Day 361 in a Year of my Life

I just made this delicious smoothie. I got the recipe from Kunara Organic Marketplace facebook page. If you're on facebook, and you're interested, go here to get all sorts of interesting information and recipes.

This smoothie tastes like a banana chocolate malted thickshake, but it's good for you!

BANANA PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE
Ingredients (serves two):
•1 banana, preferably frozen
•1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
•2 tablespoons of plain peanut butter (i.e. unsweetened, unsalted)
•1 teaspoon of raw cocoa powder
•Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and add some ice cubes or crushed ice if you like.

If you're wondering why there is a capsicum in the photo, it's because I'd just picked it from our garden!

We must have two different varieties, because, although the others are sweet and delicious, they are only a fraction the size of this one and the flesh is quite thin. This one is much bigger and heavier and feels quite thick in the flesh.

I'll let you know how it tastes.

Now I'm in the middle of a 'to pack' list, so that I don't forget anything next week when I go away. I booked my ticket this morning and have quite a lot of 'stuff' to take with me, but I have very good packing skills - even if I do say so myself - so hopefully it won't be a problem.

I'd best move my butt, because I also only have one hour to get ready.

I see a couple of glasses of wine in my immediate future.

Today, I'm grateful for all of the things that I've had to feel grateful for this past year. Only four days left til I complete the Year of my Life in blog. I think I'll go back over the year and see what interesting things happened that I may have forgotten about.

Nite all.

Day 360 in a Year of my Life

Two recipes from yesterday's post ...

Vegetable Slice.

Serving Size: Serves 4 (4 Large Slices if it's your main, otherwise 6-8 as a side)

Ingredients:

4 Whole Eggs
1/2 Cup Chick Pea or Coconut Flour
1 Large Carrot (grated)
1 Medium Zucchini (grated)
1 Cup Pumpkin (grated)
1/2 Large Red Capsicum (finely chopped)
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley
3 Tablespoons Feta Cheese

Method:

Pre heat oven 180C.

Crack eggs into a bowl and beat on low until well mixed.

Once egg mix is smooth, add chick pea flour and beat again until smooth.

In a separate bowl, add the grated zucchini, pumpkin, carrot and the capsicum, onion and finely chopped parsley.

Then pour in egg mix and crumbled feta cheese and stir through.

Line a round oven dish with baking paper and slowly pour in mix. Spread the mix evenly into dish.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until cooked through, allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, remove from dish, cut into quarters and serve warm with a fresh salad or salsa.

(I was thinking of adding some toasted pine nuts next time)

For the Lemon Chilli Chicken (for which I don't have a photo, and this is a modified recipe from somewhere else)

Lemon Ginger and Chilli Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

Marinade:
2 x Small Chilli finely chopped.

2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
Juice of half lemon
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoon of raw honey

pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven 180C

Combine everything except the chicken and mix well.

Put the chicken into into a plastic bag, or a container that can be sealed, and pour the marinade over the chicken.

Keep in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

Place on a flat tray in the oven and pour the leftover marinade over the top.  Bake in the oven for approx 40 mins (depending on the size)

************

I get very excited on Thursdays because it's FROG box day!

We got lots of delicious fresh food again today as well as some extras that I ordered, like raw cashews, kale, eggs, coconut cream and juicing oranges among other things.

We also visited Nana's Pantry and stocked up on coconut flour, shredded/flaked/desiccated coconut, walnuts, cocoa powder and flaked almonds.

The seafood shop supplied some salmon steaks, whiting fillets and some other fish that Adoring Husband wanted.

So our fridge and pantry is choc-a-block and overflowing with all sorts of goodies!

Adoring Husband has requested some kale chips with dinner tonight, so I'd best get on that now.

Today, I'm grateful that Adoring Husband is warming to the idea of new and improved eating habits and hope that he will soon notice a difference in the way he feels.  We know he won't be cured, but if we can ease his symptoms, it will be worth it.

Nite all.

Day 359 in a Year of my Life

More good food!

I could grow broccoli in the last town that I lived, without any problems at all, but here, we have struggled to grow broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.  The bugs adore those crops, so we gave up and haven't tried again for the last couple of years.

Broccoli is so good for you!

It contributes to strengthening the immune system, reduces the frequency of occurrence of cataracts, it supports cardiovascular health and participates in building bones.

Broccoli is rich in beneficial nutrients and, for those of you who care, has very few calories. 100 grams of broccoli contains only 28 calories, and 3 grams of protein.

I love to finely crumble broccoli florrets into my creamy cauliflower or cashew cream sauces or add them to my green smoothies.  I also add them to fried rice and omelettes and frittatas and keep the stems to add to my home made vegetable stock.

