Easily Pleased

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Posted on June 11, 2020

Those of you who know me well or have been following this blog for an extended period of time will be aware that shopping is not a great love of mine. For the most part, I have pretty well everything I need. However, my plastic spatula which I have owned for at least 20 years met an untimely end courtesy of the blades of the blender. I realised that I definitely needed one so checked online and found that Big W had Pyrex brand large and small silicone spatulas on special so when we were out and about on Tuesday I attempted to get one of each size. The small ones were sold out so I will look again another day as GMan is keen for a small one to use when making sourdough.

In the meantime, here is the new addition to my collection of kitchen utensils.

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Coincidentally, I had planned to clean out the utensil jars and drawer. Each time I do this there is usually something which I decide is no longer required but I have culled my collection of utensils to a point that everything is worthy of its place in the kitchen.

Like all decluttering/streamlining projects, there is no ‘one size fits all’ as we all have different needs in the kitchen.

I have 2 utensil jars. These hold the majority of frequently used utensils.

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Here they are laid out on the bench.

The hand beater lives in the side of the regular cutlery drawer.

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The contents of the utensil drawer. These are generally too small or too sharp to stand in a utensil jar. Some, such as the vegetable peeler and measuring spoons are used every day while most would be used at least once a month and a few less frequently.

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I have an expanding bamboo divider which helps to keep them in some sort of order. Once I had wiped the drawer and the divider, I replaced all of the items.

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There is one item missing from these photos. The pie slice which GMan is revarnishing the wooden handle.

I have not shown the sharp knives which I keep separately in a knife block.

I have multiples of a few things – measuring spoons, tongs, wooden spoons and pastry brushes but these are all used.

What are your essential kitchen utensils? Have you reviewed or reduced what you have recently?

A Day Out

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Posted on June 9, 2020

We have not long arrived home from a rather extensive day out. An early start saw us gone just after 7am as we had quite a bit to do in Brisbane and it was just over an hour of driving to reach our first destination.

The prime reason for the trip was to take the frame for the mirror from this dressing table to a glass merchant so that we can have a new one cut. They no longer do resilvering as the precision equipment available today means that a replica can be produced more easily and at less cost.

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After dropping off a couple of items to a friend and my brother, and picking up our saw that we had lent, we made our way to visit my mother. Or more specifically, to pick her up. We then headed to Shorncliffe, a bayside suburb, where we braved the breezy day and had a picnic lunch of fish and chips from The Shelley Inn. It was lovely that my cousin was also able to join us.

A final stop a little further along the shore to see the historic Shorncliffe Pier which was rebuilt and restored about 5 years ago. Here are a few views.

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We rounded off the day with a few shopping chores with my mother.

A little pre-planning ensured that today was both enjoyable and an efficient use of our time and fuel.

Money For Jam

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Posted on May 29, 2020

We have all heard of the phrase, ‘money for jam’, this post is about jam for very little money. Making your own jam is probably one of the best ways to save money. Commercially prepared jams often contain very little in the way of fruit and ‘premium’ brands are ridiculously expensive.

In the blog post from yesterday I shared how I had sliced and soaked the homegrown grapefruit.

After being soaked for about 15 hours I was ready to make the marmalade.

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Like most jam recipes this one is very simple. The original from Annabel Langbein is here. I chose not to use the whiskey.

You will need equal quantities of fruit and sugar and an equivalent volume of water.

For example, I used:

1.2kg of grapefruit Scrubbed, quartered and thinly sliced
1.2 litres water
1.2kg sugar

Cut the unpeeled grapefruit into quarters, then slice finely by hand or using the slicing attachment of a food processor. Place in a wide, non-corrosive preserving pan and cover with 1.2 litres of water. Cover and leave to soak overnight.

The next day, place the pot over a high heat, bring to the boil and boil for 40 minutes. Lower the heat and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then return to the boil and boil for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to prevent the grapefruit from catching on the bottom – you want it to almost catch, but not burn. If you feel it starting to catch, remove it from the heat for a couple of minutes, giving it a gentle stir to stop it burning on the bottom, then continue boiling.

After 55 minutes do a ‘set test’ to check if your marmalade is ready. Chill a saucer in the fridge for a few minutes, then drop a teaspoonful of marmalade onto it. The marmalade is ready when it forms a skin that wrinkles when you hold the plate on an angle. At this point add the whiskey and boil for couple of minutes more to burn off the alcohol.

Pour straight into sterilised jars and seal with sterilised lids. If properly sealed Grapefruit Marmalade will last indefinitely.

To prepare your jars for preserving: For this recipe you will need a selection of jars that will hold just over 4 litres of marmalade. This is a great way of recycling, as the jars and their metal lids can be used over and over again. Wash the jars as usual, then remove the lids and place the lids and jars in the sink. Cover them well with boiling water then drain off the water. Pre-heat the oven to 100°C then pop the jars and lids in for 15 minutes to sterilise. Once removed from the oven, put the lids on the jars immediately so they remain sterile until you are ready to fill them.

The end result of 1.2kg of homegrown fruit, 1.2kg of sugar and about 1.5 hours of my time and we have about 2.5kg of jam added to our stock cupboard.

