Spring is Sprung!

•November 3, 2023 • Leave a Comment

And so we near the end of another year – one of many ups and downs and lending truth to the words of our old Greek friend Heraclitus who wisely proclaimed that “the only thing constant is change!”

Food seems to have been the subject of headlines for much of the year – floods and weather events laying waste to vast tracts of land in the areas where much of our produce is grown and much hand wringing and blaming of the newly titled “supermarket duopolies” for the resultant shortages and inevitable price increases.

What hasn’t seemed to have been raised as an issue is that of what is in the food that takes a longer route from paddock to plate via some manufacturing process or another.

Magnum left on bench overnight but not melted- still not melted days later.
What is this that oozes from sausages as they cook in the pan?

Poached chicken- oozing with ……?

At the same time it seems that every second person has an intolerance of some kind and a scary number have a cancer of some kind. Perhaps our Grocery Commission and Consumer Institute could get over their obsession with supermarket profits and look at what’s actually in the food we’re served up with.

Meanwhile, back on home turf, Mother Nature appears to care not a fig about all of that – unprompted, unaided and right on schedule she’s bursting forth with springtime goodness in every neglected corner of what one loosely calls “the garden”. Happy Springtime y’all!

Posted in Uncategorized

Back on one’s feet!

•April 26, 2023 • Leave a Comment

(And well rested – if a little wobbly!)

Finally, after a second consecutive three months period, one can walk without crutches. And, best of all, one is allowed to drive again – oh the freedom! A big shout out here to ACC for for support all along the way and for delivery of physio services right to the door of one’s home in a rural town.

And another big shout out is to Rotorua Hospital. Have passed it often and from the road looks like a collection of old “prefabs”. Inside though is a most impressive edifice staffed with the most wonderfully friendly and efficient folk. The coffee is good too – as is the choice of reading on the bookshelves in the coffee bar area. It was hard to tear oneself away each time. 🙂

Meanwhile it’s been the simple pleasures – and, thanks to TV programmers who’ve arranged that there’s nothing worth watching on the box, one has rediscovered the simple pleasure to be found out of doors on a dark summer’s night. Sitting around a crackling fire for instance – the sound, the smell, the warmth and the hypnotic dancing of the flames watched from the balcony above. Wonder-full in the true sense and oh-so-relaxing!

And, of course, the moon – not only full but lately surrounded by a halo. This was something one doesn’t remember seeing before – it took a while to notice and is not that easy to see in the photographs.

All for free! As a famous NZ philosopher once observed – “We don’t know how lucky we are!”.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Back to the fray

•March 16, 2023 • Leave a Comment

And so one returns after a long break which, while unplanned, presented a welcome opportunity to enjoy a pure, uadulterated period of rest.

One looks back with fondness at the time spent in the real world where one has watched sunsets and marveled at the spectacle of bees and monarch butterflies frolicking amongst the flower beds that appeared by nature’s own hand. One has realised what a luxury it is has

become to have the time to grow, bake, sew or knit things – to create art and music. To ponder and to meditate.

Butterflies frollick in newly materialised flowering bush 🙂

1.Spending time in the Garden. A realisation has come that it is while working hard amongst the greenery that the answers to old questions suddenly materialise! Solutions to crossword puzzles even!

One has smelt the roses. The return to real life has begun but with a bunch of new priorities.

1. Staying in the present. Take note of one’s surroundings.

2. Spend passive time in the garden. Plants materialise out of nowhere – providing a much-needed reminder of our place in the scheme of things.

In a neglected corner – seemingly dead lemon trees return to life and flowers breaking out all over

3. Spend active time in the garden. Grow things – healthy things to eat.

4. Take care of the body. The breathing of fresh air, the exercising of muscles, the eating of fresh and healthy garden produce with which to nourish the body.

5. Active exercise. at exercise. Allow time to walk to the shops now again.

6. Rationalising the wardrobe. What does one wear for “walking to the shops”? What does one carry the shopping in – a backpack perhaps? Does one need a raincoat? After all an umbrella won’t do in a downpour when it comes to serious walking and/or carrying shopping? Then there are the serious walking shoes?

7. All that’s needed now is to relax in the sun with a good book. The sun to provide the vitamin D that we all need. The book to provide an escape – though one is more than likely to find one’s self distracted by the sights, sounds and smells of the natural surroundings. Enjoy!

Posted in lifestyle, Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,

As time goes by…..

•January 12, 2022 • Leave a Comment
Looking out the window to see the sun rising over the Kaimai Ranges – one of the bonuses of the home office.

How did one ever find time to work outside the home? Even if up at dawn it appears that, by time one has a coffee or three, done some rudimentary tidying up and dealt with social media doings, the morning is all but gone! And one has still to figure out what to wear – a much harder decision than when one was going to the office each day. What should one dress for? Walking? Shopping? Cleaning? Gardening? Will there be visitors? Zoom calls or video chats?

Meanwhile, a peek out the front door reveals that all is well with the newly potted veges – tomatoes popping out everywhere – even if they do turn out to be the “cherry” type rather than the full size specimens one had counted on. Mental note: read the label next time.

Alas, a peek out the back window reveals a veritable jungle taking form – though apparently this is a Good Thing for the planet and the bees. One is rather fond of the native fern fronds appearing from nowhere and with the occasion flowery surprise. But what is this evil, prickly beast of a plant that appears to be taking over the entire space – fallen fern fronds in its wake!?

What is this huge and evil plant that spreads like nothing and hurts like nothing else if you touch it’s prickly leaves?

Anyway – it’s already past time for lunch – and also time to accept that the Levis can’t be shrinking at every wash when they have never done so in the past. After a little searching (and another half hour in front of a screen not burning fat) one has come across a guide suggesting 1000 calories per day might lessen the load so to speak. Even more helpfully, it provides a sample menu. Day 1 – lunch – poached egg on dry toast. (Avocado on toast alternate days). One hasn’t been eating bread so it seems a backward step – and there’s only white bread in the freezer – but here goes. It looks rather sad and lonely though – am sure a sprig of parsley wouldn’t hurt…?

Day one of the 1000 calories per day diet – lunch of poached egg on dry bread. Oh dear – maybe some parsley would help?

And finally – while on the topic of food – one had noticed recently that zinc appears to be the suggested cure for all manner of bodily complaints. It had previously been noted that it was the star ingredient in sun tan lotions and dandruff shampoos etc. How delightful to read that dark cholocate is a just the thing if one wants to add some of this miracle mineral to the diet! Not only does it contain zinc and magnesium but it also raises HDL cholesterol and makes the arteries more adaptive to stress – they become more flexible which lowers blood pressure! Gimme gimme! How wonderful to have recently discovered, on the supermarket shelves, some chocolate that is 92% cocoa and comes with the option of a range of delicious fillings which, one sincerely hopes, will also be found to convey health benefits. Divine! Just one or two squares is the Daily Recommended Amount – the perfect finish to a tiny lunch!

With all the health benefits of dark chocolate what’s a girl to do!?

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: , , ,

Life in the Lockdown Lane

•October 13, 2021 • Leave a Comment

Another week – another lockdown – all a little ho-hum. But then one only has to look at what’s happening outside to be revived! Trees a-blossom, birds a-twitter and delightfully scented freesias sprouting in all the backyard’s secret places. Spring has sprung – the circle of life continues!

Freesias emerging in every secret corner of the garden.

Time to plant things! Not always a successful exercise alas and pots seem to be the way to go when one has poor soil and no inclination to start digging. And so it came to be that a punnet of tiny spinach plants was potted. Strategic placement came next – a position open to the sun and rain but close enough to the house to be easily moved to a sheltered spot should there be a threat of a late lingering frost. Another benefit of pot over plot! And what a result! Within a couple of weeks one has all of the leafy goodness one could want – pick off a leaf and another one miraculously appears! Confidence aroused – tomatoes will go in this week – beetroot the next!

Spinach or silverbeet? Leaves now the size of silverbeet – plentiful and teasty whichever it is!

Roasted or raw beetroots are a staple now that one has discovered that they are as easy to peel raw as any other vegetable. The common advice is to slide the peel off after cooking – advice which led one to believe they could only be peeled after cooking (while red hot) and that they had to be cooked whole. Not at all! Peel them, cut into bite size chunks, toss them in oil and roast for half an hour at 200degC along with – if you want – carrots, cauli, brussels sprouts or any other veg cut into similar size pieces. Yum!