They are also delicious lightly steamed, served with a splash of lemon juice and sprinkled with toasted flaked almonds.

Hmmm yum!

An updated photo of our lovely little Tawny Frogmouth chicks ...

Aren't they cute!?

I had some more fun in the kitchen today and made a Vegetable Slice and Lemon Chilli Chicken, which I served with a tomato, onion and avocado salsa.  I'll share the recipes for them tomorrow.

For dessert, we had the last of Adoring Husband's birthday cake with kiwi fruit and cream.

Loving the food at the moment... as you can tell.

Today I'm grateful for more perfect Spring weather, but feeling afraid for all the people in NSW whose lives and property are being threatened by the terrible bush fires that are out of control down that way right now and for the hundreds of volunteer fire fighters working round the clock to gain some kind of control.

Let them all be safe.

Nite all.

Day 358 in a Year of my Life

Thought I might keep my post a bit lighter today.

I LOVE avocados.

Avocados have no natural enemy and therefore don't require spraying with any chemicals.

Avocados are poisonous to birds.

We have two avocado trees in our garden.  One is five years old and produced one avocado last year and has three on it this year.  The other plant is only two years old, so should bear fruit next year.

The trouble that we have here, is that when the avocado tree flowers, it's the windiest time of the year and the strong winds tend to blow the flowers off the tree.

This is why we only find the fruit right at the base of the tree where it is slightly protected from the wind by the fence beside it.

So we've decided to keep it pruned so that it doesn't grow too tall.  Being tall it gets even more battered by the winds.

Still we persist.

Ten Things That Eating Avocados Regularly Will Give You:

1. Healthier Cholesterol
2. Healthier Blood Pressure
3. Healthier Blood Sugar
4. Improved Cancer Protection
5. Good Digestion
6. A Healthier Pregnancy
7. A Healthier Heart
8. Healthier Eyes
9. A Healthier Brain
10. Slower ageing

So ... NEVER feel guilty about gobbling up those avocados!

A few years ago, we planted some Asiatic Lily bulbs in our garden - right beneath the avocado tree co-incidentally enough - and they grow back thicker every Spring.

Today, I decided to pick a few for a vase on my desk, because they are so beautiful and I don't get to enjoy them when they are hiding away in the front corner of the garden.

They are the prettiest colour!

The 'love' sign, I bought from the markets in Brisbane last February and it sits against the wall beside my desk permanently.

It's such a glorious Spring day and I am feeling the love!

Another one of those days when the air is so clean that the colours are more vibrant and the air rushes into your lungs to give you a bit of a high.

I think I'll make myself a snack and go sit in the garden swing to take advantage of the fresh air for a while.

Today, I'm grateful that I have love in my life.

Afternoon all. 

Day 357 in a Year of my Life

Back in the eighties, I spent a lot of time fund raising for cancer research, as well as donating plenty of my tightly budgeted income in the hopes that 'one day soon' they would find a cure for the dreaded cancer.

Then in 1988, I had a bad result from a pap smear and was sent to a hospital out of my local area to have pre-cancerous cells burnt from my cervix.

I remember, as clearly as if it happened yesterday, sitting in that chair with my legs in stirrups wondering if this was the beginning of the end for me.

Three years later, after another pap smear, my Dr phoned me at 10pm one night to tell me that the results looked very grim, that it could be stage four cancer and that he had made an appointment for me the very next day, with a Specialist, once again, out of town.

The following fifteen hours were some of the most stressful that I've experienced.

I was a single mother with no form of transport, so I had to find someone to drive me 2 hours to the Specialist, and someone who could be available for my kids when they got home from school. (I lived 2000 kms from my family)

After frantically making all of those arrangements, I attended the appointment, went through a barrage of invasive tests, only to discover that there was absolutely nothing wrong. All tests came back completely clear.

That was the beginning of my distrust of the medical profession.

Since that time I have lost friends and family due to misdiagnosis, maltreatment and mismanagement by the medical industry and I watch and study and analyse every experience with a Dr or Specialist that my living friends and family have with treatment.

It's only in the last ten years (if that), that I have experienced the trauma of losing friends and family to cancer.

Of the thirteen people I know, who have been diagnosed in the last ten years, seven of them have passed on.

Of the remaining six, three of them are still receiving treatment and only one of those six has hit the five year remission mark.

All of those, still alive, have suffered horrendously with their treatments and three of them teetered on the brink of death.

So I can understand the people who have survived their cancer treatment, feeling very angry with me when I talk about how dangerous and ineffective chemotherapy and radium treatment is and how it causes long term effects that reduces the quality of life of those who endure it.

