Keeping Warm is On My Mind

We're back from a fun-filled trip to the UK to visit family and experience the wonders of Lewes Bonfire Night.

I'm joining in with Rhonda again.

The cold weather is now officially on its way. Single figure daytime temperatures and freezing overnight are what I call chilly.

On a recent trip to Humana, a fabulous second hand clothing store, I was on the lookout for a coat or two. The clothes we brought with us were geared toward summer as we knew that any winter clothes we wore in Australia would not cut it for a Berlin winter.

I managed to find these two coat and couldn't be happier. The green woolen coat was made in Austria, while the burgundy one comes from Italy, and is a blend of wool and cashmere. They are both super warm and cut out quite a bit of the cold wind.

Clothes shopping is generally like a punishment for me. I spend my time searching for plain, uninteresting clothes. No glitter, no loud colours, no bedazzling! Buying second hand feels like a bit more of an enjoyable experience. It is much more fun to look through the racks of one-off clothes, hoping that the item that catches my eye is in my size.

After seeing the prices of some of the new coats, I feel better knowing that I spent a fraction of these amounts on my purchases and the amount I did spend is going to charity. I also love the history behind each piece. These are both beautifully made and I'm sure I will be able to pass them on to my kiddies in the years to come.

Teamed up with my boots, scarf, gloves and beanie, each of these coats are earning their keep in my wardrobe.

Take care (and stay warm)

Community is On My Mind

I'm joining in with Rhonda Jean again: her community spirit is inspirational.

I have been on a bit of a reading frenzy over the past few weeks, which has been wonderful. I tend to go through phases where I am a reading machine, and then I may go months without even opening the book that is gathering dust on my bedside table.

Yesterday was another exciting day when a white package arrived in the mail. It is a bit of a lottery at the moment as there are several books on their way to me so I wasn't sure which one this would be.

Kitchen Table Sustainability caught my attention as I had been looking for something on the topic of Sustainability that was Australian as well as being practical, not just full of facts and figures. I am not too far into it but am enjoying what I have read. I love the idea of the kitchen table being the hub of the house where so many important decisions are made. It is a place where experiences are shared at the end of the day.

The main aim of the book (I think so far) is to show communities they have the power to make changes for themselves, and guide and encourage others to do the same.

It got me thinking about the links to blogging. Blogging is my kitchen table. A place to discuss and share knowledge and ideas, find inspiration, and meet amazing, like-minded people. Being away for a few weeks made me realise how much I missed the conversations about food, gardening, recipes, recycling ...

So pull up a chair and I'll put the kettle on.

Bannetons are On My Mind

Another wonderful week has come and gone, full of school holidays and guests from home. Time to join Rhonda.

There is so much to learn on this sourdough journey. Different recipes have different hydration levels, different kneading methods and different proving times. It is a matter of me working out which suits me and my tastes. The loaves from my kitchen so far have been in the shape of tinned loaves.

I took the plunge and bought some handmade bannetons on a recent trip to Manu Factum. I was pretty impressed that I only left with one large round and two small rectangular baskets.

There was now a task ahead of me: to find a recipe that wasn't as wet as the ones I have been using. Images of watery dough oozing out through the gaps in these beautiful cane works of art made me shudder.

I settled on this recipe for the quantities but played around with the timing a little.

I am thrilled with the result as it looked great and tasted pretty good too. It is always a holding-my-breath moment when I cut these open waiting to see if the air bubbles are in all the right places. This loaf had a lovely even amount of bubbles, just right for butter to melt into.

I would love some banneton advice from anyone else who uses proofing baskets.

Take care

School Lunches are On My Mind

I really enjoy playing along with Rhonda's On My Mind.

Making school lunches is always a bit of a dhallenge.

There are so many products out there that are targeted at this away-from-home meal: brightly coloured, creamy textured snacks in plastic and foil individual packets. These over-packaged, over-priced, nutritionless 'foods' make their way into trolleys and then into lunch boxes.

