Travel - How Does It Make You Feel?

Hi All. I feel guilty. Every time I travel now( which we are reducing). It's climate change - I know that the way we travel doesn't do the planet any good and it makes me feel like a hypocrite.
But we live on an island in the Pacific, and family members live overseas.

So we are off on a cruise soon. It's our family catch up. I've never been on a cruise before, not sure how I'm going to like it, but at the same time, determined to enjoy it. 

To help give it more sense of purpose we have gathered a bagful of things to deliver to a contact in Vanuatu. Stepdaughter tells me this makes me sound like a spy. So I've gathered from friends a big bag of lightly used bras, as in Vanuatu buying a bra can cost a day's wages. There's also a bag of reusable nappies - Vanuatu having recently banned disposable nappies (good on them!). Then some small stuff - books, pens, flippers and masks. 
It makes me feel slightly less of a tourist. However travel does broaden our horizons and helps us to view things from a different perspective.

I've also been doing a bit of research. The travel agents sell us things like "you must try the delicious coconut crabs"...but I've read that they take 12 years to get to eatable size and the numbers are dwindling... 
We're not going to be wearing sun block when we swim - with the coral reefs in mind, even though I know there are supposedly reef-safe types.
One of the stops we are making in Fiji is to an island of only 400 inhabitants - with a shipload of 4,000 people! I'm kind of horrified, but I know that these people probably depend on the cruise ships to be able to exist there.

At least the cruise line that we are travelling with donates large amounts to nature conservation projects in the countries that they visit. In Northland of NZ they are generously supporting the kiwi conservation programme. 

So many environmental/ ethical dilemmas.
How do you feel when you travel? 

Intercept Fabric Rescue

Design on an upcycled denim jacket by fabric artist Jenny Hill - Intercept instigator

Some weeks back I was approached by Jenny with the idea of rescuing some of the fabric that is going to the landfill from one of our big op shops (thrift store). 
The manager has told her that $60,000 dollars per year is spent on dumping fees by this store alone. They currently send a skip to the landfill every 2 days - most of it textiles. Apparently out of what is donated - 20% is saleable, the remaining 80% goes to the tip.
So, four of us have started Intercept - Fabric Rescue, earmarking salvaged textiles for various places and uses. These include:

Local designers using upcycled materials, such as Shelly from Ano - anoagainreuse, who mostly works in denim. 

Anoagainreuse models out shopping before a recent fashion show.

Making t-shirt bags for the store to use out of what they were throwing away.
Making t-shirt yarn for crafters to buy, plus hopefully fabric bundles for quilters etc.
Removing graphics to reuse in upcycled projects.
Saving all wool, silk, cotton, denim for reuse.
Saving what we can of synthetics to make bunting.

Rescued t-shirts made into yarn and reusable bags. Saving graphics.

The store have started making rags again - which they had stopped. They have given us a room to work from and are very supportive. 

We have big plans to promote the work of makers using Intercept fabrics, plus we have  local Design School students working on swing tags and labels for us, that use rescued materials.

It's all very new at the moment and still a work in progress, but such a great opportunity to make a difference.
Thanks to movements like the Climate Strikes, many businesses are seeing that the way forward involves a lot more consideration of the environment. They need to be seen as making positive changes. 
Now is a great time to start.

A Boot Refashion and Four Great Salvages

Hi All, this post is all about saving things from going to waste. I believe that we should treat everything as a resource, sending them to the landfill should be the very last thing, when there's no better option.

These Boots Were Made ....Shorter

These leather boots had languished in my wardrobe long enough. They were mid calf length - which is an unflattering place for a boot to end on me.
They are pull - on, so no zip to deal with. I just cut them to where I wanted, allowing for some turn over. I glued the lining down first, then glued the leather. I use the Bostik glue that I have been using to mend wetsuits - because it sticks really well and has a lot of give in it.

I've worn them more already since I did them.

The next rescue is something that I imagine most people throw away.
The protective mesh from a duty free bottle

I was trying to think of a use for these and came up with ......
 A padded coathanger

Tell me if you've come up with a good use for these.

A wonderful rescue was made by a relative who works in the recycling industry. He often comes across treasures put out with the rubbish and knows what will appeal to us.

