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ardysez

~ surrender to yourself

ardysez

Category Archives: Recommendations

a summary of summer things…

19 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by Ardys in Alice Springs, Recommendations

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

bbcfoodprogram, Books, chat10looks3, humour, melrobbins, richardfidlerpodcast, timferrisshow

The year is spinning by so fast I can hardly believe it. Despite recent years of minimising and editing my environment as well as downsizing interaction with social media, days are full and my energy wanes. Sometimes I think the summer here is like winter in the northern hemisphere, a time for stasis, or at least slowing down. But the one thing I make time to do nearly every single day is walk. I love to walk in the early morning.

Light. Quiet. Relative cool. Promise. Beauty. So many reasons to walk early. And this…IMG_0738

I have no profound topics to share with you this time, but decided that you might find a little gem in amongst some of the things that have interested me in recent weeks.

Podcasts:

Your Creative Push – interviews with various artists and people who share helpful insights for creative practices. This episode is an artist whose work I recently purchased and if you listen until the very end she shares a good tip from Martha Beck for tackling big projects. (Aimée Hoover, artist, website here)

IMG_0724Chat10 Looks3 – This podcast is by two of Australia’s leading journalists, Annabelle Crabb and Leigh Sales. They are brilliant women whose banter is hilarious but they also impart a lot of information regarding Australian culture, books and other media. It makes me laugh so much, if I listen to it when I’m walking I’m sure I’m in danger of being taken away to the psych ward. If you are not Australian it may not make as much sense.

Tim Ferris Show – interviews with people who inspire and illuminate. This episode with Brené Brown.

BBC Food Programme  – A factual, in-depth examination of all things food. Fascinating. This episode is for my Northern Hemisphere friends as it is all about the humble dish of porridge (oatmeal).

Conversations with Richard Fidler – MY FAVOURITE! Yes you can read that in shouty tones because that is how much I loved this episode. And now I want a horse. Or at least to be near one. A radio interview can actually have that effect on a person.

(*note – Not all of these interviewers are the best, but these are still my favourite interviews of recent weeks, usually because of the person being interviewed or some bit of wisdom they present)

Books:

IMG_0770Outline by Rachel Cusk – did not hit my sweet spot but it might hit yours (fiction) I noticed that reviews were varied, though mostly positive.

Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner – a revelation (to me) in writing style. This is a series of essays, some I liked very much, others not as much but overall a very worthwhile book. (non-fiction)

The Summary of Small Things by Carol Adams – a surprising and gentle little book filled with details from six months of a life lived in Central Australia, with awareness and engagement. I was delighted by this book. (non-fiction) This is the second in a series of locally published books (Ptilotus Press) about Central Australia. Carol is a long time resident, artist and author from Alice Springs. Book is only $15 (plus postage) and is available from Red Kangaroo books, 79 Todd Mall, Alice Springs Ph: 08 89532137 and email: redkanga@bigpond.com

Small House Living Australia by Catherine Foster. Over the years I’ve become very interested in the ‘small but perfectly formed’ abode. This book has photos and floor plans of smartly designed homes of 90 square metres (~315 sq. feet) or less. (non-fiction) (there is also a New Zealand version here)

Food:

New favourite salad – http://www.theglowingfridge.com/crunchy-thai-noodle-salad/ 

untitled-6532

This is not my photo, but from the website with the recipe. I ate mine so fast I forgot to photograph it!

(I can’t eat the rice noodles so left them out and still found it delicious. This is a vegan salad as it is, but you could easily add prawns/shrimp, salmon or boiled egg if you want more protein.)

YouTube:

Mel Robbins – is probably classified as a motivational speaker. What fascinated me is this particular ‘5 second rule’ idea. This link is for the short version, lasts only 5 minutes.

