I recently scored these 2 large ceramic bowls. They were on offer through our local LETS group (Local Exchange Trading System) for the equivalent of $12.
They are in perfect condition and exactly what we had been searching for. The larger one is big enough to mix the full quantity of sourdough mix that GMan uses for 2 loaves of bread. He is so pleased with it.
There is something particularly thrilling about finding just what you need through a variety of secondhand avenues.
Last week I was watching as the builder was putting the finishing touches to the pantry. Then there was some final sanding and painting to do.
The final step was to rearrange things. It was a big job and I took my time and there is still some more tweaking as usage patterns develop. Now it is time for the big reveal.
Since it is a long, narrow space it is impossible to photograph an overall view.
The extended benchtop, drawers and overhead shelving. Note the LED strip lighting under the open shelving.
The full wall of open shelving on the other side. The height placement of the shelves was specifically determined according to the height of what I wanted to store.
Since well before the pantry renovation began I have been dreaming of how I would organise the new, improved version.
Let me show you a few closer details.
I previously had these plastic tubs full of plastic storage containers in the corner cupboard. It was a reasonable solution but having them in a deep drawer is even better.
I spotted these 3 cute glass jars in an op shop recently and immediately decided that they would be perfect for GMan’s collection of teas – black, Earl Grey and green tea. All ready for making tea and coffee. The mugs are hanging just out of sight to the right of this photo.
I have reinstated the ‘breakfast corner’ with the kettle and toaster together near the entrance to the pantry.
The far end of the extended bench is home to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer and airfryer, both of which are used frequently.
Other regularly used appliances are stored on the open shelves. I have placed them at a height which makes them within easy reach and simple to access.
The storage buckets of bulk dry goods stand on the floor.
There is space to store the empty glass jars and bottles.
Teatowels and aprons in a drawer close to where they are used.
The addition looks completely seamless as we were able to match all of the components with the original. I am beyond ecstatic to see this all come together and I am really looking forward to the increased functionality of my kitchen and pantry.
Revamping our walk-in wardrobe was not an absolute priority but rather a by-product of the pantry extension. Our wardrobe is now about half of the original size but we are very confident that it offers more than enough space for our needs.
Once the new wall and cornices were installed, the next stage was to repaint the entire space. It is now white which I feel provides a clean, bright backdrop to the clothes.
We had removed all of the shelves and hanging rails before the renovations and are planning to install a more functional modular system which fits our needs. We are going to check out the components next month as the business is located on the other side of Melbourne from us and is not that easy to access. I expect it will be 2025 before we actually install the new shelving and rails.
In the meantime, we have moved some of our clothes and shoes back into the space.
There are plenty of off-season clothes, coats and jackets still in another wardrobe as well as shoes, hats and bags. Of course, I also have tops and underwear folded in drawers. However, this is a pared down selection of what GMan and I mostly wear. I will be interested to see how often I actually need to go to the other clothes.
When I look at this small hanging rail of clothes it is really easy to see why I have consistently remarked that my food is more important to me than my clothes when asked about our plans for the pantry and wardrobe.
Most of my posts seem to be fairly light on writing and tend to favour the accompanying photos. You know the saying, ‘A picture paints a thousand words………….’.
However, today is going to be somewhat the reverse of the normal pattern.
I want to share my thoughts about lists. Lists are part of who I am and I thrive on them. Shopping lists, to-do lists, packing lists, list of contents. The types of lists are almost endless. The ‘Notes’ function on my phone is my best friend. I have lists of groceries to buy, books to read, movies to watch, places to visit. Sadly, the topic does not really lend itself to lots of photos.
One of my most enduring lists is the sometimes maligned to-do list. I recently read that creating a to-do list puts you under unnecessary stress and/or sets you up for failure. This could be the case but I consider it simply as an ongoing reminder. In fact, it actually lightens my mental load since once a task is added to the list, I can easily remove it from my mind and the constant nagging feeling of remembering that I have to do something. Instead, I can simply refer to the list.
My daily ‘to-do’ list is more of a memory prompt of things that I need or want to achieve the next day. I generally write/update it before I go to bed and I can then sleep with a clear head and safe in the knowledge that I have recorded my plans (very loose) for tomorrow.
