Castle in the Mud

Today has essentially been a day of rest after a few long days at work. I work flexible hours and am able to accrue enough hours to have a day off each fortnight.

I did a load of washing which is now all dry and waiting for me to do the folding and also some ironing once I finish typing this. A friend came for lunch today and we sat out on the verandah surrounded by the garden and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I was also able to take her for a wander through the garden since she had not been here before. She went home laden with eggs and lemons from here. I think it is so important to share what you have and develop local connections and networks because in difficult times it will be through those networks that we are able to sustain each other. This afternoon I headed up to Maleny to do a bit of shopping and go to the library.

This evening I need to get myself organised and pack for the weekend. I may be able to write some posts while I am away but if not there will be an update early next week.

At least 2 of the ongoing themes which I mentioned on Monday have now been laid to rest.

I picked up my new computer glasses this afternoon. They will make my work which is almost all computer-based much easier.

The Japan Rail passes have all been purchased so I feel like things are really starting to move along in that regard. Just as well because we fly out in 4 weeks from Saturday.

Last night we went out to dinner with C, A and Baby O. It was A's 40th birthday today. We went to a local restaurant near their home and had a lovely meal. Baby O spent most of the time happily in the high chair, however, while we were waiting for dessert I took her for a walk as she was getting a bit restless. Even though she has only been walking for a few weeks she very determinedly marched up and down the footpath with me holding on firmly to her hand. She had a great interest toward the road and the neighbouring restaurant so most of my time was spent steering her in the direction in which I wanted her to go. Not an easy task!

I have a day off tomorrow so hope to get a bit of housework done, some meat and fruit and veg shopping as well as meal preparation for G for the weekend while I am in Melbourne. I will also need to pack tomorrow as I am leaving Friday afternoon straight from work and will not be home until Tuesday evening.

Here are the results for the rubbish for this week.

Week 8 - 169 grams

2009 total - 1339 grams (1.33kg)

That is all the news for today. We have been out for dinner tonight - very tired and off to bed. I will post more details tomorrow.

Since there is nothing new and exciting to report on today, here is an update on a few of the ongoing themes:

Baby O - no sign of chickenpox but she does have a sore throat and quite a nasty cough.

My new glasses for computer work - still no sign of them and it will be 2 weeks tomorrow. Hopefully they will put in an appearance very soon.

Exercise - I walk between the office and the railway station both morning and afternoon (total about 20 mins) plus climb 12 flights of stairs (4 flights x 3 times during the day). Today I also walked for about 25 mins at lunch time. I am hoping this will eventually equal increased fitness and some weight loss.

Japan Rail passes - hoping to purchase them tomorrow. I have all of the documentation - copies of passports and itineraries.

To set the scene: This afternoon G was cleaning out the gutter around the garage which is actually just below the level of the patio. The patio is essentially the top the garage roof - hard to explain! The clothes line which I routinely use is under the roof which covers part of the patio.

About 4 weeks ago I could not find a particular shirt and I turned the house upside down over a period of days. In desperation I even rang a motel where I had stayed during a trip in my previous job to see if I had left it there - no luck. I gave up and had no idea what had happened but I was not pleased as it was one that I had made.

Fast forward to this afternoon. G called me and neither of us could believe our eyes - out of the gutter he fished out my shirt!! It had obviously blown off the line, across the patio and got tangled in the gutter. The fabric was pure cotton and had already begun to decompose. The only thing to do was get my scissors, cut off the buttons and put the remainder of the cgarment in the compost. The buttons are now soaking in a container of soapy water and will get re-used at some time. Despite my disappointment now at least I know what happened and that I am not going completely mad.

Luckily, I did the washing and got it dry by lunchtime because by about 2pm it started to pour here and we have had about 30mm this afternoon. The underwear and socks are still slightly damp so I will put them in the drier for 5 minutes to finish them off. I have done all of the ironing from this week and most of what was previously in the basket - just a few more items to go.

