Category Archives: Holidays

Super Sunday

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Whatever I write tonight will not do justice to all that we have done today.  Miss O and Izz did not wake until almost 8am but it was non-stop until they went to bed at 8pm.  Who knew that 12 hours could be so exhausting?

We started the day with pancakes for breakfast then I did a couple of loads of washing and some sewing alterations.  First up I re-did the elastic in both pairs of pyjama bottoms.  Next was letting down the hem on Miss O’s dressing gown.

2012-07-08 01I also added ribbed cuffs and neckband to Izz’s pyjama top.

2012-07-08 02We left home at about 11.30 and went to a strawberry farm at Beerwah were you can pick your own fruit.  2 buckets and we were underway.

2012-07-08 03The girls very quickly figured out that the best ones were red right up to the top of the fruit.  Izz still needed reminding that it is best to pluck the fruit rather than clutching them in your hand!

I had packed a picnic lunch so the next stop was Glasshouse Mountains township and the park.  We had ham and avocado sandwiches, home-made sausage rolls with our own tomato sauce, home-grown mandarins and freshly picked strawberries.  The playground, complete with flying fox provided heaps of fun and games.

2012-07-08 04Then it was next door to the visitor information centre where the girls discovered a wall puzzle of different dinosaurs as well as an interactive history of the mountains on a touchscreen.  This centre is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Finally, we headed home via a local fruit stall and chose a few things including a pineapple to use on our pizzas for dinner.

Later this afternoon, I made 3 batches of muffins and of course had lots of help.  2 batches were made with added berry yoghurt and coconut which I cooked in small patty papers and they will be frozen and used for snacks for daycare.

Dinner was pizza followed by strawberries, ice-cream and a pancake then it was showers and bed for 2 little people.  After a very busy day we had absolutely no arguments about bed and sleep.

They are not the only ones who will sleep well tonight.

I hope you have had a great Sunday, too.

Book Review – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

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I have just finished reading the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver.  I had seen it mentioned at times on the Simple Savings forum but there was no real detail of what it is about so I had forgotten about it until recently when I finally remembered to download it to my Kindle.

This book was first published in 2007 and documents the attempts of one family to eat mostly local food for a full year.  It is a substantial book and full to the brim with detail and information so is definitely not a light read.  I think I will need to read it a few times to extract the maximum benefit from it.

I found some of the detail quite confronting at times, especially the descriptions of CAFO’s (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) and the harvesting of the chickens and turkeys which they raised for meat.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as it forces us to examine our feelings about how our food is produced.  Out of sight should not mean out of mind.

Although it is written from a North American perspective there are many universal truths for everyone, no matter where you live.  By the time I had finished the book I was inspired with renewed enthusiasm to seek out as much local produce as possible.

During the course of the year, they travelled to Italy and also on a road trip north from Virginia, through Vermont and into Canada.  The local food that they ate and people encountered makes fascinating reading.

I also intend to apply the same principles to the food we eat during our upcoming trip to the USA.  Since we will be in the north-east states during late summer we will have an excellent choice of fresh food.  One of the things we had planned to look for is Farmers’ Markets in the cities and farm gate sales in the more rural areas.  My goal is to eat as much locally-sourced, organic and unpackaged food as possible while we are away but more about that another time.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle contains numerous recipes based on seasonal produce which are also available on their website.

The book contains an engaging mix of passion, theory, humour and science related to a topic which is the essence of every one of us – our food.

I would strongly recommend that you read ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ and take the time to really think about what you are eating and how it came to be on your plate.

Comments & Countdown

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A big thank you to all of you who take the time to comment on my random thoughts which masquerade as blog posts.

I have been very tardy about responding but have gone back over the past 4 weeks since I last responded and replied to all of your comments.

Although I will make a concerted effort to reply each day I will check and catch up on the comments each Sunday from now on.

It is now 9 weeks until we head off on our big adventure to the USA.  All of the accommodation and transport are booked so now we are concentrating on researching what we plan to do and see in each place we visit.

One of the things I had read about in New York was the new(ish) High Line Park which is built along an old elevated railway line above Manhattan.  There is an access point to it quite close to where we will be staying.  You can read all about it in this post I stumbled upon.

