Eek! We're at the half way mark for the year! How can this be? A brief report from me this month as we have a special interstate visitor staying with us and time is precious.
As always you are most welcome to join in with your own Slow Living post in this format, just leave a link to your post down the bottom of the page any time during the month of July and enjoy reading what other people have gotten up to..hopefully gaining some inspiration too! (Please remember to leave a comment below so I can add your blog to my sidebar)
Looking forward to reading what you've been up to!
{Nourish} - The beans, oh, the beans! So many beans this month, I have done a bulk purchase and have beans falling out of the pantry waiting to be soaked, cooked and frozen. And soups..there have been soups a plenty. I think we had soup and bread of one sort or another for dinner 5 out of 7 days last week! My current love is a big pot of spicy laksa!
{Prepare} Several stock making sessions took place. The nutritious liquid was then frozen for meals in the coming weeks. I stumbled this week though and had gone through my whole stock supply..must be more organised. I visited the butcher who was kind enough to give me a bag of chicken bones for a couple of dollars so I can get back on board the stock train.
{Reduce} - June saw some mending happening..jeans with holes in the knees and a jumper with a couple of mothy holes appearing. I also completed my Tappan Zee cardigan (which I am wearing right now!) which was knitted out of re-purposed yarn from an op-shopped jumper. Oh, and a trailor load of hay that was no good for munching by the goats was spread on the garden as mulch..from one end to the other - a complete winter blanket for the plants!
{Green} I really need to focus some energy here in the next month. We are out of homemade laundry liquid (already! again!) along with running low on soap. I must set aside a day to get cracking on these...
{Grow} - Err....it's winter and it's cold and very little is growing! Our garlic has shot up which I'm so pleased about and the broad beans and winter potatoes are chugging along nicely.
{Create} - Much yarny goodness took place here during the month. Spinning, washing fleece and carding, knitting and a little bit of crochet. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can head outside to play with some dyeing!
{Enhance/connect} Spinning group was very enjoyable this month. I gave up a little time to help some grade six students create a sun for the Winter Solstice celebration. I've also been hauling out books from the library faster that one can speak! It's so nice when they stock up there shelves with new arrivals!
{Discover} - I'm discovering so many wonderful blogs through this monthly link-up - it's so much fun to read what you've been up to and small steps you're taking for a more sustainable life. Thankyou for sharing!
{Enjoy} - Winter Solstice takes the cake for this month's fun! Such a great night, even though a week late, nothing beats a roaring good bonfire! Um..what else? It was nice to have a couple of days with my daughters when they had days off school..and my eldest had an extra week of school holidays so it was good to retouch base with her.
So do tell me, how was your month?
Looks like you have had quite a month. Thanks for hosting this feature once again
ReplyDeletemmm yummy soups have been warming our home too. I just love the aroma of soup on the stove in winter. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteYour winter-y photos are quite refreshing... While we've had a bit of a respite from the 100F days, 90F+ is still quite warm. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know what laksa is, so off to look that up.
Enjoy your time with your house guest and as always, thank you for hosting. :-)
Christine, I thought of you and your dying on Friday when we found a mushroom while out foraging that can be used for dying many different colors - wish I could remember the name! I am not sure how closely you follow my blog but the way I stay up with chicken stock is by having 2 whole chickens every week...I joint them myself and then take 2 breasts for soup and then carcasses are then made into stock overnight. This way I can keep the stock flowing. Beef stock is made weekly on a Saturday or Sunday from marrow bones that we get from our grass fed beef source. We love the smell of it wafting through the house...
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy, a great tip on the stock front. The batch with the butcher's bones actually ended up quite fatty...I prefer using the cooked bones. Will be keen to give the portioning a go...
DeleteWish I could do more of the things that you are doing!
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, I realised when I analysed my level of sustainable living last month that my car useage was the biggest area I needed to do something about. So, for example, we could have gone camping with some people we vaguely know about an hour's drive from us, or we could have supported my daughter's school and a local farmer this weekend. We chose the latter, so less mileage, fuel consumption and more benefit to us personally, I'm sure!
I'm so glad I found you through another blog last month! I really enjoyed visiting the other sites and reading everyone's slow living posts. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Christine, How great does it feel that we're past the Winter Solstice? I really liked your post about the way your kids celebrated it at their school, such a good way for them to connect with the seasons, and to have a party for the community at the same time!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that stunning photo of the crimson rosellas in the winter trees. That just sums up southern Australian winter so perfectly! :-)
your photos are beautiful christine..i love the way they feel australian..enjoy your visitor..:)
ReplyDeleteYumm I need to stock up on some more beans. We eat soup 5-7 days a week at the moment too - so nice & comforting when its cold outside.
ReplyDeleteLoved your winter solstice celebration too :-)
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing another month with us. I've been inspired and have joined in this month :)
Looking forward to sharing too.
Tracey
I missed last month, so it feels good to be back. You have some lovely wintry photos posted which I enjoyed. Our winter is very mild - I went swimming yesterday. Of course it means that the summer bugs are still thriving :)
ReplyDeleteIt was so beautiful to read through this post - thankyou!!!
ReplyDeleteJodie :)
What a great idea to reuse wool from an thrifted jumper. I'll have to remember that as buying wool can get quite expensive.
ReplyDeleteAnother enjoyable read seeing what you have been up to.
Enjoy your visitor.
:)
Your photos are fabulous! I used to take lots of photos - you are inspiring me to take more, just for fun rther than for 'illustrative purposes'! Yummm, its definitly soup weather *note to self - wash crock pot and fill with winter veges and stock* We have finally had some nice days here in Brissy - nothing like the ones you have in FNQ though AfricanAussie! And certainly no frost or snow, Just nice sunny days with no wind and the clearest cleanest blue sky! Yay! Cheers - Kara x
ReplyDeleteJust finding your blog last night I am trying to catch up on all that I have missed in your posts. What a fun and informative blog. Your pictures are beautiful. Hugs, Bobbi Jo
ReplyDeleteWelcome Bobbi Jo! What a lovely thing to say, I hope you enjoy your time here. :)
DeleteI love your photo of the rosellas. The red really stands out with the stark background. That's a good idea to pre-cook and freeze dried beans. I often want to make a bean dish but can't because I didn't think ahead and soak. Enjoy your visitor and stay warm!
ReplyDeleteLovely to have you joining in, people! I'm looking forward to stopping by your blogs in the coming days to read what you've been up to! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting again Christine. Loved your photos and the beautiful red birds!
ReplyDeleteI finally managed a slow living month! Thank you so much for hosting this, this blog is such a useful resource!
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the parrots in the tree.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm very slow, but linked up now :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Christine, I am running late this month (extreme slow living!) , but better late than never, lovely to read what you have been up to. Have a great day, Julie :)
ReplyDeleteLate, late, late this month, I so try to get this done at the start of the month but it just didn't happen. We've been doing the soup thing too lately as well as lots of slow cooker dinners.
ReplyDeleteFinally joined better late than never. Have always loved your blog.
ReplyDelete