Soft scents and warmer air
protective layers are left discarded,
still green ideas are sprouting
bolting even, given the right time of day
branches and paths are studiously scrutinised
blank spaces filled in
there’s growth to be had there,
and I intend to fill it.
I wrote a perfectly composed post while in the kitchen peeling potatoes recently. Emotionally tapped in, grammatically on the money, structured sentences not seen on this website for some time, perhaps witty even.
Unfortunately I only wrote it in my head. Didn’t quite get as far as fingers to keyboard or even a stub of a pencil to scratch the words down on the back of a shopping receipt.
Never mind, go with the flow right?
This week has been an interesting one. Within a 48 hour snapshot of it I had taken pictures at a Milkwood workshop, photographed homeless people in the city for a project I’ve been working on, and then was lucky enough to capture the beautiful homebirth of my sweet brand-new-smells-so-delicious nephew. A full and wonderfully diverse week that’s for sure.
While life scoots forward with the enthusiasm of a goat in a spring fuelled vegetable garden, I’m holding tight. With this in mind, sometimes this little corner of the net might seem a little light on.
If you are after a bit more, remember I’m still regularly hanging out between the pages of Earth Garden magazine, proudly stand within the permaculture goodness of Milkwood and sit on instagram, tapping tiny hearts whenever a kettle needs boiling. Come find me if you haven’t already in those places, I’d love to hear from.
Now tell me, what’s going on in your world the last week? How’s your garden growing? What are you cooking? Are you milking goats, making soaps, or twisting twine ropes? Or maybe you’ve had an awesome coffee with a friend made by a bearded barista?
Tell me…
‘Fair Food, stories from a movement changing the world’.
I close the book up and sit there, long deep thinking, and a little frown to concentrate harder as needed. There are so many mixed thoughts and emotions to grab hold of, it’s a bit of a lucky dip, grab one and run with it. Conversation starters, that’s for sure.
Over all while reading the book, I feel completely hopeful, and really excited on how wonderfully driven people are and all that they do for our current food system. Then on another page, I’m feeling the complete opposite. Slipping hope and questions of how the hell did we let it get to this??
As I’m reading, I dog ear so many corners and underline so many lines and passages, it ends up looking like a high school text book. Why? Because it’s important this stuff, I want to remember.
Fair Food is a book told through the different experiences of people within the Fair Food movement of Australia. Personal stories from backyard food forests, urban farming, activism, regenerative agriculture and something that I hold firmly to, radical homemaking.
All topics that are relevant, food and the way that we grow it, support it, buy it, eat it…this is something that effects all of us, every single one of us.
If we are lucky enough to have regular food on our tables, well then we should be educating ourselves on the food system that we buy into, understanding even a tiny corner of it makes a difference, and has a wonderful follow on effect.
While I loved all the different stories from people contributing to this book, I think it was Cat Green, the Radical Homemaker that I identified with most.
“Radical homemaking grounds my day to day life…” I loved reading from her point of view because she clarified things for me (well in my head anyway) that were there, I just needed to join the dots.
“It is a framework for social change that seamlessly entwines personal change with broader collective change.” Damn straight it is.
“My ‘work that matters’ comes from being actively involved in life, not sitting on the bleachers paying for someone else to do it.” Yes. A beautiful resounding yes.
So, while I’ve momentarily closed the book to think on it’s content, I know I’ll be opening it again soon. To read aloud, to quote parts that resonate and most importantly to pass it on to others.
Food for thought
The 3 daily meals Australians eat have travelled over 10,000km before they reach our stomach.
We waste nearly 40% of all food we produce.
The world produces enough food already to feed everyone on the planet.
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Important Links
The Peoples Food Plan: food policy document
Australian Food Sovereignity Alliance
Loving…the change of light. A subtle change, a little longer, a little warmer.
Loving… Wookiee Cookies. Not because I’m a diehard Star Wars fan. I’m really not, but I’m loving the fact that my small boy is, and on seeing my attempt at baked themed goods for him to take into his classmates at school. Well, seeing your child smile like that is pretty contagious.
Loving…a bumper crop of cumquats. Hardy little things they are, (and just quietly, quite delicious with dark chocolate.