As an example, these were some of the items on my list for today.
Tidy up more emails
Send email to ………….
Book restaurant
Sweep hallway
Finish making bags
Deliver pamphlets
Walk dog
Clean shower
Quote for screens/security door
GMan did the hallway before I got to it. I have finished 3 of the bags and have 4 more to sew the straps on. I am making them for the local Community Pantry for people to use (and reuse) if they do not have a bag with them. I bought the material for $5 from the Bendigo Share and Repair Shed a few weeks ago. I do like creating bags using a variety of offcuts but a large piece of fabric certainly makes it easy to create a number of bags fairly quickly.
Everything else has been done with the exception of the shower which will go on tomorrow’s list. Of course, I did numerous other things besides what was on the list and this is usually the case most days.
I do not feel any pressure from creating a list and this method works well for me. Do lists work for you?
I have not posted for a few days as GMan caught a cold several days ago and then kindly shared it with me and I simply have not felt on top of the world.
During the past 5 days we have only left the house to take the dog for her regular walk and it has been good to be getting some exercise and enjoying the autumn sunshine on at least some of the days.
I have reflected on what I have actually done and realised that almost every day is a mix of some housework (but not too much), cooking, reading, watching television, walking, gardening, computer activity and sewing. Variety really is the spice of life. Not everything gets done every day but most times it does.
Then there are days when we are out and about all day so only the bare minimum of other stuff happens. Sometimes it is social activities or a mixture of shopping and appointments. It is probably just as well we have had a few quiet days at home as the diary for the coming week is looking rather full. We will be out more than we are home on 4 of the next 6 days. There will be a trip to Melbourne to do some shopping and meet up for lunch with friends visiting from interstate. Another day we will be in Bendigo for a series of appointments as well as some shopping. The weekend will be a social whirl with the locals – TEDX talks, lunch and music as well as a short film festival.
Every week and every day is different so it keeps us on our toes.
After my previous post it is back to the things we do ourselves.
Today I picked up a couple of large grapefruit at our local LETS market. I have sliced them finely and am soaking them overnight and I will make some marmalade tomorrow. Grapefruit marmalade is GMan’s favourite so another jar or two is always a welcome addition to the pantry.
In the past I would have draped a tea towel over the bowl to cover the soaking fruit but I am using this cute fabric bowl cover which is simply a circle of fabric with an elasticised edge. It was a gift from a friend in Maleny and was made by one of the members of WAM (Waste Action Maleny). I was part of the group when we lived there so it was lovely to receive this gift.
Marmalade goes on toast and GMan was particularly proud of his latest loaves of sourdough. We have been here for almost 12 months and in that time he has been unable to replicate his best efforts but we both think that these are as good as any he has made.
The satisfaction in cooking, doing, making, building or repairing something yourself is immeasurable.
When I decided to dress as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in Easter Parade I was keen to not buy anything new so I started searching for some light blue gingham fabric in the op shops. GMan was with me and spotted a QS doona cover and 2 pillowcases which proved to be perfect. The linen had obviously been discarded as parts of it were significantly faded but I knew there would be plenty for what I needed. I made the pinafore dress and slightly adapted a blouse I had previously made.
Ever since our girls left home we have had a queen size bed in the spare room. For a number of years it was used as an Air BnB so the bed was always made up and ready. Since then I continued to do the same as there was often a family member visiting.
However, the bed is used much less these days and I always have plenty of notice so I can make it up as required. This means that I do not have a full set of bed linen tied up but not really being used. I did not really want the bare mattress exposed so one possibility was to cover it with a spare doona cover. The downside of this is the potential for it to fade as this room enjoys the morning sun which is very welcome in the cooler months.
I realised that I still had all of the other side of the cover I had used for my costume. So, I simply hemmed the edge and now I have a pretty cover for the bed and it doesn’t matter if it fades over time.
Sheets and doona covers from op shops are a great source of fabric for a variety of projects. There are always lots to choose from and I have been lucky enough to find a very specific item on several occasions. As well as these creations I also found white cotton sheet sets that I used to make 8 tablecloths for the film society. You can read about that here. A mint green sheet from the op shop provided enough fabric for the backing of a quilt. You can see it in this post. The possibilities are endless if you view them as large pieces of fabric rather than bed linen.