For a number of years now, I have questioned where the millions of dollars worth of funds raised for cancer research is actually going.

But that story is for another day, in another post.

This is what I found today ...

... and if you want to read more, follow this link

This kind of reinforces the statistics that I provided in yesterday's post.

The incidences of cancer are not declining.

The survival rates of cancer are not improving.

We are losing more and more loved ones because the medical and pharmaceutical industries do not care about healing us.

They will never provide our cure.

We must find it ourselves.

End soapbox rant.

I found this interesting creature on our stove top this afternoon.

I've decided to use it for the 'macro' challenge in flickr, instead of using the photo of 'Lolly'.

Last, but not least, today is Adoring Husband's birthday. We had cake!

Today I'm grateful that Adoring Husband enjoyed the gluten-free, sugar-free birthday cake that I made for him.

If you would like to enjoy it too, here is the recipe ...

Flourless Chocolate Cake

4 large eggs

1 Cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup of pure maple syrup

1/4 cup + 1Tbsp organic coconut oil

2tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp himalayan salt


1/3 cup pecans or walnuts

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180C

Line your loaf tin with baking paper.

Chuck all of the ingredients (except the nuts) in your food processor and mix it til it's all smooth and creamy.

Pour into the loaf tin, sprinkle the top with chopped nuts and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream and kiwi fruit or berries.

Nite all.

Day 356 in a Year of my Life

I've been doing lots more research and reading about diet and health in 'the olden days' compared to 'now'.  In summary, this is what I've found:

Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic modern disease only became an issue in the 1900s. The first documented case of a heart attack was in 1926.  By the 1950s, heart disease had become common, and so experts were scrambling for solutions. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong one.

Saturated fat was targeted as the culprit, but saturated fat consumption dropped 83% in the 1900s. And, consumption of vegetable oil, margarine, and shortening increased 535%. 

This is the scary one - sugar consumption rose by 1150%!!!

Skeptics often use the argument that our bacon and lard eating ancestors didn't live very long, but this isn't actually the case.  The averages that they use for this argument, include the high numbers of infant deaths, which reduces the lifespan age considerably.  In actual fact, people lived to their 80s and 90s and their later health was of a higher quality than today.

And, what few people know is that we have now reduced our lifespan—and often our later years are spent riddled with disease and taking numerous medications.

Even if we have long life expectancy, diseases notably reduce our number of years in health.  Children are now expected to die ten to fifteen years BEFORE their parents.

We need to get the message out that real fats like butter and coconut oil are healthful, and in fact, eliminating them from our diet has drastic consequences.  We need to remove processed and refined sugar from our diets, because THAT has a profound negative effect on our health.

Our ancestors didn’t worry about heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

They didn’t fear Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

These diseases were so incredibly rare before the 1900s and our ancestors simply ate food – real food, and were nourished. Chronic degenerative diseases rates were incredibly low.

The leading cause of death before 1900 was one of three things: infancy death, death from infections & death from accidents (read more here).  Today, the leading causes of death are heart disease & cancer. (statistics here) If you add all the cancer statistics together .. they outnumber heart disease .. and seem to be increasing every year.

Makes you wonder where those millions of dollars worth of charity raised funds are going doesn't it?

We really must take a closer look at our diets

I set myself a task of taking notice of the ads on television that promote food (usually I zone out during the ads and use that time to write this blog lol) and when you really watch and listen, the words that they use to trick people into believing that the food is full of natural goodness, is quite shocking.

Honestly, the only foods that are natural (not counting meat), are the ones that you pick from the plant.  If the food comes in a packet or in a powdered form or with a list of ingredients that contain numbers or words that you can't pronounce, then it is not full of natural goodness!

Ok I'm off the soapbox.  Thank you for listening.

I've submitted my photo for 'Minimalist' in the flickr group ...

My Tawny Frogmouth chicks have not come out to say hello for a couple of days.  It's been very windy here, so perhaps they feel safer tucked under Dad's feathers.

Adoring Husband is off playing golf - perfect day for it - while I am listening to OB (the cockatiel) talking and screeching and whistling and chirping and squealing and generally being a nuisance.  SEB (the other cockatiel) sits quietly on her eggs in the nesting box.  We still have no idea if they are fertile or not, but we'll probably know in the next week to 10 days.

It's a lovely bright sunny Spring day with a nice breeze blowing and all is right with my world for the moment.

Today I'm grateful to be looking forward to seeing my little Chicklet in about a week and also an exciting mini road trip with The Nikonian.  I'm very excited!

Nite all.

Day 355 in a Year of my Life

Just ten more days and this "Year of my Life" will be finished and a new blog year to begin!