This link is for a 25 minute interview with Mel — her story of how she discovered this ‘5 second rule’ which she admits she wishes had a different name 🙂

 

As I look back at what I’ve been consuming…no wonder the days are flying by.  xx

IMG_0758

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a list of lists…

26 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by Ardys in Books, photography, Recommendations

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Books, photos, recommended reading

img_3709A couple of posts back I gave my book report for 2016 and invited those who were so inclined to give us their recommendations as well. It was probably a busy time of year to try to encourage participation, so I’ve compiled the short list of recommended reading and also found a couple of other lists you might want to click through once the demands of the holidays settle down.

First, the selections recommended by my lovely readers:

The Good People by Hannah Kent, a novel set in Ireland in the 1820s, it is disturbing and unsettling at times. Nance is the healer, witch doctor herbalist and the one with the ‘gift’ or knowledge, who lives very much on the edge of society. Her life and her healing intertwines with the villagers and with the bigoted local priest.

Hannah Kent is an award winning Australian author. Her research, finding the historical ‘voice’ and detail into County Kerry is remarkable, as is the prose.

(As an aside, I noticed that Amazon’s Audible program has added ‘The Good People’ to its list of books you can listen to, if you are so inclined. I wasn’t sure I would like listening to books but I’m very much enjoying it. Audible had a free, for the first month, selection which I tried, after which I subscribed for $14.95 (AUD) per month, for which I receive one selection or one credit. It is cheaper than buying the audible version outright. Also, if you buy the Kindle book as well as the audio version of the same book, you can switch back and forth between reading and listening and it cleverly picks up wherever you have left off of the other one.)

fullsizeoutput_38e6The Second selection recommended by one of our community:

The Invention of Nature: Alexander Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf. It is a biography of Alexander Humboldt, an amazing scientist who lived in the late 1700s. He was fascinated by everything, which enabled him to understand connections in the environment. He was the first to articulate the concept of ecology, and realised that changes in one part of the environment would have profound effects elsewhere. He influenced many scientists and thinkers, including Darwin. Humboldt’s name is not very familiar now, but he has influenced our modern understanding of our world, including the impacts of climate change.

fullsizeoutput_38e4

Here is a post by James Clear, with a lot of lists for all kinds of reading, featuring over 100 books. I think this will hold us for a while, don’t you?

However, if we are still not hitting your reading ‘sweet spot’, my friend Celi from thekitchensgarden  has compiled her yearly book list based on recommendations from her readers as well.

And finally, I’m very partial to a good photo, as well as some good reading, so here is a link to view Time’s selection of the most influential photos . No doubt you will have one or two you would like to add to this list, but these will get you started…

…my very best wishes to you for the coming new year.xximg_3710

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please watch this…

12 Saturday Nov 2016

Posted by Ardys in Recommendations, Uncategorized

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

sociology, TEDtalks, Wisdom

Many of you probably already subscribe to or watch TED talks and you may have seen this one. It is informative and uplifting, without being judgemental. If you want to understand, this 20 minute interview is a good place to start.

 

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old friends, new experiences

02 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Ardys in art, Darwin, Life, Recommendations

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Australia, Darwin, energy, friends, life

darwin-chinese-temple

Chinese Temple, Darwin City

We have been in Darwin the past week. I’m still processing the events. Whenever we visit, I am taken back to memories of the first years of my life in Australia. Because we stay in the city, and our first flat was in the city, these are my old stomping grounds! But not. So much has changed it is hard to grasp. For example, Darwin is much more beautiful now than it was then. But I was newly in love and so it still appeared beautiful to me. But mostly it was, and still is, so unique and diverse.

dried wildflowers by the sea

dried wildflowers by the sea

 

The Esplanade Bicentennial Park area did not exist in its current form and now is a joy for my early morning walks, with many glimpses of the sea just beyond the trees. This time I did something I have never done before, walked down to Lameroo Beach where the very rocky native stones meet the sea. It connected me in a new way; this mountain person who could love living by the sea.