Any tidbits or suggestions will be gratefully received.  Our itinerary includes Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  We will be self-catering for much of the trip and I am keen to maintain the same criteria as I do at home.  That means local, seasonal, organic and minimally packaged food so if you have any thoughts in this regard I would really appreciate them.

Holiday Planning With A Difference

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We have decided to try get someone to housesit while we are on holidays.  We are in the process of finding someone suitable who we trust to care for our house and animals while we are away.

Instead of planning what to take I need to think about what to leave behind.

This is going to require some planning and organisation to be able to hand over the running of the household.  It is a reminder of how much knowledge and information is carried in my head.

Things like instructions for the washing machine, location of the booster switch for the solar hot water, how much food the dog eats, what day the rubbish is collected and so on.

The upside is that the house is pretty well decluttered and organised so it will be easy for someone to find where things are.  There is also plenty of space for extra clothes and belongings.

I am determined that I am going to have all the planning done well in advance of our trip so that the last week or so will not be a mad rush.  I want to simply pack my bag according to a pre-determined list and go to the airport, knowing that everything has been sorted out.

In the past, sometimes the last week before a holiday is so frenetic that I just want to get on the plane or in the car before my head explodes.

I would love to hear if anyone has had experiences of someone house-sitting for them.  How did you choose them and was it successful?

Autumn at Home

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When we travel to the USA later in the year, I am hoping to see some of the famous fall scenery in New Hampshire and Vermont.  We will probably be a little early for the best of it but I am sure we will see some, especially in the mountains and northernmost areas.

In the meantime, here is a glimpse of autumn in our own backyard – literally.

It is only one tree, a liquidamber, but it in a climate that does not have many deciduous trees that produce a colourful autumn display it makes a lovely contrast to the surrounding evergreens.

The Final Itinerary

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Those of you who have been playing along at home will know that we have been working on the itinerary for our upcoming USA trip.  It is over 3 months until we go but I now have the final plan.  We have all of our accommodation booked so now we can spend our time researching and planning what we will do.

  • Washington DC – 4 nights
  • Philadelphia – 2 nights
  • New York – 4 nights
  • Boston – 2 nights

All travelling will be by train between cities and public transport within the city.

Then we pick up a hire care in Boston and head off.

  • Cape Elizabeth (Portland) – 2 nights
  • Bar Harbor – 2 nights
  • Shelburne – 1 night
  • Charlotte – 2 nights
  • Shaftsbury – 1 night
  • Woodstock – 2 nights
  • Cape Cod – 2 night

Drop of car in Boston and train to Washington DC.

  • Washington DC – 1 night

Fly home

Any tips or ideas for the areas we will be seeing would be gratefully accepted.

In the meantime I found cheap flights on Jetstar so have booked to go to Adelaide for the weekend in November to see a friend for her birthday.

Where Did the Weekend Go?

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Here it is Monday night and I am still trying to work out where my weekends go.  I start with great intentions of achieving so much and by Sunday afternoon/evening I am left wishing that I had another day or two and then I would get everything done that I had planned.

No, of course I would not.  I would simply have a longer list.  When I was considering all of this last night I realised that although I do not seem to get everything done that I hope to, I do usually manage to make some forward progress.

By forward progress, I mean achieve something that will not need to be done again next week.  So this does not include regular jobs like cooking, washing clothes, ironing or even mending because I know they will all be back to be done again another day.

This weekend I helped The Duke re-hang the freshly painted doors on our new storage cupboard.  That is an achievement – we now have a completed cupboard in the downstairs entry.  I do not have to think about that again.

We have also been working on planning our trip.  We have finished the itinerary and have booked about 3/4 of our accommodation.  My goal is to have that completed well within the next 3 weeks.  That will mean I have 3 months clear before the trip to focus on reading guidebooks, planning sightseeing and things to do.  In short, making sure we make the absolute most of this ‘trip of a lifetime’.

I have not posted for a while about Project 333.  This is all ticking along smoothly with the minimum of fuss which is good as that is the essence of the challenge.  Tomorrow I will tell you a bit more about some of the things I am learning along the way.

