Today, 8th March is International Women’s Day. It was designated in 1913 and celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
It is day to remember the women who came before us.
And those who have their whole lives ahead of them.
As well as those closest to me – my mother, sister and daughters who all mean so much to me.
I hope you have an amazing day, whatever you are doing.
This post is predominately for my Australian readers, however,there is an opportunity for international guests to sign the petition if they wish.
A bit of background:
At the Federal election in May 2019 Zali Steggall was elected as an independent member of Parliament representing the electorate of Warringah on the north shore of Sydney. This seat was previously held by the former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.
A major prong of Zali’s campaign was a commitment to introduce a Climate Change bill to the parliament if she was elected. This has been considered and drafted and will be presented at the end of this month.
Why does this matter to me?
It is important to sign the allied petition to indicate your support. Additionally, you are encouraged to contact your local Federal member to voice your concern and requesting that they support the bill in a conscience vote.
Thank you for reading and taking action as you choose.
Yesterday was 1st March and the official beginning of autumn in Australia. Coincidentally, I saw this link from the Bureau of Meteorology. This is what 1C of warming looks like. Are you prepared for 3-4C increase in temperatures? That is what we look like reaching this century if the government continues its current level of inaction. Not a great future for our children and grandchildren.
Meanwhile, I do not actually need the Bureau of Meteorology to tell me about the longer summers. It is clearly evident in my own backyard.
This photo taken today is of our liquidamber tree. It always loses all of its leaves each year but this has become progressively later each year. There is not even the slightest colouration of the leaves yet.
On the other hand, I am trying to make the most of the longer summer. I planted a second crop of corn at the beginning of February. It takes 3 months to mature and I want to see if we can extend our summer growing season until the end of April.
I am also growing zucchini late in the season.
There definitely needs to be a change in mindset with regard to sowing and growing times if we are to make the most of the climate changes.
It is definitely much too warm to consider cool weather crops yet. The forecast maximum temperatures for our area (400m elevation) are 27 – 29C for the next week and this pattern is likely to continue until the end of the month.
While hothouses allow tropical plants to be grown in cooler climates, I am wondering whether there will come a time when cooler weather crops such as cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage become impossible to grow in our location. It seems that celery is no longer possible to grow here as the seeds need cool soil to germinate.
Food security is just one very real and present threat from climate change.
As you can probably guess this post is about the current global outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).
This post is not meant to replace any government directions regarding travel or quarantine periods. It is simply my thoughts on the current situation.
Here is the official Australian Government Department of Health website.
It would not hurt any of us to stop and consider how we would manage if there were widespread cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Australia.
Since we do not have work commitments to consider my main focus is simply to ensure that we have enough supplies to ensure that we could take care of ourselves for an extended period if required. I have not been stocking up on food as we always carry enough to feed us for at least a month but probably much longer than that. While they may not be gourmet meals we could adequately nourish ourselves.
I have also read recommendations that people ensure that they have plenty of their prescription medications. I have checked that I have enough but noticed that my current prescriptions expire in about 6 weeks so I have made a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow to get new prescriptions. If the virus does have a significant impact in Australia over the next couple of months, I do not want to be trying to get new prescriptions at that time. Doctors will have far more pressing demands for their skills and I do not want to be in a waiting room full of potentially infected patients so it is much better to plan ahead and get it done now.
Preparation is not panicking, it is commonsense to take responsibility for your own well-being.
Every day there are multiple instances where we simply use what we have and think nothing of it. Tonight I want to share a few examples of how we use what is available and minimise buying new items.
About 10 years ago I scored a small rainwater tank on Freecycle. It had some rust spots and was no longer suitable for collecting rainwater but I had other plans. GMan cut it into 3 sections which we have used variously for small, raised garden beds and compost heaps. You can see them in some of the photos in this early blog post from 2011.
Over the years they have continued to rust and deteriorate a bit more and when GMan moved one recently, he declared that it was at the end of its useful life. However, on reflection, we decided that if we cut the worst of the rusted edge off it would be a bit shallower and would make a perfect herb garden.
The next trick was to find the best location for it. Ideally, it would be relatively close to the house for easy picking. After some discussion, we decided to remove the chilli bush in the corner of the vegetable garden area and place it there. We have two other very prolific chilli bushes so removing this one was not a problem. I removed all of the ripe chillies and added them to the bag of chillies in the freezer.
With the bush removed, it was time to position the cut-down tank.
The next job will be to fill it with soil and select what to plant in it.