Vintage shop sign

 I understand that Au Bon Pain is now a chain in the USA, but this one looks very authentic - we love it and it has pride of place above our coffee machine.

Our last rescue is a food rescue. One of my ex work colleagues mentioned that the fruit was falling off their trees and going to waste. They weren't able to keep up with picking, due to ill health, and none of their family wanted it, as they all have their own fruit trees.

Derek and I went there on two occasions, picking this much each time, nearly all of which we gave to our city's Food Rescue. They also receive donations of food from various businesses and it is redistributed to where it is needed. 
Most suburbs in town have a Pataka Kai (1 minute video) - or a community food stall - for people to help themselves.

And lastly, I want to link to Cynthia's blog "I'm Retired - Adventures Of A Simpler Life", which I follow. She took some great photos of an exhibition of artworks made with discarded plastic. This is one of my favourites.

Artist Sayaka Ganz

 They are so clever - thanks Cynthia.

Sorrel, Orange Peel, 2040 - the Doco.

Sorrel 

Disregard the spelling mistake!

The other weekend I went to a plant and seed swap (just wonderful to do). The generous garden owner shared a taste of his sorrel and I couldn't believe that I had never tried this before - tangy, lemony goodness in a leaf! He kindly dug out a piece for anyone who wanted some. I can't wait for it to grow big enough to divide and make more plants, and to add to salads. It looks a bit like a weed at present so will need to stay well marked!
It's a plant that you don't need to keep planting - it just keeps on giving.


How to grow sorrel by Garden Lady at Sow Small Garden

It's full of nutritional goodness - read this link Benefits of sorrel leaves by tinyqualityhomes.org

Orange Peel

On my journey to use that-which-is-under-my-nose I wondered why I was composting our orange peels. We have a tree of the most divine navel oranges. I started saving the peel, by re-peeling them with a very sharp knife to remove the pith, then laying it on a splatter guard on top of a kitchen rack which I have been placing on our wood-stove at night. I don't leave it overnight though as it is quite flammable. I'm collecting it all in a jar and will powder this lot in the food processor. This first lot (above) I pulverized with the mortar and pestle.

I've been using it to add to teas, sprinkled in homemade muesli, in baking and added to my tooth powder (tooth whitener). It gives a delicious orange flavouring.
It too appears to have multiple health benefits...Health benefits of orange zest by Pioneer Thinking

I'm also soaking peels in white vinegar for a couple of weeks, then adding the vinegar to water and a few drops of castile soap for a spray cleaner.

2040 - the documentary

Have you heard of this documentary? It's just new out. It is a positive spin on how the world could be despite climate change. It is a bit utopian, but hey, hopefully it will all catch on. There were lots of people viewing it, and the first movie that I've heard a round of applause after.

So yes, recommended...get along and see it, or tell me what you thought if you've seen it already.

Woman in The Wilderness, Foraging

Most mornings I try to ride 8km on my spin cycle (exercycle). This requires good reading material as it's a pretty boring activity.
I found this book  "Woman in the Wilderness" by Miriam Lancewood in the Hospice shop and swooped it up excitedly as I had seen her in a tv interview a couple of years back. 

It's a fascinating tale of living for years in the wilderness of New Zealand, just coming out every 2-3 months for supplies, and how it has changed the author. She has spent that time with her husband, who is 30 years her senior. They spent much of it living in their tent - even through winter, in the snowy South Island and hunting for meat. She walks everywhere, even in winter, in sandals.
It made me realize that we have native plants in our back yard that we have never utilized. So began my research into kawakawa and manuka teas.

Kawakawa 

Kawakawa plant. The caterpillar looking thing is the fruit.

