Recent reading

Recent, to me - the content may me antique  : )


UK personal debt statistics from UK Charity Credit Action.

Cheap food - the end of an era?

Growing mushrooms in buckets.

Slightly straighter talking than FlyLady, sweary inspiration for the really domestically challenged.

Homemade chalk paint recipes for upcycling tatty furniture.

A pictorial guide to our cutest summer beetle.

3-Bee printing - it's the future.

Have a lovely weekend.

Extending the Table

Variations on this article have been doing the rounds over the last few years and for some reason have been popping up in the UK press this week. They are all a showcase of the book Hungry Planet by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel; yet another book which someday I will get around to reading. It is a photo journal of families around the world, the food they consume and the money they spend on it.

The UK example was horrific, which surprised me. Minuscule amounts of fresh fruit and veg and plenty of heavily processed foods, fat and sugars. And then of course there were the examples of countries where there was clearly not enough food of any kind. Darfur was a particularly poignant example, I wonder if that would even provide the basic weekly calorie requirements for that family. The more northerly, more western and more wealthy examples by contrast often had massive calorie overload.

Somewhere between the gluttony and paucity were the happy mediums. The agrarian societies where there was plenty to eat, plenty of fresh produce, good protein, plentiful basic staples and modest fat and sugar consumption. Some of the western nations that have held on to their food traditions managed it too. These were the pictures that left me wanting to head to the kitchen and cook. Omnomnom, give me eggs, barley and leafy greens to work with!

I have been stuck in something of a late-winter rut and we have found ourselves eating more cheese, meat, dairy and less fruit and veg in recent months. I treated myself to a new cookbook to see if it would lift me from my rut. 

Extending the Table describes itself as 'Recipes and stories in the spirit of More-with-Less' (The book by by Doris Janzen Longacre). I have been hankering after a copy of More-with-Less for many years since I saw it so highly recommended by so many thrifty cooks. I chose this one because it was considerably cheaper on Amazon marketplace, at a very reasonable £3.50 including P&P. It is thicker than I had expected, spiral bound and robust. The book is published by Mennonite Central Committee and as such there are testimonials throughout from church members dotted across the world. Some are terribly sad, others humorous and hopeful; all of them are easy enough to disregard if you wish.

This is an international cookbook with recipes from almost every country on earth. There are chapters on beverages, breads, soups, salads and vegetables, grains, legumes, stews and mains, feasts, meats and fish, snacks, condiments and desserts. This is how most of the world cooks and eats – basic staples, fruit and veg from local food sheds. All of the recipes are certainly achievable in a world of supermarkets and gas cookers, where we are not tied to our own food sheds – but most readily adapt to local seasonal produce with a little imagination.

I think this would be a particularly wonderful cookbook for a student or someone finding themselves in a kitchen for the first time. There are basic recipes for a range of meals from curry to noodle dishes to casseroles and cakes. The focus is on cheap, easy to prepare and tasty food. I have been dipping in and out and using it as inspiration as I am not one to generally use a recipe when I cook; and it is doing a wonderful job in getting me out of my rut. One day I will add More-with-Less to my kitchen shelf too.

Spiral bound cook books rock, by the way - a spiral binding and wipe clean cover is the mark of a cook's book. Leave dust jackets to the chefs.

The news diet

I stumbled across this summary by Rolf Dobelli of his thoughts on why 'the news' is bad for us,  ironically, whilst catching up on dreadful events unfolding an ocean away in Boston. Dreadful events that I have no personal connection to and can do absolutely nothing to alleviate, yet felt enough of a mix of compassion (good) and morbid intellectual curiosity (not good) towards that I was reading a live blog about it.

An awareness of world events is useful up to a point; and once upon a time that would have meant a morning newspaper of yesterday's news and a 10 minute evening radio bulletin. Now we have 24 hour news channels, online newspapers updated every minute and a plethora of DIY media where anyone can put their experience out there (including me). And sometimes, this is a force for good. Mostly, we don't see the wood for the trees.

