need change to the consumerist attitudes and indulgent lifestyles.  We need change to the way we produce and source our food.  We need major change and we need it NOW!  There is not one of us that could not make some type of change to reduce our impact on the situation.

Luckily lots and lots of people are aware of this.  Yesterday, 21st of September, saw marches all over the world.  There were huge amounts of people turning up to local marches and calling for climate action.  Yay!

Our environment group didn't hold a march.  We decided to do something a bit different.  We decided that rather than march, we would encourage people to address climate change at a personal level. We sat outside a local supermarket for four hours and sewed shopping bags.  They were made from recycled material and we gave them away for free.  We hoped to encourage people to stop using plastic bags which are so harmful to our environment.  With the bags, we gave a flier listing various easy ways people could address their personal impact on climate change.

It was a fun morning and we spoke to many people.  With a bit of luck we will have made a difference in some way.  We certainly didn't get our message across to everyone!  One older woman was delighted with her new bag and also took one to give her friend.  Then she popped into the supermarket and emerged with.... you guessed it!  A plastic bag!!  Argghh!  However, if only five of all the people we spoke to change from plastic to reusable, I would be delighted.  It would be change.

Sometimes I despair that people are hiding their heads in the sand.  I think I understand.  I believe their attitude is born from fear.  Well they should be scared; very scared.  But head burying doesn't seem very wise to me.

Other times I despair that people are so indulgent that, although they acknowledge a climate emergency, they don't want to adjust their lifestyles.  These people are looking for answers through technology.  While I totally support renewable energy and love some of the clever advances that are being made with green products, we live in a finite world.  There just aren't enough resources to go around.  Life needs to be simpler.  If only people could embrace the beauty in life that has nothing to do with beautiful homes, gorgeous clothing, owning the latest gadgets or just shopping in general.  Life is so much more.  It is family, friendship, appreciation for warm and comfortable homes, belonging in a useful and meaningful way to community, and animals, and tummies full of good wholesome food, vegetable gardens, clean water to drink and do-it-yourself and..... I could go on all day!

Change.  It isn't hard.  You need to make a conscious decision that you want to vary the way you do something and stick to it.  That's all there is to it!

Here are the small changes we suggested in our leaflet -

·         Shop with reusable bags (including veggie bags)

·         Buy local

·         Buy organic

·         Drive less (complete several tasks on one trip)

·         Use public transport

·         Grow vegetables

·         Cook meals from scratch (cheaper too!  Woo Hoo!)

·         Keep chooks – they give you eggs and when you feed them scraps you’ll reduce your rubbish

·         Buy second hand where possible

·         Repair items rather than throw them out

·         Use less electricity – turn off lights and electrical appliances when not in use

·         Cook in bulk and freeze (uses one lot of energy for more than one meal)

·         Buy only things you really need, find other ways to have fun than shopping

In summary, I'm delighted to see so many people out there are taking this as seriously as I am and are demanding change.  Together we can make a difference.

So the scenario is ours.  Personal change or climate change.  You choose.

Please add to the ideas in the comments.  I'm sure there are many ideas I haven't mentioned and the more we have, the better.

Secret girly business - reusable pads

You may have noticed a button appear on the right of my blog.  This button leads to the Rad-Pads site.  Rad-Pads is the company from which I first bought my reusable pads.

I've been writing here for four years now without any thought of benefitting from my blog.  While I need money just like everyone, I don't like the stuff very much!  Money seems to do strange and very unattractive things to many people.  It kinda revolts me that people can be thoughtless of others or the environment due to love of money or material 'stuff'!

I am motivated by the idea that we can do things for ourselves, work together as a community and make do with much, much less.  I read a lovely quote the other day, "Some people are so poor that all they have is money".  It really resonated with me because there are so many things that I value above money or owning things.

Perhaps I should spend a little more time thinking about money though.  I'm pretty sure I frustrate close family and friends as, every now and then, we go through what I like to term a 'rough patch'.  Luckily they don't happen too often!

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I didn't want to advertise on this blog and encourage people to add to the problem of everyone buying more than they need.  We try very hard to buy only what we actually 'need' (a word that is misused so often).

However, I've now decided it would be okay to affiliate with a couple of companies that I use myself and feel comfortable with.  Rad Pads is one of those companies.  I love re-usable pads.  Firstly I love them because they are re-usable.  Using these pads doesn't create much of a footprint at all, whereas the store bought disposables waste energy, have been transported and come wrapped in heaps of plastic packaging.  Secondly I love them because they are nicer than the disposable alternatives.  When people ask me about their comfort, I always liken it to wearing paper knickers.  Wouldn't that feel horrible!  Well I think it is the same with pads.  My cloth pads are really comfortable.

Re-usable pads are very easy to make yourself.  Some friends of mine just made a heap of them.  They researched several different types and then came up with a style that suited them.  The material was op-shopped and they look great!

There are plenty of instructions online.  I found this site which has links to several different styles of pads.