I have done a menu plan for the week and am about to go and finsh doing some of the preparation of meals for later in the week so that dinner is not too late when we get home from work.

In response to Sharyn's comment, here is my Lemon Delicious recipe. It is a family favourite which has been made by my mother for as long as I can remember and now my daughter (who used to call it Lemon Dooo-lishus) makes it as well. I am not sure of the origin of the recipe (I will ask my mother) but it is great for when I have have an excess of both lemons and eggs.

Lemon Delicious

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 lemon (juice and rind)
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Cream the butter and sugar, add the flour. Stir in the lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks and milk to the mixture. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Add to the mixture and gently fold in. Pour into a greased ovenproof dish and bake standing in a pan of water (about 2cm deep) in a moderate oven for approximately 40 mins.

Serves 4

It is essentially a lemon self-saucing pudding. Serve hot or cold with cream or ice-cream.

Today I thawed out a meal of vegetable casserole. We were out for most of the day and when we got home G decided that was not really what he wanted for dinner. I then had a ferret around in the freezer and found 4 sausages. There was also 4 slices of a loaf of bought white bread which we never normally eat. The bread had been bought especially for the Summer Pudding I made for Christmas lunch and these were the leftovers. We both immediately 'knew'what we would have for dinner - a sausage sizzle! Sausages grilled on the George Foreman grill, topped with sauce and wrapped in buttered white bread. Not a particularly healthy offering but gosh it was yummy and great for an occasional meal.

As part of our renovation preparations we spent the day looking at kitchens in display homes. I now know what I don't want! We have got the general design done but wanted to look at finishes, appliances, door handles, laminex colours etc and I must admit the colours and finishes of most of the current trends leave me distinctly unimpressed although I did get a couple of ideas. I am going to look on the internet and also check out suppliers of taps, handles, laminex etc but I had thought it might be nice to see some of the kitchens 'in the flesh', so to speak.

The other thing I did this morning was mend the dog's bed. It is a metal frame with a cover made from shadecloth. Over a few years he has managed to gradually scratch and break the weave of the shadecloth and create a longtitudinal split of about 40cm. G was sure we would have to replace the cover as the dog was sagging lower and lower in his bed, however I decided that we should turn the cover over so that the split was on the underside. This did not improve matters much so I found about 7 cable ties and threaded one through the shadecloth on opposing sides of the middle of the split and pulled it tight. I then repeated this with the remaining cable ties so that they were positioned about every 5cm and pulled tight. This has mended the shadecloth quite satisfactorily. I had known what I wanted to achieve for a while but it was not until a couple of days ago that I read in a Grassroots magazine from the library about using cable ties to join shadecloth. I remembered that I had some ties and decided to give it a go.

After a short day at work today I had time to catch up on some jobs at home to give me a headstart to the weekend. I did a load of washing and prepared a yummy dinner. We had bunya-crusted chicken breast fillets. For the 2 of us I slice through the breast fillet to make 2 thin pieces then dip them in beaten egg and crumb with crushed bunya nuts before baking in the oven. I served them with seasoned, roast potatoes and salad. The egg, bunya nuts, cherry tomatoes and cucumber were from our own garden as well as more eggs and lemon for the Lemon Delicious I made for dessert.

I also took the dog to the vet for his annual check up and heart worm injection.

We had a bit of a storm late this afternoon but not a huge amount of rain. It is still very humid although supposed to be showery and somewhat cooler tomorrow.

The knitting is finished and now I just need to weave the loose ends in and all will be complete.

Today I feel as though I have completed a few small tasks. I went to the travel agent to get all of the details about purchasing Exchange Orders for our Japan Rail passes for our holiday in 5 weeks. It is approaching so fast now! I sent a couple of emails that I had been meaning to do for ages and also arranged the annual checkup/heartworm injection for the dog. I will be working a short day tomorrow and then taking him to the vet. I will also pick up a couple of things I need in Maleny while I am there.

I cannot believe how little I have used my car lately. I have driven less than 100km/week since I finished my previous job whereas previously when I was driving for work it was about 1000km/week.

