Slow Living January 2012

Ive been inspired by Evi to join in Christines monthly slow living journal! Next month ill be on time (hopefully)

NOURISH: Lasagna at Salt of the Earth (my favourite cafe)
Home made and delicious with a fantastic side salad- it nourishes  my body.

Slowly eating it outside in the beautiful garden, thinking and dreaming and watching birds fly by- it nourishes my soul.

Thursday is quickly becoming my favourite day, especially when my parent pop in and come along too.

'Salt of the Earth cafe' garden

 PREPARE (stockpile & preserve): I have been bottling some of our delicious summer! I've made tomato sauce, fig jam and frozen some basil pesto

REDUCE waste, repair & re-purpose: I'm bulk buying flour, getting back to baking bread to reduce plastic bags coming into our home and using the soap I made a while ago. I tried washing my hair with it last night and so far so good! It looks just as nice as usual so that should reduce plastic bottles

The soap I made in December is now ready to use

CREATE:I'm slowly working away at my handstitched quilt and knitted blanket

GREEN: I made a wooden baby toy bar instead of buying a plastic one  

GROW: Not much is growing in my veggie patch at the moment.This is my first summer at this house and ive found that while winter and spring saw my garden abundant and full of beautiful veg, the soil is a bit too sandy for the summer heat. I managed to grow enough tomatoes to keep us happy and make sauce but thats about all that did well enough to mention. Potatoes look good but are still a while away. Im working on adding lots of organic matter in the hope that next summer more will thrive. Im starting to remove all the dead tomato vines and begin planting some autumn/winter veg. Im ready to see some more green and growth.

this is how my garden looked in late December, many stinking hot days ago!

DISCOVER: Beautiful yellow crocuses in my front garden. They were hidden by over grown weeds so they were a proper reward for weeding my garden!

(I got this pic from google because I didn't feel like going and taking a picture but you get the idea:)

ENHANCE community: I'm joining the local craft co op and making things to sell there. I resisted for quite some time because I'm shy but a lady that I met doing salt of the earth markets has been encouraging me to take things in so this morning I did. Its always good for me to break out of my cozy little comfort zone:) The craft co op ladies invited me to a once a week craft morning at the local church. I'm still debating if ill go because I have Mitch and Xavier so it may be a bit hectic. They said even if I'd just like to drop in for a cuppa which I might do as its only around the corner.

 

ENJOY life!:
I have been going on lots of walks with the baby I look after and Ive been feeling recently a new love for my town, I'm slowly starting to love it here.
Before he was coming full time I had two week days off each week which I usually spent at home or drove to my home town to see family and friends.
Now I have to be here on those days but I'm enjoying them so much.
Its nice having a little baby around because he motivates me to get out so that he can see nature which as a bonus of course means that I do too. Its nice being able to go to the water with a little person and just sit quietly. When I began looking after children one of my biggest struggles as a quiet thoughtful person was getting used to how much they talk and want me to talk back. Im well and truly used to it now but I do truly treasure moments with just one or two in a quiet peaceful mood or of course this baby who is still quiet so often. I can go where I please and he's just happily along for the rid