First light

I was up early the other day and decided to take a meander outside. It was crisp but not too cold, causing clouds whenever I breathed. This was the view from the verandah which greeted me. The morning's first rays of sunlight.

Facing East - click image to enlarge

Although I couldn't see any indication on the ground, we must've had a light frost, because as the sun hit the leaves of practically everything around me, there was a chorus of drips hitting other leaves and then hitting the ground. It was like living in a rainforest - a completely different environment to when the sun is up and everything is dry. For now though, there was raindrop music to listen to.

Pigeon pea caked in dew

Just off from the verandah, I saw my small vegetable bed growing leeks, cauliflower, beans, herbs, luffa, chickweed and tomatoes. None of the veg is ready to eat yet, but it was a comforting sight to greet a full bed of green, nonetheless. I have more luck growing vegetables in winter, than in summer, because the conditions are milder.

A promise of something to come

I walked down to the lower level of the backyard, and saw more sunlight breaking through to light the ground. As I'm below the house and below the street, it started to feel more like a secluded garden. The early birds were zipping between the bushes, doing their morning chores and occasionally dipping into the water we put around the yard for them and the kangaroos.

Lawn is mostly chickweed

A little bit further down from the lawn, I caught a glimpse of the native ginger I planted. It seems to have survived in this spot for several years, although I hear they don't like the frost.

Large green leaves of Native Ginger

This pocket is very close to the gully, which collects all the frost which flows down into it. Yet miraculously, my native ginger survives. One day I will work on this area more, but for now my efforts are focused on the top swale above the house (more on that in another post).

Sun is getting higher

I walked down to the gully next, which is the lowest part of our garden. It was rather beautiful and I see why the birds utilise this area a lot. It seems to be the most protected part of the garden, with plenty of trees and shrubs to hide in. There is a different kind of energy in this part of the garden to any other. There's a north and south facing slope which terminate at this gully, so all the natural energy merges here. It was a very peaceful place to watch the sun rising in the East.

Orange fungi

Making my way back to the house, I came to the footbridge David made out of felled logs. It was the first time I saw fungi growing on it - but in truth, it was the sunlight hitting the log which drew my attention to it. When I go on an early morning walk, the sun seems to direct my senses, and I can now understand why plants find the perfect spots to grow in nature. They are following the path of the sunlight too.

After admiring the fungi on the log bridge, I slowly crossed it and then looked up to see...

Our house on the hill

Our house was being bathed in the morning sunlight, and I knew that is where my next destination would be. It was nearly time for breakfast, and a warm hug from my family.

A winter interlude

Being a nearly teen, Sarah can spend hours in her room at a time. But then she can suddenly appear again and do something spontaneous. Like volunteering to take her little brother outside. They like to sit on the grass together, taking in the sunshine. It must be a winter thing.

Three little garden gnomes

There's plenty of time during the school holidays, for cheeky smiles and plucking the lawn. Peter loves to pull the grass and throw it around. Sarah watches him quietly. Even the cat joins the circle of lawn appreciation.

Piggy in the middle

That is until Peter decides to get closer. He's really gentle with our cat, except when he starts screaming at her. It's a game. He screams and the cat runs - Peter then laughs. Muesli ignored him for the most part, until he got too close...

Hasta la vista, baby

She decided to take-up a more comfortable position, and looked back at her lawn plucking, and occasionally screaming, friend. When I saw them all together on the lawn, I just had to get the camera. A lovely winter interlude of distraction.

My life as a gardener

Its difficult to know how to describe my life as a gardener and make it simple. Because gardening is simple when you think about it, but the learning process is not. My mum was a gardener, and so were both my Nan's. Watching them and loving to be outside myself, impressed me to continue the gardening tradition in my own backyard.

 Tools of the trade

We're not fancy gardeners though, it was mostly born out of necessity for food - the older generations being from a farming background. My gardening journey however, hasn't just been limited to food acquisition, thankfully, as I don't grow food very well (yet) because I'm still learning how to.

Everything I put in the ground nonetheless, requires a practical purpose. Shade, shelter, food, wood, windbreak, mulch accumulator, nitrogen fixer, ground cover - it all has to fit together like a layered cake or it doesn't work.

Cover the soil with ground covers

I've had my fair share of failures too. So many failures! They're my learning pegs though, and has made my life as a gardener all the more interesting for it. Failing made me pay attention to other elements more than just the usual suspects of climate, soil and moisture. Failing made me experiment with different types of plant combinations, and where to plant them outside the norms! Failing made me look at permaculture more seriously too, which had a lot of valuable information to contribute.

When all else fails, garden in pots

I still wouldn't consider myself a successful gardener, but I haven't given up and that's the main thing. I take sabbaticals, when my life gets too full of obligations elsewhere, and that's when it really tests my garden. How it survives and produces without me, is something I learn from too. See, I'm not sure we should become slaves to our gardens. It should be a relationship where the gardener and the garden have equal expression. To dominate completely, means you miss out on half the conversation and take on all the work.