Barely 2 months ago we had a Himalayan ash tree beside our driveway lopped. As you will see from the hyperlink, it is regarded as environmental weed where we live in southeast Queensland. The main tree and its multiple suckers had covered quite a large area and we immediately planted a selection of native shrubs and small trees in its place. One of these is a lovely grevillea which has grown very quickly but the 3 main branches were drooping badly. So, we decided that the best course of action was to create an enclosure with stakes that would help to support it until it develops enough strength of its own.
The straps connecting the stakes are some old webbing from the seat of an old armchair that GMan recently dismantled. I stapled them to the stakes using an upholstery staple gun that has been lurking in my craft cupboard for many years.
Here is another garden project that made the most of what we had.
I needed a table for potting and planting seeds so we created this one a couple of months ago and it has proved to be very successful.
We used an old bed frame and the slats which had previously been removed were replaced with some wire which we attached to the frame using fencing staples. A couple of timer crossbars allowed the attachment of a pair of metal legs. These had been salvaged from a table that my father had made many years ago. The wire top allows for easy watering and drainage while the location on the southern side of the house gets plenty of light and some sun while still being reasonably sheltered.
The final photo is not something we had but something we were given.
GMan planted these 5 new pineapple tops along the fenceline of the vegie garden. Thanks, Sandra and Glenn. We are looking forward to watching them mature and hopefully produce some delicious fruit. It will entail being patient as pineapples take about 18 months to grow.
On two occasions recently, I have been able to pass along items that are not of use to me.
This is slightly different to decluttering because I never intended using either of the items concerned.
The first was when we were in Melbourne and I was having a good look around a large suburban op shop. I found a Veronika Maine dress.
While I have never owned any Veronika Maine clothing, I do know that they are good quality and it was made in Australia. I knew that a size 10 would not fit me nor did I need a dress which would be totally at home in a corporate work environment. So, I left it there even though it looked perfect and was priced at a relatively tiny $9. After several hours of thinking about this dress, I decided to write a post for a Facebook group. This group is simply a gathering of like-minded female friends, some of whom I know in real life. I offered to buy the dress and post it (if required) if anyone was interested. Sure enough, someone was keen and the dress is now in regional NSW with a new owner.
I am part of a small group in my local town who make Boomerang bags. We regularly receive bags and boxes of donated fabric from a variety of sources. Sometimes these include fabric which is not suitable for making the bags and we generally try to repurpose it in some way. However, I was sorting through some fabric yesterday when I came across several pieces which defeated me when it came to thinking about how it could be used.
It is a silky type of material with a floral pattern on it. Most intriguing was the fact that is had been cut into long strip about 20cm wide and up to 6 metres in length. This rendered it unusable for making any type of garment. Once again, I offered it to my online group of friends for the cost of the postage. Lo and behold, someone was very keen and the parcel is currently en route. I will look forward to discovering what crafty project this will be used for.
The alternative was to send it to an op shop but I fear that it would have landed in the ‘too hard’ basket and subsequently in landfill.
I have found that it is worth spending a little extra time and effort to find someone to pass things on to directly.
I am sure I have mentioned it before but I am not a fan of the ‘massive purge’ style of decluttering. I liken it to any radical lifestyle change. If it is too violent a disruption to the status quo it is almost certain to be unsustainable in the long-term.
A much better option is to work slowly and intentionally on reducing your possessions. This should always be a two-pronged approach – minimise things coming into your home and move along those things which are no longer required or loved.
This weekend I have found new homes for several items by listing them in a couple of local groups on Facebook.
The dolls’ house was sourced from Gumtree several years ago and has provided many hours of entertainment for our granddaughters. They are now a little old for this and so with the consent of the younger one, I listed it to giveaway and it was picked up yesterday by a very excited little girl and her parents.
Today I listed 3 more items. The first was this bag which I used for work as I carried a laptop as well as my lunch and general handbag item to and fro. It removed the weight from my neck and shoulders. I no longer have a need for the bag and it has sat in the corner of my bedroom for 6 months so it was time to go. The bag is showing some signs of wear and tear, however, it was quickly snapped up and will be collected tomorrow.
Finally, there were 2 pairs of footwear. The well-worn RM Williams boots will last for many more years with a bit of refurbishment are taken and will be collected tomorrow. The red shoes have not had a lot of wear but are probably marginally too small so it is time to fin a new owner. I am sure someone will find them suitable.
I find it worthwhile to take the time to find recipients for specific items if possible as this reduces the chance of them being deemed to be unsuitable for sale and ending up in landfill.
What do you think of when the discussion turns to volunteering? Meals of Wheels? The committee of a local organisation? Assisting communities in Africa or Timor? Assisting injured wildlife? Planting trees?
These are all worthwhile and valid forms of volunteering but there are many others. There are almost as many forms of volunteering as there are people in the world. Sometimes we do it while it barely registers.
