Picking myself up

You will probably have noted it's been a while.

I am currently struggling with most parts of my life, and there is a serious lack of structure. Which is resulting in nothing being the most successfully(?) accomplished job. As in nothing is getting done.

Today I am going to attempt changing that. So I'll be sharing pics of the disaster area known as my desk and work area. And going to make a serious attempt at doing something about it.

Long time, no see

Well, I have been rather remiss about writing anything for a while. I have been in a mental state which hasn't really allowed me to write for any length of time, much less think thoughts which made sense when put together.

Things should be easing up now. Some of the issues which have been hindering me are more or less resolved. The main one being the fact that my aide was moving, and which meant I was going to have a new one, and all the uncertainties involved.

My aide of eight or so years has now left. She came to my home for the last time about a fortnight ago. This Friday my new and future aide will be coming for a short visit, just so we can get a feel for each other. Then her usual time for visiting will be Thursday mornings. This means my weekly schedule, such as I had been working on for a good while, will need changing.

My Thursdays are now probably going to be my busiest days. See, I have also managed to start going to choir again after a few years' break. And that is Thursday evenings. And the afternoons will be knit group meetings once that starts again.

On the other hand, this means that Tuesday is now an empty day. Which can be used for a whole multitude of things.

Now, Tuesday was the day when we got the veggie box. And I have to admit, it hasn't worked well for me. Or not as well as when it was Thursdays. Because it meant moving my meal planning day from sometime in the weekend to a few days into the week, so I could incorporate the contents. I need to figure out how I am going to solve that pickle. I might talk to the lady running the veggie box distribution about moving the day. One solution, the one involving not getting the box at all, is not going to be used. Because I can tell by the amount of veg I have eaten since the summer break (aka hardly any veg at all), that getting that box is a good help for me.

I seem to be improving on the fruit eating though. Or drinking. I have started making smoothies several mornings of the week now. So I'm not going totally without natural vitamins. And as I now finally have bought my second freezer I will be able to get loads of applesauce for consumption in innumerable ways added to my list.

Tomorrow is 1st September. The first day of a new month, the first day of a new season, and also the first day of a number of challenges I've signed up for or decided to do.

I have decided to do my own decluttering challenge. This involves me taking a picture in the morning of some small area, and then putting up a second picture of it in the evening. The goal is that the second picture should look much better. It doesn't have to be perfect, just better. If I do that every day (bar my birthday), I should have a tidier home at the end of the month. At least, that's what I'm banking on. If you want to keep tabs on that, I can be found at otteatthebackofbeyond there. I'll be using #Septemberdeclutteringchallenge2015.

I am also taking part in Miss Trenchcoat/Alexis Giostra's #CharmedDSLR photo challenge. I may well be doing it with both my new phone camera as well as my parents' old camera.

And then I want to see if I can finally get to grips with the ListersGottaList challenge. I have been trying - and failing - for several months. I think if September fails too, then it might be time for me to give up on that challenge entirely.

Now, all that remains to see is whether all these good intentions bring me towards Hell or someplace else.

Homestead happiness

Some people may have a romantic image of what it means to have a homestead. I know I do at times. The reality is not quite so rosy red. There's a lot of work involved. And maintenance.

At the moment I have a bricklayer working on the rear end of my stable. He is prepping for the carpenter to put in some new doors and windows. One of the doors had all but disintegrated and the other wasn't too hot either. The windows were perhaps not too bad - but plexi instead of real glass.

The brickwork isn't finished with this. Around the beginning of September the bricklayer will be back to remove crumbling mortar and refinish the walls on the outside (bar the parts which got repaired some years ago). I know this is necessary work, but it does mean unforeseen expenses for this year, not to mention a lot of mess and noise and blokes running around all day.





So perhaps I should focus on some of the good parts. Friday I had my parents around to help harvest my cherries. There was rain on the horizon, and ripe or almost ripe cherries do not handle large rainfalls well. They start to rip open and then all the insects get ready for a party. We managed to get over 11 kgs of cherries picked. Which was pretty good. There were still a good number of kilos left, perhaps another ten or so more, but the rain has been playing merry havoc, and there's no more cherry harvesting this year.


























And then there's the whole matter of what you do with 11 kgs of cherries. By the time we had finished picking I had already stuffed myself full of them, so I wasn't in the mood for eating any as such.