This is an interesting headline:

Sea cucumber extract kills 95 percent of breast cancer cells and shrinks lung tumors

You can read more about it here.  

Now that  I'm getting more adventurous in facebook, it's pretty amazing the information you can find there.

Other photographer's pages, natural therapies, home-made cosmetics and cleaning products, National Geographic, raw food recipes and vegan recipes.

One page called 'The Watchers' which has information from all around the world about Science, Technology, Earth changes, volcanos, cyclones, earthquakes, solar activity, sustainable living, health, social evolution, pollution, climate change ... the list goes on and on and on.

It's very interesting and sometimes a little scary.  Every day there is something amazing happening somewhere.  

Just this week alone, there have been two massive hurricane/typhoons affecting both Japan and Vietnam, earthquakes in the Philippines, Crete and New Guinea, a volcano eruption in Russia, massive solar flares from the sun, just to name a few.

They also have a website http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/ if you're interested.

Today, on the National Geographic channel, Adoring Husband and I watched a movie called "Chasing Ice".

It follows National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.

You simply can't argue about global warming, after watching this movie.  It's frightening how quickly the glaciers are melting.

It's a very good movie and the photography is awesome.  If you get the chance to see it, I recommend it.

I only have one photo to share today.

I tried for a sunset and a moonrise this afternoon.  Both were fizzers due to cloud and haze on the horizon.

Ah well, there is always next month.

Today, I'm grateful to have finished this post before midnight, so that I can climb into bed before I turn into a pumpkin!

Nite all.

Day 354 in a Year of my Life

Today, I was horrified to read this about the FDA and laws that it has created and wondered where the world was headed as far as synthetic and chemical substances for medicating goes.

Why isn't the world questioning why we are not HEALING?  No illness is cured any more.  We simply accept drugs, prescribed by our Doctors,  to mask or reduce the symptoms of our illnesses,

One of my boys from the Seat of Knowledge, has Macular Degeneration and has to undergo surgery to repair some scarring and also has to put drops in his eyes and probably have regular invasive treatment for the rest of his life.

I printed out some information about the types of food that he should eat regularly that might halt further decline and possibly improve, even marginally, his current state of eye health.

There was also a list of foods to avoid, which included processed/refined sugar, breads, pastas, (anything made with white flour), soft drinks and white rice.

One of the boys sitting at the seat, stated quite resolutely, "Well you may as well just give up now!  What's the point of living if you can't eat the good stuff?  What's left to eat?"

At what point in this 65 year old's life, was he taught that 'the good stuff' was sugar, bread, pasta and soft drinks?  

I also read this and was even MORE horrified.  This is the sort of thing that never sees air time on mainstream media.

People get quite angry with me when I argue against vaccinations.  Mostly because they've been trained to believe the exact opposite of what I believe.  

If you read the information in the above link, you just can't argue with facts like that can you?  If this information is from just one law firm and only covers a 3 year period ... it's just a spit in the ocean isn't it?

We know so little about what goes on the world.  We think we are worldly and have all the facts before us to help us make educated and informed decisions, but that is so far from the truth.

The media continue to tell us "Don't believe everything you read on the internet", but honestly, I would believe my own research above what the media attempt to shove down my throat.

I also discovered this and thought it was worth sharing.

Now, to lighten this post a little ...

I finished the 104 group photography challenge.  Here are my final three photos on the list.

11.  Faces

12.  Negative Space

13.  Rivers/Lakes/Oceans

Today, I'm grateful to be feeling healthier and stronger and lighter after more than two months on my new eating regime.  I thought I would be craving my old favourite junk foods like crisps, chocolate and ice cream, but all I can think about, is what delicious recipe I can find next, to use up all the organic goodness in my fridge.  It feels good!

Nite all.

Day 353 in a Year of my Life

I took Adoring Husband on a tour of Tawny nests this morning.

Unfortunately, we found another dead chick beneath one of the nests.  So that's 3 (that I know of) out of a possible 9 chicks gone *insert sad face here*.

I didn't spy any of the live chicks this morning, but all of the male Tawnies are still sitting on the nest, so I can only assume that the chicks are still there, growing and maturing.  I'll be checking every day!

Tomorrow, I have an idea for #11 Faces, on my list for the 104 photography group October challenge, so I need to be out and about nice an early - I may even attempt a sunrise.

Now that I think about it, I have three reasons to be out bright and early.  The third reason is to catch sight of an African Parrot that is, apparently, on the loose in our town and has been sighted in the early mornings at a couple of locations that I can access.

I think I will need to be very lucky to spot him, but you never know your luck.  There's always a chance.

I tried this recipe tonight and I can highly recommend it!  Absolutely delicious.  So delicious, that I ate what was left in the salad bowl, after I finished my dinner!

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:

5 cups fresh baby spinach
1 punnet strawberries, hulled and sliced, or the equivalent amount of red or black grapes
1 avocado, diced (I prefere 2 avocados!)
100 g crumbled feta
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
half a small red onion, thinly sliced
poppyseed dressing (recipe below)

Poppyseed Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup avocado oil (or any good oil - olive oil/macadamia oil)
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
pinch of ground dry mustard (optional)
salt and pepper

Method
To Make The Salad:
Toss all ingredients together then add the dressing to your taste.   Serve immediately.

To Make The Poppyseed Dressing:
Mix all ingredients together until combined.

We ate it with some lamb loin chops, but I could easily eat it as a meal on it's own.

Today, I'm grateful for facebook, because every day, it presents me with new healthful recipes to try that are easy and fast and full of deliciousness.  Who knew that facebook could be anything other than a procrastination tool?!

Nite all.

Day 352 in a Year of my Life

Let me introduce you to Lolly's family ...

This is Dad.  The Dad sits on the nest all day and then swaps with Mum at night so that he can feed. Also can you see one of Lolly's siblings?  That tiny little piece of white fluff at the front there?

Cute huh?

There may be another chick there because Tawnies lay 2-3 eggs each season, so I'll be keeping an eye on this, and all the other nests that I've found, to see how many chicks survive to leave the nest.

Remember the list for the photography challenge this month?  The list of 13 things that my facebook 104 group have to photograph this month?

Well, number 10 is 'take a photo of a stranger and tell their story'

Meet Alison and Warren ...

They are from Whangaparaoa in New Zealand, about 40 mins north of Auckland, also known as 'Bay of Whales' (coincidentally!). 

They come to Australia every Winter and spend their time travelling in this van and working their way around the country. This visit, they've been here for 9 months. 

They usually live on a yacht and have also travelled up and down the East coast of Australia in the yacht. 

It will be their 39th wedding anniversary in three day's time! 

They leave for home in 2 weeks and dropped into our little town, for the first time this morning, to have breakfast. 

A really lovely couple and I got their email address so that I could send them a copy of the photo, as well as contact them if I'm ever in their area!

So now, I have three photos left to complete.  11.  Faces  12.  Negative Space  13.  Rivers/Lakes/Oceans.

Of course, I am the only one in the group anal enough to take and post the photos in the exact order that they appear on the list!  Sometimes I wonder about myself!  I think I've been with Adoring Husband too long, because that definitely sounds like a trait that I've picked up from him.

Today, I'm grateful for old movie re-runs.  Well, not that old I guess.  "50 First Dates" was made 9 years ago .. time flies when you're having fun.  I'm watching it as I write this .. it's one of my faves.

Nite all.

Day 351 in a Year of my Life

A quote from David Attenborough:

"We are a plague of the earth.  Either we limit our population growth, or the natural world will do it for us."

Facebook quotes:

One photo from me ...

Today, I'm grateful for ice cream made with frozen banana, avocado, greek yoghurt and pecans.  I am also grateful that Adoring Husband doesn't like it ... WIN WIN for me!!

Nite all

Day 350 in a Year of my Life

Meet Lolly ...

Isn't she adorable?  A Tawny Frogmouth chick, approximately 3 days old, that I found on the ground under a nest that was VERY high in the tree.

There was no safe place to put her nearby, so I picked her up and put her inside a glove that I had in my trike basket and brought her home.

I got online straight away and tried to contact The Nikonian, who I know has had experience caring for Tawnies in the past and I also googled for as much information as I could find.

Adoring Husband was in The Bay, and just happened to phone me, so I asked him to stop at the Vet to get some advice and some special food, which he did.

I kept Lolly in the glove, under a warm lamp and I fed her the special food, which she gobbled up quite happily.

You all know how much I love Tawnies.

I was so excited to be rescuing and saving a Tawny chick.  I knew that I'd probably not get much sleep, having to feed her every hour, but that didn't bother me.

She was making little chirping noises and seemed to be doing very well.

Unfortunately, she lasted just seven hours.  She got weak and seemed to go downhill very fast.

It's possible that she had internal injuries from the fall out of the nest.

She may have been tossed out of the nest because she had something wrong with her.

She may have been out of the nest for much longer than I thought and was already too weak to recover.

Who knows.

I do know that I did my best.  I have no regrets.  It was a great experience and I learnt a lot about Tawnies that I didn't already know.

I found two new nests today, so now I have three to watch ... all of them have chicks in them already, so hopefully, I'll get some good shots in the coming weeks.