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More Than Washing

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Posted on May 26, 2020

What does doing the washing mean to you? Grabbing an armful of used clothes and tossing them into the washing machine and then transferring them to the dryer? Or do you have a careful sorting and separating process?

I sort my washing into light and dark fabrics, check the pockets for errant coins, tissues or slips of paper and then turn the articles so that they are the right side out. They are then washed and hung on the clothesline under the verandah. When the clothes are dry I sort them into the items that need to be ironed and those that can be folded and put away immediately.

All of this process allows plenty of opportunity to examine items for any damage or wear and tear which requires repair. The old adage, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ is very true.

This week I found a small hole and run in the front of one of GMan’s merino thermal tops.

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My darning skills are somewhat limited but I do have a rudimentary understanding of what is required. Since this is an undergarment, a perfect result is not essential. I found some similar coloured tapestry wool and split it to extract a single strand to use.

The end result is functional if not particularly pretty.

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Regardless of the type of garment, it is worth checking clothes regularly to ensure that they are maintained which will prolong the life of the garment. Things to look for include loose buttons, hems coming down, breakage of side seams near pockets or armholes.

A Winter Wardrobe

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Posted on May 22, 2020

Some of you may be familiar with Project 333 by Courtney Carver. While I briefly flirted with the idea some years ago, it was never really my intention to try to manage on a specified number of items for 3 months. You can read one of my early posts on the subject here.

It is now the latter part of May and we are fast approaching the official start of winter. Although our climate is fairly mild we do still need winter clothes which are more than summer frocks or shorts and singlet tops. The maximum temperatures this week are between 14 and 18C (55 – 65F) where I live.

I finished full-time work at the beginning of July last year. Although my workplace accepted a business casual dress code, my clothing requirements have certainly changed in the past year.

The change of season is as good a time as any to review the contents of your wardrobe. This is mine before I started today.

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Not everything is hung up so here are views of the 2 drawers in my dresser which contain outerwear. My underwear, pyjamas, swimwear and scarves are in 2 smaller drawers.

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I removed everything from the wardrobe that I do not envisage wearing in the next 3 months (end of August) and have hung it in the wardrobe in the spare room.

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A couple of items that were previously folded have now been hung in the wardrobe and the contents of the drawers re-arranged.

This drawer is what I may wear in winter.

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All of the summer shorts and tops have been consigned to the bottom drawer.

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Then it was time to tackle the shoes. These are the summer ones I have put aside.

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The end result looks like this.

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Due to washing and wearing requirements there are a few pieces missing from this photo. 2 pairs of blue jeans, a rugby top, 3/4 sleeve tshirt, long sleeved jumper and my black ankle boots.

The total inventory is:

Jeans/trousers x 5
Trackpants/travel pants x 3
3/4 sleeve tshirts x 3
Long sleeve tshirt x 1
Short sleeve shirt x 1
3/4 sleeve shirts x 5
Rugby tops x 3
Cardigans x 3
Jumpers x 3
Dress x 1
Vest x 1
Polar fleece jacket x 1
Waterproof jacket x 1
Trenchcoat x 1
Long boots x 1
Ankle boots x 2
Dress shoes x 2
Casual shoes x 2
Walking shoes x 2

In addition, I have scarves, beret, hat, gloves and a couple of thermal tops.

Is it enough? Or too much? I am sure there will be some items that don’t make the cut at the end of the season and there is a good chance that there will be some additions. My aim is that any new pieces will be sourced secondhand or made from fabric I already have on hand.

Pandemic and Packaging

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Posted on May 19, 2020

As Plastic-Free July looms on the horizon, perhaps it is time consider one of the little-discussed ‘victims’ of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

For well over 20 years I have worked on reducing the packaging that comes into our home. I take my own containers to buy dry goods (flour, nuts etc) from bulk bins. I have been able to take my own bottles to the local Co-op to get them refilled with apple cider vinegar, tamari and olive oil. The local IGA supermarket and butcher accepted my own containers for meat, fish and deli items including sun-dried tomatoes, olives and feta cheese.

However, everything changed as COVID-19 arrived. I can still buy dry goods in my own jars as long as they are scrupulously clean and have no remnants of previous contents. We eat very little meat so I have not been to the butcher since the pandemic began. Neither the Co-op or IGA are accepting containers to refill at the moment. Will this change back when things settle down? Will it become the new normal and the years of action on single-use packaging be unravelled by one virus? Only time will tell.

These changes have forced me to reconsider my shopping habits. The item which has been impacted most significantly is olive oil. I used to take a litre bottle to the Co-op for it to be refilled but now I am obliged to buy a new 750ml glass bottle for $2.95 each time I wish to buy the local, organic olive oil.

This bottle will simply be refilled from the drum of olive oil as required now. No more bottles.

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We use a significant amount of olive oil so my interest was piqued when I saw a sponsored post on Facebook from Nuggety Creek Olives. After a bit of reading I discovered that I could buy a 20 litre drum of olive oil for $180.00 delivered to my door. The extra virgin olive oil is produced from olives grown without chemicals and I believe the farm is currently being audited for organic certification.