Instead I used three kilos for making cherry mush, as I call it. Basically applesauce, just made with cherries and mashed through a sieve. Which makes for good exercise. And a lot of hard work. Mum took a few kilos home, and I gave another to a friend. And the rest got tossed in the steam juicer, or Mehu Maija as we call it, and turned into cherry juice. I didn't bother using any sugar at all - last year mum put in some and made it almost too sweet. At the moment I still have some left in the juicer, and some mush in the fridge, but the rest is now in the freezer.




This of course leads me on to another of the joys, or is it woes, of homesteading. Freezer space. Which I am running short on now. And this is before apple season has started. And mum has now informed me that she has ordered a whole lamb from a mutual friend. I think I'm going to have to get that second freezer I've been talking about this coming month. Which will provide me a few more headaches and decisions; where should I put it, which freezer do I actually want, another bill to pay.

And in spite of these challenges and issues which need taking care of, I wouldn't want to pack up and move into a more urban house. I may not always find it amusing to have to deal with these things, but the pride and joy and sense of fulfillment which comes of eating things which I have grown myself keeps me on. I may never get to being totally self-sufficient, but  that's okay too. At least I am trying. And not just dreaming about it.

I wish I had a picture of the cake mum made Sunday. She baked the cake part using my eggs, and then the fruit in it was partly from my garden, and partly from theirs. Cherries, raspberries, red currants, white red currants, black currants. There were a few store-bought strawberries too. And the flour, sugar, and creme fraiche/sour cream were bought too. But half of the ingredients for that cake were home-grown. I'm afraid I just gobbled up my part of it before taking pics. Too tasty to bother with that.

(And in case you are curious - I have now succeeded in getting pics from my phone onto my blog - but it isn't as smoothly as I suspect it could be. I will be experimenting more. But this is a step forward from last.)

How the mighty have fallen!

You may recall me being skeptical about mobile phones. You may also remember me saying I had decided to get one at long last.

Well, that happened Thursday. I went off to the "mainland" with mum in tow to get answers to questions, and have a look at phones. Actually deciding and getting one was not part of the deal, for I expected I would need time to then digest all the information first.

Well, I had apparently done my homework well, for in less than an hour I felt I was okay to actually make a decision. So about 90 minutes after walking into the phone shop, I walked out with a mobile phone in my bag. And on some sort of high. Partly because I was all excited about this, partly I suspect because being able to make that decision in that short span of time is a new thing. I think I spent half a year contemplating a stove about six or seven years ago. And after finally having decided upon one, promptly discovered it had been discontinued.

The washing machine I bought four or so years ago took about an hour, but that was mostly because there was a limited range to choose from, and I really wanted one. And mum was along to help back then as well.

So, now I have had my phone for a few days now, and I am spending a ridiculous amount of time focusing on it. I now have an instagram account, I have downloaded several games with which I am wasting so much time, and I have been playing with settings and things, and generally being obsessive. I have learned how to text, and also now have whatsapp with a few friends on my contacts list. The only reason I haven't stuffed more on is because yesterday morning was time to harvest my cherries (or at least start) because rain was promised (and delivered in no uncertain way) for today. And rain and ripe cherries are not a good combo. Ruined harvest is what happens.

Now, while I am getting the hang of lots of new things, there are twice as many which I still haven't mastered yet. One of which is getting pictures from my phone to my computer. Or figuring out how to get images from instagram on to my blog post. I have a lovely picture of the bulk of the 11+ kgs of cherries we picked yesterday, but I can't get it to turn up here.

Meanwhile I have also been slipping up in my newly formed habits. I haven't been carrying my planner around with me at all times these past days, and things have been erratic. I am taking the philosophical approach to this. I know my brain and nerves have been all on red alert with the phone thing, and now that is mostly dealt with. I also know this is only for a short while as I adjust to this. And I have become aware that some things have been slipping because of my focus being so firmly attached to the phone. And in fact, I have already started taking steps to make sure that there is no further slipping.

Yet another sign I am getting better.


And now, allow me to present you with ... oh, right. I still haven't named my phone. I don't even know if it's a he or a she, or possibly it doesn't have a gender.

 He/she/it is a Samsung Galaxy S6 in the white, and lives in a dark grey/black Krusell magnetic cover.

I can keep it in just the case, or in the cover. Currently I'm using the cover on the go, but remove it and just use the case at my desk.















My two laptops are Athena and Bunter, which makes me wonder if my phone is a C. Do any of you guys have a clue about its gender or name? Or are you one of those people who never names items and gadgets?

And if you want to see what about 10 kgs of yellow cherries look like, go check me out on instagram @otteatthebackofbeyond.

Summertime Blues?

I haven't been posting this past week after coming back home from holiday. I have been tired, and also in a funk of sorts. It hasn't been easy getting through all the days, and I've had my work cut out just keeping me fed. Meal planning has been a lifesaver.

I am reminding myself that I am only human, and one with a few extra challenges installed. It hasn't completely kept me for beating myself up about not posting. But even though I have a few things I know I want to write about, I just haven't been able to put pen to paper, so to speak, and get the posts written.

I hope you can forgive this lapse in posting. I am hoping to get on to it next week. I have loads of stuff to share. The week that is leaving saw me have a yummy meal at one of the local summer restaurants, and the summer concerts started. At the end of the month there's a medieval fair type of thing going on. I scored lots of crafty stuff on holiday. My planner is developing.

I think I am going to go outside and sit down on one of my lawns, and either blow soap bubbles (yeah, I haven't grown out of that) or continue excavating my dinosaur egg (no, not a real one, those made of gypsum and with plastic bones in). Nothing too strenuous, brings a quiet joy, and gets me out in a bit of light and fresh air.

Summer in the garden

While I am off gallivanting to the summer home in Finland, these things are going on in my garden.

My peony is looking like this:

Up close and personal it looks like this

The white rose which is just younger than the house (1907) is looking a bit spindly, but ready to burst at the seams

Also in the front garden, this white flowering shrub, whose name is currently evading me

Now, it's not just flowers I've got in my garden. This is one of the many tiny apples growing on my trees (17 apple trees if my memory serves me right)

And while they do first have to form flowers, these funny-looking chaps will turn into grapes in some months' time

And finally, flower and food (or in this case drink) in the form of one of my elder trees

And they will definitely be long gone when I come back. Fortunately mum might harvest some to make cordial. But the fried, battered flowers won't be happening this year.

Makes you wonder why on earth I am heading off north with all this going on. But when I return, I'll have pics and perhaps even some videos which should explain why I am off north. And might make you wonder why on earth I am coming back home again.

Travel nerves

Right now I am sitting on a ferry. I am off on holiday with my dad. We are headed off for the family summer home up in Finland. Sort of at the back of beyond.

When you live at one back of beyond and holiday at another the trip takes on epic proportions. The fun part is that we get to use practically every form of transportation possible. So we're now on a ferry. Once we get to the mainland we walk a short bit to the bus station. Then we go by bus to a train station. From there we catch (surprise!) a train. This time we are actually not headed for the airport, so instead we'll be headed for a hotel. But tomorrow we will be flying. And when we get through baggage reclaim and passports and customs we're going to pick up our rented car.

I guess at some point we will have to figure out if we can get bikes or carts pulled by animals in there.

I have a love/hate relationship with travelling. On one hand I like to go places, familiar and new, and have a change of scenery and find myself removed from the daily routines. On the other hand I suffer badly from nervousness and anxiety about travelling. I worry about getting to the next place in time, I worry about losing my way, I worry about forgetting things, I worry about having to keep an eye on my stuff. This time around I started being restless and unfocused almost a week ago. Even though I actually did have a list of things to bring, and having help in making sure I had clean clothes to bring.

One thing I am pretty pleased about, though, is that for once I haven't left a mountain of dirty dishes for mum to deal with. I did have help, my aide came round this morning and helped me. But there is just one glass left because I needed a drink. I also did get a few areas looking neater than normal. I also failed (again) to make the entryway more navigable. I have had to ask her to return some library books. But the dishes aren't there!

Now I'll leave you with some pics I just took from the ferry deck. I might be able to get another post ready for while I'm gone, but I am headed for non-internet territory so you will likely have to wait a while.

The view looking straight back into the harbour.

The famous (and protected) bathing huts at Vester strand

 The closest teeny-tiny island, uninhabited, but frequently used for cow pasturing

Same, with view to more islands in the horizon

Joshua and his girls, part 2

2014 started off with being a flock of seven chickens. That all changed during the summer. Two hens went broody, one opting to stay in Fowlty Towers for some peace and quiet, while Cecily found her way up to my hayloft. I did try moving her and the eggs into Fowlty Towers, but she was having none of that, and went off brood. However, before long she was back up in the hayloft with a new clutch of eggs. This time she got her way.