So today, I'm grateful for the experience of attempting to save a Tawny Frogmouth chick.  She was so beautiful and soft and fluffy and provided me with the cutest photo for my macro challenge lol.  Really, ya gotta look on the bright side :)

Nite all.

Day 349 in a Year of my Life

It's good to have Adoring Husband home after a successful weekend of SES training.

He returned exhausted and sore, but happy!

This morning, before he arrived home, I began the process of making Feta cheese.

Last time, we tried this together and it was a massive FAIL.  You know what they say about 'too many cooks' .. so while I was here alone, to focus on the job at hand, I decided to have a go ...

I used organic, unhomogenized, full cream milk and everything else was provided in the cheese making kit.

I'd have used raw milk if there was anywhere to get it in my area.  Raw milk is illegal to sell for human consumption in Australia, but it's available in two places in QLD, that I know of, and they sell it for 'bathing' and 'pet food', but people buy it for consumption.

Anyway, my feta cheese is looking pretty darned good at this point.

When I wasn't in the kitchen - I also made a rhubarb and apple crumble for tonight's dessert - I worked on a couple of old photos.

It's been yet another wild windy day, but it seems that many places all over Australia are experiencing these horrible winds, so I shouldn't complain.

I picked our first red capsicum from the garden today.  That will be part of tomorrow's lunch, along with Crispy Kale and Pumpkin croquets.  A friend shared that recipe in facebook today, and it looks delicious, so I'll have a go and let you know what it's like.

Today, I'm grateful that Adoring Husband was able to manage all of the rigorous drills required for his training over the weekend.  I know he was worried about his ability to pass the physical requirements, but he did very well.

Nite all.

Day 348 in a Year of my Life

Firstly today, I would like to thank Judi, my friend and fellow blogger, for sharing this delicious Lemon Risotto recipe on her blog!

I saved it, knowing that it was something that I would enjoy.  So I made it tonight for myself, while Adoring Husband is away attending SES training.

It was everything and more than I expected!  I'll definitely make it again.

It's a Nigella Lawson recipe and I hope Judi doesn't mind me sharing it here as well.

Ingredients:

2 shallots
1 stick of celery
60 grams unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
300 grams risotto rice (preferably vialone nano)
1 litre vegetable stock (e.g., marigold stock/bouillon powder)
zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
needles from 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1 large egg yolk
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (plus more to sprinkle)
60 ml double cream
maldon salt (to taste)
pepper (preferably white)

Method:

Put the shallots and celery into a Magimix and blitz until they are a finely chopped mush.

Heat half the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't catch.

Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at simmering point.

Pour a ladleful of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.

Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, parmesan, cream and pepper.

When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy, lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste.   Serve with more grated parmesan if you wish, check the seasoning and dive in.

Additional information - for vegetarians replace the Parmesan with a vegetarian alternative. For gluten free check the stock or bouillon powder is gluten free.

The other bright moment of my day was when I took a photo of a Tawny Frogmouth in a nest.  I didn't notice at the time, but when I got home and looked at the photo on my monitor, I got a very pleasant surprise!

I'll go back tomorrow and take a better look.  There may be more little chicks hiding under there!

Today, I'm grateful for my two pleasant surprises today.  Delicious Lemon Risotto and a cute little Tawny Frogmouth chick!

Nite all.

Day 347 in a Year of my Life

This little video has popped up in facebook a couple of times over the last couple of years and it always has a profound effect on me.



I feel that my life would have been so different if I had followed my dreams at a young age, instead of firstly, rebelling, in a negative way, against all that the 'grown ups' stood for, and then, swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum and always doing what the 'grown ups' thought was best.

The more I step back and look at the human race, the more I see that even 'grown ups' behave like school children, in that they follow the crowd - that's how big business eg Coke, Nike, Microsoft, Toyota etc become invincible - because we all want one ... and we all want one the same or bigger and better than everybody else's.

People believe what they are told or are trained to believe, and very few question the crowd.

Watch what happens when somebody steps off the human path of conformity, and onto the path of self discovery.

Watch movies like Easy Rider, Cool Hand Luke, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Dead Poet's Society, to see what happens to nonconformists.

Mignon McLaughlin, a famous author and journalist once wrote "The human race seems to honour living conformists and dead non conformists."

George Orwell stated "that nothing crushes anti-authoritarianism and heroism more than overwhelming fear."

Consider these non conformists: Socrates, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King and John Lennon, to name a few - executed or assassinated for their non-conformity.

These are just small examples of why we all conform and are subconsciously afraid to overstep the boundaries.

Why we never question authority, or if we do question it, we never stand up against it - certainly not in public.

Why we choose to believe that 'the powers that be' have our best interests at heart, when really they have their own financial interests at heart.

What would happen if we changed our way of thinking?

What would happen if we decided one day that make up was not only a waste of money and was bad for our health, but we were actually prettier, healthier and happier without it?  You are already backing off aren't you?

What would happen if we got on the net and researched the news that was happening in other parts of the world ourselves?  I guarantee you would be more horrified about what you're NOT told by our mainstream news reports.  Yet you are already questioning me aren't you?

What would happen if you discovered that Drs are either trained by, or their training provider is funded by, the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.  That they are trained like monkeys and really have no idea what they are prescribing you or what long term effects the drug will have on your health down the track?  Now you're thinking to yourself - "ah here she goes".

Have you ever wondered why, when Doctors 'become aware' and want to inform the world of the wrong doings in the medical industry, that suddenly they become 'Quacks' and stories appear to dispel their integrity?

Because everyone knows that if you don't conform, there must be something wrong with you.  You're crazy.  You're paranoid.  You've got issues.

Everybody knows that if you haven't lived an exemplary life, it's proof that you are unstable and untrustworthy, right?

I know it's the most difficult thing in the world to question EVERYTHING.  It's so much easier to believe without a shadow of a doubt and just go along with the crowd.

You've got to wonder why our health has become so fragile.  Why our beliefs are controlled by what we are told, unless we've experienced otherwise.  Why we get angry with anyone who challenges our lifestyle or our beliefs.

I like to think that there are more nonconformists in the newer generations, than ever before.

I'd like to think that they are going to question everything that we've done before them and fix the things that we've (unintentionally) broken.

That they will challenge the 'powers that be' that need to be challenged, and hand us back our freedom.

The freedom to choose without discrimination.  The freedom to choose better health avenues.  The freedom to choose our own life in our own way.  The freedom to be ourselves without fear if judgement.

Today I'm grateful if you have reached this final paragraph after actually reading this entire post.  I'm training myself to question everything.  It can be confronting and I don't know what I'm going to do with the results, but it's all a learning process that needs to be taken in small steps.

Nite all.

Day 346 in a Year of my Life

We had a big shopping day in The Bay today and then picked up our FROG (Fraser Region Organic Goodness) box from the farm where they packed them.

We got lots of organic goodness in the box and only one item was not available.

As soon as we got home and unpacked all of our goodies, I made my first batch of Kale Chips in the oven.  YUM!  Better than crisps!

Apparently they are better in the dehydrator, so I'll try that tomorrow.  I'll also put some in my morning smoothie.  Interesting stuff, is Kale.

Our fridge, freezer and pantry is so full of nutritional goodness at the moment, I can't figure out what to eat first!

Today was the first time in months that I didn't take my camera with me, and on the way home, there was a field of cane being harvested.

The tractor and harvester had stirred up quite a bit of dust in the afternoon light and pieces of cane were flying through the air.  It just created the most amazing picture and I'd have loved to get a shot, but alas, all I could do was imprint the picture to memory and wipe it as a missed opportunity.

*sigh*

I posted another photo to the October challenge for the 104 group today.  Number 7 Clouds ...

And that's about it for today.  I'm feeling pretty tired tonight .. but it IS 11.30pm, so I guess I should be feeling a little weary.

Today, I'm grateful not to be living in Sydney where the wind gusts tonight have reached 80kph!  I'm feeling nervous for my youngest daughter, Bubbles, who is having to endure those winds as I type these words.

Nite all.

Day 345 in a Year of my Life

Meet my new friend ...

Isn't he beautiful?

He was clinging to a leaf in our mulberry tree, so I snapped the leaf off and brought him inside.  He is currently still attached to the leaf, but now it's on my desk.  I'll put him out in the garden tonight before I go to bed.

Number 6 in the October challenge, is 'macro', so this is my submission for that.

We had our annual pest inspection today and got the 'all-clear'.  No termites :)

I made a berry ice cream today too.  I attempted to make it in the ice cream machine, but just as I poured it in the tub, the pest man arrived, so I didn't turn the machine on immediately.  Unfortunately, this meant that the bowl was coated with a frozen layer of berry ice-cream before it started, and this clogged the machine up.

So it wasn't a huge success, however, I think it tastes great!  It's made with coconut milk, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, 2 egg yolks and berries.  I crushed and lightly cooked half of the berries and the rest I chopped into chunks.

It's not as sweet as the ice cream that you buy in the supermarket, but that's what I like best about it.

So that's about it for my day.  Nothing special

I'm looking forward to picking up my organic box of goodies tomorrow and then planning time in the kitchen to use it all up.

So today, I'm grateful to have found a frog in the garden.  It's been such a long time since I've seen any around here, and now I've seen two this week.  Very exciting for me!