I find it a challenge to get the balance just right between nutritious, appealing food and something that doesn't make the other kids say, "What it that!" There is nothing worse than a child being too embarrassed to open their lunchbox for fear of peer comments.

Making food from scratch is the way I manage to get that balance. Homemade ANZACs or cakes, where I know exactly what has gone into, are options that work for me.

I have always found the tubs of fruit in juice a strange addition to school lunches. Pieces of fruit, swimming in juice (apparently) served in a plastic and foil container. Have you watched many children open these successfully? Make sure you don't forget the spoon. What's wrong with a piece of fruit. Bananas and apples seem to fit perfectly well into lunch boxes and rather then adding to landfill, the scraps are great for compost.

There are so many other products (cheese, yoghurt...) that I could rant about but I'll stop there and head to where I was going with this.

I found a great little recipe for making the most devine lunchbox sized bread rolls. We are now onto the third 16-roll batch.

These do contain yeast as the kiddies are taking a little while to acquire the taste for sourdough.

As there are no preservatives, I have been freezing these and they freeze beautifully.

I know that a roll or a sandwich is nothing original or exciting for a lunch-time snack, but I feel better knowing exactly what is being eaten, and how and when each of the things were made.

I'm sure these rolls would go wonderfully well with a hearty warming soup.

Take care

Container Gardening is On My Mind

Rhonda's seed post got me thinking.

My Mum has been an avid and skilled gardener for as long as I can remember. It is a carry over from growing up on a farm I'm sure. It has only been the last few years that I have started to feel the desire to get my hands dirty and become a little more focussed with growing anything.

I started with herbs on pots and then graduated to a few tomato plants in a small plot out the back.

With my Dad's handyman skills a new vege patch was created and a second soon followed. These aren't in the best position but they get enough sun that I can extend my growing knowledge bit by bit.

I am already thinking about where I can build some more beds when I am back in my garden. (Shhh, don't tell Dad)

While I am away I have my kitchen garden with a few little plants for me to tend. I had envisaged myself germinating seeds and getting some leafy greens growing but that doesn't seem to be going to happen. The need for soil, space and sunlight have made me think that Bio-Mart and the farmers market at Wittenbergplatz will be a more practical solution.

For now I will look after these little beauties that provide yummy flavours at dinner as well as delicious pots of warming tea.

I am pretty sure that there will be a few more added to this little group in the next few days. I have a hankering for something with some oregano.

What window sill herbs do you grow?

Take care


PS I just walked in from the market with a little oregano plant. Whoops.

Does This Make Me a Grownup?

It has been a while since I played along with Rhonda's On My Mind, but here goes.

There are handful of recipes that I just think of as a Mum job. And by Mum, I don't mean me. I mean my Mum. Those recipes that I just don't think I am ready for yet. One of the recipes that fits into this category is a Pavlova.

Friday is the last day of Deutsch lessons and we are having a bit of a party at the end of the session. Each person is bringing something from their own culture so I decided on a Pav.

I have never attempted one before so was a little worried. I would have to go this one alone as there wasn't time to get Mum to make one and then send it to Berlin. (I'm not sure if Australia Post or Deutsche Post would be big fans of this idea). There wasn't even time to email and ask for the recipe that she uses from a 1971 Woman's Weekly magazine. (I didn't think she would appreciate a midnight call for a recipe - I am such a considerate daughter.)

After a bit of Googling I decided on this recipe as I was pretty sure the ingredients would be easy enough to find. After a quick late night trip to Bio Mart, following consultation from my new BFF, Google Translate, I was ready to tackle this beast.

I have followed the instructions to the letter and now have a Pavlova sitting in the oven cooling with the door open.

Please cross fingers for me on Friday as I'll attempt to get the Pav to the class via public transport. I think I will top it with cream, strawberries and kiwifruit once I get there.

What was I thinking!

