Slow Living 2012 - February

It has been a hectic and stress filled February, for the most part. It has also been exhilarating and exciting. What February hasn't been is very prolific in terms of output on my part. The veggie amounts look great but the handmade items are a tad on the sparse side, me thinks! And as for the discover bit - well, reading has just about ground to a halt - other than a quick read of the newspaper on a Saturday morning, just to keep up on events....... you know?!! 

So here's goes for a February review: 

Nourish - we are eating lettuce, radish, onion, lots of zucchini and potatoes, beetroot and carrots from the garden. In fact most of our evening meals are mainly from the garden with either pasta or beans thrown in to the mix. I also have loads of rhubarb that I'm struggling to use! Oh and tomatoes and cucumbers are finally producing some goodness, too. Some nights I need to remind myself that all this fresh abundance won't last, and to enjoy the repetition of zucchini and zucchini before the winter months are here!! We have also harvested 60kg's of potatoes so far - at least they keep for a while! 

Prepare - this month was making zucchini pickle month - ha, so what's new?! I picked and froze about half a kilo of elderberries too. Why did I freeze them? Not sure, but I saw somewhere that they could be frozen and as I didn't have the inclination to dry them, in the freezer they went. 

And I had a disaster with the calendula blossoms that were steeping in oil - I didn't put a tight fitting lid on the jar and they went mouldy after about a week. I'm sure it was because I also have kombucha brewing nearby and the boys were brewing a ginger beer plant - just too many wild yeasts hanging around - so I'll try again! 

Reduce - I've been using used business envelopes as note paper for a few years now but recently had the happy thought of actually cutting them up and getting more out of them. Now I have a large note from the back and a small note from the front of the envelope where the window has been cut off.  

I used an old t-shirt to make one baby hat (note to self - they were quick and easy so make some more!) and Miss 19 made a few bibs out of an old nappy and torn flannelette pyjama's. 

Create - one nightie for the new little one, one cutlery roll for a birthday gift (not sent yet), one small knitted vest for the new baby and lots of half finished projects lying around my desk! Oh yes and even more un-started projects littering my brain! 

Green - I wish I were a little more diligent about keeping a note of what we do over the month but alas, I didn't.......... so all I can say here is that we have bought a lot of second hand steel to put up a loft in the shed. And after reading Linda's post about her energy saving we were inspired to lower ours as best we can, taking into account that we run our business from home and use lots of electrical equipment. 

Grow - sowed another two rows of carrots - getting carrots to grow is the pinnacle of growing success in my humble opinion....and I've managed it three times recently and never before! I also sowed some other less inspirational veggies such as beetroot, more radish, kale, more lettuce, perpetual spinach though I have yet to transplant them into their garden beds...... along with the poor little parsley seedlings that are still sitting in their punnet waiting...... 

Discover - as I said not much reading happening but I have dipped into a book I borrowed from the newly formed local Steiner group - "Fruits of a Life's Work" by Sylvia Brose, it's not light reading but the bits I understand are interesting. Does the new edition of Earth Garden magazine count? I really did learn something new in there!

Enhance - this one I struggle with. What have I done to enhance things? Not sure, what I should put in this category. What about enhancing the image of the humble zucchini by posting a delicious salad recipe? 

Enjoy - ooohh, yeah this one is easy - the new grand daughters birth was definitely an enjoyment in February and her presence will continue to be an enjoyment for the year, I'd say! 

The other very exciting happening is that the foundation holes for our extension have been dug - now if only the rest of the building was as quick and simple! 

So that's that - it's not too bad an effort considering what a doozy of a month it was but writing this has inspired me get myself a little more organised with the note taking for March, as well as trying a bit harder to work on the Green and Enhance category. I'm not really a "go out into the community and lead the bandwagon" type of person, so will have to be diligently green and enhancing around home!! The children will love it!!