This plant is related to the Kava plant from the Pacific Islands, which is made into a sedative, anaesthetic and euphoriant drink.
Kawakawa does mildly have some of these properties and is/was used as per this excerpt from Wikipedia

The root, fruit, seeds and especially the leaves of the kawakawa plant were favourite medicinal remedies of the New Zealand Māori. In fact, the kawakawa is one of the only plants still used by the Maori people today. Externally, Kawa Kawa was used for healing cuts and wounds, as an ingredient in vapour baths, and also as an insect repellent. Internally, it was found to be effective as a blood purifier in cases of eczema, boils, cuts, wounds, rheumatism, neuralgia, ringworm, itching sore feet, and all forms of kidney and skin ailments. The leaves were chewed to alleviate a toothache. The bruised leaves drew pus from boils and skin infections. A drink made from the leaves helped stomach problems and rheumatics when rubbed on joints. The leaf, if dried and burnt is an insect repellent.

The name kawakawa in Maori refers to the bitter taste of the leaves.

Surprisingly, the tea is quite palatable, and the leaves can also be used in

cooking to add a peppery taste. For the tea, scrunch up 3-4 leaves per cup and 

let them brew for 5 minutes. 

I'm looking forward to trying the fruit in summer when it ripens.

Manuka (Teatree)

Manuka seedling in front of the trunks of the mature trees.

This has been used as billy tea for centuries. Captain Cook used it for his crew

 to help prevent scurvy. The leaves are high in antioxidants and vitamins, so I 

was really hoping to like it. Apparently fresh leaves have more benefit and taste 

than dried. We used a teaspoonful per cup and were aware that it would be very

pale, but not to brew it too long as it would be bitter. (And not to brew it too 

strong as it was used as an emetic like that - ie can make you sick!) It was quite a 

delicate flavour, so I think my way to use it will be to replace the green tea that I 

currently buy 

and mix with my favourite Earl Grey tea.

This is also a multi-use plant. We use it for firewood and garden stakes plus it is famous for Manuka honey.

This all might be not much use to my readers from other countries...but what do you have in your backyards that you've never tried, that maybe your indigenous people have known about for centuries?

Plastic Free July 2019

I love to read about the plastic-free movement and how many people get switched on to it starting with a pledge to try Plastic Free July.
I've been gradually working towards being as new-plastic-free in my purchases as possible, and I'm still not there. Let's face it - it's hard.

One of my goals this year has been to find a sandwich bread recipe that is virtually no knead, like my other seed bread recipe Busy People's Bread. I have failed to find one, so this week I have bought a new-to-me bread machine. The first loaf was pretty good, and I'm on track to save bringing home 26 bread bags/year. I'll still be making the seed bread, four loaves at a time in the oven. A plus with the bread machine will be easier pizza dough.

My lovely helper holding the container - labels on the underside

A new thing here is being able to take a container to the supermarket and they'll make a bit of a drama about taking it away to clean it, then we can get items from the deli packaging-free.I'm loving buying feta and gouda like this. Just ignoring the drama..("have you got any other shopping to do...I'll be 5 minutes cleaning this" kind of comments). So I got them to put three things in it. It's a bit dearer to buy like this, but the feta's nicer than what I was getting.

My next change for P-F July has been making my own custard powder. Yes, I know you can make it with eggs etc, but it has to be sustainable and I'm not the only cook. The bulk bin custard powder was horrible so we reverted to packaged Edmonds. My challenge was to make something convenient that had to be as nice...success...recipe follows.

DIY Custard Powder

1 cup of icing sugar
1/2 cup of cornflour
1/2 cup of milk powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp of vanilla bean paste

Grind all to a fine powder with a stick blender or similar. Store in an airtight container. 
Use as for regular bought custard powder, but I did find I needed to use more. I'm going to try adding more cornflour to the next mix. You can also add a couple of drops of yellow food colouring if you want it to be more like the bought stuff.

Our last innovation, which isn't a plastic-free one, has been to change most of our light bulbs to LED. They have come way down in price recently (now only around $3-$4/ bulb) and should pay for themselves quickly with energy saving and they'll last longer, plus they don't give off heat. If you haven't done yours yet, look into it. #money-saving 

Weeding out Possessions

This year I decided my big mission is reducing our surplus stuff. It's not Konmari style (tip - her blog is quite interesting) - more like Swedish Death Cleaning. This isn't really something new - I know, because my mother did it. 
It seems we get to our 60's and have just accumulated so much stuff ! Our kids aren't going to want it - it turns out we've both bred minimalists. 
So if we want our stuff to be disposed of appropriately we need to do it ourselves while we are fit and able and of sound mind. It takes a lot of effort.