Whilst I disagree with many of his assertions, I can't disagree with the thrust of Dobelli's article regarding 'the news' . We haven't had regular access to TV news for several years now - and when I do find myself watching it, I find it overwhelming. Too much graphic detail, so much negativity. Horrible things happen every single day and humans can be complete shits to each other. But I also know that good things happen, every second of everyday, and humans can be awesome. That experience is not reflected back to me in the news. In the wake of Boston, the speculation surrounding the mechanics, the motives and dynamics of the plot and plotters far outweigh the coverage of the people that came together to help. This stuff is bad for our mental heath.

The day we realised the TV aerial on our new house was not wired in changed our lives. We watch less news and instead of mindless channel surfing we watch a handful of shows and films on DVD. We get to choose where we focus our attention - even if I do occasionally get sidetracked by live blogs. I have more time to be a productive kind human. I am taking a break from my remaining news outlets - one week, cold turkey, no 'news'. I have done it before and after a few false starts (it is an almost automatic reaction to check a news website in the morning with my coffee). I suspect that I might enjoy it more this time and extend it for a little longer.

Happily, this gives me more reading time to devote to my favourite blogs - the majority of which catalogue  human adventures in trying to be productive and kind human beings. Keep them coming please :)

Knitting and TED talks

Knitting time is also usually TV or listening time. I like having something to occupy my mind whilst my hands work. TED talks usually deliver a nice short burst of inspiration, just long enough to fit in a few rows and a cup of tea. There has been a flurry of gardening related talks recently, which is even better. I love this one.

Enjoy :)

Who likes cake?

We all like cake!

http://theafterschoolcaketin.wordpress.com/

My sister-in-law to-be has started a blog about her baking experiments. I can attest to the fact that she is an amazing cook and baker. She has kicked off with a peanut chocolate brownie recipe and it looks amazing.

So this is basically a plug for her skills. After all, I have to keep her sweet to keep the flow of baked goodies coming. Please go visit her :)

This guy is awesome

Portsmouth isn't South Central LA (thankfully - I don't like the heat!) but we have food poverty, food deserts and abandoned land just the same. I think this guy has the right idea; and he knows how to spread it:

I apologise

...for blowing up your blog reader feeds with 'new' posts this morning. I have moved over my old posts from Ye Olde Blog, and I didn't do it particularly tidily.

The page of links to UK Simple, Green, Frugal blogs will remain over there - it still gets a lot of traffic from Google searches, so it is obviously helpful to people. I will try and update it occasionally too.

R&R

Well, sitting in the garden didn't work - I have spent the best part of three weeks off of work with what appears to be a post viral syndrome. Two weeks of that I was mostly housebound - and unable to do  anything that would ordinarily make that a pleasant experience - no crochet, no gardening, the barest minimum of housework before muscle fatigue set in and I sat down, tremor wracked. Even reading for long periods was impossible through the soupy haze that has been my brain.

Things are a little better and I can now leave the house without my legs collapsing under me after just a few paces - all good. But this disconcerting experience has left a lasting impression. With far too much down time to mull things over, I realized that my basic level of organisation in this little house isn't good enough to carry us through periods of incapacity or extreme stress. Which is a little irksome as I had had an inkling of this before and had just begun my spring cleaning when forced idleness struck. My Beloved did his very best to corral the kids and keep on top of things, but we are still playing catch up now.

Our decluttering efforts of the past few years have worked wonders and we still regularly reassess our possessions and delete as needed. We are left however with a marked lack of beauty and coordination, which is very noticeable when you are staring at four walls for days on end. Especially the bits of wall with subtle never before noticed crayon scribbles. And the slightly chipped skirting boards...that connect to the very chipped door frame. Also that annoying frayed carpet edge that the cat keeps pulling. And what is with those CURTAINS?

In the absence of action, I have begun reading Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson - it is a fabulous book, a bit like an intensive home economics course for those who were born into a time of food technology GCSEs. Everything you need to know about keeping house is in here and whilst much of it is advanced finickety housekeeping I will never use, all the basics are covered - routine setting, cleaning, menu planning, pantry stocking and laundry techniques are all in there.

