YUMMY!!!!!!

Well that loaf didn't last long. I tried the basic mix as was suggested in the book and have enough dough to make another 5 loaves in the fridge.
I will put in less salt next time however, Americans must love their bread salty.

READING TIME

Let's start with Stephanie Alexander's Garden Kitchen Companion. I can't believe the price I got this baby for. $43.00, that's it and no postage. It's RRP is $125.00, I emailed a friend right away to see if she wanted one also and of course the answer was yes.

The next book, Country Women's Association Cook Book was something I was curious about. I do have other CWA books so I thought this one might like to sit next to them.

Artisan Bread in 5 minutes is a book everyone seems to be raving about and now I see why, my first big batch of bread is rising as we speak and I will be cooking some very soon. Yummy recipes and so easy. The new Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes will be here next week for me to try out.

WHAT A GOOD DAY

First up I received an email from a friend who asked me to come along to a meeting for a group that was about to be formed about gardening and sustainable living. It was great to meet like minded people and we will be meeting at each other's homes once a month and maybe help out with a project they may have going on.

In other news, the sun was shining and it was time to finally build the chook yard, I will be clearing out the shed tomorrow and then I just have to wait for my chook lady to get back to me so I can get my babies.

I did some planting this afternoon, I put in jap pumpkin, zucchini, basil and capsicum. I'm in need of my other 3 round raised beds now, come on Darren, move your butt!! LOL.

I also shifted my compost bin as it would be in the chook yard if I left it where it was and we worked out a better system for the berries. Hoefully they will like where they are now and will produce lots of fruit.

I'm making soap tomorrow, that should be fun.

HERE'S THE THING

I used to work as a personal trainer and one thing that really got to me was 20 something year old personal trainers who have had no kids and live at home so everything is done for them who think they can give solid one on one advise to their clients instead of just grouping everyone together and treat them the same. I know this is not the case with all trainers but I do think that more effort needs to be put into treating clients as individuals.

It was an issue I was well aware of when I was working and it was brought to my attention again today by a good friend who obviously had one of these trainers. I'm not saying that they don't know what they are talking about but when you have a 40+ mother of three who is trying her best to get into shape there are ways and means of training her to suit her lifestyle.

It should be more individual, I guess that's what I'm trying to say.

This really is something I think about a lot as even at karate I end up fighting a 20something year old who has no kids and not a lot of responsibilies, is a lot more flexible than me and I am expected to be able to do what she does. That just is not possible for me anymore with injuries that seem to happen all too frequently when I try.

I am fit and healthy and there is no reason what so ever that I wouldn't be able to do what she or he can do, the training however should be a little different. Same goes for my friend, of course she is capable, the training just needs to suit her.

hmmm, can you tell I'm in pain?

WHAT I'M EATING

I have been pretty ill over the last few days, two weeks ago I went to the dentist with a huge infection in my gum, after being on antibiotics and numerous other drugs for these last two weeks the infection hadn't cleared up then on Thursday I saw another dentist (I wasn't thrilled with the first one) and it was decided that one of my back teeth had to come out.
I don't cope very well with anaesthetic so with having that and swallowing blood for two days and being back on pain-killers etc, I have been really sick.
I never sleep during the day and it seems that is all I have been doing, I'm still in pain and extremely nauseous from the drugs. Drugs and me just don't mix but unfortunately I need them at the moment.
So that brings me to what I am eating. I would rather not eat at all but some of the drugs require a full stomach, so I have been living on mushy weetbix and minestrone soup.
Tonight however my SIL made me from scratch ricotta and spinach ravioli with a fresh tomato, basil and garlic sauce.
It was amazing and mushy enough for me not to have to chew very much. Thank you Michele. I really want a pasta machine now and she said she would get me one for Christmas, yummy fresh pasta, mmm can't wait.

A GOOD DAY

When Darren woke this fine Sunday morning he was told "about time, I'm going for a run". So he had the kids and me and my ipod were on our way.
I didn't feel like doing the usual run, so I took an old track I hadn't done for a few years. I'm not sure how far this track was and I don't know what my heart-rate etc was as my faithful workout watch isn't working grrrrrr. (not so faithful it seems).
This track is gorgeous, it's one of the many craters around here and as I was running, I realised it looked very much like Bella and Edward's special place in the woods. Sorry if you are a non Twilight fan, you won't get it at all.
I forgot how amazing this place was and I ended up running it twice and taking a detour on an overgrown path up the side of the crater just for something a little different, which I might add, led me to my usual mountain climb path.
So, me and my ipod had a very invigorating run, then I came home and the kids wanted to take Heidi for a walk, so off to the shower and a change of clothes and off we went again.

SKINS

In case you don't know what I'm talking about....

I bought the full length pants a few weeks back and they are amazing. I have one knee that has always had problems and has never been 100% since being operated on 18 years ago. I also suffer badly from shin splints, very painful. Putting on these very expensive tights has been a blessing when I run, no more pain!!!!
I wear shorts over the top as I'm not one to wear skin tight pants to show off my less than impressive butt, I am even considering getting the knee length skins to wear under my gi for karate.
Skins are not cheap, I had to pay $140 for the full length ones, but I say, worth every cent.

COME TAKE A WANDER IN THE PATCH

I turned these beauties.....

Into this today.

Only 3 more beds to put up.

Butter beans and heirloom tomatoes went in yesterday.

Lachie insisted I buy a chilli plant this year. Hmmmm, I really don't like chilli.

Herbs are happy.

I love my asparagus plants, they provide me with yummy spears for months.

Nearly at the end of this batch of broccoli.

The spinach is nearly ready for picking.

We've been happily picking lettuce leaves from these plants for weeks now, we just pick them as we need them.

We planted a Stella cherry tree today. It's a self pollinating type and in 3 years we should have yummy cherries.

Berries are flowering.

Apples are budding up nicely.

Thanks for visiting my vege patch with me.