French marigolds

I've probably missed the most obvious point about having a garden, and that's the beauty aspect. They awaken all your senses. But that's not why I build a garden - the best part of my temperament is expressed when I can pour myself into nature. It centers me. Something about the energy, the simplicity and the diversity all merging together, subdues me. That's what I love about having as many plants as I can. It's what inspired me to keep at propagation, even though I failed consistently for several years. I wanted more of this centered contentment, which wasn't fleeting like everything else.

New plants from old

Once I learned to propagate successfully, I haven't stopped! We all need a driving force in our lives, and I guess gardening is mine. I'll grab my secateurs and take some cuttings, or I'll pop some seeds in the ground and wait for the rain to arrive. It's the promise of something to come. Something to germinate. Something to surprise me later on.

Fallen frangipani

So even though my life as a gardener hasn't been perfect, its still been very worthwhile. I look forward to the seasons, the shapes and the smells. I'll look at that bare patch of earth and imagine what I'll plant there.  What's more, I hope all this activity and experimentation will lead to growing more food successfully. That is my ultimate goal.

Kent pumpkins on the brew

What is your present goal, or what would you like to do more of as a gardener?

Convenience food

There was once a time; when I didn't feel like cooking and we'd order a pizza. We didn't do it very often, but it was still the quickest form of convenience food I could think of. Now however, I have a new way to use an old piece of equipment to whip-up a quick meal. How old is that piece of equipment? Try as old as our marriage - it was a wedding present, over eleven years ago.

One pot to feed them all!

It's our very simple and cheap rice cooker. You basically follow the instructions of how to cook the rice (refer to manual) and then I just add my own leftovers of meat and vegetables. It can all cook within the hour, and takes under 5 minutes to throw in the pot.

Mix 'n match leftovers

We used our leftover roast the night before, in this particular meal. I also sliced half a leek to add and a handful of frozen beans. The jelly and fat leftover from the honey-mustard chicken went in there too.

Purchased from Aldi

Instead of run-of-the-mill white rice, I used a very yummy rice and grain blend which is gluten free. Throw it all together, flick a switch and dinner is cooking while I get on with other stuff. This tastes much better than pizza and uses leftovers in a way that tastes new and delicious. To save money on electricity, I even switch it off ten-minutes before its meant to be finished, and let it sit until the moisture is absorbed.

I'm glad I decided to try experimenting with our rice cooker, because I use it more often now. This is one wedding present that just kept on giving - apart from my wonderful husband, that is. ;)

Have you found a different use for your specialized kitchen equipment?

Incommunicado

The internet has been cut from our lives for three days recently. It's a long story, but basically it turned out to be a fried modem and too much money spent on getting the diagnosis. Our curious son also managed to dunk another wireless device into the cat's water, which was our second form of internet access. The wonder which is Murphy's Law, had a rollicking good time at our place recently.

It took some getting used to being internet free but now we have it back, I haven't been using it as much. Neither has David. I didn't think we were addicted to using the internet, but given the initial withdrawal symptoms and then relishing the time we spent together without internet in our lives, I guess we were addicted.

In our downtime recently, David got to finish cutting-up some branches and relocating them out of  the way....

Acacia branches

....and I got to re-organise my pots around the verandah again, giving some poor plants much needed morning sunlight. It should make this philodendron a little happier.

Philodendron 'imperial green'

I even got to plant some more vegetables in our small garden beds, which was something I really enjoyed. I'm imagining fresh cauliflower and french beans, along with the wom bok which went in a few weeks earlier.

French dwarf bean

We even got to contemplate building some wicking beds, which we have been entertaining for years. Given that we're removing a precious shade tree, we thought about how we can turn some wicking beds into some extended shade for the area too.

I'm getting around to catching up with all the regular blogs I read, but at a pace which is less net-centric. How do you think your life is effected by how much you use the internet?

Gluten Free Pancakes

Can a pancake really taste just like an apple turnover pastry? In my world of experimenting with Gluten Free baking, I've found a wonderful combination which does it's best to try. It was a serendipitous accident frankly, as I was looking for a gluten free donut recipe.

The one I found, worked brilliantly, but it was rather too fiddly for the few donuts baked. I thought eighteen would be plenty, but I underestimated how far they'd go for four people! It's a brilliant tasting donut recipe though, I just wanted a simpler way to use it. I also didn't want to use some of the ingredients. I'll put the pancake recipe down below, but first, the apple turnover bit!

Cook your pancakes as you would normally on a hot skillet. We like to use them when they're freshly cooked and slightly warm, but there are plenty left over to stick in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or oven, the next day.

Next, put some cooked and chilled diced apple down. Spread it around. I haven't used too much because of how I'm going to roll the pancake at the end. You can make your own apple filling or buy it in a can, but be sure to add a little sugar and cinnamon for sweetening and flavour. Don't go overboard with the cinnamon though.

Whip some cream and add a dollop to the pancake. Again, don't use too much or it will come out the pancake when rolled. When whipping the cream I add a little icing sugar, which I make from processing white sugar. Most store bought icing "mixtures" contain gluten fillers, so steer clear of them.

Spread the cream around the pancake, then you want to sprinkle it with some cinnamon sugar. This is what gives the texture of the pancake, that subtle pastry crunch of an apple turnover. You just need a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar from a dispenser.