The results of this ended up with two chicks in the small coop,

 and a massive five in the hayloft.













Which meant that my flock had doubled in number. This was all very exciting, and a bit daunting. But I was hopeful that this would mean a chance to test my butchering abilities.

I waited for the downstairs chicks to have been out and about and capable of living with the other chickens before getting the others down. I should probably have got them down earlier, perhaps that would have been easier. Actually getting the silly creatures caught and moved was one part sneakiness, one part patience, and three parts luck. Once they were settled into Fowlty Towers they were kept in there for a week before I could let them roam, and even then it took some days for the the two mama hens to agree that they each could keep their own chicks. Joshua and I had to intervene several times; I am happy to say I think I did a better job than he did.

As they grew older it turned out the two were brothers, while the Hayloft Gang was two guys and three gals. This meant I would be getting four whole chickens for my larder. That got a bit of a setback during the autumn, when I discovered one of the cockerels missing and next day found him dead and with several wounds. I had guests at the time, and one of them had seen a dog running in my yard. We never heard anything, in spite of the flock being very voluble at times, but I strongly suspect that dog killed it.

A word to you dog owners - please be mindful when you are walking your dog in rural areas where free range chickens roam. And if you discover your dog has wounded or killed one, do the decent thing and 'fess up. I will say, it is possible this dog's owner never realised what it had done, so that is fair. But they shouldn't have let it roam freely around in my garden.

So when the end of 2014 rolled around I had 13 chickens in my flock. And was getting all excited at the prospect of home-grown chicken for lunch.

♪♪ Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat ♫♪

No, don't panic! December hasn't snuck up from behind to surprise you!

Yet.

Chances are, it will do so later in the year.

But yesterday I reveled in the thought that it was exactly half a year to Christmas Eve. I am a total Christmas loon, so any excuse for making Christmas related activities is grabbed.

I have actually already started preparing for Christmas 2015. I have prepared and wrapped a Christmas advent parcel calendar for a friend. So come November, all I need to do is pop them into a package, write a note and get it sent. I also know exactly what I'm getting my dad for Christmas, which is a bit of a surprise, as he is always difficult. It will require some experimenting, some test running, and then I need to order the pieces and build. So I have an idea I will do well to start next month.

Because December has this funny habit of sneaking up on you. I mean, we all know December comes after November, but it always seems such a long way off. Until suddenly there it is, staring you in the face.

I am planning on making every 24th from here on into a Christmas prep day. Making notes, plans, lists. In the designated notebook I have. Starting that notebook has been a good thing for me. I started it several years ago, and one of the first things I did was start to note down how much gift wrapping paper I had. By the time I had added up to some 58 metres and still wasn't done, I made a mental note to not buy any more. And spent the next years avoiding all areas with gift paper so as not to be tempted. I have been successful at not buying any since. Using it up has been more iffy. So I have twice in the intervening years gone through and sorted out a few rolls which have been given away.

I should tally them up this year, but I still know not to buy. There's enough for many years to come, still.

I also discovered back then, that I shouldn't buy any Christmas cards. So ever since, I've been avoiding those areas. Unfortunately I have seen fit to start making a few of my own. And in spite of wanting to send off lots of Christmas cards, never got around to it. Last year I did break the writing block and got a good number off. I am hoping to improve on that run. I am still rather worried it will take a few years before the stash of cards is gone though.

What was successful last year was the amount of food and baking I got done. Both for Christmas Eve itself, but also in general. And the experimenting and creating of my own recipes. I didn't get to any final stage, but I finally got to try out ideas I've been harbouring for years, and had a lot of fun too.

Fancy joining me every 24th (or 25th) in doing small preparations for Christmas? The more, the merrier. You know where to find me. I'll be right here. Having fun. And getting organized. While singing about poultry putting on weight.

What's in your fridge? 23.6.15

I am currently at that annoying stage in fridge time, where you are starting to run out of things to use for making meals, but you are leaving for a holiday lasting several days in just a week's time so you don't really want to stock up on things which will then go bad.

And I have discovered I can't even get my mum to use up some of the things.

So this is the state of my fridge now. And yes, those red cartons are all 1/2 litre cream cartons. Two of which are decidedly sour. I really should use them tomorrow for cooking leftover bulgur and assorted seeds and let my chickens snack on that. At least, they love it when I use buttermilk or old yoghurt, so I'm counting on this working.

