7 Things About Bali

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We love Bali. For years we visited regularly but Covid prevented us from coming for three years. Now we’re back! We stay at the same villa, we’ve visited old friends, caught up with the wonderful staff here, eaten at our favourite restaurants and cafes and found a few new ones, had massages and reflexology and spent hours in the pool, chatting and bobbing about. It is wonderful! Here are a few things you need to know before you come to Bali. All interspersed with photographs of food because the food in Bali is wonderful.

SEVEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BALI

ONE Bali is 8° south of the Equator so you will burn easily just walking around. It is very hot most months of the year. Bring a 50SPF sunscreen and reapply after swimming, wear a hat and stay in the shade in the hottest part of the day. The streets are full of badly burnt tourists! Be especially careful to protect young children from burning.

Not glamorous but good protection in the pool. I wear a rash top in the pool and add a hat when I’m not actually swimming. Rash tops, which look like fitted shirts, are made out of spandex, polyester or nylon manufactured with UPF, (ultraviolet protection factors) and provide some protection from the sun. They are most effective used in conjunction with sunscreen.

I love being in the pool! Instead of just counting steps every day I like to keep a tally of laps, too. These are my lap markers, which worked well until there was a gust of wind and they blew away!

TWO The Balinese are hospitable people and very welcoming. They don’t like confrontation. Stay calm and polite and a solution will be found.

THREE Clothing needs to be cool and protective. The Balinese are modest and tolerant but be mindful about what is on display. There’s clothing for sale in Bali to suit every budget. Explore and enjoy!

FOUR Taxis are everywhere and very affordable. You can choose from cars, motorbikes and scooters. Always check the taxi has a meter or negotiate a price before setting off. Tipping isn’t common but you can easily round the price up or have a small denomination note ready to give to the person providing the service, such as a masseuse, as you leave.

It’s late autumn in Western Australia and my feet have been hidden in shoes and boots so straight in for a pedicure .

The family legs lined up for an hour of reflexology. Not quite traditional Chinese reflexology, but it’s very good, anyway.

FIVE Authorized Money Changers advertise their rate outside the building and are more reliable than exchanging money on the street where it is hard to count reliably. There’s ATMs but the exchange/withdrawal sequence can be different from what you are used to and can be confusing.

Make sure you stay well hydrated.

SIX The food in Bali is amazing and affordable. Online restaurant reviewers are the most up-to-date source of information as more and more cafes and restaurants open or reopen after the pandemic. We usually eat breakfast at the villa then go out for a remarkable lunch and then snack on something light for dinner. Old favourites, Chandi’s ( accompanied by a jug of margaritas!) and Mamma San feature every few days but there are many choices to suit all budgets.

Sometimes late in the evening you need emergency supplies delivered to the villa.

SEVEN Bali belly, or gastro, can happen any time! Don’t eat from street stalls unless the food is taken out of a fridge to be cooked for you as you wait such as at a local warung. Otherwise, visit local cafes and restaurants. There are so many! It’s best to also carry anti-diarrhoea medication and re-hydrating products, just in case. There’s Apotek/Pharmacies with basic supplies. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhorea and will probably resolve within 12 hours otherwise seek medical advice.

Bali is known for its amazing beaches, beautiful mountains, terraced rice paddies, lush tropical forests and the warm welcome from the local people.Know as The Island of the Gods, there are temples in the eastern corner of every family compound and everywhere else, too. If you’re lucky, you will see one of the many parades and performances at a temple, celebrating special religious days, weddings or other events.

Dinner in Nusa Dua with dear Balinese friends at Mr Bob Bar and Grill. Really good food. We enjoyed ribs and steaks, imported from Australia. They were the best! Attractive building, attentive staff and a good night out. If you’re interested in genuine Balinese cuisine, he has another restaurant behind the Bar and Grill. We’ll go there next time!

Being in Bali is very relaxing. You can be busy sight seeing, snorkeling, swimming or surfing. You can eat fabulous food. You can indulge in massages, spa treatments and our favourite, reflexology. You can do a yoga class, just relax in the pool, catch up on emails or read a book.

We celebrated our 39th Wedding Anniversary while we were here. Housekeeping Staff saw our cards so we arrived back from lunch to this lovely surprise!

It was also Mother’s Day during our stay. We were lucky our son was able to join us for just over a week so we celebrated the day at one of our favourite restaurants. Such a lovely day.

Have you been to Bali? Tell me your favourite Bali stories.

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Preventing Breast Cancer, Tarts and Mystery Chicken Dinner

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GARDENING, OTHER EXERCISES AND CANCER PREVENTION

An article I read last week makes some interesting comments about exercise, gardening and the prevention of breast cancer. We know what we eat and how much we eat, how active we are and how much sleep we get are fundamental aspects of our well being.

The article from The Journal of Physical Activity and Exercise, published on the Mail Online News site summarises a study of 48 000 women in the UK and concludes daily light exercise, such as gardening, housework and walking can reduce the chance of developing breast cancer by 21%

a woman in a blue top and leggings is on a pink exercise ball

Image Unsplash

Being active for 5 hours and 45 minutes seems to have the most impact on preventing breast cancer. The 48 000 participants wore fitness trackers to determine their daily activity. The researchers also considered age, weight, alcohol consumption and smoking histories, all contributing factors in developing breast cancer. It is not clear if genetics such as a family history of breast cancer were considered as part of the research.

Before feeling overwhelmed by this amount of activity consider the steps taken getting to and from work, at work, doing the shopping, cleaning and generally attending to daily activities. Add some weight bearing exercises and you will be close to the daily target. To determine the amount of exercise suited to age, weight, health and current fitness level just search online. There’s a wealth of information.

woman in blue dress shirt and blue denim jeans standing beside brown wooden chair

Image Unsplash

Recognising gardening as being good for your health is great! I like gardening. I wander out the back first thing in the morning to have a look around, I often do some tidying up during the day and water in summer in the evening as well as walk around out there talking to my Mother on the phone every night. My minimum step goal each day is 12 000 steps, some in the high intensity range but a lot are accrued incidentally.

So now that gardening is identified as a healthy activity, here’s a brief update of what’s happening in our garden.

This frequently blooming canna continues to please with brightly coloured flowers. I’m often asked what it is called and I don’t know! My mother grew it at the farm and she has it at her new house, I grew some , too. It was growing in a garden bed but it was so vigorous I dug it up and put it is pots. So pretty.

The hollyhock seeds have germinated as have the stock seeds, planted in a recycled dip container. I will plant them soon and add ranuncula corms to entice bees to the garden. We enquired about ‘hosting’ a beehive in our garden and were told it was too crowded. Shame, it seems bees need a bigger runway than we can supply.

PUMPKIN, FETA AND CARAMELIZED ONION TART

Needed to take finger food to an At Home movie night so decided to make a tart. Roasted some butternut pumpkin, caramelized some onions and crumbled some fetta. I had intended to use crumbled stilton but decided it might be too rich. ( So I ate it instead) Lined the tart tin with pastry and blind baked it, then added the other ingredients plus beaten eggs and milk, sprinkled fresh rosemary on top and baked it. Delicious.

How something that tasted so wonderful could look so unattractive is a mystery but I think it’s the caramelized onion which looks black, not luscious brown and richly flavoured.

Turned the leftover pastry, feta, onions and butternut pumpkin plus eggs and milk into a smaller, rather rustic pie to eat on the weekend.

What is the difference between a tart and flan? Both are open topped and generally pastry based but a tart can have a savoury or sweet filling but a flan is generally sweet. Despite finding agreement in these definitions I have seen both terms used to refer to both sweet and savoury dishes.

CHICKEN DINNER

I thought I was pretty particular about labeling leftover food before I put it in the freezer. Apparently not, so the container of chicken I thawed to make something for dinner was a bit of a mystery. I added leftover roasted butternut pumpkin, leftover caramelized onion and half a cup of peas. Turns out the chicken had a slight curry flavour and went well with the other flavours. Mystery dinner was great but I’ll never be able to repeat it as it will never taste quite the same. And I’ll be sure to label containers before I put them in the freezer.

CINNAMON SCROLLS

Then the weather changed and it really started to feel like autumn even though winter is only a month away.My thoughts drifted to cosy, warming afternoon tea food. I made cinnamon scrolls. The soft, satisfying dough, kneading and adding cinnamon and sugar and rolling them out resulted in fat little scrolls.They smelt so good while they baked. When they were cool I added drizzled icing. We fell on these cold weather treats. Luckily there were some left for breakfast, too.

Did you watch the coronation?

This frequently blooming canna continues to please with brightly coloured flowers. I’m often asked what it is called and I don’t know! My mother grew it at the farm and she has it at her new house, I grew some for my son and of, course, we have some. It was growing in a garden bed but it was so vigorous I dug it up and put it is pots. So pretty.

The hollyhock seeds have germinated as have the stock seeds, planted in a recycled dip container. I will plant them soon and add ranuncula corms to entice bees to the garden. We enquired about ‘hosting’ a beehive in our garden and were told it was too small. Shame. A lot of alysium seedlings have have self seeded in the same area.

An article I read last week makes some interesting comments about exercise, gardening and preventing breast cancer. We know what we eat and how much we eat, how active we are and how much sleep we get are fundamental aspects of our well being.

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Eating, Reading and Stealth Wealth

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EATING

Made a Spanish Tortilla to share at a neighbourhood breakfast. It takes quite a while to ‘construct’ but tastes very good, hot or cold and has no meat or dairy products so good if you don’t know your guests’ dietary regimes. A Spanish Tortilla is not related to a Mexican tortilla; they are flour based flatbreads intended to hold meat or vegetables.

A kilo (2.2lbs) of thinly sliced potatoes, two onions, six eggs, some salt and olive oil becomes a delicious tortilla, wonderful hot or cold.

The Spanish Tortilla, also known as Tortilla de Patatas or Tortilla de Papas is a mix of potatoes, onions, salt and eggs, cooked in olive oil. It is most like an omelette or a quiche filling without the pastry.

Still eating salads and enjoying local prawns (shrimp). Actually, the weather is finally cooling down. Now the rain has come. This usually means soups or stews and casseroles bubbling away in the slow cooker. I only buy seasonal fruit and vegetables so that dictates the soup flavours I make.