So recently I have got rid of: - 
my vintage china collection and hollow stem champagne saucers and old bone handled knives (and made a tidy profit), a spare fridge/freezer and a lawnmower via Facebook Marketplace.

a huge carload (including daughters' x 2 clothes) at the local boot sale. What was left went to a charity shop, and the only thing they wouldn't take...an oil filled electric heater with a little rust, went to someone on the Pay it Forward page. When we found that person was raising her sister's four children and they had nothing..we threw in some old toys, balls and art supplies.

a bag full of books and CDs waiting to go off to the Zonta Booksale.

my silver cutlery set to my daughter;

a tray of plastic plant pots that went to a market plant grower - and there's still another tray to go. Most of these were found washed up in our river, or rescued from someone who was going to throw them out.

Some sets of snorkel gear are set aside to take to the people of Vanuatu. We are stopping there on a cruise later this year, and I want to make some use of that trip by taking supplies for the people there  - but more on that later in the year.

It has caught on with step-daughter Katie's - she's had a huge clear out too. A lot of glitter got put out to go...I considered throwing this out as it is a pollutant - microplastic - but after discussion with friends it's going to the local drama society. "They would be buying glitter anyway" was the comment - so it seemed like the best option.

glitter - being packed off

a lot of my material stash of small pieces has been cut into pennant shapes ready for a stand we're doing at our local Multucultural Family day, where we're helping people to make bunting and produce bags, plus promoting Boomerang Bags.

We even gave Derek's old caravan away - yes the one we did up. One of those pics has been repinned 3k times on Pinterest! It was getting run-down and we weren't using it. Our neighbours happily took it as they were living in a tent on their block of land. It was a mission to get it moving again!

This decluttering is going to go on all year! I can't tell you how good it feels. 

Mending Matters - It Really Does!

While I was waiting for this book, Mending Matters by Katrina Rodabaugh to arrive, Derek's niece Anabel arrived first. I had requested that our library buy the book in, Anabel arrived as part of her overseas adventure from England, via India.

I love this book, which is lucky as I spilled red wine on it and may end up buying it!

Anabel arrived wearing a really flattering jumpsuit - full of holes.
Before I could say Sashiko mending, Anabel offered up that she should maybe do something about the jumpsuit, which she had rescued from a fellow traveler who was about to throw it out. 
We then had a discussion on mending and went through my fabric scraps. We found some suitable patching material and the next morning I couldn't help but sew on an interior patch with hand stitching. Anabel liked the hole left as frayed, but in the Mending Matters book the holes are tidied up and the edges stitched.

Anabel's jumpsuit, Anne's wabisabi stitching.

I sent Anabel off with the patches and thread and needles. She's keen to keep adding patches in her down time - a suitable occupation for flights to the other side of the world - so long as she doesn't try to carry scissors.

Did I mention how much I love mending stuff? It's exciting that visible mending is on trend - and slow fashion is a thing.

Our last Repair Cafe (where I help with mending) was a lot more lively than the first - thanks to a bit more advertising. We had a couple of sewing mends, then helped some sweet little boys make gift bags, which they were so excited about.

 I was delighted to take my scissors along - including my pinking shears - to the man with a grinder there, and now have superbly sharp scissors - all for a donation. I didn't even know that pinking shears could be sharpened! Even the worst scissors that couldn't cut paper can now cut material.  💃💃 Happy dance.

A Weird Vegetable, Denim Art and a Repair for Females

Kohlrabi
A year ago my friend Bushra gave us some of these weird vegetables that I had never tried before. I decided to grow some. They are incredibly versatile and it seems that they grow like weeds.

Kohlrabi - the bulbous part grows above the ground on a stalk, looking like some kind of alien

They taste somewhat like a turnip, and if not left too long to go woody, they can be grated raw in a salad plus used anywhere you'd use a courgette - ie roasted, stir-fried, soups, casseroles and probably pickles. The leaves can also be eaten as greens - although I haven't tried that as the cabbage whites (caterpillers) beat me to them and they don't look very appealing. I've just planted more seeds, so maybe this time.

