Category Archives: Uncategorized

Trailing Tomatoes

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I have written before about the cherry tomatoes which grow in various parts of our garden.

We seem to have literally hundreds which keep coming up in the garden in front of the verandah.  I pull the majority of them out so that they do not smother the hibiscus which we are trying to get established.  However, a few plants have got themselves very well established, including this one which has grown about 2 metres up the wire fencing to the verandah and then continued to spill over the floor directly outside our front door.

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I finally got around to tying it up the other day so at least we can walk along the verandah unimpeded.

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I am looking forward to being able to pick tomatoes from right outside the door!

Refilling the Wardrobe

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Our wardrobes were looking a bit depleted on the weekend.  We had been away for a few days the previous weekend so the regular cycle of washing and ironing had not been done plus we took some different clothes away with us so that added even more to the laundry.

I spent a considerable amount of time ironing on Sunday and this is the result.

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Here is my end of the wardrobe before I put my freshly ironed clothes away.

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And this is the other end where GMan’s clothes live.

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My selection of clothes is not spectacularly small but after a few years of carefully considering what clothes I purchase, I am pretty happy with the selection of clothes that I own.

Apart from showing you how much ironing I did I wanted to use this post to begin a conversation about how best to plan and organise the contents of your wardrobe.

I think there are nearly as many options as there are people on the planet so you have to find what works for you.  Over the past 4 years I have flirted with Project 333, wardrobe capsules, seasonal collections and so on.  All of these attempts have been part of learning what methods suits me and my lifestyle.

If you look closely at the top left-hand corner of the photo of my wardrobe you will see what is a large bag with some clothes in it.  This was my latest attempt in which I would put away the clothes that were not relevant to the current season.  While I have not found myself scrambling for the contents of that bag I have decided that I am not that keen on shoving clothes away in a bag.

It means that I have to hang and probably iron them again before the next time they are worn.  Also, I am not exactly sure what is in the bag which makes it difficult to plan ahead for the next season – what I may consider buying or making.

So, I think I have figured out a plan that is going to work for me.  I am going to do a bit of preparation over the next week or so and be ready to start in earnest on 1st December which is the first official day of summer here in Australia.

Watch this space………..

 

Breast really was the best

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This is a newish blog that I have just started reading. There are lots of great posts but this is a really special one that deserves to be shared.

Thank you, Anne.

Anne's avatar

My favourite breastfeeding photo. My favourite breastfeeding photo, graduating university and feeding my daughter

About 28 years ago I was privileged to become friends with a fantastic group of women.  We were all new mums, learning the tiring, challenging and beautiful art of mothering together.  We were passionate about our role as mothers and were all members of the Nursing Mothers Association, now the Australian Breast Feeding Association. I can’t remember what I learnt at our regular meetings but I well remember the support, understanding and bond I shared with these women.  On the days that I doubted my ability and when I felt as if I was going crazy from lack of sleep they were the ones that made the tea and passed the tissues.

We all breastfed our babies.  The five of us suckled 14 babies.  We weathered

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E G Whitlam 1916 – 2014

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Gough Whitlam

The 24 hours news cycle and the internet were not thought of 40 years ago when Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister of Australia in 1972.  Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that I learned of the death of Gough Whitlam via the rolling coverage at the foot of the big screen in the foyer of the city office when I arrived at work this morning.  I shared and communicated the news with friends and acquaintances via text messages and Facebook.

In 3 short years Gough Whitlam achieved so much.  He had a vision for Australia which included universal access to healthcare and education, indigenous rights, support for the arts, multiculturalism, no-fault divorce,abolition of the death penalty, voting for 18 year olds and of course, the abolition of conscription and bringing the troops home from the Vietnam War.

I was 14 years old when the “It’s Time” campaign swept the Labor Party to power in 1972 and still not old enough to vote by the time Whitlam as dismissed in spectacular fashion by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr in 1975.

There has been much written and said today about Gough Whitlam and his legacy but I would like to share a few words that I read on an online forum by a contributor unknown to me.  This really sums it up for me.

“He cared. I’m so glad that he was part of my history.”

