Taste the Waste

When I start to think about the world and what is has become I am overwhelmed, sometimes. A fresh year has begun and with it a promise to myself to renew the principles and ideals I held many years ago, when my life was slower, less full of people, namely of my own creation :)

In attempting to re-educate myself about the modern green movement, sustainability, planet care and grow your own I came across this video. I knew this happened but to see it in 'real life' is still a shock.

During the past week I have been systematically going through my cupboards and using up all the food I have purchased over the past year; dried beans, lentils, spices, tinned products etc. in an attempt to use the food I have bought and not waste it. It has been a very educational exercise as our grocery bill has been more than halved. Instead of taking the easy route of finding a recipe I fancy, writing out a list, crossing out a few ingredients we have and then purchasing the rest, I have been finding recipes using what I have in the cupboard and then buying the few items I need. After all why did I buy this food in the first place if not to cook it and eat it?

I have been making Mr Bee frozen lunches of lentil soup, lentil curry, pea and ham soup and beef madras curry. All have been healthy recipes, cheaper than buying lunch and far tastier (so Mr Bee tells me). I used to make his lunches all the time and then gradually over the years I have stopped with the usual excuse of 'no time'.

As part of this new year I have decided to 'make' the time and just see what I can do with it :)

Book - Low Cost Living

The more I read about permaculture, living sustainably, living 'greener', lowering your carbon footprint and simple living the more I want to read. I bought John Harrison's book 'Low Cost Living' to give me some ideas on where to make a start so I can change the way our family lives for the better. This book was a good starting point for me as it reminded me of things I already knew, but hadn't thought about for a while, and it gave some common sense suggestions for some changes I can make in the future.

There are twenty-two chapters in this book: 1. Low-cost eating, 2. Beating the Supermarkets at their own game, 3. Cooking your Food, 4. Food Waste, 5. Storing Vegetables, 6. Storing and Preserving Food, 7. Making your Own Chutneys and Jams, 8. Baking Your Own Bread, 9. Making Your Own Butter Cheese and Yogurt (something I am very interested in), 10. Making Your Own Wine, Beer and Cider (something Mr Bee showed quite and interest in), 11. Food for Free, 12. Growing Your Own, 13. Keeping Chickens, 14. Bees in the Back Garden, 15. Pets, 16. Cleaning, 17. Energy, 18. Water, 19. Transport, 20. Recycling, 21. Skills and 22. Money.

It is not a huge book, 220 pages, but it does give a very good starting point which you could elaborate on yourself quite easily with a little research. Reading this book has made me look into my shopping habits and see where I can make a difference in both the types of food I have been buying and the cost of those foodstuffs.My shopping habits are reasonably good and I have always been an 'aware' shopper but over the past few years I have become lazy and a few highly processed foods have found their way into the shopping trolley.

We already recycle the majority of our waste, plastics, glass, cardboard, cartons, compostables but I think I need to consider each product I purchase and the amount of superfluous packaging it comes with. This book has given me much to think about and act upon.

It is time we started to 'Live Better, Spend Less.'

Book - Choosing Eden

A change and a rekindling of old interests began in July last year, whilst we were home in Brisbane. We were wandering aimlessly around Indooro (Indooroopilly Shopping Centre for those not from Brisbane) just enjoying the fact we were shopping 'inside' as opposed to the cold and windy High Street of St Peter Port, when I came upon a book sale. It was one of those sales in the middle of the shopping centre floor space where they have just thrown up trestle tables and covered them with merchandise. It was here amongst the teetering towers of discounted books I came across 'Choosing Eden' by Adrienne Langman (photographed here in my lovely clean, tidy and toy free conservatory). It was only $5.00 AUD.

This book is the story of Adrienne and her husband, Larry's decision to sell up and move from Sydney suburbia to a twelve acre property in Nana Glen, three hours north, in northern New South Wales. When I purchased this book I was unaware that their story was made into a television program 'The Real Seachange' (even though this is actually written on the back of the book, but who has time to read all the blurb when the Bumble Bee'rs are loose in a shopping centre).

Adrienne writes about why they made their decision and the story follows them over the course of their first year of their 'greening' adventure. The basis of their decision is Peak Oil. They want to be prepared, for both their own sake and that of their family, to be able to deal with the changes they believe Peak Oil will bring to modern society.

