Friday, 31 July 2009
walk score
but that's about right... we didn't own a car (and i didn't even know how to drive!) for the first four years of living in our apartment. even when i got a job that took 80mins to get to by public transport and only 25mins by car i still didn't bother learning how to drive.
but when we bought a block of land in the suburbs, despite it being in an 'eco village', one of the first thing i knew i needed to do was learn to drive and buy a car.
moving to the suburbs definatley has it's downfalls.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
raw milk
i've found raw organic jersey milk! my heart skipped a beat and I did a little dance when I first saw it sitting in the refrigerator cabinet! so that puts me one step closer to number 65 on my list "eat nourishing traditions style for a month and see how i feel ..." without having to give up milk.
but, now that I finally have raw milk I come across a few problems that I hadn't thought about before though.
i drink lots of milk, but mostly its in hot drinks and I don't know how much I can heat the raw milk before i may as well have gotten pasteurized milk. Is it ok to put raw milk in my hot tea or coffee? what about heating it on the stove for chai? I don't know…
the milk comes ALL the way from Gympie in Queensland (that's 2200km away!) so I want to make sure that I'm getting the most out of it… especially because you can get B.d. Farm Paris Creek bio-dynamic in conversion organic milk everywhere in Adelaide now.
maybe i should have thought about all this before i paid $6 for 2L of milk!
It is very very tasty in my smoothies though!
Thursday, 23 July 2009
101 things in 1001 days
of things i want to do in the next 1001 days.
It was difficult to decide what things should go on the list, and what things i wanted to just let be, but this is what i came up with...
start date: Friday 24 July 2009
end date: Friday, 20 April 2012
- Walk the Overland Track in Tasmania. (I'm really excited about this one so it goes first!)
- Climb Waterfall Gully to Mt Lofty (or similar) 30 times before walking the overland track.
- Walk the Yurrebilla Trail through the Adelaide Hills
- Walk the Deep Creek National Park section of the Heyson Trail (camp halfway)
- Find another trail that excites me and walk it. Maybe in Victoria, Northern NSW or SE QLD?
- Walk the Marino cliff tops from Brighton to Hallet Cove Conservation park with Belinda
- Do the Victor Harbour walk Ben's dad recommended
- Walk through Mt George Conservation Park with my boss
- Walk from home/the city to Victoria and Nakita's house along the Torrens River before we move.
- Try taking Radish (our apartment cat) for another walk on her leash
- Do a term of Belly dancing lessons.
- Go on a picnic
- Visit 15 exhibitions
- Hire out the Mt Lofty youth hostel with friends
- Go to Deep Creek National Park
- Go to Kangaroo Island
- Go to the Flinders Ranges
- Climb St Mary's Peak in the Flinders Ranges
- Go on a holiday with just Ben, no one else.
- Go to a Rainbow Gathering
- Go to a Confest
- Go to a Folk Festival … not Woodford again … preferably the national one in Canberra with Belinda.
- Make sure I see my globetrotting friend Emma.
- Grown my hair and plait it like it was when I was 17
- Get a henna tattoo … but not at a festival … little A would be really good at this
- Visit my nana in Melbourne
- See my family 4 times a month for 6 months
- Do something fun with just my siblings
- Practice yoga five times a week for a month so I get into the habit again. (This one doesn't count until I've inevitably gotten distracted from my yoga, then had to drag myself back to it)
- Do sun salutations every morning for a few weeks and see how I feel (I'm usually a night time yogi)
- Do 108 sun salutations to celebrate something
- Organise my pantry (which is really a pile of boxes full of food in the bedroom because my kitchen is that small)
- Empty my cupboards of nasty things and start cleaning using green, frugal methods
- Learn to make soap
- Clean up the plants on my balcony.
- Clean out my closet and donate at least 2 big ikea bags worth of clothing
- Sort out my superannuation.
- Make and bottle lots of tomato sauce
- Make and bottle lots of jam
- Make sourdough bread
- Make ginger Beer
- Make a fruit or vegetable wine
- Cook Christmas Pudding with Belinda (before September)
- Cook Sri Lankan wedding cake with mum
- Cook with duck
- Cook with rabbit
- Cook with goat
- Cook a cassoulet with Ben
- Cook using another ingredient I haven't used before
- Cook 10 things from 101 cookbooks
- Cook slow roasted pork with Jel and steal her secrets
- Learn a delicious Japanese dish from Jel.
- Find the perfect Japanese cookbook
- Cook an Indian feast to share with Ben's siblings.
- Cook up a tajine feast with Belinda
- Eat at Bridgewater Mill
- High Tea at the Apothecary on Hindley St with Belinda
- Eat/drink coffee at 10 new places with Belinda
- Go to the Willunga farmers market
- Go mushrooming
- Only do food shopping at the farmers markets and the central markets for a month. No quick trips to the Woolworths near works or the IGA down the street because I haven't been organised enough to buy what I need or I don't already have what I really want to eat.
- Only buy organic or 'in conversion' food for a month. See if I feel any healthier…
- Acquire bags for fruit/veg/loose grains etc from Kel … and use them
- Don't use a microwave for a month, re-examine whether or not I need to have a microwave afterwards
- Eat nourishing traditions style for a month and see how i feel ...
- Learn to sew something wonderful from Anakin
- Learn to sew a quilt (and finish it)
- Finish knitting Ben a headband/hat thingamajig
- Knit dishcloths
- Learn how to knit something more complicated than a single rectangle/square
- Learn to crochet
- Crochet a granny square rug
- Learn to embroider something pretty
- Make 10 presents for friends/family instead of buying things
- Sew myself some cloth pads to complete my stash, or get a moon cup
- Give blood. last time i gave blood was also the first time i ever fainted so i'm scared of this one
- Learn to recognise 20 new plant species
- Learn and draw 20 construction details for work
- Find a way to use Adobe Illustrator usefully for work
- Learn something about photography/my camera from Victoria, my boss, J
and the internet
- Learn something about using Photoshop better from J and the internet
- Make and Send 10 Postcards
- Write a letter to Cagri, my highschool penpal from turkey who recontacted me through facebook
- Write my nana a letter
- Take photos … one a day for a month
- Write posts … one a day for a month
- Read 20 novels recommended/borrowed from Belinda
- Read 20 non-fiction books recommended/borrowed from Belinda
- Read/watch 20 Ben recommended things
- Read 'How to be a better foodie. A bulging little book for the truly epicurious' by Sugi Pigott as recommended by kel
- Move out of our apartment and into our house (when its finally built)
- Be 3 years ahead on our mortgage
- Learn about companion planting
- Start a Vegetable Garden
- Start Composting
- Plant 20 different vegetables/herbs/fruit
- Harvest 20 different vegetables/herbs/fruit
- Get chickens
- Hold a working Bee at the community garden
- Start planting in the community garden
- Harvest something from the community garden
so that's the list done, now i just have to get started…
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
the first step
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
So now i've got a plan i just have to put it into action. My mum always told me i should write more lists and be more organised ...