I must admit that there is a little plan in case disaster prevails. When we had to list what we were going to bring, no one knew what a Pavlova which was quite lucky for me. If it all goes horribly wrong, I can really take anything along and call it a Pavlova. No one will know the difference.

Take care

Exploring a New Neighbourhood is On My MInd

We have been here in Berlin for 48 hours now, and we have managed to get out and start to find our bearings. This mornings highlight was certainly the twice-weekly market not far from where we are living. The weather is a little rainy so the camera stayed tucked away. (It also gives me an excuse for another post about the market).

As we walked around looking at the vibrant vegetables, and smelling the aroma of the olives and cheeses, so many dinner ideas came to mind. For tonight, we decided on tomato soup. I think by the look of these, you can see why.

I hope this time we remember to use the basil. We bought this little plant on Wednesday when we were making a delicious pasta sauce and then sat and admired the forgotten and completely intact plant at the end of the meal. Oh well.

We also had to take home some of the beautiful stone fruits that are in season here in the northern hemisphere. Yum.

There is so much on my mind at the moment but this will do for today.

Take care

No 'Poo is On My Mind

I can't believe it was nearly two years ago that I first read about the No "Poo way of cleaning hair.

Being a child of the 70s and 80s I always though that unless my hair smelled of some exotic fruit from the jungles of a far off tropical isle, it just wasn't clean.

My hair had always been quite fine and oily (I thought) so through my teens it was washed, conditioned, blow-dried and styled just about every day.

As I have got older, the shampoo and conditioner changed to the more expensive brands and the 'product' was only purchased from the salon, as I thought this was all so much better for my hair. Being a everyday consumer, I had never read the ingredients on the back of any of the bottles and shudder to think about the chemicals I have been massaging into my scalp for the last .... (cough) years. What frightens me more really is the impact of the kiddoes.

In the year before going No 'Poo I had pretty much changed to organic products where possible, which I felt was a good compromise.

There was never really an a'ha moment (I know you are all humming "Take On Me"). I just thought "Why not give it a try".

It has been about a year now and I would not go back to chemicals in my hair. I have even stopped colouring it. My hair feels amazingly soft and only needs to be washed twice a week. I have stopped using any sort of product what-so-ever as it feels quite a bit thicker. The amazing difference I have noticed with the kiddoes is the lack of knots. Combing wet hair used to be an Extreme Sport in this house, but not anymore.

There are so many benefits.

• No more chemicals massaged into the skin.
• No more irritations from fragrances.
• No more screams from shampoo in eyes.
• No need to worry about animal testing.
• No more chemicals down the drain.
• Nowhere near as many empty bottles as I buy bicarb in bulk. I take my own jars and pay between $2 and $3 a kilo. I just need to find a place where I can buy Apple Cider Vinegar in bulk.
• The money we have saved.

One down-side is that I wouldn't travel overseas with a little container of white powder in my luggage. I think that could raise a few eyebrows.

Thanks for joining me with On My Mind.

Take care

Long Awaited Winter Rains Are On My Mind

It feels as though our dry spell is hopefully coming to an end. I know that we need a lot more rain to be out of trouble with regard to the dam situation, but the rain we have had over the last few days is making my garden look so much greener that it has for quite a while. Everything looks really healthy.

These winter rains have definitely been on my mind.

Take care

Decluttering On My Mind

It is that time of year again. As the seasons change I feel the urge to get the house and yard sorted. I know that over the coming months we will be spending more time indoors so it would be nice to be able to see the floors in all rooms, rather than just the paths that everyone follows to get outside. A good clean of the yard is also needed as we won't be out there as regularly as we are over the summer.

As the kiddies get older, many of the clothes, books, toys and games that have accumulated have now been outgrown. The clothes don't fit quite as well as they did last winter and we usually find that socks keep feet much warmer when they aren't full of holes.