darwin-lameroo-beach

Native stone on Lameroo Beach

Three days were spent with old friends, two days with the same friend who I came to know here in Alice, but who moved to the North 10 or so years ago. Jo is recovering from a brain injury through an accidental fall at work. She is doing very well but is working very steadily at it. She never once bemoaned her bad luck or her ongoing issues of headaches and memory struggles. It was my joy to be able to help her set up a blog page which I commend to you. She is still learning the ropes but I know you will be kind to her. Her first post was so moving, she will most certainly be a fabulous contributor to the blog community. Jo plans to write about her many interests as well as her journey recovering from the brain injury. Because I think you will enjoy her writing and her story, here is a link: https://intralude.wordpress.com/

friends living room in filtered light

my artist friend’s living room in filtered light (Waterlogue edit from original photo)

quilty-after-afghanistan

painting by Ben Quilty

My other dear friend is one I made 30 years ago. We share an interest and practice in art, among other things. This time we attended the ‘After Afghanistan’ Exhibition by renowned, and official war artist, Ben Quilty. Having seen a documentary about his creation of the works, I was still unprepared for how moving they would be in person. You’d think I would know better! They were really about energy–the energy of one’s being that is changed when going off to war. I felt the emotion of several of the pieces as if they were physical blows to my solar plexus. Even thinking back on them now my tummy tightens with emotion. That is art.

quilty-after-afghanistan

painting by Ben Quilty

quilty-after-afghanistan

painting by Ben Quilty

Arriving home yesterday to the flashing button of the answering machine was an inauspicious welcome, as it turned out. My credit card has been compromised. Fortunately the bank was quick to recognise it and so there is only a $7 debit that got through. But now, everything that I normally do with my card, which is EVERYTHING, must be changed over when the new card arrives, probably in about a week. It could have been so much worse, and for that I am grateful.

But it has unhinged me a little. The post I had been working on will wait for another day.

This much I know for sure, and needed no processing…I have loved my life and cherish my friends, who are testaments to that life, as I am to theirs. In the words of German theologian, philosopher, Meister Eckhart “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘thank you’, that will be enough”.

darwin-sunset

Serenity at sunset from Bicentennial Park

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Add some zest to your life!

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Ardys in Food, photography, Recommendations

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

citrus, Food, healthy foods, kitchen tips, photography

Accidental still life with citrus

Accidental still life with citrus

For some reason best known by the Great Universal Intelligence, zest has appeared in my life. Repeatedly. Often. The kind of zest I’m talking about is hanging on trees!

I’m always one to follow where my nose and taste buds lead me, for good or for bad. What kind of a friend would I be, not to share my journey with you? In January when we were in Sydney I saw Dukkha ‘with zest’ being sold in the markets and thought, why not try it myself? (my recipe from Sophie Grigson spells it Dukkha, but I notice most people spell it ‘Dukkah’, so whatever floats your boat). So I started drying my own zest and then adding it to my Dukkha–about two tsps Dukkha to one tsp dried zest.

My zesting method

My zesting method

My technique, if you can call it that, is to use a Microplane. The zest is much finer and will dry more easily. I use the narrow Microplane, and hold it so the underside is facing me, and I can see how much zest is accumulating. At the same time I can see how deeply on the skin I am grating. Don’t scrape too deeply because the white part is bitter. Because we live in a dry climate I simply spread it out on a plate and leave it for a a couple of days, and it is dry. If you live in a humid climate you may need to place it on a baking tray in a slow oven, then turn off the oven and leave it to dry overnight.

Recycled spice bottles with dried zest

Recycled spice bottles with dried zest

I recycle my little spice bottles and put the various flavours in each one. Do make certain the zest is very dry before bottling it, or it will go mouldy.

When the limes began to ripen at an alarming rate, I started zesting the outside and squeezing the juice and making ice blocks out of it for cooking, later in the year. I did talk about this in a previous kitchen post so I won’t labour the point. I make some blocks with zest and some without.

Roasted beets marinated in orange juice and zest

Roasted beets marinated in orange juice and zest

A week or so ago I saw a very simple idea to roast fresh beets, peel them, quarter them, and simply add the zest and juice from an orange. Let them marinate over night and voilà! Simple, tasty, zeeesty, yeah!