Nite all.

Day 344 in a Year of my Life

Adoring Husband and I had a nice little day trip to Gympie today.

We caught the train, because AH had to have dental surgery, and they wouldn't allow him to drive afterwards (those of you who know me, know that I have never learned to drive, so I am useless in these situations).

The Tilt Train is very comfortable and the trip is less than 90 mins.  There is a Rail bus that takes you to the city of Gympie from the station for free, so it was very easy.

While he was in surgery, I decided that retail therapy was in order.

Found an interesting old Ford to photograph (the 104 challenge list has 'Cars and bikes' at number 5, so this fits the bill nicely).

This was Adoring Husband before surgery ...

... not too shabby really (although he looks like an amputee here).

So we were home again by 3.30pm, thanks to Lady Lynn's champion husband, Happy Harry, who played the role of taxi service for us today.  So nice of him to help us out like that.

AH was impressed with this new dentist.  The level of care is excellent and the staff are friendly and accommodating and helpful.  It's worth the trip down there, just for the friendly service alone.

I would even consider using them .. and I have the worst odontophobia EVER!  The last time I attended the dentist was in 1995.  In the last 6 years, two of my top front teeth have become crooked and are protruding outwards, so much so, that I'm seriously considering dental work.

We will see.

So, today, I'm grateful for the wonderful service provided by the Gympie Family Dental staff and grateful that Adoring Husband survived unscathed.  All things considered, it was pretty good day out.

Nite all.

Day 343 in a Year of my Life

There are now 3 eggs in the nesting box that I can see.  They are partially buried in the wood shavings, so there could be more under there too.

SEB and OB don't seem to be getting along very well.

When SEB goes into the nesting box, OB sits on the perch at the opening and constantly whistles and chirps and squeals.  CONSTANTLY.  I've been over to the cage a couple of times and given him a lecture - he stops talking while I talk and then starts again as soon as I've finished.

It can become a bit annoying at times.

Since we still don't know if OB is a boy or a girl, who knows if the eggs will ever hatch?

From the reading that I've done, the eggs are still viable up to 10 days after laying them.  The incubation period is 18-20 days and both the male and female share the duties of sitting on the eggs so that each can feed.  They leave the nesting box to poop and pee!

Oh and apparently at about the 10 day mark, if they are fertile eggs, you can see veins begin to appear inside the egg shell.

So I guess it's a matter of 'wait and see'.

Meanwhile I found two Tawny Frogmouth nests today!

This one is only about 8 feet from the ground, so there should be some good shots coming when the chicks hatch!  I calculate around 1st or 2nd November as the hatch date, because he was first seen on the nest last Thursday, 3rd Oct .. he wasn't there the day before that.

The incubation period is 30 days.

The male sits on the nest all day and then they take turns at night while each of them feed.

I'm very excited!

Today is a public holiday and the last day of the school holidays.

It's almost like nature knows the kids have all gone home, because there are birds EVERYWHERE.

I found a Grass Parrot...

I found male and female Storm Birds (Koels) feeding in a palm tree.  This is the male...

... and the female ...

... and finally a 'Squadron' of pelicans at high tide on this beautiful morning.

There were others, but I'll save them for another day.

Today I am grateful for a wonderful morning of photography to renew my motivation.  It feels good.

Nite all.

Day 342 in a Year of My Life

I sit here with my laptop on my lap (exactly where it should be), in the lounge room in front of the big screen, watching the 2013 Rugby League Grand Final.

Sea Eagles V Roosters

Sea Eagles ... the team that everybody loves to hate.

Every code of football has a team that everybody loves to hate.

As I type this, Sea Eagles are leading 18 - 14, but there is still 20 minutes to go.  Roosters have just scored!!  18 - 18 with a conversion kick to come.

I'm barracking for the Roosters :D  BGWLBH doesn't follow football, but she supports the Roosters.

The score is now 20 - 18 to the Roosters.

Since I haven't been out with my camera for a couple of days, I went searching through my archives for some oldies that I might have missed.

I found a nice sunrise shot ...

Can you feel the serenity?

Adoring Husband played golf today.  So I had a lovely peaceful day at home.  I practised my new obsession - cooking.

I made a basil pesto to coat some pork cutlets for dinner tonight and then I made a creamy cauliflower sauce to cover the broccoli, carrot and pumpkin.  Then I made a delicious apple crumble  - gluten free, sugar free - for dessert.

It was a beautiful day.  Perfect temperature, beautiful breeze, bright sunshine and crisp, clean air.

Today, I'm grateful that Roosters have defeated Sea Eagles in the Grand Final 26 - 18.  Wahoo.

Nite all.