Loving…not having cut a large chunk of finger off forever and ever. This one will heal, and I wasn’t overly attached to that finger print anyway.
Loving… a course I’ve been doing for the past couple of months. My brain is fizzling and popping and all kinds of things every time go. I’m sure if you stand still long enough, you might just hear it.
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What are you loving at the moment?
[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]
This one is for all the introverts out there…(actually, and the extraverts.)
Coming from an introvert, these words were wonderful to my (sensitive) ears.
Loving…. reading this book.
I regretted not buying it when I was in Hill End. I say there is no room for regrets. I bought it and it’s delicious. Every single word and picture.
Loving…. listening.
To people’s heartfelt honesty on the radio recently. The topic was how people remembered and stayed connected with loved ones after they had died. A single wooden spoon handed down through generations, wearing a mothers top on the anniversary of her death etc. Sobbing in the kitchen while cooking dinner, wasn’t quite what I expected.
Loving….Rough seas.
With sea spray on my face and hair flying wildly. It looked like a regular weekend visit to the beach. Except for the fact there was a big fat seal sun baking on the rocks.
Loving…. clear thought.
Those teeny tiny moments when your thoughts and ideas are completely clear, nothing else is being squashed in, no lists being checked off and the whole beautiful process is (momentarily) truly allowed to stretch its legs. (To some people this won’t make much sense, but to the handful it does? Yes.)
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The past two weeks have been a little loco, so it’s been good to sit down and do this little post. What’s happening in your world at the moment, what are you loving?
[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]
I had four and a half hours before I had to get the kids to school. Surely plenty of time to get a cake baked and to be sitting cooling on the bench for when I got back, right?
Er, no.
It seems by getting up at 4.30am it gives you an increased sense of time security, that clearly wasn’t there. After jamming 21 ‘to do’ things into those morning hours, I simply ran out of time.
With time tick-tocking, the school bell never late and the cake clearly still not done. I decided I would have to leave it in the oven, turned off, but hoped the stoves residual heat would cook through any last of the gooey crumb. It had been baking for an extra 5-10 minutes already*, so surely that should be enough?
I get home hours later and enthusiastically reach into my oven to retrieve the cake and start icing it.
Not quite what I expected.
Not really what I expected at all. Sunk like I hadn’t sunk a cake since 1994.** Hmmm, what to do? The cake being still far from cooked through on the bottom, I decided to bake it again and see what would happen.
It seems cake miracles do happen, and it did get a little more height (than the mess pictured.) It was still sunken in the middle though, so what to do about that?
I was going to ice that cake, like I’d never iced before, that’s what I was going to do!
Covering the cakey crater with a vanilla mascarpone mixture***, I then carefully smoothed the tiny bit left over to the edges and sprinkled walnuts on for extra hiding of any problems.
Verdict?
Best cake I’d made in ages. Seriously, I wish all mistakes tasted that good.
Carrot and Cardamom Cake recipe can be found here, (coming from the new cook book The New Nordic.) *
The photo actually made it look taller than it was, a total height of 2cms on the sunken gooey bottom. ** I found the 200C too hot for my cake, use your judgement, and remember recipes are a guide, you know your oven best.
It also needed far longer than stated, but…I shouldn’t haven’t been squishing so many things into the morning. ***
The cream cheese and butter icing as stated in the recipe was substituted for a Vanilla Mascarpone number which is more the way our family roll. 
Distractions and screens,
noise on noise…on noise.
The whir,
both from myself and the world around.
The rumble of traffic,
lists within lists.
Stopping.
Stepping off.
Finding the ground again,
a grassy ground.
Remembering to breathe.
Feeling. Seeing. Quiet mind
steady thoughts
the lost art of stillness
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Some quiet time away is planned, with attached sketchy internet, (as much as I love you internet, this may well encourage some added stillness.)
Can I let you in on a tiny secret? Lately I’ve fallen completely in love again, in love with the city in which I live. I’ve always had a soft spot for it, but lately? Lately it’s been something a little different. Utter city love.
So what do I put this down to? To be honest, I think it’s coming up for some air after years of intense little people parenting. There are countless joyous, beautiful moments that have shaped the person I am today and I’m incredibly grateful for, but there are also moments when it’s a bit of a slog.