The Nuggety Creek olive oil arrived safely and is now stored in a cool, dry cupboard. I even made a drip catcher from an old dip container and a piece of wire salvaged from the shed.

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20 litres may sound like a lot of oil but I will be sharing it with at least 3 friends. Thinking outside the box has allowed me to continue to minimise the packaging that we generate.

Bottles filled and ready for distribution to friends.

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I have not bought any of the other items I mentioned as yet but my next project is to look into a bulk source of olives. While I understand that all foodstuffs must come in some sort of packaging or container, unless you produce it yourself, I am keen to buy in larger quantities, and therefore, minimise the impact.

Have you considered changing your shopping habits since the pandemic began? Would community bulk-buying be an option for at least some products?

Photos – Another Milestone

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Posted on April 29, 2020

There have been no blog posts for a few days but I have been beavering away in the background.

In my earlier post I mentioned that I was not ready to attack the large box of photos. That resolve did not last for long and I decided that I needed to work on those as well as the digital files. So, I began scanning. This did not turn out to be as onerous as I had originally imagined. The reason for this was that many of the hard copies in the box had, in fact, actually already been scanned. Nevertheless, it meant that I needed to cross-check every photograph to ensure that it had been scanned and do those that had not previously been scanned.

Therefore, I am excited to report that all of my photos are now scanned and saved on the computer. I still have a long way to go before I can declare that this project is finished. The next stage is to work on culling any duplicates or poor quality images. Once I have a curated collection for a particular folder they will then be numbered and named according the convention I have deemed suitable to ensure that the preferred sequence is maintained.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit testing as the various piles of photos took over the desk, the end of the kitchen bench and even some of the floor of the study.

One of the real highlights of this project has been the re-discovery of forgotten or rarely seen images.

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Photos – The First Step

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Posted on April 17, 2020

5 days ago in this post I unveiled my latest decluttering project. I intend to have all of my photos culled, sorted and labelled in a digital format.

I started with the files that were already on my computers – yes, plural. The very first step was to consolidate them onto one device for the purpose of this project. That resulted in reducing the number from over 18,000 images to 17,300.

I then removed further duplicates as I placed the photos in 15 primary folders plus and additional one for some assorted videos.

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The categories I chose reflect my interests and priorities. Yours may be very different.

Within those folders are sub-categories. For instance, the one named ‘Animals’ contains photos of various pets we have had over the years. Each pet has their own folder. ‘Family’ which contains the largest number of photos has a folder for each year. Within that folder may be folders for specific events such as birthdays and weddings with the remainder of photos for the year simply be ordered sequentially and labelled with the person and place if applicable. Some of the folders may be removed completely once all of the photos are dealt with. The folders ‘Food’ and ‘Clothes’ are primarily for photos used in blog posts. Once these have been checked against the folders for the blog and the photos referenced then the photos and other folders may be deleted.

Although this screenshot looks very neat, there is an enormous jumble within those folders that will take many hours of work to unravel. I have plenty of time and intend to a little bit every day – a bit like eating an elephant!

The second part of the photo project is contained in a box. The box on top of the filing cabinet contains all of the photos which have yet to be scanned, along with assorted other bits and pieces. I dare not show you the contents yet as I am not ready to dive into that and the photos that need scanning until I have the digital files under control.

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The good news is that the digital files have now been whittled down a bit further to 16,500.

So, why am I doing this?

As with any decluttering project, I want to keep only that which is useful and of value. This means removing duplicates, photos that no longer have any meaning to me and poor quality images where there is a superior one that is similar.
Having an organised and curated collection means that my family and I are more likely to peruse and enjoy the photos.
When I am gone it will be easy for people to choose which photos to retain and which were only of value to me.
My descendants will not be left wondering as to who was in a photo or where and when it was taken.

Like many people, I have left this task far too long but I am now determined to complete it. I honestly have no idea how long it will take.

The Long Haul

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Posted on April 12, 2020

I have begun a new project and as the title indicates, it is not something that will be completed quickly.

The sorting, cataloging and culling of my photos has begun in earnest. The first step is the digital files, so there is really very little to show. I had files duplicated on 2 computers as well as some of them on an external hard drive. They are now all consolidated onto a single device. There are currently over 17,000 files. They include nearly 1,000 prints that I scanned some years ago. There are still more to scan but they can wait until the next stage as I want to get all of the digital files sorted before I add any more. Some of the files are duplicates and others will undoubtedly be culled. At least I only have a handful of images on my phone as I regularly download those to the computer.

There have been several attempts to do this over a number of years but it was simply to big a job to tackle while I was working but a combination of retirement and an extended period of self-isolation has proved to be the perfect formula for tackling this task.

Previous attempts have helped me to come up with a digital filing method and naming convention that will allow me to find and access particular images with relative ease in the future.

There is lots of fun in finding some blasts from the past.

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I intend to try to do at least a little bit of this project every day but I also have plenty else to keep me occupied and interested. Tomorrow I will be helping GMan with his latest garden project – building new compost bays.