Chicken livers with bacon, zest and fresh chives.

Chicken livers with bacon, zest and fresh chives.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been known to ‘freelance’ my cooking here and there, ahem– just ask my family– they ask me all the time, ‘did you write it down so you can do it again? Usually no, but this time I took a photo! These chicken livers, sautéed with bacon, salt and pepper and topped with fresh chive and fresh zest were so simple, who needs more than a photo reminder?

Pink grapefruit with pink salt

Pink grapefruit with pink salt

Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan Pink Salt

I don’t zest grapefruit, but I do love eating it… with a pinch of salt! My Mother ate it this way when I was young and our whole family likes it like this. Section the grapefruit, sprinkle a small amount of good quality salt around then let it sit for five or 10 minutes before consuming. When you eat it, the salt seems to accentuate the sweetness of the grapefruit very nicely. I’m not saying it will convert you if you don’t like grapefruit or salt to begin with, but if you like to try simple things that are healthy and change up the tastes a bit, it’s worth a go. Our friends gave us these luscious pink grapefruit, how lucky are we?

Here’s another recent bit of kitchen knowledge… Even though we don’t use pesticide on our citrus, we do sometimes pick it up off the ground when it drops, and use it. So it needs washing. A tip I recently saw is to keep a spray bottle of vinegar under the kitchen sink (which I always do anyway, for cleaning purposes) and use it to spray all vegetables before washing. Apparently it removes as much wax, pesticide and mould or other unwanted things, as antiseptic soap does. And why wouldn’t you want to use vinegar instead of soap?? Some people scrub their veggies, and that is fine, but with more delicate fruits, that doesn’t work so well. Rub the vinegar around as if you are washing the fruit, or not, with more delicate fruits. Rinse and presto! It doesn’t affect the taste at all.

Lemon on plate with Moorish design

Lemon on plate with Moorish design

Clean fruit.

Happy zesting.

 

-Ardys

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In My Kitchen – May

04 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Ardys in Food, photography, Recommendations

≈ 49 Comments

Tags

Alice Springs, Australia, australian kitchen, autumn eating, Food, photography

Raspberries with coconut milk

Fresh raspberries with coconut milk

It’s a good thing I take food photos as I go along, because so much happens in a month I completely forget what all we ate! And looking back over the photos there was a lot of red going on too!

This was a transitional month In My Kitchen. We moved from summer foods and salads to more autumnal foods. I made a batch of beef jerky from grass fed beef. I know, you can buy jerky and that is easier, but this way I know exactly what is in it. It is based on the recipe my Mother made when we were young.

beautiful grass fed beef skirt steak

beautiful grass fed beef skirt steak

zest and more zest

zest and more zest

basil and lime zest

basil and lime zest

There was a whole lot of zesting going on in the kitchen as the limes were at their peak of production. The lemons usually have to wait until after the first frost to be ready. I zest and juice the citrus and make ice cubes out of it, then turn them out into zip loc bags for the freezer. I make some blocks with zest and juice and some with just juice. I’m not fond of having to use the zest from citrus that are sold in the stores, so I also dry zest for future use. The combination smell of the lime zest and some freshly cut basil nearly sent me into orbit one day!

limes in late afternoon sun

limes in late afternoon sun

The little 'cap' of zucchini that is left over, the remainder is spiral cut

The little ‘cap’ of zucchini that is left over, the remainder is spiral cut

Joyce Chen spiral slicer

Joyce Chen spiral slicer

fine or wide spiral zucchini

fine or wide spiral zucchini

finely spiraled beets

finely spiraled beets

spiral cut beet with fennel, orange and feta salad

spiral cut beet with fennel, orange and feta salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not adding many new gadgets to my kitchen these days but I had to try a spiral slicer to see if I could add some extra vegetables and interest to my salads. For those of you who haven’t tried one, I’m not necessarily recommending this one, just showing you what it can do. It’s okay, but with dense vegetables like pumpkin and beets it takes quite a bit of downward pressure to use (or else I’m a terrible weakling, which could be true also!) The results are pretty, and certainly more edible in their raw state than larger pieces, but the jury is still out how long this gadget will take up storage space in my kitchen!

perfect for a red kitchen

perfect for a red kitchen

I replaced some old coffee mugs, that had chips in them, with a couple of new ones decorated with Aboriginal art motifs. (These are licensed to the original artists, not cheap rip-offs) The shape and handle of them are very nice to use. My little red Japanese style tea pot came from a lawn sale–for free! It had never been used and now I use it every day! It really is true, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

My prize!

My prize!

My husband and I had been at the travel agent one afternoon, planning a trip for later in the year, and we arrived home to see a stack of parcels at the door. Among them was this cookbook. I was completely confused about why it was there, knowing I had not ordered it. And then, I realised I had WON it! I had entered a competition with an Australian travel company (APT) telling of our favourite travel moment on a trip to Russia. The book is lovely, describing the various parts of Vietnam as well as the foods that come from each region.

inside pickled egg

inside pickled egg

pickled eggs and beets

pickled eggs and beets

We are now fully into autumnal eating, verging on winter. (As I write it is only 9C – 48F this morning) Beets are available and in addition to spiralling them to eat raw, I have had some fun pickling my own. In fact, it was the first time I’d heard of Pickled Eggs and Beets and I had to try it. The beets were heavenly, not sure about the eggs, but the colour was certainly stunning.

Also Brussels Sprouts are on the menu several times a week at our house. We both enjoy them, but since discovering this way of making them, I am obsessed with them– even having them for breakfast with my eggs! I don’t have a recipe, but here is what I do:

Favourite Brussels Sprouts

Favourite Brussels Sprouts

  • quarter and steam about 12 sprouts
  • in a non-stick pan, sauté the sprouts in a couple of teaspoons of ghee (butter will do)
  • as soon as they take on a bit of golden colour, add 1-2 T slivered almonds and about the same amount of dried currents and cook until the nuts and the sprouts are golden
  • season with salt and toss through—delicious with anything

And finally, I’ve brought out the Romertopf clay baking dish. I learned about it on Celia’s Pulled Pork post at figjamandlimecordial.com and have begun to learn how to use it. This is my second attempt at a Pulled Pork roast. I’ve used tomato paste and my own rub mixture to make it. It was delicious. I also made my own barbecue sauce to serve with it, which I forgot to photograph, but which you can see the recipe for here. Thank you Celia, and that goes double from my husband!

spice mix and paste

spice mix and paste

pulled pork using two forks

pulled pork using two forks

Sprinkle dry spice mix over pork with tomato paste

Sprinkle dry spice mix over pork with tomato paste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In My Kitchen posts are part of the monthly hosting by Celia at figjamandlimecordial. Lots of interesting things in kitchens around the world. Have a look!)

 

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What do you pack?

01 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Ardys in Recommendations, Travel

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

flying, packing a bag, Travel

I set a PB (Personal Best) time, packing for the trip we are on. I wish I could attribute this miracle to a particular thing, but alas for future packing efforts, I cannot. I have not been auditioning outfits in my head for days as I sometimes do. In fact I’ve hardly thought about it. I’d like to say that is the secret, but I doubt it is. This technique has failed me miserably on passed occasions!

IMG_2730The reason for this trip is a special, slightly dressy, occasion; our daughter is being graduated, upon completion of her Master’s Degree (in Adelaide, which is 1000 miles from where we live in Alice). Other than that we will pass the time with her  relaxing at the Art Gallery of South Australia, a winery or favourite restaurant or two. But still, it is the ‘big smoke’ for us, so, as Her Majesty might say, ‘One wants to put One’s best foot forward’.

What do you pack for travel? It is a perennial question. I ask it of other travellers, all the time. Of course different climates, occasions and modes of travel, require variations. So here are the contents of my suitcase for three days, plus a day of flying on either end; one dressy function day, two relaxed days, flying, car riding, rain and temperatures that range from about 9C-20C (48F-68F).

Basics: socks, undies, night shirts, umbrella, and crushable hat

Basics: socks, undies, night shirts, umbrella, and crushable hat

Bag for packed shoes

Bag for packed shoes

Toiletries, makeup and earring bag.

Toiletries, makeup and earring bag.

Two pair of shoes, one for walking and one for dinner!

Two pair of shoes, one for walking and one for dinner!

Four tops, two pants, a cardigan, scarf and jacket

Four tops, two pants, a cardigan, scarf and jacket

The dressy outfit, scarf, jacket and bag, reusable for other outfits

The dressy outfit, scarf, jacket and bag, pants, reusable for other outfits

There is a critical balance to be achieved packing for a long trip, on which one inevitably gathers ‘things’ to bring home.  The scales tip back and forth precariously between having the necessities/appropriate clothing for occasions/weather… and having enough space in the suitcase to accommodate the odd gift or purchase without sending the packing Gods into fits of frenzy. It doesn’t seem to matter how carefully I pack, I nearly always have one thing that doesn’t get worn, and one thing I wish I had taken! (note to self: repair crystal ball)

You will notice I try to coordinate colours so that various things mix and match. But also, I usually take one thing that mixes it up a bit, a pop of colour for the day when I am thoroughly sick of wearing the same few items over and over. I never pack white pants, or even pale gray or light beige. They are dirt magnets. On a longer trip I would not even take this white jacket for the same reason. But I’m going to chance it this time. It was pleading with me for an outing!

When on longer, overseas trips, the only thing that expands on this list is the number of changes of tops and undies, perhaps an extra pair of walking shoes in case one pair gets wet, and a raincoat. For a trip longer than a week I pack an extra pair of reading glasses. Essentially it takes almost as much to travel for a few days as it does for a few weeks, in my experience. I never leave home with more than one suitcase. I have, on occasion, returned with more than one, however. That was when we travelled with our young daughter and everyone wanted to give her something. We don’t do that any more. These days I start out with a bit of space, in case for when I buy a few things. Often I am taking gifts for family and friends we stay with, and when the gifts come out, a space opens up for items to come home with us. And since Nature abhors space in a suitcase, I fill it as best I can.

meds, supplements, protein bar, almonds, decaf tea bags

meds, supplements, protein bar, almonds, decaf tea bags

In addition to the required clothing and toiletries, I have a couple of medications, a few supplements, a compact magnifying mirror (most hotel mirrors are horribly lighted), some bandaids in case of blisters, a packet of anti-bacterial wipes, and a couple of extra zip loc bags which always come in handy.

We each have one carry-on, which means I don’t carry my tiny handbag on flights. It is packed, so that I only have one bag, and its contents, to keep track of in airports and on flights. In my medium size, purse style carry-on are all the I’s (iPad, iPhone, iPod, ID’s), my Passport, credit card, a small tube of hand cream and either Chapstick or lip gloss, and a few emergency food supplies because I can’t eat a lot of the foods in airports and on planes. Also, I usually carry a cardigan or a scarf as I find airplanes and airports are often cold and draft-y… except when they are boiling hot!!

Contents for carry on

Contents for carry on

My purse-size carry on

My purse-size carry on

I have never been a traveller who could casually throw things into a duffle bag and take off. I really don’t want to have to waste precious energy looking for a chemist, or buying a jacket I don’t really want, because the weather is too cold and I didn’t bring one. But I bow to your superior Zen-ness if you are someone who can be at one with the vagaries and discomfort of travel with only a very few basics.

antibacterial wipes and EAR PLUGS!

antibacterial wipes and EAR PLUGS!

And finally, I always, always take ear plugs… Ear plugs, people! They block out the traffic noise when you get a street side room along the river in Florence (!), barking dogs, clicking ceiling fans, garbage collection at 5am, and all kinds of low-level strange sounds that differ in every location, and they prevent insects from getting into your ear canal. Yes. Move on. I like the silicone type that blocks out all noise except some snoring… and the alarm clock. I won’t say whose snoring I need to block, but if you come across ear plugs that do the job completely, please let me know.

Happy travels

-Ardys

 

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Kicking it with Kiki

28 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by Ardys in Books, Cancer, Health, photography, Recommendations

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Books, breast cancer, cancer, health, inspiration, Kiki, photography

A few days ago I selected the ‘publish’ button on this post.  But you didn’t see it, did you?  That’s because, for some reason (operator error!) it didn’t publish.  And I’m glad.  A few hours after thinking it had published, I wished I had written it differently.  Sometimes the Universe and I are on the same wavelength and I get a second chance at things! Has that happened to you?  Well, let me try again…

Kiki was an Australian resident who migrated here from Netherlands a few years ago.  She was a 27 year old photographer, with a husband and two young children when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She chose to document her very difficult journey using her photography skills in an e-book titled ‘Courage Through A Lens – A breast cancer journey’.  This book is raw and beautiful, confronting, and heart wrenching, especially for those of us who have been on part of that journey. It explains and photographically documents the journey of breast cancer in a way I have never seen it done.  It is the book I wished I had two and a half years ago.  Kiki passed away, as I understand it, very recently… within weeks. But she has done something for women everywhere that will live on and be remembered.

selfie

‘selfie’ taken two and a half years ago

During this time of the year when we sometimes have difficulty staying centred, here is a reminder of what is important.  If you have a daughter, sister, girlfriend or Mother who has survived breast cancer, be grateful. This book might help them share their experience. If you have a loved one who has breast cancer now and you would like to be better informed about what she is going through, I recommend this book.

As for cancer, I’m kicking it with Kiki… it’s butt, that is.  She was an awesomely ordinary woman who stepped up and did an extraordinary thing to help others. I just want to do my little bit to keep things kicking along.

Thanks Kiki, regrettably I won’t get to tell you this in person.

(This is an e-book, so it works on your iPad or other tablet device, or your computer.  It is downloaded as a PDF document.  Half the proceeds go to benefit breast cancer.)

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Go for the Gado!

25 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Ardys in Darwin, Food, Recommendations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Food, Gado Gado, healthy eating, home-cooked, preserving rammed earth, rammed earth house

Phew! The house smells awful this morning.  Our ‘house doctor’ is putting the sealer on the outside to protect the rammed earth.  This has to be done usually around every 4 years.  The product we use is called Rain Coat and it is a silicon based sealer that cleans up with turpentine.  All the others we have seen are xylene based and that stuff will rot your liver!  But the Rain Coat still smells when you first put it on.

Masking

Masking

Spraying

Spraying

It takes longer to mask all the windows and doors than it does to actually spray on the sealer.  DD (Darling Donald, Doctor Don, take your pick…) uses a low pressure garden sprayer and it works perfectly.  He gives it two coats but there is very little drying time required between coats, so it is not like using acrylic paint on your walls.  He does it in the winter though, because when the air is too warm application doesn’t work as well.

We divide our domestic jobs pretty well, and some, like the gardening, we share.  Yesterday, while he was masking everything off in preparation for the spraying, I was cooking.  Well, actually, cooking is a bit of a stretch… I was steaming vegetables, making rice, and I did the tiniest bit of cooking  to make the peanut sauce.  Gado Gado is a favourite meal of ours since our earliest days in Darwin… (I mentioned it in a post a couple of months ago… Darwin-Now)

In those days I took it for granted because once a week we could go to the markets and buy it.  But then we moved to Alice 22 years ago and the only Asian food one could get here was Chinese.  So I learned to make our own Gado-Gado, thanks to Charmain Solomon, and, as you do, modified things a bit to suit our tastes and to make it a little easier on the cook.  It is not difficult, just tedious to steam all those vegetables.

And here is the end result…

Gado-Gado with rice and peanut sauce

Gado-Gado with rice and peanut sauce

I share with you my time tested, okay, modified recipe, and hope you will try it sometime.  It is fairly healthy providing you don’t smother things with gallons of peanut sauce, though that is very tempting.  The spicy peanut sauce brings all the flavours together so nicely. Thank goodness, of all the things I am sensitive to, peanut butter is not one of them!  If you want a protein component in addition to the egg and peanut sauce, cook a few chicken satay skewers on the grill, over charcoal if you can, lovely flavour!  The origins of this dish are Indonesian/Malaysian.

I’ve posted the recipe under the FOOD heading here on my blog, scroll down and you will see it.

Must go cook something so I can stop smelling turpentine…

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Give me a head with hair…

20 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by Ardys in Life, Recommendations

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Darwin, England, Hair, hair care products, Moroccan Oil, Oxford

long beautiful hair. 
Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen…

Flaxen, Waxen?

Flaxen, Waxen?

Our hair is given to keep us humble.  I have thought as well as repeated this many times in my life.  As mine has greyed it has changed texture in places and only gotten more difficult to manage.  Does this mean I am more humble?  Possibly.  More frustrated?  Certainly.

Sorry fellas, this one may not interest you, but there’s something for you at the end, so scroll down…

Recently when we were travelling in Darwin and the UK, the heat and humidity caused my hair to do very abnormal things.  Some days I took on a very Medusa-like quality, both in appearance and temperament, I fear, due to the frustrations of trying to manage my locks.  After about 10 days of looking bedraggled and be-frizzed, I determined I would find a local hair salon in Oxford and see if they could recommend something.  No sooner had I decided upon this course of action, and I saw a very busy, upmarket looking salon. As I peered through the window there was a young woman with the good taste to sport almost exactly the same hair cut as myself. Meant to be.  Once inside I walked up to the young woman behind the counter and explained my dilemma.  She looked up at my hair standing on end, waving madly back at her and very non-judgmentally, she said “Well, your hair is fine and wavy, whereas mine is fine and straight, but have you tried Moroccan Oil?”  No, I hadn’t.  I had nearly every other hair product in the world in my suitcase or at home in the cupboard, but not that one.  To be honest, I thought it was a fad product that would run its course and since my hairdresser doesn’t sell it, and therefore he hadn’t recommended it, I had not tried it.

Magic elixir

Magic elixir

She got one from the shelf and said it was the ‘light’ version because my hair texture was fine, even though I have thick hair.  She proceeded to tell me to only use a very small amount of it or it would make my hair look oily.  The bottle she sold me was a travel size, which was very small and which she assured me would last a very long time.  From the first time I used it, it was the most fantastic product for my hair I have ever used.  And that is saying something.  It doesn’t completely keep my hair from waving in the heat and humidity, but it seriously diminishes the frizz, and makes it much more manageable when it does wave a bit.  It leaves no discernable residue on my hair, which nearly all other products do, and it has a very pleasant, very mild scent, and leaves my hair shiny. It works just as well now that I am home in a drier, cooler climate. Even using it every day for about 5 weeks now, I am not even halfway through the tiny little travel size bottle.

After the third day of using it, I threw the two heavy bottles of hair product I was lugging around into the rubbish bin, and now that I’m home I will do the same with all the other products taking up space in the cupboard.  I have found my hair’s holy grail.  The quest is over.  Peace at last.

If you choose to try it, consult with the hair salon who is selling it, and see which they recommend for you, the regular or the light version.  I would love to know what you think of it.  So often what is good for one person is not good for others, so I hope this is of some value to someone out there.

And now for the photo for the fellas….

Digger and jack hammer

Digger and jack hammer

At 7.35 this morning, the heavy equipment and jack hammer appeared to dig up our driveway.  My poor little Desert Pea is quaking in its roots.

X Ardys

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