While my kids are still pretty young and certainly still need me a lot, things have become a bit more flexible these days. With that flexibility, opens up a more doors in what I can do with my kids, (five hour car trips for weekends away are no longer the prison sentence they once were.)
So what’s this got to do with falling in love with my fair city? Well with the kids, we’ve been playing. Mostly during the weekends but occasionally we also cut loose the military precision of a week day afternoon as well. They are the perfect age for having little adventures fuelled by imagination and nature around them, and living in this stunningly beautiful city by the sea that I’m totally in love with? Well we don’t have far to go.
Here are 3 of some of the best family friendly places to visit in this fair city.
1. Centennial Park
Why you should go? Nature calls
Cost? Nothing
It’s well established by now that kids often don’t get outside enough, Nature Deficit Disorder, it’s most certainly a thing. Antidote? A really simple bike ride or scoot around Centennial Park. Climb a tree, let growing young bodies drape themselves around the top branches of a tree. Go wandering through the swamp, look for possums and marvel at the fruit bats. Run down hills, leap from rocks to rocks, play soccer, fly a kite, collect things, tip toe through the forest- if you are quiet enough you might see a tiny fairy.
Ignore the designated kids playgrounds in Centennial Park, the whole 189 hectares is one beautiful playground just waiting to explored.
2. Kitchen By Mike, Rosebery
Why you should go? Social outing
Cost? Whatever you choose to eat, or just go for a little wander around the medicinal garden that is part of the grounds.
Cafes. We live in a very cafe culture time. Whether you have kids or you don’t have kids, there’s a good chance cafes factor into your life. Coffee obsessed some might say. I’d say well yes, yes I am! Sydney is lucky in that there are countless different types of cafes to choose from. From tiny holes in walls with stools to perch on, to family friendly places with resident animals to entertain the kids. Whatever your coffee cafe wish is, Sydney is bound to grant it.
Cafes also play an important part in being an almost extension of the increasingly decreasing back yard for many families. I could go on and on about the social importance of cafes in big cities, however lets stick to the what’s what, and Kitchen by Mike it is. There’s cake, there’s coffee, and there’s lovely tables overlooking the garden, which is perfect for the kids to explore in.
3. Hornby Lighthouse, Watsons Bay
Why you should go? Imagination kick starter
Cost? nothing
Hornby Lighthouse is located in the Sydney Harbour National Park, this place doesn’t feel like you are in the city of Sydney. I’ve always had a soft spot for light houses (thank you Enid Blyton) and if this place with its old fortress, cannons, red and white light house, and rocks to leap from, doesn’t ignite a multitude of possibilities for the kids imagination, I would say go seek out some Enid Blyton books quick sticks.
Perfect place for family picnic, a swim at one of the nearby beach coves and a cracking spot to watch the sun go down.
Three very different places to hang out with your family in this beautiful city of Sydney. One for the banishing of any Nature Deficit Disorder niggles, one for a social outing (importantly added coffee for the adults) and one to kickstart little imaginations.
Now the question is…what shall we do next weekend?
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This post is part of Voices 2015 and #shareaustralia
Sometimes you just need to pause a little moment, see what’s what and take stock, (thanks Pip.)
Making…. A crocheted black scarf/shawl thing that is possibly the slowest project I’ve done. Just finish it!!
Cooking…. Always.
Drinking…. Herbal teas, chai, kombucha, and spiced coffee
Reading…. The Residue Years… have you read it? Incredible writing.
Wanting…. more time to read
Looking…. at dogs…I want a dog…or a cat…or maybe, both?
Playing…. music, loud
Deciding…. on what to cook for dinner, really does that ever stop?
Wishing…. on stars when they first come out. Hopefully I’ll get to 80 years old and still do this.
Enjoying…. road side bought quince jelly.
Waiting…. for my tiny potted garden to dry out a little before I plant anything again.
Liking…. the fact that it’s now school holidays
Wondering…. Cat or dog, no really? (Trying to ignore all the small people guinea pig pleas)
Loving…. lots of tiny moments
Pondering…. life
Considering…. making lemon curd, (I generally suck at it for some reason- got a favourite recipe for me?)