The other loose end is that I have paid off the personal loan which we got for our second water tank. While it was not a lot it just feels as a bit more has been cleared off the deck.

Most of my lettuce seedlings appear to have survived the 40mm of rain we had yesterday/last night. After paying $2.45 for a lettuce the other day I realised I have a potential goldmine in the garden. I also noticed there is another bunch of bananas formed so on the weekend I will have to bag them or otherwise the wildlife have a free feed. The other job I did last weekend was to protect the fig tree from the marauding birds. I surrounded the whole tree with a roll of fine mesh wire which I actually bought to make a cage to grow potatoes. Since I won't be planting seed potatoes for a few months it can be used to protect the fig tree. I then threw some bird netting right over the top of the tree. It has certainly worked because the other day I picked 2 of the most luscious figs. They had fully ripened on the tree and were bursting with flavour. Can you tell I love figs?? The tree is only just over 12 months old and already about 2 metres high and a similar diameter. There are about another 10 figs so far that I have noticed so I will be watching them carefully.

Other news - the knitting is almost finished so am very pleased about that. The latest bulletin on Baby O is that she has a slight fever, snuffly nose and generally grumpy. C seems to think this is a precursor to the chickenpox spots appearing since it is similar symptoms to the beginning for the friend who has probably kindly shared his bug.

Here are the results for the rubbish for this week.

Week 7 - 123 grams

2009 total - 1170 grams (1.17kg)

We are going away in another 5 1/2 weeks and my goal is to have the total for the year under 2kg by the time we go at the end of March.

I did lots of knitting today - I knitted on the train both to and from work and have now completed 3/4 of my project. I hope to have it completed by the weekend then I will be able to wrap it up as it is a gift.

Also on the craft front I spent some time planning how to design and create a make-up purse. I cut out one piece each of fabric, wadding and PUL. I pinned these together and diamond quilted them using an idea I got from Whimsy. I have cut the strips of contrast fabric to make bias binding and will use a heavy stud to close the flap. I hope to the finish the project this week.

I have not heard anymore from Baby O's mother so I assume all is OK at the moment.

The beginning of another week at work so not much to report. I did not do any knitting today, in fact I did not even take it with me because I figured the 75 minutes on the train could be better spent catching up on some sleep. With the aid of my neck pillow I achieved my goal.

No sign of my new glasses yet but hopefully they will be here soon because that will make the computer work somewhat easier.

On the exercise front I am continuing to walk to and from the station (12 min brisk walk each way) plus I try to make as many trips up and down the stairs as possible.

My daughter rang last night with the news that Baby O has been in contact with chickenpox. This is really not what they need at the moment with her going to daycare and her Mum just back at work.

When I restarted this blog at the beginning of the year one of the reasons was to track my goals of the course of a year. 6 weeks into the New Year and I thought it might be time to look back over what I set out to achieve.

No Spending on Sundays & Public holidays - 100% success so far.

Write something in my blog EVERY day - I have only missed 1 or 2 days.

Each month I will meet and socialise with at least one friend with whom I have not kept in contact regularly - in January I took my mother to see an old friend who neither of us had seen for mor than 35 years.

I will read the AG magazines we have (20 years worth) - haven't started yet.

I will read at least 1 book each month - read William McInnes' "A Man's Got To Have A Hobby". I had read it previously but still enjoyed it.

Do some sewing/mending at least once a week - ongoing.

Tend the garden regularly and make the most of what we grow - trying - I planted out 57 lettuce seedlings today.

Do the ironing on the same day as the clothes are washed - grand plan but not happening all of the time. This goal is helping me to keep the ironing pile under control.

Today I did not achieve as much as I had hoped because I have had a migraine all day. It is not too bad but has definitely slowed me down.

I am going to take some tablets and have an early night.