READING

Have you read any of Elizabeth Strout’s books? Probably the best known are the Olive Kitteridge stories, Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again. Then I read My Name Is Lucy Barton, Oh William and I’ve just finished Lucy By The Sea. The characters in many of the books slightly overlap which adds depth to these stories.

As usual, a library book. The EXPRESS stickers means it is a popular book so you can only borrow it for a week.

Lucy By The Sea is a Covid story which makes it very different from the other books I mentioned. Lucy, now widowed, is persuaded by her ex-husband William to leave New York and isolate in a house on the coast of Maine with him. Lucy is still feeling fragile and a bit lost after the death of her next husband. She takes a long time to settle in Maine, in isolation.

This story reminded me of how protected we were from the horrors of Covid. She writes about freezer trucks in the streets storing the deceased, mass graves and friends dying . But the story is also about her relationship with her beloved daughters, who are also experiencing all sorts of problems living in isolation. Their daughters are shocked by her reconciling with her ex-husband, their father, as they’d be shaken and hurt by his infidelity and had helped her through the trauma.

This is a thoughtful book about childhood experiences, the power of education, marriage and families and unpredictable circumstances changing everything. Another great book from Elizabeth Strout.

STEALTH WEALTH

Apparently gathering momentum for some time but I have only just become aware of this world wide movement. Stealth Wealth, also known as Quiet Luxury, is about being discreetly wealthy, so no flashy cars, no clothes with logos or distinctive, bright patterns. Some define the movement as protecting yourself from scams when all your information is on line and easy to hack. It is also a reaction to constant consumerism.

It’s all about pared back investment pieces you’ll wear forever and no logos! I see it as a way to buy fewer things by choosing good quality purchases and taking care of them.

There’s lots of reasons stated for following this lifestyle. The main aim is to function below the radar, to not draw attention to yourself. This is to do with your security. Living below your means so you don’t attract burglars and scammers. I’d like to think you’d also consume less, too.

Image Dreamstime.

There’s suggestions about jewellery, clothing, housing, entertaining and even hairstyles. Comfortable, classic furniture features which makes sense if you’re keeping it for years. Other articles talk about the reduction in stress as you’re not competing. Living below your means apparently is very relaxing.

The other thing about quality clothing in classic styles is less landfill. Australians are amongst the highest consumers of fast fashion, most of which becomes landfill after being worn a few times. Clothing made from wool, cotton, linen and other natural fibres last and last and will eventually disintegrate. No plastic microbeads are released into the water system with each wash, either.

Another interesting sign of Stealth Wealth is buying designer handbags without evident branding. These are made from the best quality materials and designed to last. Carefully chosen, they will last years. I know because 25 years ago my husband gave me a handbag which I still use most days of the week. The only branding is stamped into the leather and only on one side and on the padlock. The zip still works, there’s no scuffing, the stitching is even and strong and the lining is perfect. I rub R. M. Williams Leather Dressing into it about once a year and it looks great. Per use it has been extraordinarily economical.

The article I read about keeping your cars for years and buying mid-range new cars mentioned how the aristocracy in the UK get around in old Land Rovers. I immediately thought of Vera, the main character in a UK detective series of the same name, who has recently upgraded her inherited Land Rover to a newer model, but probably wouldn’t like to be thought of as a trend setter! Neither would my husband whose very comfortable and reliable car was made in 2007. He has no intention of trading it for something newer.

So the message seems to be buy less but buy long lasting quality items and live below your means. Easy, relaxing and sustainable!

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The Eclipse, ANZAC Day and Vermeer

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THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

Now you see it and then you don’t! Did you see the images of the eclipse of the sun on 20th April? We live in Perth, about 1 300km (808 miles) south of Exmouth, the ultimate place to view this eclipse. For a second or so the sky darkened a little in Perth as if a cloud passed the sun, but the effect was spectacular in Exmouth.

Image PIXABAY

The actual movement of the moon passing across the face of the sun takes about three hours. During this time, the sun is completely obscured (eclipsed) by the moon for about a minute.This was seen most completely in Exmouth and was witnessed by people from all over the World who traveled there to view the event.

Actually, total solar eclipses happen about every 18 months but are usually only visible at sea. This one on April 20th, was clearly visible from the coast, at Exmouth. Normally a township of about 2 800 people the population swelled by more than 20 000 visitors. Best known for fishing and the North West Cape Naval Communications Base, Exmouth is also the northern gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Park.

Beach at Cape range national park in Australia royalty free stock photos

The beach at Exmouth. Image DreamstimeANZAC DAY

Anzac Day, celebrated on the 25th of April, commemorates the Australian and New Zealand involvement in all wars and conflicts. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Historically we have tended to fight and drink together.) It is a public holiday in Australia. Traditionally we gathered at local memorials for a formal service of remembrance but Covid changed how we commemorate Anzac Day. These services acknowledge the bravery and sacrifices of all servicemen and women in all countries and all conflicts.

Image IStock

During Covid we were unable to attend the usual service at our local war memorial. The compromise was for people to stand at the end of their driveway with candles, listen to the Last Post being played on the radio then stand in silence for one minute. We did this along with our neighbours.