When choosing this title I noticed that I had used it before in 2021 – except that it was in early November. It is now late summer here and everything seems to be ripening in abundance so we are fully occupied making sure that none of it goes to waste.
Here are a few of the things we have been doing in the past few days.
When we moved here we inherited two espaliered nashi pear trees which have borne prolifically. We did not net them so the parrots have enjoyed quite a feast but we have still managed to pick several hundred fruit. Once we discovered that we really like the fruit stewed, GMan has made it his mission to peel and slice the seemingly never-ending supply and the freezer is full of containers of stewed nashi which we will enjoy in the coming months.
It is now about 6 weeks since I picked the first of our zucchini and I been managing to use them at pretty much the same rate as we were picking them until the last few days. So, today I made zucchini slice. I have been trialling making them in individual serves in the airfryer for some time now and am happy that I have finally got the amended measurements and cooking times right. I will post an amended recipe in the next blog post.
I also grated several extra zucchini and have them packed in bags of 200g in the freezer for future zucchini slice making.
Meanwhile, the tomato sauce was simmering on the stove.
This was the result.
I made another of my experimental versions of basil pesto and am pretty happy with this one. Almonds instead of pine nuts. Some grated zucchini mixed with the basil makes it milder flavoured. Nutritional yeast rather than cheese makes it dairy-free, vegan and reduces the cholesterol. Yes, minimising the cholesterol intake is going to be more of a feature of my cooking in the future. I also add the juice of half a lemon as it makes it a bit less oily.
The bumper harvest has not been confined to just our garden and our neighbour’s. I picked up a bag of plums from a roadside giveaway earlier in the week. I stewed these and have some each morning on my cereal.
Processing gluts of home-grown, gifted or foraged produce can be time-consuming but it is a worthwhile activity which helps to minimise the amount of food going to waste.
During the past 5 days I have completed numerous mundane tasks including grocery shopping, washing and ironing. However, my attention has been predominantly on one task that I was determined to complete.
I will not go into specific details except to say that I reviewed all of our logins and passwords and the way that they are stored. There are various programs available for securely storing sensitive information. I know that nothing is perfect but since we live in a digital age it is important to do the best we can.
Old or obsolete accounts have been closed/deleted. I have created unique passwords for everything we access online. I felt that this was of utmost importance when you consider the number of organisations who have suffered data breaches in the past couple of years. There are undoubtedly other breaches which go unreported. By having unique passwords for everything means that if we are impacted by any future security breach then the impact will mostly be limited.
Even after deleting about 25 assorted organisations I still have well in excess of 100 different logins and passwords.
I am not going to be complacent but I do feel a little more reassured regarding the integrity and security of our information in the digital space.
Please do not post anything about your own ‘system’ but do let this be a reminder for us all to be a little more vigilant.
It is a relatively rare occurrence these days for me to buy much other than consumables such as groceries and fuel, and experiences including travel, tickets to shows and events.
However, I think a recent purchase is worth sharing. Just after Christmas I was ordering some mixing bowls for one of my daughters. While perusing the website I saw some Joseph & Joseph chopping boards. These are rather expensive but were significantly reduced. I had seen my sister using them when we stayed with them early last year and I was impressed with them but had not done anything more about looking for some.
Anyway, I bit the bullet and bought two new red (naturally) boards. They are what I would regard as large and extra large. They are plastic but that is offset by their perceived longevity.
I may be a bit late to the party but here are some of the features I love about them. There is lip around 3 sides and a slight slope overall. These help to retain juices or errant bits when preparing food. Juices can also easily be poured from the deep corner. This in turn, helps to minimise waste. The recessed handles make them easy and safe to carry. One side has a spiked area which can assist in holding meat or other items in place while chopping them. There is also a narrow rubber strip on the edges which means they are stable and do not move when being used.
I have tried and used a variety of chopping boards over the years but these really appear to be the closest I have found to perfectly meeting my needs.
The other collection of boards all have their uses and will remain part of the kitchen until they break or wear out.
organised castle 