I have not had a chance to update you recently but the lack of posts is due to the fact that we are on holidays.
We have left Psycho Dog, Mr K and the chickens in the capable hands of the housesitters and headed off on an adventure to the other side of the world.
If you would like to join in the fun please come over to my travel blog. Lots of commentary and photos on where we are and what we see and do.
Posts here will resume when we arrive home – but that is not for several weeks yet!
This post has been half written for a few days as life has a tendency to get in the way.
Here is the next instalment.
5. Frugal people use items until they break, and then fix them. Marketers are always coming out with the biggest and the best thing, and urging you to upgrade now. But frugal people don’t worry about that. Instead, they’ll continue to use the perfectly good, whatever (you fill in the blank) until they just can’t get it to work anymore. No need to buy something new when what they have works perfectly well!
Question to ask yourself: Do I really need a new ________ (fill in the blank)? Or does what I have already do what I really need it to already?
This just commonsense as far as I am concerned. Whilst it may be tempting to buy something in the latest colour/style or bigger and better there really is no need.
We are all seduced from time to time by shiny new things but if you can limit your purchases of things that will replace ones you already have you will be well on the way to making some substantial savings.
Try thinking of the oldest item you have in regular use and share it in the comments.
Mine would be the mixing bowl that belonged to my grandmother followed by the woollen blankets on the single beds – they are almost as old as me. The blankets on the guest bed were a wedding gift as were much of the crockery, glassware and kitchen paraphenalia that I use regularly.
I’ll be back with Part 3 tomorrow.
Pardon my absence but I have been busy doing the everyday things at home as well as my paid employment.
Tonight I want to share a link that one of my Facebook friends posted a couple of days ago.
I am usually very sceptical of this type of post on Facebook but I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked on this one. In my opinion these 7 messages make good sense and mirror much of what we do every day.
I hope you will take the time to click on the link, have a read and leave a comment.
I plan to write a blog post on each of the 7 points and how it aligns (or otherwise) with what we do here at ‘The Castle’.
I look forward to your comments and discussing in more detail in the coming week.
I have a cold and do not feel up to writing even though I have several things I want to share with you. They will have to wait for another day.
As much as possible I try to keep my blog posts positive. Now I know why.
During the last few days I have stumbled on some really negative and downright depressing discussions on the internet. I have realised how much I have been dragged down by it all. This combined with being tired from a busy work schedule has drained my creative juices and made writing a blog post almost impossible.
One of the discussions was related to this article which is well-written and contains some really useful information in the article and also within the links. However, many of the responses were negative and ranged through bitterness, envy and disbelief.
The other was about global warming, although I prefer the term ‘climate change’ as a more accurate descriptor. I was astounded and dismayed at the number of people who seemed unable to accept the premise of human-induced climate change which is accelerating at an ever increasing rate. Even more worrying were the links being shared which referenced articles from such ‘luminaries’ as Ted Cruz, Andrew Bolt and Lord Monckton.
However, my faith was somewhat restored when I read this comment in the discussion.
Quote:
I thought I would add what I have been doing personally as I am very concerned about this issue myself.
I have read Naomi Klein book This changes everything. It was very hard to read for me as I need things set out more clearly in non fiction but she raised some good points. I also read Vandana Shiva Soil not oil which was much easier to read and something I felt I could do more about.
Switched to power shop for my electricity. Compost all food stuffs though council. Reduce car usage etc. Trying to cut down meat consumption. I know a lot of people think we should all just go vegan and angrily support that but I think think that would be like a badly failed diet for everyone. I think think you’re better off encouraging a slow change to encourage permanence.
I have joined one million women, 350. Org , green peace and a heap of others to support their works sign petitions etc.
Need to work on my plastic bag use and buying unnecessary packaging, although I am doing better than most I know.
It is lovely to hear of others who are prepared to do their bit and I applaud every small step that each and every one of us can take.
It is only 2 weeks until July – and that means 2 weeks until ‘Plastic-Free July’ so please take a look here and consider what you can do to make a difference.
My apologies for disappearing for nearly a week. This week has been a bit of a blur. On Monday GMan and I made a flying visit to Melbourne to attend the memorial service for a dear friend who died unexpectedly a couple of weeks earlier. It was an emotional day but I am so glad that we were able to attend. RIP, Carol.
The rest of the week has simply been going to work and doing my best to keep my head above water. A menu plan and meals in the freezer have been most welcome. Honey soy chicken was on the menu last night.
Now it is the weekend and this looks like being a full one. Tomorrow we are going to see Miss O play netball. It only seems like the other day that she was born and now she is 8 and playing her first season of Saturday morning sport fixtures.