Peak Oil is not a new term to me. My Dad has been talking about it for years and years. It has been a running joke in our family 'Oh Dad's talking about Peak Oil....again!' Well I'm not laughing now Dad. XX

While I  do not agree with Adrienne's quite extreme view of a complete break down of society, I can certainly see the logic in both her choices, preparations and adoption of a permaculture 'lifestyle'.

I feel I need to investigate this concept further.

Merry Christmas 2011

 

The turkey with two stuffings was prepped and ready to go. 

A Christmas breakfast of snacks was in order (after the Bumble B'eers had eaten their chocolate coins and biscuits from Santa that is).

There has to be a bit of smoked salmon at Christmas.

The table was set; Mr Bee ironed the table cloth for me. It is his regular Christmas job :)

The branches on the table are real which was lovely as it smelt like Christmas. I love our fake tree but it does lack that special bit of Christmas pine-i-ness.

I opted for a silver table this year, keeping the traditional Christmas red to the lounge room.

Halfway through the frenzy of cooking.

I always try to be organised, it reduces stress. 

The all important cranberry sauce.



Ta da! The turkey is done. I have cooked a goose every year for Christmas since we moved to Guernsey and although the turkey was tasty I think I will swap back to goose next year - live and learn.

Merry Christmas, especially to all our family and friends in Australia.

We miss you and love you.

xxxxxxxxxxx

A Christmas Tradition is Born

Mr Bee has been very concerned about there not being enough food on Christmas Day so he wanted me to cook a turkey and a roasted gammon. When I pointed out to him that the actual weight of our turkey was 6kgs he calmed down a little.

I offered to cook the gammon for Christmas Eve dinner to make it special as my Dad was here. I cooked a Honey and English Mustard Gammon with Cheesy Potato Bake, Honey and Cumin Carrots and Broccoli with Bacon.....Mr Bee announced that we will have a roast gammon every Christmas Eve from now on!

Christmas traditions.....got to love them :)

(The containers in the background are full of ham stock from boiling the gammon - waste not want not).

St Peter Port Christmas Lights

Each year we take the children into St Peter Port on one of the three late night shopping nights (the only late night shopping for the entire year!) to see the Christmas Lights. This is the view up Mill Street.

Down near the Town Church.

For the full length of the High Street there are candles and stars at regular intervals. I didn't get to take a photo of Smith Street but it looks like a blue ceiling of bright twinkling stars have descended especially for Christmas.

My Dad is staying with us for Christmas so he came in as well. It was a lovely night.

The Twelve Cocktails of Christmas

On the first cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Can I have one without the umbrella because it’s a bit gay!’ (No, here have one with a blue umbrella if it helps you feel more masculine.)

On the second cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘My second Pina Colada, is there much alcohol in these?’ No, just think of it as a health filled juice break

 

On the third cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘You said we would be having the weaker ones first and you could run a car on this Margarita.’ (To which I answered, ‘Suck it up or go home.’ So they did, suck it up, not go home)

On the fourth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘What is in a Long Island Iced Tea?’ (30mls of Vodka, 30mls of Tequila, 30mls of Bacardi, 15mls of Cointreau, 15mls of lemon juice, 15mls of sugar syrup, 30mls of coke, a cherry and orange slice on the side and ice as far as the eye can see!)

 

On the fifth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Gill we are ready for the next cocktail, oh good it’s a pink one, how many have I had now?’

On the sixth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Is there more food coming, I need to line my stomach?’

 

On the seventh cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘I threw up on your plants, I am really sorry.’

On the eighth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Why is the drunkest person here washing the dishes?’

 

On the ninth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘What else is there to try? B52s or White Russians but please don’t take your shirt off!’

On the tenth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Someone peed in the sink in the bathroom!’ (which was just a random drunken rumour as I found no evidence of this.)

 

On the eleventh cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Perhaps you should stop now or you will be driving the porcelain bus all night.’

On the twelfth cocktail of Christmas my true love said to me, ‘Here take some Nurofen Plus for the road and goodbye until early next year when we have all forgotten the horror the morning will bring and people start to ask for another cocktail party.’

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!