If you are time poor and would prefer to buy your pads ready made, then I thoroughly recommend Rad Pads.  They pay for themselves over time and are well made and last well.  It works out heaps cheaper than buying disposable.  Do the maths and you'll be amazed at the savings.  They sell different thicknesses of pads and liners.  They can also be used for incontinence issues. If you choose to buy them by clicking through on the button on the right of my blog, I receive a small percentage of the sale. 

My pads are mainly purchased from Rad-Pads but I also made a couple myself.  I don't find reusables to be difficult to manage.  I just have a little bucket with a lid that I keep in the laundry cupboard.  When I need it, I just soak the pads in water until I'm ready to wash them.  Then I give them a rinse and pop them in the washing machine.

The only time it has been a bit awkward was when an occupational therapist wanted to go to my clothesline.  He was working on Buddy's fine motor skills and every occupational therapist loves pegging activities that encourage pincer grips and strengthen weak hand muscles.  I can't remember what excuse I mumbled but there was NO WAY I was going to let him near my clothes line at 'that time of the month'!

I hope you already use reusable pads or that you'll get on to making or buying some straight away.  You won't regret it!

Crafty

Hubby and I were out in the shed last weekend and I noticed a basket I had decorated years ago.  Back then I was a single mother but I only had a small garden and my dad used to mow my lawn for me.  I wasn't very involved in the local community either and I had lots more time for craft.

I regularly made the girl's clothes that were better quality than I could afford to buy.  I made reversible jackets and little wool coats as well as summer dresses.  More often than not, I completed outfits with matching hats.  These clothes are still in use nearly twenty years later.

Finding the basket brought memories of my crafting flooding back.  Now it feels like looking back on someone else's life.  I can't imagine having so much leisure time or using it in such a frivoulous way!  Hopefully I will pursue craft again one day because it was such a nice way to spend time and I felt good about achieving results.

I made raffia hats, did cross stitch samplers, crocheted a couple of blankets, started rag rugs etc.  I never chose to stick to one craft and perfect it; rather I preferred to try my hand at everything.   During this time I learned to make soap and herbal remedies as well.

I was making the basket for a good friend's fortieth birthday but I didn't get it finished before the big day.  She was the only older friend I had at that point and I chose the ambitious project because a fortieth birthday seemed such a huge occasion in my mind.  I was in my twenties and it seemed to me that at forty she was nearing the 'one foot in the grave' category!

I need to clean the basket up and make some minor repairs.  It was in a disgusting state in the shed.  Some Welcome Swallows have pooped on it and I think mice were in there at some point.  I found an unfinished knitting project that had been chewed.  I also found an unfinished rag rug, complete with strips cut and ready to go, that I love as much now as when I began it.  I've popped them in the washing machine so I can try and finish it off one day. 

There was also a pattern for a cross stitch, along with the materials, from a 1992 craft magazine.  I nearly fell over when I realised that it is a picture of the type of house we currently live in.  I must have always wanted to live in a house just like ours!

 Again, I can't wait to get time to work on this project.  Maybe  one day, one of my children would treasure a cross stitch of the house they grew up in.

There was a rag rug in the basket too.  I really like the colours and would love to complete it to use on my lounge room floor.  I still do a few simple craft activities but they are always practical.  I tend to make things we need like a drawstring bag to keep my camera in or knitted dishcloths.   I like to have some larger knitting project on the go too so that I can knit in the car when Hubby is the driver.  Currently I'm knitting a jumper for Buddy Boy.

There are just too many wonderful things to do in life and not enough time to pursue them all.  Yet now I have another dream.  Someday, when I'm not milking goats (or wasting time on face book :-))I'll be sitting in front of the fire like a lady of leisure, peacefully, gently, calmly embroidering memories.

Love

I'm feeling gooey about life.  It's easy to feel gooey when you're on a break with the family.

This week I'm loving lots of things.  I love having time to play with my camera. I tried to capture the morning light.  I failed dismally but had such fun in the process.  Hopefully, one day, I will find a photography course near me.

 I love having generous friends who deliver homegrown goodies to your kitchen workbench while you're out.

 I love the smell of the apple cider vinegar as it develops.  I think it's working!  I might start another batch today if I get time.

 I love devoting snatches of time to making something new for one of my girls.  I have illusions of actually finishing this project!

 I love finding our resident echidna at the door of the shed.

 I love cooking with children.....

 and eating the resulting macaroons!! 

 I love harvesting apples from my own trees.  Year by year it gets better.  Some years are good, others bad but gradually we go forward and our harvests are getting bigger.  Had I beaten the birds, we would have had three times this amount.  They discovered a hole in the netting at the eleventh hour.

We've been visiting family, socialising with friends and living life to the full.  What's not to love?!

 

I hope you're having a wonderful Easter break.  What are you loving at the moment?

Wintery blast

Yesterday was 36c (we were sweltering) and today, right now, it is 13.4c cold degrees!  Tomorrow the predicted maximum is a mere 16c!!

We have been loving the change in the weather.  Our activities tend to change according to the feel of the day...

The garden was very grateful....

and the ducks played all day.  They ended up falling asleep on one leg!!!

