Mangrove Honey, Little Balls of Energy

Hi All - look what we've got in our backyard!

They are only here while the mangroves are flowering, but maybe it will be an annual event.
Who knew you could get mangrove honey! We're looking forward to trying some, plus we needed a new honey-in-glass supplier - and he found us!

Energy Balls

I made up this recipe when we wanted a little something with our morning coffee to give us some zip to get through the rest of the chores. It's especially good when I don't feel like using the oven - because that usually means that I cook several things to be efficient with heating the oven.
The recipe is fairly flexible - just use what you've got and get it to the right degree of moisture that the balls will hold together.

Into the food processor place:
1 cup of dates
1/2 cup of nuts
1/4 cup of seeds (flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower - any of these)
6-8 pieces of crystalized ginger
1/3 cup of dark chocolate buttons, melted

Whiz them up. It should be able to be rolled into small balls - about 1 teaspoonful is a good size, then roll in coconut and store until they're gone in a container in the fridge.
They'd be good for children's lunchboxes too. Heck, the kids could make them.

Well we're off camping this week - that will be the first time in over 10 years for both of us. With our band winding down there should be more opportunities if we enjoy it (and I'm picking we will - fishing, reading, playing guitar, hopefully meeting some new people). I post a pic next time - we're going somewhere local and lovely.

A Day of Sadness

March 15th 2019 will always be remembered here as a day of sorrow in the wake of the mosque shootings in Christchurch. Fifty lives taken as they went about their peaceful practice of prayer.

Hopefully it will unite all New Zealanders even more as they stand in solidarity with the Muslims who call New Zealand home. 
Our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed to change our gun laws to no longer allow semi automatic weapons and to tighten gun ownership regulations.

We are a peaceful country so this is unexpected and shocks us all to the core.

Kia Kaha - stay strong 

Arohanui - great love  💓

Anne

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).

The Remakery, Bella Vacca Milk, Wetsuit Repair

Rather than feel bad about all the plastic and pollution in the world, I am cheered by the changes I see happening now on a regular basis - so to cheer you too, here's a little round up of small local things that add up.....

The Remakery...this is a new initiative about to kick off this month at 3 Woods Road Whangarei. It is being enabled by Habitat for Humanity, who have funding from our District Council to reduce waste. 

Lots of new murals around Whangarei - this one is of a Kereru, or native wood pigeon, on the building that will house the Remakery

The Remakery will include Upcycling workshops and a monthly Repair Cafe. The building already is home for Food Rescue Whangarei, Whare Bike (bike repair), a wholefoods co-op and Ano againreuse, run by a talented lady who upcycles unwanted denim into fashion. SewGood, our community sewing group will also be in there, and Boomerang Bags will hold some weekend workshops there too at times. I love this 💗

We can now buy milk in glass bottles here! BellaVacca milk is rolling out to more retail stores every few weeks. It costs $8 for the first bottle, then with your next purchase just return the clean bottle, and it will only cost around $3.70 - $4/ litre. This is quite a lot dearer than milk bought in a plastic bottle - but the milk is great. I offset that cost by using powdered milk (that I can buy packaging free) in baking etc. 

Wetsuit repairs. I'm learning some new skills!
 A local Not-For-Profit Experiencing Marine Reserves asked if our SewGood team could help with wetsuit repairs - they teach snorkelling to school children, with an environmental focus. I thought I could give it a whirl, have done some research....and look what I've got to work on!

A whole carton load of wetsuits awaiting repair!

As a practice on some offcuts of old suits, I've made some arm protectors for picking blackberries, and a beer coozie and some covers for my milk bottles, to insulate and protect them. Now to get down to the real work.  

Lilliput Library - do you have one of these in your area yet? This one has just popped up over summer at our local beach, Pataua North. 

Pataua North Lilliput Library - book sharing

Such a cool idea don't you think?

Napier and Hawkes Bay NZ

Christmastime is our busy summer season here, which is why I have not posted for ages. Gardens, visitors and a busy band schedule keep me away from blogging.
We ran away last week, booked an Air BnB in Napier (population 64,ooo)- which is 476k (295miles) from our home, and 320k N/E of the capital, Wellington. (Not so much a small town - but oh well).
Primarily we went for a Toto concert at one of the wineries, but for 4 nights so that we could have a look around as I hadn't been there since the 60's (I was very young haha).

Napier is known for it's Art Deco architecture - owing to the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake that meant a lot of the city had to be rebuilt. They make a feature of it with an Art Deco festival every year. (That's the Mr)

Vintage shopping at Charleston Chic

She also sang through the megaphone, which made it sound like an old record

Napier lights up at night with many beautiful light-changing fountains

Controversial zigzag track up Te Mata Peak - local Maori were not consulted when a permit was given to Craggy Range Winery to make the track. Locals want it removed.

We bypassed the big wineries for this one - Akarangi - in an old church. The wine tasting session was an entertainment in itself. 

The carved gateway to the Star Compass at Waitangi Regional Park,Hawkes Bay.

The Star Compass, Waitangi Regional Park, Hawkes Bay

Wineries, vintage shopping, stunning scenery and a  great concert - what's not to love?

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.