There have been bright spots too. The Kalanchoe that we were given when we discovered we were expecting Gus 5 years ago has flowered once again - for the second time ever. I have cut it back to its base, watered it, de-aphided it, cut it back again; and finally a few months ago moved it from the dingy east facing kitchen window to the last chance saloon that is the west facing living room. It flowered last week and has earned its keep.  If everything else has got on top of me, the fact that I have managed to keep a houseplant alive for five whole years - and that it sits on a windowsill amongst several other very much alive houseplants - is a symbol of my ever increasing domestication.

I bought a cyclamen to celebrate.

I'm moving

I've been considering a move for a while now; and what better time than the start of a new year? If you would like to join me, you can find me at

http://freyasrainbow.blogspot.co.uk/

This blog will stay up for as long as long as blogger allows, but will no longer be maintained. Thank you all for your company here over the last few years.

Aurora X

Edible City

I found this via Gavin's blog and felt it deserves to be shared far and wide. The whole film is available to watch online and is worth an hour of your time. If you are struggling to find your grow food/change the world mojo after the ridiculous weather/diamondjubilee-London2012-pimms-teaparty season/grinding recession we have had this year, this might just help a little.

Our own growing project isn't going so well. A dry spring, followed by hot damp weather brought blight to our plot. No tomatoes, no potatoes. We have a few tomato plants in the back garden that fingers (and toes) crossed will reach maturity. The strawberries were decimated by slugs and the garlic crop failed to bulb before the stalks fell. I have seriously lost my own mojo. Too little time and a plot too far away to visit daily, plus torrential rain for weeks on end that has brought out the 10,000 gastropods of the slugocalypse. Urgh.

Corn still stands and sweet potatoes are translating all the rain into lush vegetation and hopefully some tubers. And nothing, NOTHING - not drought nor gales nor torrential rain- will dissuade the jerusalem artichokes from doing their thing. So all is not lost, even when it feels as though it might well be. There will be some overwintering veg courtesy of a plug plant pack we purchased last year too late in the season to be dispatched. There are plans afoot to cover the rest of that ground in thick pond liner over the winter, ready to hit the barren ground running in spring with mulch and plug plants. Next year, once again, will be better.

How does your garden grow?

The Coop

I'm sure by now that you know that The Coop  has come to an end. Before I joined the writers there, it was one of my favourite internet haunts, along with its founder Rhonda's own Down to Earth. Both of these blogs and the individual blogs of the writers offered me a wealth of knowledge, inspiration and encouragement to go my own way, to pay down debts and grow a garden, to prepare for the very worst whilst trying to create the very best.

I think that I started blogging in part to track my own journey and to tap in to the huge communities that have sprung up around these blogs and I suspect that that has been the case for many others too. It has also given me a steady writing goal over the last few months when I may have given up completely, for which I am truly grateful. I will try to channel my energies here instead.

The archive will remain online until the interwebs breaks down and the zombies are running among after us. There is a dazzling amount of information on there, much of which I realise I still haven't explored. I hope you continue to use it and pass the secret on to others who may just be starting out on this path.

Calling UK bloggers

Just a quick one, really. I want to compile a list of UK frugal/green/simple living blogs on a separate page here. I have some favourites, but I am hoping that there are many many more out there.

I have nothing against all you lovely US and Australian bloggers, quite the contrary. But you are prolific and make up a sizeable proportion of my feeds! And as you all tend to link to your fellow native bloggers, I find myself reading more and more non UK blogs. Simple, green and frugal living in the UK looks very different to your home countries, not least because of the general scale of our living arrangements here.

So fellow Brits - a chance for flagrant self promotion, or promotion on behalf of your favourite bloggers. If you consider yourself a predominantly UK based frugal/green/simple living focused blogger, please leave a link in the comments below. Ta.

