Slow Living April

Hello! I am trying to be organised and think about April's round up right at the beginning of May. Sadly my brain is not cooperating and I am having trouble with the old thinking bit!

I have decided to include the little descriptions from the lovely folks over here at Slow Living Essentials this time so you can get a better feel for what it is all about.

Nourish  (Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over-packaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here)

It is always a bit of a struggle thinking up a good variety of recipes from the limited selection of fresh ingredients that are available but I have swallowed my prejudice and I have been buying more frozen veg this month. Most of my meals start with the veg. What do we have? What can we put with it. I think it stems partly from years as a vegetarian, and partly on a year of Slimming World where there is a big emphasis on veg.

I have been baking as usual, some bread, some cakes and the other day, jammy dodgers. The Smalls wanted to know how they put the jam in the middle so we made some to find out.

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)

Not much here. We are living very much in the moment. I do try to cook enough tea to have some for lunch the next day but that is about as far as my forward planning goes.

Green (up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous)

Again, not my forte at the moment. We continue to use washable wet wipes but that is about it. I keep meaning to experiment with vinegar and bicarb sprays but haven't made it as far as buying the spray bottles yet!

Grow (What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints.)

Our peppers have finally ripened but were so riddled with bugs that I am afraid we binned them. J harvested some avocados from the tree in the yard behind his office. They are in the fridge waiting to be dealt with... I have sort of given up on veg for the moment and have turned my efforts to flowers since this is something I am really missing. I have just sowed some marigold and stock seeds. We shall see...

Reduce (Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas here)

We went to a yard sale a couple of weeks ago and bought some big glass jars for pasta etc, a huge enamel bowl which still needs a purpose, and a two tier snack server thingy which I am using to  hold my jewellery. We also bought a bread crock which I love.

At the one and only charity shop I bought an old shawl which I intend to use as wadding inside a patchwork blanket, except I haven't even considered how to go about starting the blanket.

And, of course there was the old filing cabinet which we have repurposed as a junk store, place for useful and important stuff.
 

Create (to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here)

I have finished my summer blouse which is waiting for a post all of its own once I have actually photographed it. I also made two little coasters on the spur of the moment as a wedding anniversary gift.  Our friends were celebrating seven years, and a little help from Mr Google told me that the traditional gift for seven years should be wool. Well, armed with that information I was unstoppable!

Discover (Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Share new finds here)

My latest crafty obsession with stitching continues, and I plan to combine the new found love with the quilt-in-my-head one day...

The touristy stuff I did with J's Mum was really interesting and I now know more about coffee production and the final years of Napoleon than I ever thought I would.

Enhance (connect with community -  support local growers & producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or food swap, join a playgroup or form a walking or craft group. Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street!)

I loved taking part in Istebna's project although I am a little disappointed that my pics are not up yet on their website.

The lovely ladies in my flax weaving have combined their efforts and we have produced enough stuff for a window display in the Arts and Crafts shop in Jamestown. I will endeavour to snap it for you tomorrow or Friday.

Enjoy  (Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here)

We enjoyed our first visitor. It was lovely showing off this special place. We also enjoyed eating out, barbequing, picnicking, snorkelling, swimming and generally taking advantage of all the good things life here offers.

Todays pictures were take during a walk up Flagstaff, a nearby hill.

Did you have a good April?

xx