I am hoping that by the end of the day there will be a pile of things that are no longer needed. These will either be sent to a charity bin or uploaded to Freecycle. I am usually pretty good at working out what can stay and what must go, but my problem is that then I seem to lose enthusiasm when needing to get it out of the house. I end up with piles by the front door.

It is always such a great feeling to declutter. To have benches cleared and wardrobe doors and drawers able to be closed can easily bring a smile to my face

Last night the ipod was charged, with a podcast or two and an audiobook uploaded, and it is ready to keep me company through the day.

The older I get, the more I appreciate "Less is More".

Take care

P.S. I would much rather be sewing like Rhonda Jean today.
P.P.S. Head over and join in the giveaway before Sunday. Good luck.

A New Project is On My Mind

It has been a very exciting and busy time getting a new project ready for launch.

Please head over to here to find out all about something that brings a smile to may face.

Take care.

Dishcloth Swap On My Mind

Last week I put my name down for Rhonda's Dishcloth Swap. All I needed was time to go and buy some lovely cotton to get stated. Today was that day. 

I had been told about a gorgeous little shop and thought that this was a great opportunity to head over and have a look, and I wasn't disappointed. It is quite a small place but in an intimate way. 

I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into it this afternoon. I found a pattern that I thought looked interesting but not too complex for my beginner skills.

Take care

Earth Caring is On My Mind

On Tuesday night I 'graduated' from the Earth Carers course I was taking. It is a free information program, run by the regional council,  looking at waste and how we treat it.

One of the items we received in our gift bag was a file called The Useful Book. It is a collection of information and tips from past course participants. I thought you may find it useful/interesting.

There are so many fabulous tidbits of information you can pick up on a course like this, but I must say that the one thing that really got me thinking was the way that bulk rubbish is disposed. Twice a year our local council holds a bulk refuse collection where large items you no longer want/need can be placed on your front verge and it will be collected by the council. I am normally at work when this collection occurs so I never see that it all gets picked up by a bobcat and squashed into the back of a truck to be dumped into landfill. I was under the delusion that these items were taken to a sorting area and any of the reusable parts were collected for recycling. WRONG! Plastic chairs no longer needed, old televisions, mattresses all get placed into a large whole in the ground. Many of these items could be rehoused but residents think that the council will somehow, magically, make this happen. There are the facilities for these items to be recycled but they need to be taken to the local council-run recycling centre.

I have managed to do a tour of the local landfill and by seeing what the system is like, it really makes me think about waste and what happens to the rubbish that my household produces. My waste has become my problem

If your local council run tours, I strongly urge you to go and see where the contents of your wheelie bin ends up.

Take care

Home Grown Fruit is On My Mind

Friday is here already. It is hard to believe it is a week since I last played along with Rhonda and On My Mind.

Since I discovered earlier this week that a tree that has been in my yard for longer than I have been here bears wonderful fruit, I have been thinking about how great it is to have fruiting trees. We also have a grapefruit tree, a lime tree and a couple of blueberry bushes. My parents inherited many fruiting trees and vines when they moved houses. Their yard has lemons, oranges, mandarins, mangoes, grapes and a passionfruit vine.

This passionfruit is about to become topping for my breakfast.

With that many trees, I never seem to leave empty handed.

Take care

Reading, Relaxation and Real Food are On My Mind

It is so great to be able to end an amazingly hectic week joining Rhonda on her On My Mind project.

My order from fishpond arrived on Tuesday. I kept it wrapped in all its postage paraphernalia until Wednesday night as I was worried that I might need take a 'sickie' if I dared to open it before my paid-work week was over. I looked at it as a little treat to myself.

I has seen (and admired) this book for ages, and after reading about it on cityhippyfarmgirl, I finally decided to take the plunge and get a copy for myself (as well as one for my bestie).

So today I am going to treat myself to an hour or so of reading Real Food Companion while nibbling on some of my new favourite treat - dried strawberries.

Don't forget to pop on over and join in the little giveaway. The more, the merrier.