Buying…. Who Gives A Crap
Watching…. The light bounce around the sky at sunrise and sunset
Hoping…. something will happen and wondering what will instead if it doesn’t
Marvelling…. at strong intelligent women who aren’t afraid to do….just do.
Cringing…. At our Prime Minister. Every bloody word he utters.
Needing…. some think time
Questioning…. myself
Smelling… the inside of a cut into, cooled loaf of sourdough. That’ll never get old.
Wearing…. looped scarves
Following…. nearly 700 people on instagram, love it.
Noticing…. a single nasturtium
Knowing…. never enough, and hungry for more
Thinking…. about far flung places
Admiring…. soft wintry sunsets
Sorting…. clothing, (they grow like weeds they do)
Getting…. a second coffee, hey it’s Sunday why not
Bookmarking…. inspiring permaculture gardens
Coveting: raised vegetable gardens
Disliking…. cold coffee, (was the second cup ambitious?)
Opening…. and closing my book, with not enough reading in between
Giggling…. at the lines a 3 year old can come up with. Hilarious.
Feeling…. lucky
Snacking…. on raw almonds and dates
Helping…. when I think I can
Hearing: black cockatoos flying overhead in the early mornings and evenings. Such a beautiful sound. (Click here to hear it.)
Loving…
The long deep cries of black cockatoos flying overhead, they stop me, I look up, I’m paying attention.
Giggles. Ripples of laughter that start at your belly.
Seeing one of my photos hung on a wall in a exhibition. It was there briefly, but it was there, and I saw it.
Coffee. Good hot, take it slow cup of coffee. I am not a coffee gulper. (I’m especially loving coffee with cardamom and ginger in it at the moment, have you tried it?)
Being a part of the Voices of 2015 top 100. That’s a bit special.
Brownie.
Getting to hang with someone that makes me laugh, makes me think and is always happy to go chasing light.
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What are you loving at the moment?
[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]
The clocked slowed down, I’m sure of it. Somewhere over the Blue Mountains it gained time, (or lost depending on which way you looked at it.) There’s no other explanation for it. How else could you combine climbing through an old gold mine, historical street wanders, bush walks, long hot coffees, games of cricket, museums, river explorations, meandering meal times and copious amounts of rock scrutiny? This is what happens when you spend a long weekend in Hill End, you gain time, by going back in time.
If you hadn’t heard of Hill End, you probably wouldn’t be the first. It’s a tiny old gold rush town that used to boast 10,000 people living within it’s gold encrusted hills. Not now though, now it has a whittled down community of about 120 permanent people apparently.
Along with gold, Hill End has also been a draw card for many artists. Peter Adams did an incredible photographic series (and stories) of all the long term locals that had lived in the area. (This book is absolutely divine, and I’m kicking myself for not getting it when I was there.)
Russell Drysdale and Donald Friend were also regulars going back a bit further, with the iconic Australian painting- The Cricketers (R. Drysdale) set there.
The tiny township has (and is) being preserved for its historical past as a part of National Parks and Wildlife. What this means is that, you can walk down the street, and really imagine how it all used to be. Signs and photos help bring this old gold town to life again. You can imagine the muddy streets, the noise of the mine work and the smell of the days that once were. Amazing stuff.
Another thing that makes this town a bit special is that I have family buried here. For someone who thinks quite a lot, my brain got quite a work out imaging the lives of some of these people while wandering through the old graveyard.
Orange, reds, brown and blue. There were many trees still with their autumnal colours in the tiny town. A most vivid of blue sky, and stars, so many stars.
You can easily forget just how magnificent the stars truly are when you live in a big city. Sitting out in the pub’s beer garden on one of the cold nights, all rugged up and eating our food, I quietly wondered whether the gold seekers over the years had ever looked up.
I hope so. Looking up at the sky on our last night, it looked like the night was littered with all the gold specks that the miners themselves had been so desperately seeking. It seems it was there in the sky all along.
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A wonderful place to visit if you want a tiny snapshot of Australia’s gold rush history.
cityhippyfarmgirl 