Slow living April 2012


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SLOW LIVING - Month by Month April 2012




NOURISH:  I have been trying a new recipe every Tuesday in order to gather together some well tried and tested recipes to make menu planning easier.  I am also trying to have more meatless meals along with Rhonda from Down to Earth.  Last night we just had a bunch of roasted veggies - pumpkin, onions, garlic, broccoli, celery, and carrots with brown rice.  It was totally delicious, and I realized I must not stress about not having a plan for dinner, and just cook what is there. 
  
PREPARE:  I made some comfrey ointment, hoping to have a positive effect on my hubby's sore ankle.

REDUCE:  I cleaned out the pantry and repacked a lot of things into glass bottles, reducing the amount of plastic containers.  I took note of the extra items I had that were purchased and then not used again and will plan to use them up so that I only keep a core list in my pantry, not half the supermarket. 

GREEN:  Does the fact that I now have a pair of gardening gloves made of bamboo count? I won a couple of pairs of gardening gloves from  -the-urban-farm-handbook-challenge.  


GROW:   The garden is definitely starting to pick up and produce now.  I harvested lots of ginger in order to make room for the tomatoes, and the winged bean are going crazy! I thought they were just a wet season vegetable, but I see they are here for good, so will have to assign that portion of the patch over to them.  I am harvesting salad greens by picking off the leaves so that they can continue to grow.   Some seedlings seem slow in starting up.  I have starting adding a little sulphate of potash to my fortnightly feed with seaweed.

CREATE:   My grandkids are going on a holiday to Brisbane where it gets a little cooler than here so beanies and scarves were requested.  I used  a variegated yarn, and think they turned out quite well.  
I reached over 100 followers on my blog and organized a giveaway of one of my silk scarves.  I make them using a paint that uses the sun to set the designs and lay flowers and  ferns on the scarves to set in the design. scarves 


DISCOVER:  Share titles/authors of what has been read this month.  
I simply love Alexander McCalls books in the No1 ladies detective Agency series.  I found a new one in the library called "The Limpopo academy of Private Detection".  I also ordered some for my mom - at a great price and with free shipping.  3 books - paid for in Australia, shipped to South Africa, for a total price of 14.00! It is worth checking out and they have a further 10% off for the months of April and May. book depository   I can't wait for my mom to read them.
 
ENHANCE: I made a new path in the garden, and love wandering down butterfly alley!  




ENJOY: We had some visitors from overseas and really enjoyed showing them around the beautiful part of Australia that we call home.  There is a rocky outcrop above Mossman Gorge and for the first time ever I got some good photos which I shared on my travel blog here: Good Shepherd  I am so blessed to live here!


thank you so much Christine for organizing this - I am really enjoying this bit of reflection every month!

Comments

  1. FionaTue May 01, 08:48:00 PM

    I love your garden path! And I love Alexander McCall Smith too, must look out for that one ... A good idea to try new recipes once a week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Practical FrogTue May 01, 09:52:00 PM

    Hmmmm.. I must have another plastic throw out too. I have managed to replace all my plastic bowls with glass or ceramic ones, but still have about a thousand plastic containers hiding in various cupboards...
    Your gardens are wonderful - I have garden envy just looking at the pictures! You must have green hands (not thumbs) under those bamboo gloves! Enjoy butterfly alley! - Kara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed May 02, 03:38:00 PM

      I find plastic has a way of creeping in without me noticing it! Just lucky to live in the tropics where everything grows.

      Delete
  3. Urban Homestead South AfricaTue May 01, 11:25:00 PM

    Well done on your month! I wish we could grow ginger here!

    ReplyDelete
  4. orchid0324Wed May 02, 12:11:00 AM

    Dearest Africanaussie,
    Oh yes, ginger, new path and so on. I admire the way you look back you month, my friend!
    I may follow your footstep♬♬♬
    Love you always, xoxo Miyako*

    ReplyDelete
  5. NatalieWed May 02, 12:47:00 AM

    Nice path.
    Also, I kept reading...now I need to go check out your urban gardening link on the previous post. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loving LearningWed May 02, 04:03:00 AM

    wishing we could grow ginger too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. EviWed May 02, 06:33:00 AM

    It's really quite funny to read about you lovelies in north Qld just starting up your growing year - here in Tas we are winding down with everything just plodding along slowly over winter!
    And I am another with ginger envy....!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed May 02, 03:41:00 PM

      Oh yes I cant imagine how cold it must get in Tasmania. we just look at those figures on TV and cringe.

      Delete
  8. MaureenWed May 02, 07:44:00 AM

    I am laughing at you making beanies and scarves for a trip to Brisbane, it's lovely down here LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed May 02, 03:41:00 PM

      well I think it is more a case of asking grandma to make something..

      Delete
  9. city garden country gardenWed May 02, 09:57:00 AM

    Add me to those southerners wishing for homegrown ginger! Your garden looks so lush and healthy. Butterfly Alley looks like a lovely place to wander through.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed May 02, 03:43:00 PM

      here I am wondering what to do with it all. Now I need to find another project. :)

      Delete
  10. SamiWed May 02, 01:25:00 PM

    Your butterfly alley looks beautiful, I had already seen the post when you did the clearing up of that corner of your garden, but hadn´t commented then. What a lovely idea to have a day a week when you try out new recipes, I seem to just collect recipes but always make the same old things, I must get more adventurous! I also love the Alexander McCall Smith´s books, I was given 2 recently by a visiting friend from Sydney, that I haven´t yet read. That offer from the Book depository sounds great, I have ordered a few books from them before, but mainly study books for my son´s uni course.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed May 02, 03:45:00 PM

      I keep collecting them and then never trying them -hope this does reduce the pile a bit. I was so surprised that they can offer free shipping as well as great prices.

      Delete
  11. Kathryn RayThu May 03, 06:38:00 AM

    Bamboo garden gloves?? I didn't know they made those... I always tend to go with deer skin since it's soft and durable.

    I can't even imagine what home-grown ginger must be like. Serious gardening envy over here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. africanaussieThu May 03, 09:14:00 AM

    deer skin - we do live in different worlds :) the bamboo gloves actually came from America! I do love my home grown ginger.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousWed May 09, 07:23:00 AM

    linking up from slow living month...I so love your butterfly alley :)

    ReplyDelete

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