Take care

A big thank you to Rose for letting me know that Matthew Evan has a blog on the SBS site.

Mangoes On My MInd

I am very lucky that both my parents and a cousin of mine have mango trees growing in their backyards. My parents inherited theirs with the house and over the last few years it has been incredibly fruitful. The result for me has been about 15 beautiful, juicy mangoes in recent weeks. There is no way I would have gone out and bought that number, so it has been a real treat.

I love a mango lassi so a curry might be on the cards in the next few days. I think that would be a great way to end a hectic week.

Baking is On My Mind

I am really enjoying the On My Mind project being run be Rhonda over at Down To Earth.

Today I am looking forward to having another go at a recipe I tried on Wednesday. I love being able to serve my little kiddies a lovely homemade afternoon tea on the two days that I don't work.

Come back over the weekend to see the results of my labour.

Enjoy your Friday.

Take care.

Handmade Toys Are On My Mind

I am really enjoying joining in with the On My Mind project over at Down To Earth.

I took part in The Toy Society project a few years ago and felt  I really wanted to get back to it. Sewing is back on the agenda but I really don't like making 'stuff' for the sake of it. The thought of making decorative bits and pieces with no real function drives me crazy. Anything I sit down to make must certainly have a purpose.

I have made a few of these Black Apple Dolls for The Toy Society and these now have new homes. Only one person even replied that they had rehoused the doll but that was enough to make me smile. I know that the idea is to do something for nothing, but I think we would all agree it is nice to know that it is appreciated.

The doll pattern is really easy to follow and the only modification I make is that I found the arms and legs were a little too narrow for my level of sewing ability so I make these a little wider.

So here I am, one and a half years later, and I am about to take this little lady out into the world. If you want to see how she goes, keep an eye on The Toy Society. I will keep you updated here too. You may even like to join it.

Take care

Tangerine On My Mind

Warning - I feel a rant coming on.

This has been on my mind for a few days now. We were watching a bit of commercial television the other night and I was amazed to see an ad for an air-freshener that automatically dispenses a fine mist of 'fragrance' into the room whenever you walk in the room. Now, these ads may have been around for a while but ABC and Buffy DVDs don't show them so I'm a bit out of the loop. It just seems so wrong! I don't feel comfortable with my children entering a room and having chemicals sprayed all over them. Has no-one heard of opening a window to clear the air? The whole consumerist aspect of "you need this" does my head in sometimes.

End of rant.

I was given a reed diffuser as a Christmas gift a few years ago and loved the fragrance. It was super subtle but effective. After looking at the price of buying a new one I decided making my own was probably to way to go. After looking around I found a great tutorial by My Green Australia a few months ago. I realise that the initial outlay is quite a a bit but there is enough raw materials to make quite a number of these. They would make a great gift too.

With the combination of tangerine essential oil, safflower oil and a little vodka (I hadn't bought a bottle of this in about 15 years) I now have a homemade reed diffuser sitting in my bathroom. Quite a few of the different tutorials even mention using bamboo skewers and these seem to be working perfectly.

I am really happy with the end result.

Take care

Tea On My Mind

I've been thinking...up until a few months ago, English Breakfast tea was the drink of choice in this household. We would stumble out of bed and before a word was uttered, the kettle on. Weekends were certainly the worst. It seemed like the kettle was reboiled before I could even see the bottom of the cup. We had changed from tea bags to loose leaf, for environmental/packaging reasons, and had even bought a gorgeous little Zero Japan tea pot with a stainless steel infuser. 

We made the decision to try to cut back on the amount of tea we were drinking as the line between habit and addiction was becoming a little blurred.

Since then, herbal teas have become more regular. We have started growing mint (I haven't killed this one), lemon verbena and lemongrass, and making different combinations, which are definitely very refreshing during these summer months.

Now this is where I need your help regarding which herbs I should be planting to make some delicious teas.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend.