The Good Life Bread Book

Look what came in the post!
Just so happens that both Mum and I have had our recipes (and pics) published inside.
I'll stick mum's pic on later with her Sour Dough yeast starter (I was having a bad hair day).
My recipe was a sweet spin off from the traditional Irish soda bread.

"Have you ever thought of turning your property into a self sustaining food forest, or collecting eggs from your own chooks, or baking your own healthy, natural bread, with the freshest ingredients you can fi nd?

The people who’ve contributed to this book have worked to establish a range of healthy, happy lifestyles, free from the drains of stressful, high-consumption living or tasteless, unhealthy food. This book is as much about living the good life, and treading gently on the Earth, as it is about learning some of the practical, daily bread recipes within.

Learn how to make your own sourdough starter, bake damper in a camp oven, superb fruit loaves, German rye bread, perfect pizza dough and much much more.

With food for thought and delicious breads to inspire your culinary skills, now’s the time to start living the good life. After all, if you don’t start now, when will you start? Superb colour photos enhance this large format paperback."

So from one bread maker to the next - yours is in the post Trev!

Scrambled Eggs

"My family and other animals" is taken "My Family and other vegetables" didn't seem all that complimentary, so I'll stick with "Scrambled Eggs".

Here are just some random pics from the last few weeks which include;
*a few more silly pics
*my very first watermelon that I accidentally broke off the plant - argh!
*the wheat packs that sell well
*still enjoying using the blender - thanks Gramps
*some left overs from the garden at the end of the season, these with Steve's massive green tomatoes made the most delish lasagna sauce (except the celery, that was for stock).

What a mistake-a to make-a!

When my brother Andrew decided to take lots of pictures of himself gurning with our camera, I think he'd forgotten that we have a blog.. and no mercy! haha!

Thought I'd stick in a nice father son pic to soften the blow :o)

Happy Birthday Willem!

Happy Birthday to Willem last Sunday!
Here are some pics of the day; the firetruck birthday cake (of his Dad's firetruck)
Everyone eager to blow the candles out for the 4th time
the kids putting dibs on the licorice bits from the truck cake

Lucas looking a bit non-plussed about his big opportunity to scoff some serious cake and icing.


We left the camera at Grandma's this week and missed so many photo opportunities! The ones that come to mind are:
*Mummy was on the phone for a bit too long and Lucas found rolls of foil in the storage cupboard. The lounge room looked like a spaceship for most of the day. Gave up trying to roll them back up!

*Lucas got hold of Mummy's new invisalign "braces" (a thin plastic cover over the teeth) and tried them out for size.

*Mummy sold lots of wheat packs at the market and bought Lucas the biggest broccoli in the box (much to his delight)

*Lucas chased Daddy around the house every night with the big dolphin torch, squealing and thinking it great fun when Daddy leaped and whooped and ran away when got caught in the light.

Garden ramble

It's been raining lots here, but not enough to keep us indoors. So this week we've been pulling weeds out (perfect time when the ground is so wet and soft) and exploring.

I found this lovely little thing, see if you can guess what it is :o) I love the pic - could almost pass for a Christmas card.
This is our flowering pineapple sage plant. I was going to lop it all off until I saw the flowers coming. The buds grew as if shy to show themselves, bent over like catkins then as they became darker in colour and started to flower they raised up. Very interesting.. I think anyway.


This is a fine loofa specimen. Flippin' late to get going so I've had to hand pollinate all of them (no bees around). So in another couple of months they'll be big, dried and ready to use.

Lucas has a "thing" for this particular part of the garden (together with the pumpkin patch).
He starts on the right, next to the bushy thyme, then trudges his way through the undergrowth -as if on a tour of duty- to the celery. Here he stands for a while watching the snails, picking them off (good boy!) before heading back through the rustling leaves of the lemon balm.

It's nice to think he's growing up with all the smells and textures the garden offers. This is why I haven't ripped out the pineapple sage (useless plant as it is). He loves scrunching the garlic chives, unfortunately for Daddy as they're his favourite herb in the garden.