A new way of remembrance was established. Afterwards one neighbour brought out coffee, we all brought fold up chairs and sat on the verge chatting and sharing Anzac biscuits, made to celebrate on the day. The next year we met on someone’s driveway, commemorated with the Last Post and a minutes silence then shared breakfast with my husband acting as the barista. He makes the best coffee!

Image iStock

Actually, the same group of neighbours host evening get togethers every few months and they are such lovely evenings, sharing food and news. We are very lucky!

JOHANNES VERMEER (1632 -1675)

This year the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam presented the largest Vermeer exhibition ever seen. Many of the paintings were loaned to the museum from private collections and have not been seen by the general public for many years. Unable to visit this amazing exhibition, we went to the cinema to see ‘Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition’ a film showing the exhibition with the director of the Rijksmuseum and the curators involved in presenting the exhibition providing the commentary.

Image Wikimedia Commons

Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter known for his paintings of middle class domestic interiors. His first paintings were based on Bible stories and mythology but he soon specialized in paintings of interiors. Generally, the paintings feature light coming from a window, seen or not seen, on the left of the room and usually the subject is a female. For example ‘The Milkmaid’, ‘The Music Lesson” and many other works.

Image Wikimedia Commons

Within the close Calvinistic society of the time, it would have been difficult for Vermeer to find female models so historians assume he relied on his wife and eight daughters to sit for him .His wife was a Catholic. Unlike so many other famous artists, we know very little about Vermeer’s life as he didn’t keep a journal nor are there recorded any letters by him.

Image Wikimedia Commons

His works are significant also because there are no apparent brushstrokes. He developed a style which create smooth finishes. He is also known for using white dots to create highlights. Probably his most famous painting “Girl With The Pearl Earring” demonstrates this technique at its best.

Ninety minutes packed with information and beautiful pictures. I really enjoyed it!

We’d also gone to the cinema recently to see Living starring Bill Nighy. I’d read rave revues and the lines went out the door when we were at the cinema to see the film about the Mary Cassatt paintings. So we went one night. Neither of us enjoyed it. The acting was good, the close, intimate settings, such as a train carriage, an office, a cafe or dining room were well done, the acting convincing but the story? So predictable and tedious and obvious. Nothing was left unsaid. It has many five star reviews but not from me.

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Surprising New Packaging, Ripening Fruit and Growing Bay Trees

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REDUCING PLASTIC PACKAGING

I’m a big fan of grazing platters as there’s always something to appeal to everyone. There’s so many flavours and colours and textures. Cheese, crackers, nuts, grapes and strawberries, cold meat and of course, dips! Dips are packed with flavour but usually they are packed in plastic, too. I’ve made dip using fresh ingredients and cream cheese packaged in foil wrap, but I really like the variety of dips you can buy so easily but not the plastic packaging.

So a big surprise for me at the supermarket this morning. A good surprise, too. I found a dip called NUFFIN Chive & Onion Dip made from natural ingredients and packed in a biodegradable and compostable tub with a kraft paper label. It’s made in Australia from 99% Australian ingredients, so ticking all the boxes. Pretty keen to try it. It was really good. So good it was all gone by evening.

Just fresh ingredients.

Dip is really versatile, too. Not just on crackers but also in baked potatoes, on toast and even stirred through pasta. I’ll be looking to see if this product comes in other flavours, too.

Rinsed out the tub the dip came when it was empty and poked holes in the base using a skewer. Why? Instant seed planter.

Filled it with potting mix. added stock seeds, covered the seeds with more soil then watered them in.

Added a label using a recycled bamboo fork. Eventually the tub will end up in the compost.

RIPENING ORANGES

A few weeks ago I tried ripening not quite ripe lemons by putting them in a bowl next to a window so they got the morning sun. The lemons with yellow on them ripened, the two which were mostly green didn’t change at all. So I picked two nearly ripe oranges and put them in a bowl in the sun, too. I picked them because a cyclone was forecast and the orange skins split in heavy rain. We had massively heavy rain!

After two weeks both oranges looked ripe, so I made an orange cake. Like the window ripened lemons, I felt there was less juice, but enough to make the cake and icing. I also grated peel to add to both.

The peel felt quite thin when I was trying to grate it to put on the top of the cake so I grated leftover Crunchie solid Easter eggs and scattered that on the icing. I only thought to take an ‘after’ photo of the cake when I was cutting it! It tasted very good.

Lovely orange cake with orange flavoured icing and grated leftover Crunchie Easter eggs.

PROPAGATING BAY TREES

My son wants a bay tree so when a friend mentioned she grown one for her son I decided to try it, too. I snapped five small branches from a tree. I prepared them by stripping off all but three or four leaves, cut the ends and squashed them before putting them into rooting powder.

Then I poked them into well drained soil, watered them and covered them in a little greenhouse. Actually, the greenhouse is a thick plastic bag held up on recycled chopsticks which needed further tethering when the cyclone came down the coast. No signs of growth but the cuttings are still green and healthy.