The list can be found here at Ye Olde blog

Preparing for winter part 1 - gimme shelter

Yup, you heard right. The nights are drawing in once again and the days are getting shorter... I should have started preparing days ago : )

Which actually, I did. In one of the weird bursts of energy that punctuate these last few weeks of pregnancy, I finally nailed the replacement draught excluder to the bottom of the front door. I only chose this particular unfinished task of many because The Boy had taken to using said draught excluder as a rather expensive and sharp edged toy sword and I thought it better that it was nailed to the door rather than embedded unproductively (and expensively) into something rather softer - say, a cat. As the tool box was out I also filled a substantial hole underneath the door knocker and replaced the internal letterbox flap. So far, so self-satisfied.

Until I took a step back. The front door, now draught sealed, still comprises two panes of single glazing - and sits under a huge window extending from the top of the door to the ceiling. Draughts are the least of my hallway's worries. A glance around the rest of the house shows just how lax we have been about heat conservation the last few years. We have replaced thick-but-ugly-and-too-big curtains with flimsy-but-pretty ones. The cat flap in the back door blows open at the slightest breeze since our bruiser of a cat decided to crash through it when it was locked and break the mechanism two years ago. There are little cracks and crevices around the window frames that really do need to be sealed. The uninsulated kitchen extension has a concrete floor that you could spray with water and skate on in winter. All of the internal doors in the house have massive gaps underneath them or around them. The old fireplaces are not as amply stuffed with newspaper as they could be.

This is not to say we have been profligate with our space heating, our bills are well below average. What it does mean is that we have allowed the heat to dissipate faster than it needed to and made ourselves more uncomfortable than is really necessary. Both OH and The Boy 'run hot' and I grew up in a freezing cold old house with no central heating, draughts everywhere and no running hot water - I have a high tolerance for discomfort in this area. Except of course, I don't actually have to tolerate the discomfort any longer, I am in a position to do something about it - we just always seemed to have other priorities. This year, a combination of reduced income, energy companies making record profits and still raising their prices; and far too much reading about peak oil and economic turbulence; have inspired me to action.

We have had some genuinely uncharacteristic cold snaps (as you can see above - and yes I know that most of you, especially you North Americans, laugh in the face of such a light dusting). Late last year the country was brought to its knees by unseasonably cold weather and snow that persisted in some parts for months. I live on the south coast and in previous years, thanks to the Gulf Stream, have been able to venture to the corner shop on a December evening in a T-shirt without feeling too much discomfort. Besides, I know from experience that when we move to Norfolk, winter weather will be less clement, so I might as well get some practice in with the insulating and conserving.

We are lucky on several fronts- we have double glazing and there is loft insulation in the main part of the house. The carpets are underlaid. We rent, so the changes we can make are fairly superficial. Now is the perfect time to begin, not least because the costs of projects like this tend to increase with the urgency of completing them. A five month head start is good enough to get something done.

So, in the next five months I need to:

• Line or replace existing flimsy curtains, or install window quilts throughout the house. This will also help with the light pollution - and would actually be useful now in keeping the house cool during this mini heatwave we are experiencing.
• Install curtains or quilts at the front door and window - these must be removable in the day to allow daylight into what is a dingy passageway and living space.
• Install a magnet operated cat flap that will stay closed.
• Make draught excluders for the front door and for the door leading from the kitchen to the living room.The kitchen, with its lack of insulation and heating, is always going to be a weak link, so cutting it off at night seems like the best option. 
• Do a feather test and replace missing sealant around the window frames.
• Find a hard wearing washable rug for the kitchen floor.
• Pack the old fire places tightly with newspaper to stop draughts and convection currents - and try to make peace with the fact that the hollow chimney breasts are funneling heat straight from the walls and  out of the house anyway. Sigh. 

I think that I need to acquire a sewing machine. I think I should have started two years ago. I think that one day I will learn important lessons about not putting off till tomorrow what you could do today. One day.

Anyway, some useful resources I have stumbled upon in my quest for inspiration:
Preparing for Winter I and  Preparing for Winter II  forum threads over at Money saving Expert. Very long and chatty, but some good lists of things to do to prepare and lots of resources relevant particularly to the UK.