Mending First, Sewing Second

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In order to keep on top of the never-ending stream of mending I have set myself the rule that I have to do any outstanding mending before I work on my sewing projects.

Today there was mending to be done.

2012-04-29 01This is The Duke’s backpack that he takes to work.  The stitching had ripped where the shoulder strap is attached so I restitched it.  Nothing fancy but it works.

2012-04-29 02Next, a patch on a pair of trousers (inside view).

2012-04-29 03Here is the end result.  You can see they are his best gear!  The patch on the left is the new one.  Not sure how much longer these will last.

2012-04-29 04Then it was on to the socks.  I think I did 4 altogether.  This shows the mended toe.  You can’t even call it darning.  I just use the zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.  Once again, not pretty but effective.

I then went on and finished altering the waistband of a skirt before finally doing some sewing on a summer top for myself.  It is just as well that summer is 6 months away at the rate I am going.

I also did some more knitting on my dishcloths.  I have now finished my third one and am about halfway through the fourth.

This evening we have finalised the itinerary for the touring part of our US holiday and started booking accommodation.  The planning is lots of fun so I can barely begin to imagine how good it will be when we actually get there.  It is now less than 4 months till we leave.

Project 333 Update & Plans

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I have not posted what I have worn each day but suffice to say that I stayed within my guidelines, apart from the addition of my dress due to the warm weather.

Since it is still relatively warm I have decided to swap in 2 items.  They are the black dress with white spots and this pair of lightweight cotton trousers.

2012-04-20 01The two items I am swapping out are these – a polo-neck knit and my turquoise cardigan.

2012-04-20 02When winter finally arrives, I will swap them back to the original selection.

Thinking ahead to the next 3 months, I will be including these walking sandals in my 33 items.  They do not get worn often (as evidenced by the dust) but they are great for when we are travelling.

2012-04-20 03Speaking of travelling – that was the reason I did not post this last night.  I was busy working on our itinerary for our trip in August/September.  We have finalised the first 10 days and have accommodation booked.  The rest is still a work in progress and I am more than happy for any personal experience or local knowledge.

August 20 – Arrive Washington DC
August 21 – Washington
August 22 – Washington
August 23 – Washington
August 24 – Philadelphia
August 25 – Philadelphia
August 26 – New York City
August 27 – New York City
August 28 – New York City
August 29 – New York City
August 30 – Boston
August 31 – Boston

We plan to travel between these segments by train and walk/use public transport for getting around.

Then we intend to hire a car and tour for the next 12 days.  My plan is something like this:

Leave Boston, travel via Wilton and Bangor to Bar Harbor.  2 nights in Bar Harbor.  Travel to Portland and stay 2 nights.

Drive through Rhode Island and Connecticut, stay on Connecticut coast for 1 night, possibly Branford.

Travel to Woodstock, NY – stay 2 nights.

Drive to Saratoga Springs for 1 night.

Travel through Bennington, VT to Charlotte/Burlington for 1 night.  Dive to Gorham/Mt Washington for 2 nights – travelling via Stowe.

1 night in a town ?where that is not too far from Boston then drop car off in Boston and catch train to Washington DC.

Final night and half day in Washington DC before flying home.

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of this.  Bear in mind that we have never been to the US so this has all been planned from maps, the internet and a few ideas from friends.

I am keen to hear of any car hire suggestions.

Project 333 – On Holidays

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We are away for a couple of days of the Easter break and going to a music festival.

The clothes I am wearing are pretty much my standard casual wear and I have taken a couple of photos to show you.  Unfortunately, my laptop and camera and not ‘talking’ to each other at the moment so the photos will have to wait until I get home.

2012-04-08 01I brought a pair of jeans and my my charcoal grey travel pants as well as two 3/4 sleeve t-shirts – red/white stripe and black/white stripe with a rugby top for the cooler evening as we have been outdoors until well after midnight.

2012-04-08 02My footwear is a pair of red lace-up casuals from Ecco.  I did also bring my sneakers (not on the list) just in case there was wet weather and the shoes got wet on the first day.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous so the sneakers have stayed firmly ensconced in the bottom of my bag.

A look around the festival at other attendees reinforces that there was no particular dress-code – it really is a matter of anything goes!  My priority was comfort and that suited me nicely.