There's some leftover pizza in there, which will do nicely for tomorrow's supper. Which reminds me - lunch tomorrow is going to be tricky as I'll be out of the house.

The large bottle in the bottom of the door is elderflower cordial - from two years ago. Mum has refused to make any this year, because nobody drinks it. That's mostly because I can't remember I have any. This should make a difference, having it next to the milk.

That strange purpley/fuschia thing in the door is not for me - that's a snack for Ramses. I only give him 1/3-1/2 of the soft food sachets at a time, and store the rest in the fridge. Then I give him the remainder and pour hot water over it to warm it up as treats. I can't afford giving him a whole sachet at a time - it is a bit much for one helping, and once it has been in his dish for some hours, he refuses to eat it up.

I honestly have no idea what I'm eating this week. Partly because of the random items in there, partly because my brain is already seriously in travel jitter mode, and getting the last things done before leaving, and so therefore cooking is ... erratic.

Danish strawberries have hit the shops now though, and mum is very fond of buying and bringing me some, so I am getting a good bit of my nourishment that way. And I am not eating them all with sugar and cream - I am eating them nude, so to speak. All of which isn't having much effect on my fridge.

Après Garden Walk

Thursday evening was a success! Well, apart from the weather. I found myself wishing I'd brought gloves along, and I know several people wished they'd put on socks.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

First up, I spent a good deal of Thursday preparing cakes. I had planned for Wednesday to be the day I decided which recipes to use and make sure I had the ingredients I needed, and then Thursday to be baking and nothing else. Well, apart of course, for the garden walk itself. This meant I was actually able to have a pretty stress-free day.

So I made some oatmeal cookies with nuts and chocolate chips and then concocted a lemon roll by combining a few recipes. That was a very successful experiment; so much in fact I will have to right it down as a recipe in its own right. (And perhaps even make a few people happy by giving it to them.) And then mum helped out by making a chocolate cake. I had actually had ambitions of making a third cake myself, but in all honesty, if I had made a third, I'd not have had the energy to go to the walk itself.

The first garden was started about 12 years ago, and contained a tree, one box, a red tin shed, and grass. And the red tin shed was pulled down real quick, and they set to work. Their main problem is the wind. The garden is on part of the ridge on the island, so there's wind from every direction. But they have made a number of rooms in the garden, and put in lots of roses.

This portal-cum-pergola is going to be a spectacular sight before long; just a run of warmth and sun. And a good deal of the shrubbery behind is roses, more roses, and some aquilegias.

 Around the sides of the decking they have built raised beds containing strawberries, herbs, and spuds.

Yup! That length of raised bed below, by the zinc trough, is a spud bed.

 Unfortunately the weather was at its worst while we were here, so the lighting is a bit off on these pics, and we also did get a bit wet.

You know you're having problems when the camera insists on using the flash while taking pics outdoors.











Then we headed off for the next garden, in a somewhat more urban area. This time, they have had the garden from 1978 or so, starting from a newly developed plot. Over the years, the requirements for the garden have changed, so there has been recent rescaping. Many of the older plants are from an old vicarage garden, and then there's the 40 odd different roses, many of which are more recent additions.

 View of the front garden, with a glimpse through the opening leading into the back of the garden.

 Once through the green arch you are in a corridor of green with a row of old apple trees, leading on further into the garden.

 A view from the central area in the back into the most secluded spot, now with a fireplace.

 A neat detail which I may well end up copying: the roses had been hung with small wood signs bearing the name of the rose, the type, the breeder, and what I take to be the year it was planted.










The final garden was more informal than the previous. It has been created to be able to manage itself in some ways. The owners can go away on holiday for several weeks and come back to more or less the same garden; no massive weeding required, or watering. The most formal part of it was a small vegetable patch.

Triangular beds placed around a central point for easy access.

I was really captivated by what I think are two cranes, but the one on the left makes me think of the Great Forest Spirit in Princess Mononoke. 

 I was really happy to see the black elder, Black Lace, which I had bought many years ago but didn't survive. I really need to get one again.














And then at the end of it all, it was time for coffee/tea and cake.


Three very different gardens, lots of ideas and inspiration.

Veggie box end of season and garden bake-up

I got my last veggie box of the season two days ago. I did take pics of it, but never got around to posting. I was tired after being away on a short trip, and then Wednesday was not the best of days, so I opted for giving my body and mind time to relax and recharge. I knew I needed to be strong for today, because this evening the local garden society is having our yearly garden walk. This always ends with cake and coffee/tea, and I had volunteered to make a couple of cakes.