A Bra Repair
I thought that I'd posted this before - but I can't find it. It took me well into adulthood before I learnt to do this, and it's something that I'm hoping to teach at the repair cafe. Forgive me if I'm preaching to the converted, but honestly there's probably someone somewhere that doesn't know to do this.
It involves the underwires that suddenly poke out of your bra (if you wear them like that). 

This is an old mend using a tee shirt hem. Still holding up well.

Step one - push the underwire back in.
Step two - put a few stitches in with needle and thread to close the hole.
Step three - hand sew a doubled piece of scrap knit material (off an old tee shirt is good) over the spot.
Step four - do the other side too, because well, prevention.

I've seen others use "moleskin" to do this mend, but you have to buy that. My mend is free. 

Denim Art

I came across the art of  Ian Berry online and was just blown away. I just want to share some pics with you.

Debby Harry by Ian Berry - zoom in - it's amazing

Ian Berry Denim Art

Now that's a pretty good reason to keep all your denim scraps. I'm going to give it a whirl - anyone with me? (Of course, not expecting to be that good).

Christmas Glimpses

Wow has this year gone fast for everyone? Here we are at Christmas's door, doing what we can to reduce the commercialism of the holiday, yet trying to maintain the celebration. So here are a few pics of how we've gone about it this year.

The Christmas Tree

I find myself over the effort that I have put into trees in earlier days - the bought-from-charity pines, and the wilding (weed) pine even, that I kept green in our hot summer by misting with water every day...so this year's tree is low maintenance...

Found driftwood from our stash and decorations from the collection that gets hauled out every year. I have to say that I found inspiration for these ideas on Pinterest.

I have admired the cute little scenes with a Christmas tree tied atop a vehicle in snow - even though we don't have a snowy Christmas, I'd like to see one one day. My tree is a piece of rosemary, and the snow is epsom salts - which will be recycled out to the garden for the tomatoes and citrus later. The light is a rechargeable that plugs into the USB port. The old car is one we found on the beach.

Gifts

My daughter's partner Logan is into landscaping - and on his Christmas list was "native plants". It just so happens that we needed to clear these off our bush path, so I hope he likes them!

We've only lost the droopy one - the rest are looking good

Our dogs will be getting a stocking - Munta will be getting a new spare lead, made from the strap of a damaged-beyond-donating handbag.

Twitch (Logan's dog) will be getting all the tennis balls that we have found on the beach, because Munta has no interest in them whatsoever. Plus some packaging free dog treats each.

Derek and I have agreed on a $10-limited something fun from the op shop each, because we have bought ourselves an experience gift of a few days away with a music concert included.

We might not have a snowy Christmas here in Paradise, but we have Christmas colours in our flax flowers, with the added bonus that the birds and bees love it.

In case I don't get back here before Christmas - Merry Christmas everyone, and a safe and peaceful holiday to you all.

Green Parking, In the Sewing Mood

One of my goals for this year was to quit getting those plastic parking tickets from the parking machines. 
I'm ashamed to say that it has taken me far too long, but I have now logged on with mpark.co.nz and it was easy.
Now when I go to a carpark, all I have to do is log in on my phone and say how long I want to park for and pay. The beauty of this is that if I overstay my time, I can log in from wherever I am and extend the time without having to rush back from somewhere, or risk getting ticketed.

No more of these for me

Even after years ago deciding to stop using new plastic, I am still reducing plastic out of my life. 
Do you have this parking payment mode where you live?

We're finally getting sorted after our return from holiday. It has been hectic; preparing houses for new tenants and coping with the loss of Derek's 95 year old mother, just weeks after our return. Also our gardens were overgrown and seeds needed starting. 
I was hankering for a week in the studio, just pottering. Yesterday was the first day I managed...and this is what I got up to...

Sewed a button on daughter's boyfriend's pants (button was lost -  mum'll have one)
Made 10 produce bags (for the Boomerang bags stall at the Vegan Expo this weekend)
Repaired 2 teatowels - because I like mended stuff
Patched a pair of leggings that snagged on a stick while gardening - they now have a piece of black lace covering the mend, on black leggings.
Made a sewing machine dust cover - finally, after how many years??
Put a zip into a single use vacuum cleaner bag, so it's not single use any more. The zip was salvaged from my old work uniform.
Made an avocado ripening bag from an old blanket scrap. I'm dubious that this is going to work, but will post it if it does. It's meant to hasten ripening ++
Made a draught stopper snake from some knit fabric and scraps from the overlocker. It looks like a python that swallowed a villager, I think the next one will be an improvement hehe.  