If Sundays are No Spend that must mean that Saturdays are for shopping. Today we went into Maleny so that G could have his hair cut. When I think about it most of my purchases are really part of our quest to live reasonably simply and frugally. I bought apricot jam (hopefully to 'rescue' the sweet chili sauce I made a week or so ago - see earlier blog entries), bleach (to clean the bottles for home-brew), shoe polish (to keep our shoes in good condition so that they last longer) and a zip for the skirt I am making.

We went to the library for the first time in ages and I got a novel, a book of short stories, 3 non-fiction items and a magazine. More details another day.

I also bought some fruit and vegetables including a large bunch of celery which I used to make celery soup. We had some for dinner with warm Turkish bread roll - mmmm!!

From the menu I guess you can you tell that today it has been cool and raining lightly all day. The cloud has been right down over the mountains with mist rolling up the valley. I love it up here when the weather is like this.Since we have had no sunshine for almost 3 days we did need to turn the booster on the solar hot water system on for a couple of hours this morning.

After our trip to Maleny we headed down to the coast. Since it is a bit of a distance we try to combine a few tasks into one trip to save on petrol. The first stop was to pick up another large bag of dog food from the pet supplies. The dog now has his own stockpile with one large bag in reserve. We looked at electrical items but at this stage are just gathering information then it was off to the fish and chip shop for a treat for lunch.

We then went to Sam's Warehouse where G got 4 plastic rubbish bins with clip on lids and I picked up a couple of balls of knitting cotton. We have never been to Sam's Warehouse before and may never go again (a) because they are in liquidation, (b) I do not buy most of the things they seem to stock and (c) I found that the prices of several things are not really bargains at all. The garbage bins are for storing potting mix, garden lime, blood & bone etc. The knitting cotton will be used for making dishcloths. I made one a while ago and have just got to weave the loose ends in and it can be used. I threw out a dishmop recently when it fell to bits so I have decided cloths that I can make myself will be a better idea. I will probably start knitting them on the train once I have finished my other project.

Finally, G bought a new pair of walking shoes for when we go to Japan. They are better than sneakers, not as heavy or bulky as his hiking boots and look smart enough to wear with casual trousers for going out. We got them at Kathmandhu at Kawana. It is really convenient because both Kathmandhu and Anaconda are in the same complex there so were able to compare what was available. Kathmandhu had a better range and G is very happy with his new shoes.

We have had close to 100mm rain in the past 36 hours so the lake is back - just like the photo at the bottom of the page. There will not be any lawn mowing done this weekend, that's for certain.

Today I have spent quietly at home doing a few jobs and some sewing but generally just taking it easy after a couple of weeks of long days at work. It is nice to have the option of flexible hours.

This is my "Friday night" as I have a day off tomorrow and therefore a long weekend. This is as a result of the flexible working hours we are able to work so I have worked my allotted hours in 9 days. I am really looking forward to the break.

Today I bought a pair of walking sandals. They are "Ecco" brand and so comfortable. The straps are all padded and adjustable and the actual sandal is very lightweight. They have contoured soles and arch supports etc.

Tomorrow morning we have a valuer coming as we are planning some renovations to the house. We are reasonably confident that the valuation will be as expected but it will be good once that is done. Then I will head into Maleny to do a couple of errands, including making a final payment on the loan for the rainwater tank.

Other than that I need to knuckle down and do some sewing. I have a skirt and a shirt that I want to make and they should not take too long once I get going. More about that tomorrow.

It is cooler tonight and raining here now - not heavily but gentle, soaking rain so am very grateful for that. Perfect sleeping weather so I am off to bed.

Work again today. It is now my 2nd week in my new job and I am starting to get a routine happening. Again tonight I had dinner on the table 15 minutes after arriving home - memu plan and preparation are definitely the key to success.

Today I did some more knitting on the train. I now have my project 1/2 finished so will have it completed in time.

The other thing I achieved today was some exercise. Instead of getting off the train at Central I went 1 more station and walked back to work. The walk was 12 minutes (brisk) so that was 24 minutes total for the day. I will do at least one way each day and try to walk both ways so that is a bit of a start. I also need to get new batteries for my pedometer.