Draught proofing  information from The Energy Saving Trust

Make Window Quilts with these instructions from Many Tracks.

How to make a draught excluder from the Guardian of all places.

The Integral Urban House - worth borrowing from the library, this American 'Appropriate Technology' book explains in simple terms how heat moves and is lost in buildings and some ways to deal with it. Also lots of information about growing food, composting, rainwater harvesting and related self reliance topics.

Lazy crochet day

Today I woke up with absolutely no get up and go. I completed a handful of chores, but mostly I lazed around, a lot. I had a days leave booked, which I normally spend doing the same old household stuff that I do most days, so I didn't feel particularly guilty this afternoon about lazing in bed with my newest crochet project, a bag. I fell asleep after an hour, but progress is progress. That is indeed a pile of laundry you can see waiting patiently at the end of the bed for my attention. It's still waiting now.

The pattern is loosely based upon a pattern in Susie John's Crochet for Beginners, but I have changed the yarn, dimensions, added a buttoned flap so that it can be closed; and will also probably add a lining. I am no embroiderer, so the embellishment will be different too. So far I love it. It's worked in Tunisian simple stitch on a Tunisian hook (a 35cm long crochet hook with a stopper at the end); working back and forth without turning the work. On every other row, you end up with a whole hook full of stitches, which you then work off the needle, before picking them up again on the next row.

The only complaint I have about regular crochet is that the fabrics produced tends to veer towards lacy and open, or dense and heavy, seemingly with no happy medium. This technique seems to change all of that. It has often been described as 'like knitting, but with a hook', which I naturally resent as someone with knit related trauma issues - this is very much a crochet technique. I will however get down from my precariously high amigurumi horse to recommend this technique to knitters that struggle with the 'loopiness' of crochet - and obviously to crocheters who want to learn a new skill. The fabric is drapier than double crochet, but not in the least lacy or 'holey' - although their are hundreds of stitches to learn including some open work and mesh.

Last year I promised myself I would not buy any more craft materials until I had worked through my stash. My excuse is that the recipient of this bag wanted a purple bag; and I didn't have any purple. Still, it does mean I have found a new natural fibre yarn - King Cole Bamboo Cotton - for when I do need to restock. This comes in very economical 230m balls, excellent value for a bamboo based yarn. It is soft with a lovely sheen, though it is loosely plied and liable to split if you aren't paying attention. I also had to buy the needles - I bought a set from Purple Linda Crafts (no affiliation, this just happens to be one of the only shops on the web to concentrate primarily on crochet - hence it is one of the only places you can buy Tunisian hooks for a reasonable price - and in shiny brightly coloured metallics no less).

If you want to have a go, I used the instructions in Jan Eaton's Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques, a well explained and illustrated reference book to have in your library. There is a good clear video on Youtube, but unfortunately a Google search seems to throw up a minefield of confusing or poorly illustrated written instructions. If you do want to have a go, a normal round crochet hook (a size larger than you would normally use for your yarn) with a ball of Blu-Tack stuck on the end will allow you to practice a short width (about 8-10 stitches) before you decide to splash any cash on hooks.

Two posts in two days, internet connection and brain holding up well. I should take siestas more often.

(Belated) announcement

I have been invited to contribute to Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op. I wrote my first post yesterday; then realised I hadn't so much as mentioned it here. Apologies.

If you haven't visited the Co-op before, please do. There is a wealth of infomation on
frugal, sustainable living from bloggers with a range of backgrounds and lifestyle. I have found it a wonderful resource in the past; and hope that I can contribute something meaningful too.