Children were looking for recipes...

and chose to make Christmas biscuits in the end.  Not a bad effort considering I wasn't involved except for putting them in the oven.

We all had a giggle when we saw the dinosaur biscuit.  He must have got hungry while he was cooking!

We even lit the fire and it added to our cozy mood.

I finally got around to some Christmas creating.  (Yes.  I know I'm off to a late start but it's been busy!)

The boys treated the day totally differently to us.  No hiding away from the cold for them!  They donned their jackets and headed out to work!  Bless them!

They've washed up heaps of bottle and jars.  We're dreaming beer and jars of tomatoes!  Thanks guys.  Job well done!

Do you find that your activities change due to the heat or cold?

This week....

I just had a look at the photos on my camera and this week....

Beer making was a fun family activity...

We enjoyed a bit of race day fun (Melbourne Cup) with friends....

 and discovered our table fits through the gate  if it gets too sunny!!

Pumpkin harvested her first ever broccoli....

and after a long two weeks of not being able to eat our eggs (antibiotics during the chook disaster) we are finally back in eggs!

I hope your week was lovely too!  Do you celebrate on Cup Day?

Lucky

I am blessed!

I am lucky that I have children.  I am lucky to have received flowers from them nearly every day for the last decade. 

I am lucky to have watched them grow and become more independent and creative.

I am lucky to have pets, chooks and plenty of visiting wildlife in the form of echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies and sometimes even turtles that smile at me!

I am lucky to have Hubby to do the practical work.  I watched him dig a post hole for espaliering today and thought, "Hmmm.  I could use the dirt from that hole in the top garden...  Then I watched him refill the hole and realised the dirt was still needed.  I'm not the smartest tool in the shed!  Though it's weird.  I can make a pencil case from scratch without a pattern!  Must require different brain waves.

I am lucky I have learnt skills like making calendula soap.  And bread, meals, yummy baked goods... Then there's sewing, knitting, homemade cleaners...

I am lucky I can garden and use our own produce. 

I'm lucky to have enough food to eat, clean water, a comfortable home, a bed to sleep in.

There is so much more I am grateful for that I could go on all day!

 

Do you often find yourself overcome with gratefulness?

You know you're a bad housewife when....

You know you're a bad housewife when.........

• cleaning reveals new dirt.  You know what I mean?  You clean the benchtops of clutter and suddenly it becomes glaringly obvious that the oven door needs a clean.  Or you wash the floor and that causes the architraves to look grubby.

• you clean the bathroom and the kids walk in and say "WOW!"

• dirt is invisible!  You don't even know the house is dirty until someone's coming.

• You have the same jobs on the To Do list day after day after day.

• when one of those jobs is 'find the dining room table'!

• when cleaning the shower weekly doesn't seem as important as attending craft weekly (or spinning, gardening club, photography...)

Things have been terrible around here for the whole term.  It began when I was getting the kids organised before the start of school.  I was making pencil cases, lunch bags, snack bags, labelling pencils....  Within a week our dining table was buried.  When the term began I still hadn't finished some new sandwich wraps so I didn't want to pack away the sewing machine.  It was also my first term with all the kids at school and my expectations of the extra time I would have was unrealistic.  Let's face it.  I was already doing heaps when Pumpkin was home!  I took on stuff that took me away from housework.  So now, not only was the table missing but I had no time left to find it.  

The lunch bags I made with frozen inserts to keep food cool

I didn't enjoy managing without the table because I've always placed importance on eating meals together. The evening is a lovely time of day to talk and stay informed on what is happening with each family member. I didn't like going a whole term without sitting at the table together.

 

However we've have had a lovely time over the school holidays.  We have been at home 80% of the time.  We've enjoyed spending time together, had a couple of nice outings and I've managed to work very hard at getting the house back on track.  I enlisted the children's help and they've been great!  In fact, you can see they feel very good about themselves when they are helping to keep the household functioning.

We've only had a couple of hiccoughs with the helping.  I've already shared one incident and the other taught me to be VERY specific! I had a box of tomatoes in the kitchen.  I'd used them to make sauce and soup etc., but when we were down to the last couple they were over ripe and a bit yukky. I was busy trying to clean the kitchen floor and wanted them out of the kitchen until I had time to put them in the bin.  So I said to Buddy Boy, "Can you put those tomatoes out on the back verandah?"   He DID!!!

 I should have said, "Could you please leave the tomatoes in the box and put them on the back verandah."  Very amusing!

I feel (nearly) organised as we start preparing for another term and it's a good feeling.  Next term I must remember to prioritise homemaking because it really matters to me.  I will never be a clean freak completely organised person however it feels good when the place is clean, the kids are organised and I have some structure to my days.  Running around stresses me whereas creating a cosy and comfortable environment for my family calms me.  I love to cook nice meals and create things for my children (like the pencil cases etc.) and that only happens if I'm home most of the time.  I am in awe of people who seem to manage their homes with ease and I hope this term I will stay at home more, keep on top of things and manage more time doing the things that I see as important.

I would love to hear tips on how you stay sane organised with children in the house.