Currently the cake part of a lemon roll is cooling, I have the filling for it ready, and then I opted for some oat cookies with nuts and chocolate chips, which are all done and ready in their containers. I have been fortunate enough that mum offered to make the third cake. I might have been able to make one myself, but then I think I wouldn't be able to go this evening.

But this all doesn't have much to do with veggies.

This is more like it. What really struck me about this picture was that for a bunch of greens, there's not a lot of green in there. There's the rocket leaves on the right, and the top of the fennel on the left, and the leaves of the kohlrabi and cauliflower (although you can't see those), but the rest is white and different shades of red.

There's two beetroots, a garlic, three red onions, and a whole bunch of cherry tomatoes apart from the aforementioned veg. And I will be perfectly honest with you guys; I still haven't got a clue how I am going to eat them up.

I have been so focused on the cakes and the walk this evening, that meal-planning has been non-existant. So I will have to leave you hanging on that for a few days more. On the other hand, perhaps some of you have good ideas for me. Especially the rocket and the cauliflower are going to be problematic.

So I'll do a trade with you guys. Give me some suggestions, and I'll reward you with pics of cookies and cakes and views from the three gardens we are going to visit this evening (hopefully it won't rain). And now I better go check up on the roll, once it is cooled I can spread the filling.

Dehoarding and planning and crafting = a happy me

This past week has been rather turbulent. I have been dealing with unforeseen changes of plans, and a lot of decision making. And decisions is not something I am stellar at. Never have been.

This is one reason why my dehoarding progress is as slow as it is. Because I have to decide the fate of every single item in my house. Well, some perhaps not. I have, for instance, made the decision that  my Lego is exempted from dehoarding. I am toying with the prospect of having to give up my Playmobil. I am even willing to consider reducing the number of dinosaurs in my collection. But my Lego? No way!

I have been able to deal with some of my crafting supplies. Some have been rather easy. That was because of the unfortunate fact that paints do not last forever. So I have had to toss a good number of pots and tubes away, much to my dismay. I have also learned the hard way that gel pens are not immortal. There is still a long way to go before I have my crafting supplies under control, but there has been a rather fun development as a result of the dehoarding.

I have started using some of my things!

For many years I haven't been able to get to them, or it has at least been seriously complicated. And then there was the matter of having space to actually use them. And the feeling that I should be doing "sensible" stuff and not having fun. Problem was, I wasn't really doing much of the sensible stuff either, so I was just doing nothing, and being miserable to boot.

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have forbidden myself to do things because "they are fun" and I somehow didn't feel I was allowed that. I got back into knitting some 7 or 8 years ago, and the amount of relief and support it gave me was priceless. Of course, it did land me a massive hoard of yarn.

There is still a long way to go before I get to grips with my craft and hobby hoard. For one, there's that huge amount of yarn which I have managed to acquire. Unfortunately, my knitting mojo has died a bit. But I think it may well get revived this weekend. I have also managed to get myself a sizeable hoard of cross stitching items. Blame my mum and gran for that. They were avid cross stitchers, and managed to infect me. Actually, they also are to blame for the knitting. At least in my younger days.

Now, I am having fun. I have started making and creating. I may well decide that this or that hobby or craft is not something I actually love, but that's fine. Because then I will know, and I will be able to start getting rid of the things and make room for the things I do enjoy. And this sudden burst of creating has come alongside an increase in doing some of all that sensible stuff. Because I am planning and structuring my days and weeks. So there's room for both the sensible and the fun.

Another Luddite bites the dust?

Some of you will already know that I am not the most forward of people. Technology is not necessarily evil, but it isn't necessarily good, either.  And some of you will be familiar with the fact that I don't have a mobile phone. I wouldn't know how to send a text message. And I have been almost proud of it.

I do have a mobile lying around. One my parents fobbed off on me when dad got a new one. It isn't in my name, and I only take it with me when I am going to the mainland for appointments on my own, or when going off to visit a friend. And it only gets used to say "I have arrived" and "I'll be taking this ferry; can you pick me up" and "I'm delayed". It gets fed some money and then I can phone. I don't even know how to feed it.

This is going to change.

First of all, there are perhaps a few things I need to explain about why I have been so anti-mobile phone.