I have just weighed the rubbish for the week and cannot believe it - 49 grams!!

Week 6 - 49 grams

2009 total - 1047 grams (1.047kg)

The result for our first 6 weeks of the challenge to reduce and quantify our rubbish has been a far greater success than I had ever dared to imagine. We are not really doing anything different and this is just our normal routine.

Today I had my eyes tested and have ordered a new pair of glasses especially for computer work since I really need a dedicated pair as most of my working day now is spent in front of the computer.

It has been very steamy the last few days here and we are hoping to get some of the rain which is forecast over the next day or so.

Also, hoping for rain for all of those still being affected by the bushfires. I am still struggling with the enormity of what has happened and continue to pray for all of those who have been touched by this tragedy.

The beginning of another week. This morning I felt a bit more in control after my busy day of preparation yesterday. It certainly paid off this evening when we were able to sit down to dinner 15 minutes after arriving home. I simply took the container of risotto out of the fridge, heated it in the microwave and added a little grated cheese on top.

The rest of the week will be much the same as I have meals planned and prepared for the whole week.

C (Baby O's Mum) started back at work today after 16 months leave. She rang this evening and everything seemed to go OK on her first day.

Now I need to go and tidy the kitchen, put on a load of washing, pay a bill (tree-lopping) and get myself organised ready for another day.

It is with great sadness in my heart that I sit to write today's entry. As I type this we now know that 84 of our fellow Australians have lost their lives in the terrible bushfires that have ravaged numerous parts of Victoria. Many are still missing and countless others injured and homeless.

Meanwhile at the other end of the country, in north Queensland, floods are inundating homes and causing untold grief. Our land has always been one of "droughts and flooding rains" and this weekend has clearly painted the stark contrasts of extreme weather patterns that we are experiencing.

Therefore it is in our best interests to be prepared for whatever may befall us. It may be Mother Nature with flood, fire, earthquake, cyclone etc; ill-health or injury to the family breadwinner or a more generalised health issue like a bird-flu outbreak; unemployment or a breakdown in services such as power for reasons as diverse as industrial action or the weather.

Whatever the cause our supply lines are remarkably fragile and we all simply tend to take them for granted.

Today has not only been a No Spend Sunday but we have also made more progress in our quest to use what we have. I have spent a large portion of the day preparing, cooking and freezing meals. This means that it is a relatively quick and easy task to serve up a healthy meal when we both get home after a long day of work and commuting. This combined with the stock up of groceries (non-perishable) done on Friday makes me confident that we have enough supplies for us for almost any eventuality.

G has done a lot in the yard but most specifically sorting and cutting up wood from a very large secondary trunk of a eucalypt tree which we had removed during the week. Once this is all dried and seasoned it will add enough firewood for a couple of years to our already extensive pile. The wood we have stored is enough for quite a long time if just used for occasional heating as we normally do but could also be a source of heat for cooking if necessary.

The sewing I planned to do will have to wait until another day.

I find it impossible to write mindlessly of the day to day happenings at The Castle while many of my countrymen do not even know whether they will have a home tomorrow due to bushfires raging through many parts of south-eastern Australia.

My thoughts and prayers go to all of those affected and I will write more another day.

One of the best things about my new job is the flexible hours. I worked longer days from Monday to Thursday and was able to leave at 3pm today. I did the grocery shopping and stocked up at Aldi and Simply Good on my way home. I am confident that I should not need to go to either shop again for a month.

Tomorrow morning we have a cabinetmaker coming to discuss plans for the kitchen as part of the renovations. After that I will need to pop into Maleny to get some fruit and vegetables.

I want to get some more done in the garden on the weekend. This evening when I emptied the compost bucket I noticed that there are lots of climbing bean have come up in the compost. I think I will put some trellis around them and hopefully get another crop of beans.

On the craft/sewing front I am pleased to report that I got some more knitting done today. I want to make my blouse with the new material I bought the other day and also draft a pattern for a skirt and top from some material I have in my stash.