Meditations on fermentations

We have been hard at work here during 2010; and after 9 months of hard slog; or rather a few hours light work spread over 9 months, I have a new baby:

It's not quite finished and needs to rest in the bottle for a few more months, but here is the 2010 vintage parsnip wine. We have been brewing our own beer for several years, which is Nick's domain (previously referred to here as OH, but apparently he is ready to come out now from behind the acronym to show the world his booze); but the wine only got started in earnest in February, by myself. This is my first bottling and I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

I can recommend brewing, winemaking and even seasonal liqueur making as excellent hobbies for simple living types for several reasons. Firstly, the start up costs are low - most of the (minimal) equipment and chemicals required can be purchased cheaply and in stages, if they aren't already lying around the house. We managed to get most of our demijohns from Freecycle and most of our empty bottles from our more hedonistic friends. All of my books have come second hand. The raw ingredients in the case of winemaking can be seasonal gluts or even foraged fruits and some cane sugar, as well as a handful of inexpensive chemicals. Beer is a little more demanding as most people don't live near malting houses or grow their own hops, but with the magic of the Internet it is still achievable for most people. Whatever way you go about it, the finished product will have cost a fraction of the price of any commercial product and can be of higher quality and character.

The basic principles behind both beer and wine making are simple to grasp and apply; but afterwards you can go as deep into the art, science and technology as you wish. You can start with tinned extract kits or start from raw ingredients. The finished product will be better with each attempt, although there will be mistakes along the way, most of which you won't know about until you have taken a mouthful of the foul brew.  

I love the process of making wine. It is a lot slower than brewing, but I love the alchemy of watching pulp ferment, watching bubbles flow through airlocks, racking the wine over and over into clean demijohns and seeing that it is clearer with every month that goes by. If you are less than patient by nature (which is usually me, I have to say), you can buy extra chemicals and filters to speed the process up. But why rush?

If it is something that interests you, a quick google search will bring up a range of forums, advice pages, blogs and recipes. Even better, try to find a local home brew shop (there are more around than I realised, certainly in the UK) as the staff are generally keen to pass on their knowledge and advice (and of course their wares, most of which you may or may not actually need). Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher is a bible of beer making, tasting, culture and history; with humour to boot. First Steps in Wine Making by C.J.J. Berry is a classic beginners text. A peruse of the library, second hand book stores and eBay will often turn up some older treasures.

Soon after the parsnip wine was first racked, a friend and I started a 15 litre batch of rhubarb wine which is making good progress. This past week Nick and I walked to the common and collected a sackful of wild rosehips, which are fermenting now in a bucket. This time next year I hope to be toasting autumn and Halloween with a few friends and a wine that is allegedly second only to grape wine in quality. Which brings me to yet another reason to ferment-it-yourself. The end product inspires good feeling and good times, whether you give it away as a present or host a party, or even brew with a buddy. So long as the alcohol doesn't flow too freely, of course...

Back to basics - budgeting links

I have known for a few months that our income would be dropping when OH started university. I knew that he would be starting university in September. Unfortunately, us being us, we were a little hazy on the details of just how a drop in income of a few hundred pounds a month would effect us. Now here we are, finding out just what it means. We are not in dire straits, but the budget will certainly be leaner over the next few months. It is a little daunting to return to budgeting after a few months of belt loosening. Which was all good fun whilst it lasted. However, all that hard work and frugality will have been for nothing if we end up right back where we started.

I am trying to recapture that feeling of excitement I had at the end of last year when began to make serious inroads into our debts.  Luckily in my mind, autumn and winter are a time for retiring a little from the world; and despite the gift giving frenzy that is December, plus a few birthdays, I don't tend to have as many hedonistic money splurging urges as I do in the warmer months.

Still, to get myself in the mood for belt tightening, I have been looking over some of the resources I found so useful the first time around:

Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth has written many inspiring posts about managing the household budget and making more from less.

Money Saving Expert, both the main site and the forums, are a treasure trove of budgeting, debt busting and consumer advice.

The Simple Dollar is a beautifully simple personal finance blog that focuses on the basics - 'Trent's money rules' and '31 days to fix your finances' ofter practical advice and a financial carrot (and sometimes stick) to keep you on the straight and narrow. It was here that I first learnt to think about my money in terms of hours worked; which put me on the road (eventually, after working through my stubborness...) to simpler living.

