Saturday, 15 June 2019

Port Arthur January 2019

thursday

I have found quite a few draft posts when I logged into my blog... I won't publish them all now, as some have lost relevance and would seem out of place to post now. But I like these...grow in character :)

1. Consistently be your BEST self and stop trying to impress people.

2. Be genuine in your likes, dislikes, feelings, compliments, etc.

3. Stop looking for approval and instead approve of yourself

4. Stop gossiping. Just stop. It’s a waste of time and it degrades your character in other people’s eyes.

5. Don’t share everything, even if someone asks.

6. Stop defending your actions. Everyone has a different opinion on what is proper, you are entitled to your opinion. If you made a mistake, learn from it, move on and don’t make the same mistake twice.

7. Take responsibility for your decisions and stop blaming others. Period.

8. Eliminate bullying self-thoughts. Your thoughts, if repeated enough, will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

21 December

The pictures I was posting before Christmas....

A busy December with school graduation (so proud of this kid!), concerts.

Maggie was SO excited about Christmas and loved decorating the tree. It made me remember to make this special for the little ones in the family. We hosted Christmas lunch and it was a good day, with new guests and family time making it just that bit more special :)

A flashback to 2017, found in draft...

The garden today. 

Friday

After a period in no-mans land in terms of employment satisfaction, earlier this year I began working with a group of people that are nice to be around, and three days each week I can go and grab a coffee without the experience being one of organising something to keep a little one occupied. For now, it is a good place to be for those reasons.

But I still needed something to make me feel productive and to feel I have a goal I am working towards.

Since Nicholas was a toddler we have had a vegetable garden of sorts. Largely tomatoes, herbs and zucchini. I do love the satisfaction from growing and harvesting my own food, and the pleasure of little ones joining me in the experience was always another plus.

These pictures are from 2008 and 2011.  

A little while ago I began reading some of the many garden books I have collected over the years. Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Cookbook is a mammoth piece of work. Something she said struck a chord with me.  "Grow what you love to eat"

Then my research also grew. Potager is the French term for kitchen garden. It has a romantic ting to it. Monty Don has a wonderful episode on YouTube where he travels around France looking at vegetable gardens. He touches on the origins of kitchen gardens in monasteries and nunneries. I was hooked. 

Formal garden plans are lovely.

 

But like everything, I prefer things a little uneven and rustic. Alys Fowler and Matt and Lentil are a couple of my reference points.

So I heeded Stephanie Alexander's words and thought about what we like to eat. Last year I was so proud of our bumper eggplant crop, so that is definitely on the list.

And what I have also found is that growing a variety of things also expands your cooking repertoire, as I began to give more thought about what to make.

Now I have Maggie helping me. She (literally) potted around the yard last weekend while I was digging and repotting plants and pushing the wheelbarrow.

Watching a chef on Netflix 'Chef's Table' something he said also resonated with me. "What you eat is only as good as its ingredients". Something I had decided to do this year which may prove challenging is to grow from seed. Organically certified seed. This year I am planting tomatoes, zucchini, radish, beetroot (of various varieties)lettuce, herbs, purple carrots, mint, coriander, thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary, chives and strawberries.
We might even use some space in our front yard for beans... Oh, and edible flowers, not because I want to eat them, but because ensuring we have bees in the garden is another priority of mine.

These plans are feeding my soul and my mind. Watch this space.

Pavers and a shower screen door...

Smallest of seeds!

Library visits

Testing natural pest control. Crushed egg shells to ward off snails and slugs.