Bay leaves feature in so many recipes from all over the world. To dry them, pick leaves in summer and discard any with holes in them. Choose the best then wash them in running water. I dry them on baking trays lined with paper towel left somewhere well ventilated for about seven days then turned over and repeat the process. When they are dry the colour will be faded and the leaves feel brittle.

The leaves can also be dried in the oven. Place them in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and put in a slow oven. Turn them over after about 20 minutes and check again after 20 minutes. They may take longer, just keep checking until they are brittle and fragrant.

Although I have only ever air dried bay leaves they can also be dried in a microwave oven. Place them in a single layer and cook for two minutes, then turn them over and cook again in 30 second bursts until they are brittle. Store the dried leaves in an airtight jar.

In other gardening news, the gardenias are beautiful. I have several gardenia bushes and they are covered in blooms. What’s blooming in your garden?

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The Happiest Countries in the World and Easter

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THE HAPPIEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

The WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT for 2023 has been published. Again, the Finns are the happiest people in the world. They top the list for the sixth consecutive year in a row. Participants self report on six key factors. The key factors are social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. Interestingly, despite the world wide pandemic, global life satisfaction remained at the same level as pre – pandemic years.

The Finnish list nature, lifestyle, food and sustainability as major satisfaction factors. The first ten countries on the list are 1.Finland, 2.Denmark, 3.Iceland, 4.Israel, 5.The Netherlands, 6.Sweden, 7.Norway, 8.Switzerland, 9.Luxembourg and 10.New Zealand.

Both Finnish images Pixabay.

Australia ranks 12th, America 15th and The United Kingdom comes in at 19th. More information HERE.

PANCAKES

While so many other people who celebrate Easter sat down to fish on Good Friday our family had pancakes. I looked for a recipe to use the sourdough ‘discard’ as I made bread today, too. The recipe is not included as they didn’t turn out like traditional, thin pancakes. These were thick and fluffy. Instead of eating three or four, two of these were enough. We decided they were more like pikelets. Luckily, the sourdough bread was very good.

Also on the topic of food, which has been foremost in our minds all weekend, autumn vegetables are beginning to appear at the F&V shop, so Easter Sunday’s roast was accompanied by potatoes, butternut pumpkin, carrots and onions, all roasted in duck fat, plus some peas. All this roasting resulted in very good gravy.

Australia enjoys foods from many countries so we’ve eaten sushi, a traditional roast and vegetables, several Indian curries and cold meat and potato salad during the Easter season. Obviously, we also enjoyed a mountain of chocolate and hot cross buns!

A favourite Australian food has just turned 100! I’m talking about Vegemite. First made after WW1 to replace Marmite which was in short supply, Vegemite is manufactured from brewer’s yeast. Invented by Dr Cyril P.Callister in 1923 it was not an immediate favourite but over time Vegemite became a standard spread on toast at breakfast and in school lunch boxes. Strongly flavoured, we like to offer it to visitors from overseas who seldom react enthusiastically! The trick with Vegemite is to spread it thinly. Rich in B vitamins and stable over time it is a pantry staple in Australia.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of this richly flavoured favourite, the Royal Australian Mint will release a one dollar coin featuring a jar of Vegemite.

Toast and Vegemite…..delicious.

Many Australians immediately recognise the Vegemite jingle referring to Australian children as Happy Little Vegemites. Some call the jingle a second national anthem.

I remember being very cross when Vegemite replaced the iconic yellow metal screw cap in the early 90’s with a plastic lid. The jar remains an attractive jar for storing food stuffs or whatever you like after you’ve scraped it clean.( Lots of people swish hot water in the almost empty jar and pour the resulting Vegemite flavoured stock into soups or casseroles).

LITTLE JOBS

I made a barrier from cut up school rulers to protect a mosaic from constant wash during rain or when the reticulation was running. The mosaic is precious as I used chips of blue and white china found where there had once been a rubbish tip on the farm where I grew up. I collected the chips over many years as wear and tear and the weather revealed more pieces and eventually I had quite a few. I used some to make this piece. I was worried the constant water running over it would damage it.

The white barrier, made from old school rulers, works really well.

Using old plastic school rulers, indicating our son’s progress through primary and secondary school ( I knew they’d be useful one day!) I chose two which were very similar in height, my son cut them to length and I glued them together to create a slightly raised barrier. When the glue was dry I pushed them in and packed sand behind the barrier to keep them securely in place. A few hours later we had very heavy rain and the barrier did its job!

Some time ago I restored a rusty, chipped and faded panel to hang on our fence. When I was working on it I realised it had once been a gate. The hinges had been cut off. I intend to grow plants against this panel. I used brackets to attach it to the wall.

To begin, I taped over the parts of the brackets which would be screwed on the wall, knowing it would be better to paint them in situ, covering the screw heads. Sprayed the raised centre of each bracket black which would be on the panel using black spray paint inside and out.

These little grow pots and soil ‘circles’ which become potting mix when wet, came from one of the supermarkets who offered plants, soil and grow pots as a reward for spending a set amount of money.

After the panel was attached to the wall I planted hollyhock seeds in little grow pots and began removing tree roots from the soil. An apricot tree had been previously espaliered to the wall. Unfortunately, the wildlife wouldn’t share the fruit with us, so, sadly, the tree was removed. I’ll plant the hollyhocks when they are ready.