It has been unseasonably cold today and I have been back in there again ...so much to do. I figure that if I complete lots of projects then there won't be so much to stash and tidy.

Around the Op Shops

Here in New Zealand our charity shops are called "Op shops" - short for opportunity.

I thought I'd show the interiors of a few of our local ones here in Whangarei.

There are about ten in Whangarei, of varying sizes. The three I'm showing are big, well laid out, good displays and there's no odour to them.

Hospice Op shop Whangarei

Hospice Op shop, Robert Street, Whangarei 

The biggest is the Hospice shop. It has everything, especially a great book section where I bought a book on Paris for 50cents. There's also another overflow Hospice clothes shop that I have never looked in. Our local Hospice is partially funded by the government - the rest is from donations and the shop.

The next is the Red Cross shop - again clean and well set out, but not much furniture here. I bought the little picture frame here for $3 - not a great bargain, but I have been looking for ages for a small square frame for a cool little gift card that I was given - if only I can find it now.

Red Cross Op Shop, Bank Street, Whangarei

The last is the Salvation Army store - newly revamped and not back to full stock yet I think. 

Salvation Army Op Shop - Vine Street, Whangarei

Katie was thrilled to find a pair of shoes to wear to the ball here ("they'll hardly be seen under the dress and will probably only be worn once") for $2 - and they're leather! But better than that was a pair of perfectly fitting Levi jeans for $5 which made her day.

I like to not buy new anything if i can buy it second hand, as a way of not using up the Earth's resources and of being frugal. There are a few exceptions though - people just need to do what they're comfortable with. 
I think it makes me be more creative, shopping like this.

Keeping Rice Crackers Good, a Dinosaur, a Phone Holder...

Hi there. 

We were out for lunch a couple of days ago and it reminded me of a hack (that is a tip for the older generation) that I learned from my daughter. 
The grandson had these rice cracker type things, and it reminded me how quickly they go soft - but my daughter taught me that you store them in the fridge and they stay crisp - you don't even have to seal the packet! I thought maybe I was the last person in the world to know this, but seeing as my stepdaughter didn't know that - I'm sharing it.

Little grandson turned 2 a week or so back, and he's hugely into dinosaurs. We found him a dinosaur book appropriate for his age, and I made him a rice-stuffed dinosaur that can be heated in the microwave for him to snuggle. Their old villa is incredibly cold in Winter. 

I also made him a sleep sack out of scrap material with an inner of an old felted wool blanket.

While I'm on the sewing with scraps theme...
we end up with a lot of fabric scraps from using the overlockers when making boomerang bags. I don't like to throw them out, so here are a couple of things that I've made from them. 

One is just a lowly pincushion, but the fancy thing about it is that flat piece out behind -  it sits under the sewing machine so that it stays put.
The second is a prototype of a phone holder that I made by copying one I saw on Pinterest. I feel the design could be tweaked a little to get the phone to sit more steadily, but hey - it works.

And lastly, while we're still on the subject of sewing - I wanted to show you our SewGood Station.

Whangarei's SewGood Station - a community sewing machine

This is one of our donated machines, set up permanently in Ecosolutions, in Whangarei for anyone at all to use. So, if people need to do mending or want to sew their own reusable bags - it's free to use, although a koha (donation) is happily accepted. 
There is a stash of materials, threads, scissors - in fact about everything you'd need - right there. There's also an overlocker there for people to use, although it's only a 3 thread. A 3 thread overlocker is only good for finishing edges, whereas a 4 thread is strong enough to sew the seam.
I think it's great - but it doesn't get used much yet.

Oh, and do you like my new blog header? I've been meaning to do this for years, but have just had the incentive provided for me - something a bit exciting that can be revealed closer towards the end of the year. Sorry - going to keep you in suspense.