A Laundry Gadget

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Several months ago I was searching for clips that would hook onto the clothesline to hold shirts or dresses on a hanger.  I have some old ones that came from my mother-in-law but I had not seen in any the shops recently.  Naturally, I turned to that guru, Mr Google and found this site.  The Hook-Ups which are about halfway down the page were a better version of what I was looking for.

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However, it is a UK site so I decided to wait until we went there on holidays.  Now I am home with my packet of Hook-Ups that I bought at Lakeland in Glasgow.

Once they are clipped on the line it is a simple matter of slipping the hanger through the hole.  I have about 5 clipped on the line and the rest are in the peg bag on the end of the laundry trolley.

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It is quick and easy to get the clothes off the line and I can hang them on the rack in the spare room ready for ironing.  Even better, there are no peg marks.

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What gadgets or tips do you have to make it simpler to get the washing and ironing done?

A Christmas Table & Leftovers

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Each year I review my Christmas catering efforts to see what worked, what didn’t and what could be changed.

As I have explained, this year was quite different as I catered for a small family gathering of 4 in an unfamiliar kitchen with limited ingredients.  I shopped with a view to minimal leftovers as well as a very simple menu.  You can see the menu in my previous post.

Entree
This was the entree – grilled asparagus and prosciutto-wrapped haloumi.  There was a roasted capsicum sauce to accompany it.

Main course
Here is the table set for the main course with grilled salmon, chestnut and cranberry stuffed chicken roll and 3 different salads.

It was very enjoyable and there is nothing that I would change.  The menu could easily be used for a bigger group with minimal additional effort.

We visited relatives on Boxing Day so the leftovers had to wait until the following day when I used them to  create a main meal salad.  I do not have a photo but here is the ‘recipe’.

Potato & Salmon Salad

6 tiny potatoes
1 small piece of grilled salmon
1 stick of celery
1/4 red capsicum (bell pepper)
Herb mayonnaise

Boil the potatoes until just tender.  Cool and cut into small pieces.  Flake the salmon and add to potatoes.  Add finely sliced celery and diced capsicum.  Toss ingredients and stir mayonnaise through.  Chill and serve on a bed of salad greens with tomato wedges.

The recipe is based on exactly what I did and it served 3 adults for lunch.

What creations have you made with leftovers during the festive season?

Christmas is Coming

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Well, I am not sure about the “goose getting fat” as described in the traditional nursery rhyme but I do know that it is less than 12 weeks until Christmas.

Are you one of those people who can smugly say at the beginning of October that they have finished the Christmas shopping, have the menu planned and the fruit is soaking ready to make the cake and pudding?

I have done some Christmas preparation but not in the traditional sense.  We will be travelling to Melbourne to share Christmas with our younger daughter so last week I booked flights and accommodation for the trip.

Finding flights was relatively easy as I just needed to find the best-priced fares that fitted in to the dates and times we wanted to travel.  I checked out numerous accommodation options before settling on this one which I found on Air BnB.  We are looking forward to spending a relaxing week near the beach as well as being close to shops and public transport.  We will be able to create and share a festive meal and valuable time with our family.

I will not be doing much else until closer to the time.

What are your priorities for Christmas preparations?  Have you started making plans or preparations?

 

Through Different Eyes

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I have 3 days leave and our 5 year old grand-daughter is staying with us for a few days.  She is supposedly recuperating from a tonsillectomy 6 days ago but she is actually just about bouncing out of her skin.

After picking her up this morning, I had a couple of things to do and we were home by lunchtime.

Cooking is one of her favourite activities so we made some buckwheat pancakes to have with our pumpkin soup.  It was a cold, rainy day so perfect weather for soup.

It is always amazing to see how much children learn when simple tasks are explained to them.  I enjoy having the time to teach her all manner of things.

2013-05-22 01Today I showed her how to sort the light and dark washing.

2013-05-22 02We washed and dried the dishes.  It was a long process but there was much discussion along the way.  She now knows the names and uses of the various utensils – ranging from a potato peeler to tongs and a soup ladle.

2013-05-22 03She also realised that lighting a fire and stoking it with wood that has been seasoned, cut and stored will make a room warm and cosy.

wood heaterShe is very excited because I have offered to take her to the local library tomorrow to choose some books.  We will also be doing some more cooking.