Meanwhile, it was thinking of patios and warm spring days that led one, recently, to the supermarket beer aisle where one discovered a veritable treasure trove of new brews to try – all in cans. Cans are definitely the way to go over bottles pour moi – not so heavy to carry, non breakable and easy to throw in the recycling bin. The bonus is that most are now available in single cans so that one may choose one’s own “taster selection”. Quality over quantity is definitely the way to go. Savouring, as with wine, and learning to detect the sublte differences and nuances. Up until now one had found that the main difference between craft and mainstream beers was that the former were decidedly more “hoppy”. Imagine the surprise then when one of this chosen selection – the Stonecutter Scotch Ale by Renaissance Brewing Company – delivered a whole new experience to this apparently unschooled palate. Low in hops but high in malt (according to the handy taste guide on the can), it delivers layers of licquorice, caramel toffee and (no I didn’t imagine it) chocolate! A nice wee drop – och aye the noo!?

Stonecutter Scotch Ale by Renaissance Brewing Company – low in hops, high in malt. low in hops, high in malt. A nice wee drop!

One doesn’t get much chance to dress up nowadays – and clothes won’t be “in fashion” forever, so what better excuse to go through the wardrobe and dress each day according to whim rather that according to any “code of compliance”. Things that were bought for a special occasion and never worn again. One is thinking maybe a cocktail dress for the next zoom meeting, the Annah S “leather” (wipe clean?) number to do the cleaning and perhaps the sequins might keep the bees at bay while reading in the sun. Have fun y’all. ‘Til next time. 🙂

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , ,

A new dawn

•October 1, 2021 • Leave a Comment

And a new world! Lockdowns bring many new limitations – but also new freedoms! Freedom to write whatever one wants – but where to start!? Free to work from home or anywhere else that’s open. Freedom to wear whatever one feels like – as long as it includes a mask. Zoom meetings allow – finally – a chance to wear all those designer rags that seemed like a good idea at the time but somehow were never the right thing to wear. Although, with Zoom, the more you dress to impress the more likely it will turn out to be an “audio only” affair. Of course it can also be guaranteed that if one assumes it will be “audio only” affair and neglect to change out of the sweatshirt you’ve just cleaned the oven in, or forget to wipe the butter off one’s chin from the slice of toast one scoffed down just before deadline, then one can pretty much be sure that it will not only include video but will feature a line up who appear to have arrived straight from the catwalk.

Anyway – one digresses. Time – time is the big thing! Hours of commute time saved for a start. And with no need to drive anywhere it’s ok to open, and take time to slowly savour, a bottle of a new and special wine – or beer -in the middle of the day! Beer has taken on a whole new look and culture. So many new brews to sample and a whole new language to learn – beer tastings now compete with wine tastings. Definitely obvious differences between brews – although the most obvious difference between all of these and mainstream beers is you can taste the hops!

Is this what they mean by matching food and drink…?

All and all, lunch now is a leisurely affair which can be had in the sun – looking out at the countryside. Spring has only just begun but already the legs have more colour than during last summer. And, while absorbing the sun’s healing rays, there is time to read one’s way through that “must read” pile of (mainly) classics that one determined some time ago to get through! (Reading at night, alas, has always put one to sleep after a few pages.) Sitting in the sun, tipple in one hand and book in the other – things could be worse right?

And, as the sun goes down, I think – yes – I can make do with this.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Well – that was fun?

•May 18, 2020 • Leave a Comment

March 25 – and level 4 lockdown begins. No leaving the house except to buy food or medical supplies. Easy peasy – and quite an adventure! Like going bush without having to get there. One is lucky, of course, to be now living within sight of said bush and to have a pastoral vista to gaze out at – making the whole thing much more delightful than it would have been if one was still living in an apartment in the beautiful City of Sails but with only the neighbours’ brick wall to look at.

One doesn’t remember Level 3  having not really gotten into it. One wasn’t quite ready to abandon Level 4 and the joy of finding oneself in such a simple time and space. Nowhere to be and all the time in the world for the earthly pleasures. But now here we are suddenly in Level 2 . The machine is churning back into action. Except it seems that a lot of the machinery has apparently been so poorly maintained that a shut down period of a mere eight weeks has rendered it inoperable.

Which brings one to the topic in mind.  Many, many moons ago I worked in banking and business lending. For the last 30 years I have worked in PR/communications roles – largely in the non profit arts and social services sectors. In all of these sectors, and from both the banking and reputation mangement angles, a business does not score many points on the credibility ratings if it does not have a good risk management strategy and, as part of that, does not always have a good six months operating expenses in hand as a back up in case of downturn or disaster.