I make my own cinnamon sugar from quality ground cinnamon. Most supermarket cinnamon doesn't even come from the cinnamon plant, but a cheaper substitute plant. I sourced my cinnamon from a bulk supplier of natural ground cinnamon and I can't go back to the supermarket stuff. It's lasted me years and still smells like real cinnamon.

I reuse an old spice jar with a dispenser lid, by combining white sugar and ground cinnamon, then shaking together.

The last step to complete, is simply rolling the pancake up. When eaten, it will taste ever so much like an apple turnover. If you want more filling, don't roll the pancake and just layer the apple, cream and cinnamon sugar on top of the flat pancake. Eat it with a knife and fork. I ate it both ways, and they both tasted incredible. I liked the flat way best, but by rolling the pancakes it made the fillings go further and is probably better for the waistline!

This is a once in a while treat, when we've been working hard in the yard.

Time for the pancake recipe. Bear in mind to use your own judgement with quantities. I've used a rough approximate for the list of ingredients, but you'll need to add what liquid to flour ratio, gives the correct consistency for pancake batter. I like my consistency easy to pour, but not water thin. I like to be able to pour it on the skillet, but use the back of a spoon to push the circle out a little further.


2 eggs
1-2 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup to 1 cup gluten free flour
pinch of xantham gum if not already in the flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
pinch ground cinnamon
splash of vanilla essence


Mix all together in a one litre pouring jug. I use a stick blender with blending attachment, because its better at mixing in a jug without spilling over the sides. Cook on the skillet until golden brown on both sides. Stack on a plate with a cover, until all the pancake batter is cooked.

If you don't want to use the xantham gum, I recommend adding extra eggs...1 or 2 depending what size the eggs are.

The bicarbonate soda and apple cider vinegar, make the pancake batter lighter and aerated as they react to one another. Try your own experimentation with fillings, with whatever you have around.

Enter this way

I got this post idea from LindaM at Zone Zero who was brave enough to share an honest picture of the main entrance to their house. We've all had that kind of dilemma where the door to outside, becomes a collection point for everything we may need to use out there. I actually have several doors like that!

But the main doorway at the front of the house, was becoming a problem. I don't have photographs of what it used to look like, but I have pictures for today. Here is the first thing you see as you enter the front door.

This was given to me by my mum, when she was going through her stuff to downsize. It's not in the best condition (scratches, chips, etc) but it meets the need perfectly. It's a skinny piece of furniture, originally intended for a hallway, but it's used instead between two doorways (on either side) to the rest of the house.

It provides a place to leave some of our shoes so they won't clog up the entry, but its main purpose is for storage. All those little drawers are filled with stuff - some we use regularly, others not so much.

The main drawer holds some car keys, the pruners, watches, boot polishing brushes, and other assorted brick-a-brac. Generally speaking, small things which are used a lot, go in the main drawer. Once its closed, the bunched together mess is gone.

The smaller drawers are handy too. It's great to just pop my gardening gloves in here. They're close to outside and not left to sit on bench tops. My gardening gloves are one of those things I don't like to leave outside, in case any critters decide it would be a nice place to explore. Underneath the gloves though, are a bunch of miscellaneous items I keep - you  know, leftover pieces from furniture you've put together, that lonely hair clip your daughter lost the partner to - odds and sods which may come in handy one day.

The shoes though...oh, the shoes!!

My husband is quite the shoe hoarder. There is only one pair of Sarah's shoes on these shelves, and the rest are David's. Its a very simple system though - all his shoes are in one place and within convenient access to the front door. The only thing we haven't got is a bench-seat to sit on, but David makes do with a coffee table in the next room to put his shoes on.

This used to be the bane of my front door existence though. A mountain of shoes would build up so high, they would inevitably spill into the doorway. Thank you mum, for the free shoe shelves! They are so organised now and a great use of vertical space.

You can also see in the above picture, this is where we park the baby pram. It's an extra wide doorway, so we can park the pram there and still use the door to the lounge room.

I made sure to leave a little space between the shelves and wall, to put the umbrella and walking sticks. The walking sticks are just straight branches which have been collected in the yard. They're used very rarely, but occasionally outside.

What really helped with messy areas in the rest of the house however, was this simple gift I received on Christmas Day, from Dave.

It's a hat and coat rack - finally freeing the backs of our dining chairs, and the arms of lounge chairs to use as proper seats instead. David used to hunt around for where he left his coat, now its just a simple matter of hanging it in the one place. I had the same thing with Sarah's blue school jacket. We'd have to hunt for where she put it - the couch, the bathroom floor, her bedroom chair. Now it just lives on the coat rack until school holidays, and I hang it back up in her wardrobe.

We fit quite a bit in this very small entry space, and the doorway is almost always left clear now. I say almost, as a certain little person has decided he likes to clear the shoe shelves on a regular basis.

If you have a problem area in your house (or used to be) please write about it on your blog and leave a comment. I'd like to see how it was addressed, or will be, because there are so many different ways to organise our stuff. Cheap, ingenious ideas are always welcome.