Hollyhock seeds can take ages to germinate.

I hope your Easter break was calm and enjoyable. I hope you found Easter a time to do things you like with the company you like, too.

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April All Sorts

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APRIL FOOLS DAY

Pixabay

Were you caught in any silly pranks on April Fools Day? Interestingly, the food loving French celebrate April 1st differently. Called “Poisson d’Avril (April Fish) the reasons are lost in history. Two suggestions are this date marks the end of Lent or this reflects the anger of the French in 1564, when King Charles IX (1550-1574) changed the date marking the beginning of the year. The citizens didn’t like him meddling with their calendar, but the reasons for paper fish celebrating April 1st as Paper Fish Day have been lost in time.

Nowadays, French children stick coloured paper fish on as many backs as they can manage and run off laughing and calling out “Poisson d’Avril! To celebrate this special day, the shops are full of beautifully wrapped chocolate fish.

So when I saw a report claiming the Eiffel Tower (330m high) had a baby and saw photos of the two side by side, I assumed it was a prank. The media worldwide enjoy publishing trick reports on April the first and I assumed this was a prank. Further research actually revealed the second, much smaller tower ( 30m high) came from Vendée and was ‘visiting’ Paris until 10th April for repairs. The miniature is next to the original Eiffel Tower on the Champs-de-Mars in the centre of Paris.

THE BREAD KNIFE

Do you have a favourite object that does a great job, but not as intended? Ours is the bread knife, which was sold as a watermelon knife evident from the colour and images on it! Actually, it is about 8 years old and the best bread knife we have ever used. We eat a lot of home made sourdough or bought artisan loaves so a good knife is imperative. And it’s easy to locate in the drawer.

VINEGAR

There’s a noticeable resurgence of sites online promoting white vinegar as a good cleaning product. This might reflect the rate of inflation and the squeeze on household budgets or a move away from highly aromatic, manufactured and expensive cleaning products. Vinegar is very economical, effective and the smell disappears quickly after use.

Vinegar is made by a process of fermentation, resulting in acetic acid. Vinegar is a blend of water, acetic acid and small amounts of minerals and vitamins. Most commercial products are also made of water with added harsh chemicals. Vinegar is edible and biodegradable and will not kill the good bacteria in septic tanks.

Despite all those good things, acetic acid will etch natural stone surfaces (granite, marble, limestone* as counters or floor coverings) and will eventually damage rubber, such as washing machine door seals, dishwasher seals and oven door seals. It will also damage the teflon surface on irons and the finishes on smart phones and computer screens. Don’t use vinegar on timber floors, either, as it will remove the protective finish and the exposed wood will be easily stained and damaged. Vinegar is great for cleaning glass shower doors, diluted and put in a spray bottle (try 1:1 vinegar /water mix) Otherwise, apply diluted vinegar with a microfibre cloth.

* The best cleaner for natural stone finishes is hot, soapy water and a microfibre cloth. Most natural stone sold for domestic use have been sealed with special finishes.

READING

Just finished Claire Keegan’s masterpiece,‘Small Things Like These’ Not a word is wasted in this novella about family life in an Irish town during the depression of the 1980’s. This story is about the Magdalene Laundries, run by Catholic nuns, the last of which was closed down in 1996. Now recognised for using girls and women as unpaid labour; these baby farms and laundries used the incarcerated women as slave labour. Records have been destroyed or concealed so the number of women and babies who died in these ghastly institutions is unknown, but the deaths are in the thousands.

Sorry about the terrible photo!

The activities of the convent become evident to a father of four daughters delivering coal and fire wood. Brought up by a single mother himself and treated kindly by his mother’s employer and other staff he is shaken when making a delivery to find a young girl locked in the coal shed, distraught because she is not allowed to see or feed her baby. The convent run by the Catholic Church is powerful, prestigious and prosperous and he is warned not to interfere.

Eventually, on Christmas Eve, he returns to the coal shed and rescues the girl, despite dire warnings from other people in the town. He takes her to his family. The title ‘Small Things Like These’ suggests small things can make a difference. This is a haunting but powerful account of an awful event in recent history.

EASTER

Easter seems to have arrived very quickly this year! Our son will be here and we will spend a day with my Mother. Limited decorations this year! Do you decorate and make special foods for Easter? I think it is different if you have small children involved who love the decorations and egg hunts, but mostly the chocolate.

Wishing you a lovely EASTER

however you like to celebrate!

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A Beach Holiday

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I know the calendar says it is autumn, but temperatures here are still in the mid 30°Cs ( 90Fs) so we headed down south to a beach cottage at Prevelly, on the coast from Margaret River. It took just over three hours to arrive in Margaret River where we stopped for lunch, some magazines and a few groceries. Then on to the beach house.

Nice surprise nearby and we were welcome to eat them!

Unpacked then set off to look at the beaches. Wonderful. Then later I walked around the local area. We’d enjoyed a generous sized lunch so settled for some soup and chocolate. Not the perfect dinner but we’re on holidays!

Next morning we went down to Gnarlabup Beach. There’s such a lovely, calm little beach there and I loved being in the water. There’s also a cafe, The White Elephant, with amazing views and good coffee. Nice way to start the day.