This “lockdown” has lasted a mere two months. Already business is – almost – back to normal. Businesses who were viable should be able to shake their feathers off and carry on. Those with positive outlooks will have recognised the time-out period as valuable  breathing space for reassessments, reminiscences, reconfigurations, reconsiderations and all the other “re” words. If business wasn’t able to be carried out online then staff training and networking was. And at the end of the lockdown – what a brilliant excuse for a “new look” or “relaunch” party or promotion!

The Government’s money scramble, one feels, would be better aimed at benficiaries and the other underpaid consumer masses so that they can afford to go out and spend. Spare cash in hand after housing and transport costs are paid – this is what drives consumer demand. Putting taxpayer money into businesses where the consumer community is poverty stricken seems pointless – almost like “work for the dole” for businesses.

As for business management and those who  weren’t prepared – if you do manage to pick yourself up and carry on,  make a Business Plan your first priority and a Risk Management Strategy an essential component of that. Have insurances for business continuity and plans for diverisfication should this becomes necessary. Put aside and keep aside enough to see you through the bad times. The advice has always been there – “make hay while the sun shines” – “put aside for a rainy day” etc. It will give you brownie points with your bank should you need to borrow.  It will give you a sense of security and the ability to take a much needed rest in the lean times. And, of course, it will improve your reputation as a solid and sucessful business.

So – where were we. Oh yes – what a great opportunity it has been to stop, smell the roses, reconnect with home and garden and kitchen and family and, having been assured all is as it should be, we can move into the future. All aboard and here we go!

 

Posted in finances, lifestyle, retail

Back to the future – or is it the past…?

•March 13, 2020 • Leave a Comment

And so – another month gone without a trace as work finds one again – this time the setting up of a new organisation from scratch and the planning of a fundraising campaign. I’ve tried – really hard – to do without paper when it comes to planning but sitting in front of a screen is just not the same as walking around a room – letting the ideas flow – writing them in felt tip on big sheets of paper which are surrounded by little sheets on which notes can be made. Ten laptops screens open at once would do the trick but ten tabs on one screen just doesn’t cut it for me somehow – all the minimising and maximising business. There’s something theatrical about hand to paper thing – the creative abandon with which one can scrawl ideas as they come to mind – doing so outside if it’s a sunny day or even under the clouds. Screen under the sun are impossible.  And so dear readers – for moi, paper it is.  And, of course, once my writings are completed, culled and curated I shall, indeed, commit them to screen and the virtual cloud.

Also on the work front – I have acquired some new music pupils – the youngest aged four who likes to engage me in lightsaber battle every few minutes when it all get too much for him and the oldest wanting to do a number of exams this year – the performance pieces for which, of course, I am compelled to learn in order to demonstrate their proper execution.

Have acquired another author client as well – along with a new book launch coming up. I just love book launches – something about them – the wine and chocolates of course are just an added bonus.

So – nose to the grindstone it is! As for the Corona Virus – I guess if we’re looking for a silver lining it might be that all of those “meetings that should have been an email” will henceforth be an email? Cheers all!

Posted in lifestyle
Tags: , ,

A Simpler Life

•February 4, 2020 • Leave a Comment

At least that’s what I planned when I moved to the country 20 years ago – but somehow I brought it all with me – the same old workload as before. On my rare days off I found myself trotting back to the big smoke – a mere 2 hours away – and visiting my same old haunts to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

But now – another milestone – retirement – or semi anyway. Time to properly take in and savour my not-so-new-anymore surroundings – within, of course, the financial restrictions of my deliberately reduced circumstances. The idea of self sufficiency – at least to a degree – has always appealed and now there is the time to properly explore the possibilities.

Where to start? I guess this is it for today – having spent the rest of it immersed in the business plans of another client I couldn’t say no to. Tomorrow I’m off for a walk – all the way to the shops – where I’ll grab a salad and a coffee – and, oh yes, some some salad plants – I wonder if you can grow coffee beans in NZ?

Till next time. 🙂

 

Posted in food, lifestyle, self sufficiency

to the dump

•September 10, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Down in the dumps today – at least I will be once I get the car loaded up. Incredible how much you can find to throw away when you put your mind to it. Trick is to load it up and take it away before you have time for just “one more look”. Now – here’s a thought – what does one wear to the dump nowadays? This may take a while. Maybe there’s something in one of these bags…?

Posted in Uncategorized

« Previous Entries