Yesterday I visited the small retirement village where my mother lives. I gave a slideshow presentation of some of the photos from our trip to Scotland last year. Mum had asked me if I would consider doing this as she felt that several of the residents would enjoy seeing them.
The presentation was advertised in the village newsletter, I assembled about 30 photos which I felt best reflected our travels and made some notes with specific details about the various places.
The armchair travellers assembled and we were set to traverse the ‘Islands and Highlands of Scotland’.
I was delighted with the level of engagement by the audience and thoroughly enjoyed retelling some of the anecdotes of our travels. However, I was completely unprepared for the overwhelmingly positive feedback and thanks which I received. I was thanked profusely for donating my time. I had not even thought of it like that – I was simply having fun sharing my passion for some of the places we had visited. There may well be more travel slideshows of other destinations in the future.
Today was a completely different story. A small but committed group of us gathered to print more pockets for the Boomerang bags which are made by our local group. Boomerang bags utilise salvaged and secondhand fabrics to create reusable carry bags. These are sold for a very modest $5.00 and we were pleased to be able to make a substantial donation to the local Neighbourhood Centre at the end of last year. The centre supports disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our community. The Boomerang Bag project saves fabric from landfill, limits single use plastics and supports our community and I am glad to be a part of it.
A reminder that you are never to young to be involved in volunteering and making a contribution.
I would love to hear about your volunteering contributions.
It is a little over 6 months since I finished work and I am now beginning to look at how I manage my time at home.
While I was working it was the time available which dictated what I achieved at home. However, now that has all changed as my time is my own.
The first 6 months were taken up with the final preparations for our overseas trip followed by 9 weeks overseas then it was less than 2 months until Christmas and a road trip and family Christmas.
My activities can be roughly divided into the following categories (in alphabetical order, not priority):
Cooking – meal preparation – sometimes in bulk
Exercise – aquarobics, gym and walking
Gardening – growing vegetables, flowers and shrubs
Household maintenance/renovations – usually in conjunction with GMan
Online/Computer – blog, Facebook, emails
Relaxing – reading, music, television
Routine housework – making bed, washing, ironing, sweeping, vacuuming
Sewing – clothes, mending, patchwork and Boomerang bags
Socialising – book club, film society, theatre, friends, family, Air BnB guests
Shopping – groceries and miscellaneous
Travel – local, interstate and overseas
By their very nature, housework and cooking tend to occur everyday. Formal exercise is twice a week but I am trying to include either some walking or gardening every other day.
I try to find time for some gardening, relaxing and computer work each day.
Sewing and socialising usually happen several days a week.
Shopping is as little as possible but groceries are mostly once a week.
Some activities cross over such as aquarobics and socialising. I also try to combine activities and errands to limit the number of trips I make into our local town (8km away).
From time to time a particular activity may demand a substantial block of time to the exclusion of almost everything else but I generally try to keep a mix of activities each day or so.
A quick Google search will yield numerous results for the term ‘ugly fruit and vegetables’. I do not know where or how the description originated but it simply refers to that produce which does not meet the consumer’s expectation of perfection. There is a new wave of consumers who have realised that imperfect shape or non-conforming size do not render produce useless and destined for the waste bin.
While not specifically designated as ‘ugly fruit’ our local fruit and vegetable stall does have less than perfect items available from time to time. You need to be prepared to chop, puree, freeze or preserve the entire quantity as soon as possible as it generally has a limited shelf life. You can turn ‘ugly ducklings’ into ‘beautiful swans’.
Although I always write a shopping list for my shopping, including fruit and vegetables, I am always on the lookout for anything extra that I can use.
About a month ago I found a box of ripe yellow peaches that were most definitely seconds. I decided that I could not go wrong when I noticed they were priced at $5 for the box. I discovered that there were 6kg of peaches and I only needed to discard 2 peaches and removes spots from a couple of others. Some were pureed and frozen to go on my cereal in the future and others being dehydrated while more were set aside in the refrigerator to be used fresh during the following days. My favourite was the 5 jars of peach and chilli chutney made from this recipe.
Yesterday we needed to replenish our supplies after our holidays and I spied another box for $5 at the fruit and vegetable stall. This time it was pineapples. 12 small pineapples for $5 was a bargain not to be passed up. Once again, despite not looking great from the outside, there was only a small portion that I needed to discard.
I did not make anything particularly fancy but I have plenty of pineapple frozen and ready to use. Some is pureed for use on my cereal and the remainder is small slices packed into containers. It is quite easy to remove as much or as little as is required for a particular recipe.
This is the haul (after I had eaten a couple of pieces).
Do you look for seconds or bargains when buying fruit and vegetables? What have you found and how did you process it?