I apologise for the lack of photos in recent posts but I hope to rectify that soon when I buy a new camera.

At lunchtime today I went for a short stroll in the city and found a shop which sold lots of comfy shoes including Birkenstocks and Ecco. I found a pair of Ecco sandals with 2 adjustable (velcro) straps across the foot as well as an adjustable heel strap. I tried them on they were soooooo comfy. I really want a pair before we go to Japan because comfortable walking shoes are essential. They are $190 so I need to have a good, long think about them but I do know I will get heaps of use from.

I forgot to take my knitting with me today so no more got done but there is always another day.

I have started making a shopping list as i am going to do my grocery shopping on the way home tomorrow.

Now that I am catching the train work each day I have about 2.5 hours to entertain myself on the train each day. It is certainly a huge change after having to spend many hours concentrating on driving. I have a knitting project which I have started and is progressing well. That is all I can say because it is for a gift next month. I also listen to my iPod and the time passes quite quickly.

I had a pattern for a lovely knitted jacket when my girls were young but I gave the pattern away a couple of years ago. I am going to try to get a copy back from the person so that I can make one for Baby O for winter 2010. Speaking of Baby O, she is now walking unaided and getting into everything. She also started at daycare last week for 3 days/week and is loving it by all accounts.

The Sweet Chili Sauce is bottled and awaiting a decision from me on how to salvage it. I will probably buy some apricot jam when I next go shopping and see if the helps.

I plan to make my blouse on the weekend so I can show it off at work next week.

Since it is Tuesday it is time to record the weight of rubbish for the week. For the first time this year it is down to double figures - 99g.

Week 5 - 99 grams

2009 total - 998 grams

I am so pleased. We have completed 5 weeks of the Great Rubbish Challenge and have managed to average a touch under 200 grams/week over that time but better still each week has seen a reduction. This cannot continue forever but I will try to maintain the average over the year.

I missed posting yesterday as it was my first day in my new job and I was just too tired by the end of the day. Today went well at work - I now have my computer installed and hopefully tomorrow my desk phone will be programmed.

Travelling to work on the train is certainly very different to the extensive amount of driving I was doing in my previous job. Today was a challenge as there were 'technical hitches' with some overhead lines on both the inbound and outbound trips. It took me 2 hours 40 minutes to get to work which is basically double what the normal time is and this evening we got offloaded from the tain and onto a bus for the last 30km home.

At lunchtime today I went across the street to a fabric shop and bought a lovely piece of white cotton/voile fabric. It is all pieced and patchworked and has a bit of grey, black and red on it. I bought some red buttons and am going to make another shirt. The girls at work are very interested so I have promised I will make it on the weekend and wear it next week. I have a lightweight red cardigan with 3/4 sleeves which will go nicely with the shirt.

G and I are busy planning our new routines to include grocery shopping and housework with me now working regular hours for the first time ever in the 33 years I have been working.

I made the Sweet Chili Sauce today and it is anything but sweet. In fact it is soo hot that I am still suffering the ill-effects. I inhaled some of the fumes and it has 'burnt' my throat, leaving me with a constant tickle in my throat and 3 fingers on my left hand are constantly burning from touching the chilies while cutting them up. At this stage I have a bottle and a half of inedible chili sauce that is so hot it is unbelievable. I posted a question on Simple Savings to see if anyone had any ideas on how to improve it. I thought of making more sugar syrup and breaking it down with that but I like Lara's idea of her Mum's recipe which includes apricot jam. I think I might buy some and try adding some to a small portion of the sauce to see if I can improve matters. Watch this space for more updates.

After the suace saga everything else today almost pales into insignificance.

I was delighted late this afternoon when my cousin and her husband who live in Brisbane dropped in with her sister who is visiting from interstate. It was lovely to be able to sit in the lounge and have coffee while watching the cloud and misty rain blow in from the coast. The rain may increase over the next day or so depending on what the cyclone further north does.

Apart from that I am busy mentally preparing myself for my first day at my new job tomorrow. More about that another day.