Slow Living November 2014

Linking up with Linda who is now our gracious host having taken over from Christine in hosting the Slow Living Nine.  I love joining in each month and reflecting on what I have achieved, it is also great to hear what everyone is up to and share in their achievements.
We spent just over 2 weeks of the month in NZ leaving house sitters to look after Jessie, the chickens and the garden.  We had a great trip and I have lots to report so I will include a little here but most of this post will be about what else happened in the month.

Nourish -Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over packaged, over processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead.
We spent half of the month away but we are still drowning in zucchinis and eggs. Our house sitters made a big batch of pasta from our eggs and left us some along with some pancetta so we would have a quick and easy meal on our return.  Teamed up with some of our tomatoes, basil, capsicum, garlic and spring onions from the garden it was indeed a tasty and delicious meal.

There have also been a few sweet treats like this Buttery Orange Cake and Peanut Brownies during the month.

And I used up yet more zucchinis in the chocolate zucchini cake which I took along when we helped friends move house.  It was a hit even with the kids.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe later this week.

Prepare - Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season.

This month we finally filled our freezers with meat from Freezer 2.  Such a huge amount of meat 379kg in all.  There will not be much else getting stockpiled in the freezers for a while as they are full to the brim.  We are even storing meat at Hubby's parents house.

Reduce - Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing.

I have been reducing the clothes I own and sending them off to the op shop for someone else to enjoy.  

Green - Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.
Just the usual happening on this front.  

Grow - plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden?

The garden is producing lots of herbs, we are inundated with zucchini, there are spring onions, beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and eggplant.  I have dill and coriander going to seed which I collecting for replanting and for use in cooking.

Yesterday's harvest

Create - To fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others.

The past month has been way too busy for anything creative but hopefully I will have some time over the next month.

Discover - Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests.

I have finally through a couple of books I started last month and thanks to our holiday they are finished... well almost.

Enhance - Community

Nothing to report on this front in Australia but on our trip to NZ we have started to build relationships in and explore the community that we will live in.

Enjoy - Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment.

My parents and I

November's trip to NZ was full to over flowing of get together's with family and friends.
We meet our new niece and had time to enjoy our other nieces and nephew as well.
We celebrated my Pops 87th birthday and my sister in laws 36th birthday.

Me with my Granny (Dad's Mum)

My nieces helping their mother blow out the candles

Then they helped their great grandfather (my Pop) with his candles

My brothers three girls including 2 week old baby Alice with their great grandfather

Me and my Nan and Pop (mums parents)

It was especially nice to spend time with my grandparents who are now all in their mid to late eighties.

What have you been up to?