Simple ways, simple days

Sweet smell of Sourdough bread mmmmmm.... Last week in one of our neighbourhood newsletters there was an ad for free sourdough starter to anyone that would like to try their hand at baking sourdough bread. DD15 and I had often discussed trying to bake sourdough as it is her favourite, but to be honest I was a bit daunted by the whole process. A couple of years ago I read a novel based around a bread starter and how it weaved it's magic through a community and then far and wide without anybody really noticing at first. I think it was called the "Friendship Bread", I must dig it out, and the spirit of pass it forward, share it around has stayed with me and this spurred me forward. Yes I could have started my own starter but I think I was honestly waiting for this one to come to me. Anyway I thought what the heck why not get in contact and see what is involved, so I emailed the person to organise pickup. A lovely young woman called Allegra, who lived within walking di...

Small steps toward sustainability...Yeah! Well about 6 weeks ago we were lucky enough to have some solar panels installed due largely in part to our local Council initiative of a special repayment scheme for low income households. Until now I had only dreamt of solar panels and ogled other people panels with envy, abit like the colourbond roof add, for those in Australia. We are now all switched on and plugged in after a few inspections. I love the new catch cry from my girls now, "can I put the washing machine on now will it run on solar?" They have very quickly adapted to the right times for appliances to be used and oddly enough have become abit eco warrior in their attitude, hope it lasts. Will keep you posted re outcomes and hopefully savings. Melbourne Cup weekend was also a big weekend in the garden for me as I began the planting of vegies in our rearranged beds the aim is to now keep it going all year around. I feel a steep learning curve coming on but with p...

Frugal and Simpler seems to be on everyones mind. Well it seems that frugal is a hot topic at the moment, maybe due to the economic state of the universe, every second person seems to be thinking about it or acting upon it. Simple is another word that seems to go hand in hand with frugal. It really does seem that the more we have the more we want and I no longer wish for this. I want a slower, deeper more satisfying life, one where I can truly engage and enjoy the moments. I also now see how really important this could be for my girls as they move forward into their adult years. I certainly do not want them on the treadmill of consumerism. My aim with this blog is to hopefully keep me on track with this journey. I want to rediscover my cooking from scratch abilities and to grow as much of our own produce as possible, with some left over to share and swap. I aim to nuture my home so that it becomes a real haven away from the fast pace world that surrounds us all. To s...