Sicky Stars

This week we've been horribly ill. Lucas was the first, then me and Daddy on the same night. By then Lucas was feeling much better and was going insane with boredom with both entertainers out of commission - the house is a wreck!

To get the little lad's appetite back on track we tried a few things, none of which worked.

Here's Lucas masterfully whisking the egg mixture for our stars and duckies to dip into.
Waiting for them to cook.
More interested in the box than the crackers.
Got there in the end.

We did it!

We actually managed a Sunday without telly! It was rather nice. We played lots, lay in the hammock, played in the garden and Daddy showed us a thing or two on the guitar.
Oops, Lucas has pasta sauce face.

Tickle tickle!

Trying to put on some new shoes from Farmor and Gramps - thanks for the package!!

Ready for the market - wheat hot/cold bags.

Just pretending to be asleep - he loves the new sleep suit mum!


Another private hidey hole.

Sugar ban

Lucas was exhausted last night but his brain was still on a sugar buzz (he didn't really eat that much). He cried for HOURS, even when we got him up for a while.

After walking around the house in the dark, explaining that Daddy, the fishes, Teddy and Maisey (in the story) had gone to bed, he finally relented and lay down at 11pm.

Happy Easter

Mum gave me a whole list of people to dedicate this Easter family photo to, sadly it's been a looong weekend and can't remember any. So I'm assuming it was all the Aunties :o) Love to you all.

(Roger, Anne Marie, Jamie, Alex, Caitlyn, Suzi, Lucas, Steve, Maryanne and Hyrum)

Maryanne's (My sis in law) amazing pumpkin patch. My jaw dropped as we turned the corner to their house (I'm completely envious ofcourse as mine haven't even shown a flippin' female flower yet)

There were so many pumpkins that we all got greedy eyed! They'll be up to their eyeballs in them in a few weeks.

Here's Lucas having fun licking the spatula.

We don't really have sugar at home much. Lucas is pretty sensitive to it (last time I gave him a home made gingerbread man he was up until midnight bouncing around!), so we use cooked down dried fruit or agave which is a low GI plant syrup that tastes like toffee. It's yum and doesn't make him doolally. I hope he goes to bed tonight after all the easter treats!

Feeling Sheepish

This week's been very interesting and very busy.

Lucas was very lucky to get a real drum with real sheep skin, "oooooh!" I hear you say. Yes it was all of $15 from Aldi on special. I keep thinking the drum will split from the force he bangs it with.. why didn't I get the mini guitar?? :o/
We also picked up the whole organic lamb that we'd ordered through the Co-op which, for me, was very exciting. Trish and I tootled over to Tom's Family Butchery ( a splendid, immaculate place with tip top service), had a tour and were given free eggs and samples to boot. Together with the bulk order of beef we'll be set for a year! It's moments like these when I feel like eating chicken, pork or just veggie burgers. :oD

Butter Fingers

This little piggy went we we we all around the house with a block of butter.

He was supposed to "help" me to get the apple juice out of the fridge but he grabbed a block of butter and made a run for it. I'm not sure what it is that he likes the most, the feel of it as he pokes his fingers in and swirls them around, or the taste of butter (you can see the teethmarks in the block!).

I caught up with him before he could take a second bite. Then this little piggy had a tantrum.




Lucas refuses to sit in his high chair and now joins the big people at the table. He just about reaches with a pillow under his bum and really enjoys feeding himself with a spoon or fork.

Little pickle muncher!

I had no idea Lucas would take to the 'bread and butter' type pickles at IKEA. Within a week and a half he'd eaten the entire jar!
I'm not over the moon that he likes the same food as me because now I have to share them.. or don't get much at all. They are exceptional though, and it does irk me that Australia can't seem to produce goods without the unwanted additives (sulfites). We'll get there one day.

Anyone going to IKEA?!?!?!?