As it doesn't always come naturally, what inspires you to manage your finances? Do you need a carrot, or a stick? Do you budget, or do you just go with the flow every month? I need some inspiration, please!

Needing a push.

Our internet connection is playing up at the moment, so posting will be even more intermittent than it has been of late, until we get it sorted.

It has had its advantages. Many of the odd jobs I have been meaning to do since we moved in over two years ago are now complete. The living room has been painted. The sofa covers have been cleaned and dyed a deep (sticky-fingered-toddler proof) navy. Some more decluttering has been done and some rearranging of furniture. All in all, the house looks a little fresher and a little more welcoming; and it probably would not all have been completed had I had reliable internet access.

This is my favourite time of year, not least because I associate it with starting school and university and a year of learning, challenges and new experiences ahead. Its unlikely I will ever be going back to university; and as my darling OH has just started his mental health nurse training, I am tinged with a little jealousy too. I want to be immersed in piles of books and essays and seminars. I feel stuck in a rut. I haven't really pushed myself mentally since I left university; and my job seems to actively waste away my brain. There is no amount of decorating, crafting and housekeeping that is going to change this fact. I need a real challenge, a push, but in which direction I do not yet know.

The spinning is going better with each attempt and I am hooked. The rhythmic motions and productivity of it are very relaxing. I downloaded Respect the Spindle with Abby Franquemont and ordered the book of the same name and all I can say is I LOVE ABBY FRANQUEMONT. The book and video are beautiful and explain everything so well, at a pace you can practice along to. My spindle of loosely twisted, uneven merino has become finer and more consistent, almost yarn like, in fact...

Mild disgruntlement aside, I am looking forward to the rest of autumn and onwards into a new year. I know that most people have a season that they love and autumn is mine. Whatever you are up to, I hope you make the most of the months ahead, whether the passage of the seasons be winding up or winding down in your hemisphere. Enjoy it.

A productive week

When I began to refine my life goals a few months ago, the biggest thing for me was that I wanted to stop damaging and start repairing the world and the people around me. Beyond mindful consumption, that means actually working to repair damage already wrought.

The book Trees and How to Grow Them is a brilliant (though not a field) guide to our native and common trees. I bought it as a gift from Gus to his dad when Gus was just a month old. Finally this autumn, it has come down from the shelf and been put to use. It gives plenty of instruction on collecting and preparing different seeds for planting; as well as planting trees out where they will be only beneficial and not a nuisance.

So far we have collected wild plum and cherry stones, hazelnuts, horse chestnut, bird cherry and rowan. There will be more as we find them locally over the next few weeks. I would like some more edibles, such as sweet chestnuts and apples. After a few sessions looking for seeds and edible treats, we here can highly recommend an afternoon spent in the friendly company of your local trees. They filter out the noise of the city, they welcome inquisitive children (and adults), they sometimes offer up a little food or a place to shelter and watch the world go by; and they lift your spirits after a few hours of walking amongst them. Which is why in a city of 200,000 people, there should be more than 30,000 trees.

In a year or two, with a little TLC, we will hopefully have some strong saplings, ready to be planted out around the city. In a world where I consume so much, including many, many trees, many habitats and many foraged fruits, I know that I have actually put something (small) back with my own two hands. Which is a start.

Rethinking the kitchen

I found a link to Stone Soup whilst browsing the equally wonderful Move to Portugal earlier today and I am so inspired. I love the minimalism of stonesoup, with its focus on simple to prepare, 5 (quality but common) ingredient  recipes that take minutes to prepare with basic kitchen tools.

I already have a very heavy box of kitchen equipment ready to go to the next car boot sale we do. The cookbooks are to be pared down even further too, as I realise that I have never cooked out of 3/4 of them. Whilst I love good food and experimenting in the kitchen, cooking isn't my raison d'être - yet I spend a disproportionate amount of my time in the kitchen looking at, finding homes for and washing up more utensils and items of cookware than I know what to do with. At least until now, anyway. It turned out the solution was a cardboard box and a black bin liner :) .