After the netball match, GMan and I are heading off to a computer shop to look for a tablet computer to buy then out to lunch with my mother.
To round off the day we are going to see “The Lady in the Van” starring Maggie Smith. I am looking forward to this film as she is an excellent actress and I have enjoyed several of her other films.
What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it is great.
Thank you for your kind words after my last post and patience while I collect my thoughts.
This morning I woke and lay in bed contemplating the unusual situation of 3 days at home (it is a long weekend here in Queensland) and no commitments. That is right – nothing, nobody, nowhere. We had no plans.
Don’t get me wrong. I love catching up with family and friends, entertaining and going places but it is such a novelty not to have anything planned.
The weather is cool and humid with showers of rain threatening.
GMan and I began by taking the outdoor table downstairs to clean it in preparation for painting. Next, we have cleaned all of the concreted area under the house – swept, vacuumed and cleaned with the high-pressure water spray.
After using the outdoor vacuum cleaner GMan discovered that the filter bag was falling to bits.
I decided that I could make a new one which appears to have been a success.
Here it is attached to the lid of the vacuum cleaner.
There are lots of other things we can work on and there will be more about those in upcoming posts.
I hope you are having a safe and relaxing weekend wherever you are.
I had several ideas for blog posts to write this evening but all of that has been put on hold.
Just a couple of hours ago I learned of the sudden and unexpected death of a friend. I first met Carol through an internet forum 9 years ago. I then met her in real life on a couple of occasions and we have continued our contact through various channels. She was an avid reader of this blog and her comments were always considered and thoughtful.
To a kind and gracious lady. Farewell, Carol and rest in peace.
Happy Easter!
The desktop computer will not be back in action until the middle of the week so I am struggling with and old laptop which is very slow and not responsive. However, I am determined to persevere and bring you a recipe for gluten-free hot cross buns.
Here is the original recipe which I used for the first batch which I made on Tuesday. The only alteration I made was to add another teaspoon of psyllium husk instead of the teaspoon of xanthum gum.
The initial prototype was acceptable but I felt I could improve on the recipe a little.
The instructions said that the recipe made 8 buns so I followed this and they were much too large for my liking. The buns also tended to spread on the tray rather than rise. Additionally, we prefer more spice and fruit. I made a note of this for my second attempt.
Here is my amended recipe with method and photos. Do not be put off by the long list of ingredients. I have divided the ingredients into separate sections accoring to the method.
GLUTEN-FREE HOT CROSS BUNS
Ingredients
1 cup sultanas
1 cup boiling water
7g dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
120ml warm water
24g psyllium husk
3 eggs
250ml hot water
3 cups gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons bicarb soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
75g sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons mixed spice
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 orange
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour
Water
Method
Place sulatanas in a small bowl and cover with boiling water and allow to stand.
Combine yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl and set aside to activate.
In a another bowl combine the eggs and psyllium then add the add hot water and set aside to thicken.
Place a large bowl of hot water in the oven and turn oven to 100C. Set timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven off and remove the bowl. This means the oven will be perfect for the dough to rise.
Place the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, sugar, spices and orange zest in a bowl and combine. Add the yeast mixture and egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Finally, drain the excess water from the sultanas and stir them into the dough. This step could be done by hand but I use my Kitchen Aid mixer.
Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface. Although kneading is not required for gluten-free baking (no gluten to stretch) you can gently roll and fold the dough a few times before dividing it into suitable sized portions. I weighed my balls of dough and chose to make them 75g each which yielded 17 buns.
Place balls of dough into muffin pans or on a tray and set the tray in the pre-warmed oven for 45 minutes.
While the dough is rising prepare the egg wash to brush the top of the buns by whisking the egg and water together. Make the mixture for the crosses. Blend together the flour and enough water to make a smooth paste which can be piped onto the buns. Place the flour paste into a plastic bag and snip a tiny piece off one corner.
Remove dough from the oven and turn oven on to 200C to heat while you finish the buns. Brush with egg wash. Pipe crosses onto the buns.
Return buns to the oven set at 200C and cook for 20 – 25 minutes.
Place the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan and simmer gently until reduced and thickened.
When the buns are cooked remove from the oven and drizzle with the orange glaze.
Ready to eat.
I was very pleased with the result and the final word comes from my friend who said that it was just like the commercially produced fruit loaf. This has inspired me to try baking this recipe as a loaf which could be sliced and toasted.
NOTE: The other variation is the type of flour used. The original rice uses tapioca and brown rice flour. I use my own mixture which includes both of these as well as potato and quinoa flours. You can choose a commercial gluten-free flour or you own combination as long as it totals 3 cups.
organised castle 