To Margaret River to pick up a few things before heading to Augusta. Despite a long, hot summer the gorgeous scenery is green and lush. Farms, vineyards and forests. Beautiful. To Augusta, on the coast. When I was about twelve, we visited Augusta as part of a holiday visiting and staying at various beaches along the coast. My Father hired a rowing boat and we set off in the estuary, exploring the beaches. I think he had planned to do some fishing, but the weather changed suddenly and it was very windy and choppy. Dad was rowing as fast as he could, but things were a bit scary for a while! We finally arrived at the shore wet and cold and not keen on doing it again.

Monument commemorating the arrival of the first English settlers to the region, on the Emily Taylor. 02/05/1830

This is the Augusta Boat Harbour, servicing the fishing, tourist and charter boat industries. The whale watching boats depart from here.

It was windy in Augusta, today, too, but as we sat at the hotel looking over the Blackwood River over to the southern ocean, eating lunch, we were amazed at how beautiful the view was in every direction. We were in a beach town, overlooking water so it only seemed right to share an entree of chili prawns on noodles, followed by an occi (octopus) Greek salad and a serve of calamari. Great food, great view and we really enjoyed it.

The food was very good and very generous serves.

After a drive around Augusta we set off for Hamlin Bay, one of the gorgeous beaches along the coast. There’s nothing between here and Antarctica.

Driving through the winding karri forest roads back to Prevelly was very beautiful too.

The beach at the end of our street. Pristine and cool on a hot evening.

We visited an old favourite, St John The Theologian, built by a West Australian soldier, Geoff Edwards (more information here). Edwards had been evacuated from Crete during WW2. This beautiful church is his remarkable monument honouring the Cretans and the Monks of the Holy Monastery of Preveli who saved him and so many other Allied Troops.

Glowing icons watching over the visitors. A peaceful place in a beautiful setting.

The garden at a vineyard. So many of the regions vineyards, breweries and distilleries have remarkable gardens, featuring sculptures, salvaged historical artifacts and water features.

We rented a small rammed earth cottage in Prevelly. It was close to the beach and in a quiet area. I could go to sleep listening to the waves crashing on the beach.

We went for walks, read, ate local seafood and went sight seeing. It was a lovely break.

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Gardening on a Small Plot

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garden things

Autumn has arrived so I’ve added bentonite and water crystals and new soil to all the pots and most of the garden beds. We live near the coast and our soil is grey beach sand. It is not plant friendly! Unfortunately, the dreaded chili thrip has reappeared so I’ll have to spray the roses, something I’ve avoided but finally resorted to doing to prevent the roses from dying.

One of the problems with chili thrip is everyone with roses in the neighbourhood need to treat them to prevent further outbreaks. I have friends who have given up on eliminating chili thrip and have taken out their roses. I want to avoid that as I really like cut roses in the house! Some of my bushes are very old, too.

In other gardening news, an end of season roundup.

LEMONS

Two weeks ago I wrote about bringing unripe lemons in to see if they would ripen on the end of the table where they got the morning sun. Some branches had to be removed to allow room for the new umbrella so I cut off the lemons before disposing of the branches. The lemons with a touch of yellow ripened, those which were green didn’t ripen at all. I think they also had less juice than usual but this may also reflect the seasonal changes.

Day One

Day Eight

CITRIC ACID

I’m a big fan of citric acid as it leaves the toilets really clean without using perfumed products. I buy a kilo at at time (it’s very economical) and keep it in a large screw cap jar.

To use as a flower preservative, add half a teaspoon of citric acid to a litre of water. Stir to dissolve.

I tried using it to preserve the freshness of cut flowers and the water they were in. It worked really well! The water stayed clean for four days, then I changed it and added more citric acid and the roses looked fresh for ages. These are bought roses, a lovely gift, which are now bred to last and last. They don’t fully bloom like a garden grown rose.

BLOOD LILIES (haemanthus coccineus)

Belonging to the Amarylidacaea family and originating in Southern Africa, these bright orange lilies appear towards the end of March every year. The bright orange colours really pops! Later, when the blooms are spent, a pair long, thick strap like leaves will appear.

CANNAS

I don’t know what these cannas are called! I dug them up years ago from under a kitchen window at the farm. The flowers can be yellow with red speckles through to entirely red. My son has a pot of them in Kalgoorlie where they thrive and bloom for a much longer period than here in Perth.

HYDRANGEAS

The hydrangea hedge is still blooming. Hydrangeas look beautiful all summer and are so easy to propagate. Big fan of them as cut flowers, too, as they last for ages and ages. The leaves are beginning to look a bit sunburnt.

OLIVES

There were about 150 olives trees growing on the farm where I grew up. They were very old. Italians from Brunswick, a nearby town, used to come laden with fruit and vegetables for us, then they would pick the olives and shoot some birds. The olive trees were two different types, one sort had complex branches cris-crossing one another and narrow leaves. The other type had branches that grew out and wider leaves.

