Day four in a very busy week.

Last night I attended a talk given by Sister Pauline Coll. The topic wasn't a comfortable one - human trafficking and slavery - yes even here. Interesting, informative and a little sad at times.

It got me to thinking that one of the consequences of living simply must be that we will pass that on to our children or grandchildren - passing on the concept that growing your own food, making your own gifts, or recycling other people's cast offs is a responsible way to use limited resources, our time and our energy.

I hope the lesson my children take from our example is that - you don't have a right to have everything just because you want it - with the flow on that not everything is for sale - and therefore NOBODY is for sale - no matter what you want. I find the concept of harvesting organs from people who are deemed expendable just because you can pay for it reprehensible likewise harvesting human eggs and selling them to infertile couples. It is all those 70s fringe scifi horror flicks coming to life.

On those days when you are simply too tired to weed, clean, cook and mend remember that in doing so we pass on solid "work for it" values to all those who can see into our lives.

On November 18th a website will be launched with links to podcassts, videos, articles and things you can do to help stop slavery, it will be desinged to be a youth friendly site so your teenagers can access appropriate information with loads of safeguards. I will post the button link on this blog when I get it so you can check it out.

In the Garden..

It has been a week since I planted out my first seeds and NOTHING NADA ZIP - am I being impatient ?? Surely something should have come up by now!!! Planning to plant out some more this afternoon - so I am not giving up just yet.

But on a more positive note the tomatoes have survived the heavy rain and are ripening another day or two of sunshine and they will be ready to add to our salads.

I think someone needs to send me a formula for working out what when and how many of things I should be planting we eat a lot of salad leaves. After just two salads this week the plants are going to have to hurry up and grow. I am going to need a diary so I can remember to plant at least double or more next year to keep up with the demand.

But last night as I rushed (around after being out for the day) folding, hanging out washing, tidying up and getting dinner I sent daisygirl to the garden to get some more leaves for chicken burgers when she came back with bowl full she said to me "they just look so great mum" - funny how a few words and big smile make all the work so worthwhile. But of course I was rushing out the door and I missed the opportunity to relish that moment with her - instead I was half way to the presentation stuck at traffic lights before I really thought about how lovely it was.

SO I resolve....

not do too many outside things in a week, it takes a long time to get the chores done around here and have everything running smoothly and this week I am really out of whack the kids shopping trip Monday, Tuesday's breakfast, yesterday at the Craft Show, out last night, working today and then home to get a heap of work sewing done before 5pm. Tomorrow will be catching up day.

Next week we have a HUGE week of end of school year things with three schools and daycare this time of year can get really crazy. So I will remind myself to keep the days clear as we are out almost every night.

The Craft Show

It was a lovely day and I was able to spend it with a new friend, someone I hope will be in my life for a long time to come she is funny, intelligent,thoughtful, kind and most of all she doesn't feel the need to stop at every stall - just the ones she is interested in - which are the same ones I am intersted in. Bliss - a whole day of not having to feign interest in beading, dolls, scrapbooking, machine embroidery, photos on fabric, and those weird eggs etc.etc. I can appreciate all these crafts when someone else does them it is simply that they hold no fascination for me.

As far as purchases go I bought no fabric as per my promise to use what I have, I bought some rotary cutter blades (I have been resharpening the four I have for five years and one snapped the other day so I figured it was time).

A darling little chook bell that will serve no other purpose other than to make me smile.

Some Lion Brand cotton to make a dishcloth or three for a friend.

To be honest I bought this at Spotlight on the way home as nobody at the Show had it.

My other purchase was a template for Shaseiko quilting. It is a Japanese style of quilting usually done with thick thread in white.

It is very effective, I am not sure I will do a whole quilt in it but I am sure I will find some small project to use it on soon so I can have a practice.




Cooking.....

Today I am trying to get home early this afternoon after this cleaning job is done and get some baking happening. The freezer is empty except for this chocolate cake of indeterminate age that I found at the very bottom - think the chooks will be having that. Think I will try the brownie recipe that The old Dairy made yesterday for afternoon teas, and some walnut and cranberry biscuits and get the fruit ready for the Christmas cake and pudding. Our ducks have decided to lay again and I love making the Christmas cake with duck eggs it just makes it so much better. SO I am going to do it now before they stop laying.

Answers...

Here is the photo of the hedgerow roses on the shady side of the driveway The Old Dairy was asking if they grew in the shade. These are four years old, have never been watered or trimmed back and they grow under these two pine trees. The dogs have done a number on them by running through them whenever anyone walks past and I have transplanted the last two from a really shady spot just a week ago so they look a bit sparse. The bigger ones get about an hour to an hour and a half sun a day the two that I transplanted have been in almost full shade.

Have a wonderful porductive day.

daisymum