I propagated one of each and potted them up. After about ten years of repotting them in bigger and bigger pots, I planted them big ceramic pots and kept them closely clipped, almost like a bonsai, to keep them compact and neatly shaped. About six months ago I dug out a wedge of the soil in each pot. It was hard work as the soil was full of thread like roots. I refilled the holes with new potting mix and fed both trees. I also cut out the dry, grey twiggy dead bits. This one must have liked the attention: it has grown an olive! Just the one!

DID YOU KNOW?

Before Australia was settled, about 55 to 65 000 years ago, Australia had mega flora, three metre high kangaroos, horse-sized ducks and seven metre long goannas.

Much later, the kangaroo and emu featured on the Australian Coat of Arms. Not only are they animals peculiar to Australia, but neither can walk backwards, one of the reasons they were chosen!

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Cut Flowers and International Women’s Day

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cut flowers

Do you always have cut flowers in the house? My mother and both Grandmothers, all three keen gardeners, always had fresh flowers in the house. My mother still does and so do I, so I’m always interested in ways to keep them fresh.

Probably the most important thing is getting flowers into clean, cool water as soon as possible after cutting. Before you put them in the vase, trim the end of each stem. Make sure your vase is clean as the bacteria in a dirty vase will hasten the decay of the flowers. Strip the leaves from the stem so none are submerged in the the water.

Little sachets of preservative work well. (I buy boxes of them from EBay but am trying to find a way of buying a jar full of the preservative or a big paper sack.) Apparently, half a teaspoon of citric acid per litre of water works well, too. I will try this soon. Don’t add sugar, it feeds bacteria. Ethylene, a gas produced by ripening fruit, will affect your flowers, too. Keep them apart. Try to keep vases of flowers out of direct sunlight and change the water regularly. Roses last longer than many other flowers.

If you’re buying flowers, ask where they’ve come from as many flowers for sale in Australia are flown here from overseas. They have probably been dipped in glyphosate or been fumigated. The Australian climate means not enough flowers to can be produced here to meet the market demand. If you’re picking them yourself, go out early in the morning or late afternoon and place them in a bucket of water until you’re ready to arrange them. I often put them in the sink as there’s plenty of work space.*

Traditionally, stems were cut at angle (still a good idea) then singed on a hot stove. This is not necessary to prolong the longevity of your blooms.

I use vases I have inherited, been gifted or, in the case of very long stemmed roses, a vase I found at an op shop (thrift store) It is just the right size! Another favourite is an old, lidless, Willow Pattern teapot. I remember my Grandmother using a metal hedgehog type of fitting, a ‘frog’ to support stems in arrangements but I resort to scrunched up chicken wire, a crisscrossed pattern of rubber bands or sometimes sticky tape arranged to make a grid.

* I was motivated to write about cut flowers after reading Helen Young’s column “GARDENS Cut Above’ in the Weekend Australian magazine, March 4-5th, 2023

international women’s day

In the 70’s as young women in an all girls school we were encouraged to believe we could do anything and go anywhere. Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch had been widely read and we though change was in the air! We did have more options when we left school as we were well educated and exposed to an array of possibilities rather than just nursing, teaching or secretarial work. (Male teachers were paid more than females at this time.) Sadly it seems the barriers preventing women worldwide from participating in all levels of society and employment are still in place in every country.

It was very sobering to read the goals and data behind International Women’s Day. The three obstacles preventing women worldwide from participating fully in the economy, as defined by the World Bank are:

1. Nearly one in three women globally have experienced violence, with intimate violence impacting women in every country.

2. During the last three decades the gap in opportunities between male and female participants in the economy has not narrowed.

3. More than one in five women around the world have been child brides, limiting their life long participation in paid work.

Women are still frequently paid less than men for the same work, are passed over for promotion and retire with significantly less superannuation in Australia. When will it ever change?

Adobe Series of USA stamps featuring Mary Cassatt’s images

Woman with a Fan (1878-1879) by Mary Cassatt.

Women With A Fan Rawpexel

To commemorate International Women’s Day we went to the cinema to see Mary Cassatt:Painting The Modern Woman. American by birth, Cassatt (1844-1926) decided at a young age she was going to be a painter. Unable to join the more important schools of art in America which didn’t accept females student she headed to Paris. Well traveled as a young girl she identified the opportunities to develop as an artist in Europe. She studied at a minor school of art in Paris before joining the Impressionists.

Mother’s Kiss illustration by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Original from Library of Congress. Digitally enhanced by…

Mother’s Kiss

Her style of painting was also influenced by her European travels. Financially secure and very determined, she was initially trained in the style of the classics but soon joined the radical group, the Impressionists. She was particularly friendly with Edgar Degas who was also fascinated by women going about their daily business. Cassatt’s artworks, including pastels, prints and paintings, featured light colours and loose brushwork. She painted women involved in everyday occupations. She wanted to present the woman’s perspective.

The Child’s Bath

Leaving France at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war she returned to America. She is best known for her paintings and prints of the social and private lives of women. She never married or seemed to have any romantic attachments but is famous for her paintings of women and children. Her style of painting continued to evolve for the rest of her life.

There was a funny account in our local paper, written by a woman, describing how she was left to ‘mind’ the office while all the men went out to celebrate International Women’s Day. They didn’t return to work that day.

I’m not laughing.

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