To me, a mobile has meant a yuppie. Yes, those smart and fancy dudes during the nineties, who flashed their mobiles given half an opportunity to show off. I have never understood them. And I have not wanted to be mistaken for one. And I guess I missed the point in time when mobiles went from being yuppie status symbols to being a useful tool.

Mind you, it's not just the yuppies which have made me regard mobiles as loathsome objects. So have the people who will sit in the bus and phone somebody and inform them that they are on the bus. And not actually have anything else to say. Or the young women who need to discuss the latest activities in the bedroom (or elsewhere) and the qualities of their partner in a train compartment full of people (this has only been the women; I haven't ever overheard any guys do it). Or those who discuss confidential business matters in the rear of the bus in a loud voice.

Like all tools, a thing which can be used can also be abused. That doesn't mean the thing itself is bad. Likewise, it isn't all people who behave like bloody idiots when wielding their phones. This has taken some years to get into my head.

Another reason I haven't wanted one, is because somehow it is assumed everyone has one. And a number of services or functions are only open to people with a mobile. One which has been of hindrance to me has been the annoying issue of buying things over the internet (or more accurately, trying to buy) and being stymied by the final step involving typing in your phone number for a code to be messaged so you can verify it. And no option. I mean, youtube has this step for allowing users to upload videos longer than 15 minutes. But they also have the option of receiving a call with a code.

But the payment system couldn't even do that. They say it's for security measures. So if someone has stolen your card, it is inconceivable they might also have made off with your phone? Or just use a pre-paid phone?

This has annoyed me no end, both on my own behalf but also because there are people, many of them older, who don't have the needs, the money and/or the ability to use a mobile or computer. And so many things are being rigged up to only being accessible via a computer, and now increasingly via a mobile. And only a mobile. And that bugs me. It is still too early to solely go that way. I am among the first to have had contact with computers as a child, and that started when I was in my teens. To demand people several decades older than me to be fully functional is not cricket.

So, why am I now about to jump on the bandwagon?

Well, I am hoping to go to America sometime during the next few years. And I am hoping to go to London this autumn. And I know I can't take the mobile I'm borrowing with me, because it won't work abroad. And being able to call people while travelling is one of the good things a mobile allows. And will make life easier. And I will need time to get used to how it works.

Also, some of the places I like to frequent on the net make use of Instagram for some of their things, and I'd like to be able to join in. So, I am looking in to getting myself a phone. This will take some time, as I am a total newbie. But I will succeed.

And I know one of the questions I need answered is "can you text people on the other side of the world, and does it cost more than normal texting?" Because I may be able to get in touch with friends on a whole different level. And getting in touch with friends is good!

What's in your fridge? 9 June

I guess it is confession time. I am not doing too well. There have been a number of issues I have had to deal with, and that means other things get dropped. And my diet has been among the casualties. Admitted, it could be worse. I'm not resorting to frozen pizzas or take-away, and I have been getting care packages from my mum.

Still, my fridge is not exactly neat.

I am getting a bit worried about the state of some of the veg. Especially as I will be off for the weekend. I am rather worried that the contents of both the saucepan and the large bowl are only fit for the rubbish bin. As is the leftover on the plate.

However, the amount of food I have had to bin because it had died, or in some cases, become even more alive, has gone down. Almost dramatically. The focus on flashing my fridge every fortnight is proving to be beneficial.

I am also getting into decreasing the number of jars. Now, this isn't an exercise in making the contents of the fridge be as small as possible. Especially as I actually have a rather large fridge. The exercise is to only have things I actually use. One part of this means identifying what are must-haves, items without which I cannot exist. Or at least will cause discomfort.

I think my number one item has to be milk. Without milk, there will be no drinking of coffee. Without coffee, there will be no brain activity. (OK, so I can drink coffee without milk or cream, but then I need ridiculous amounts of sugar.)

Currently orange juice is probably a solid second. I am once more in the habit of a glass every morning. This is no longer just because I like it. It is because iron gets taken up by the body easier with vitamin c, and as I am taking those darn supplements, I may as well do my best at getting the most out of them. This means a slightly convoluted morning routine, because coffee hampers the intake of iron. So I try to get up around seven, and then take my iron and juice, and then wait for the 30 or so minutes to pass before I can start preparing coffee and breakfast. When I oversleep, things get complicated.


I think my various liquid stocks are my third must-haves. Even though it has been a while since I used them. But they are so good and handy for making so many dishes. Instant flavour, in case whatever it is I'm preparing turns out to be bland. Mind you, I did realize how much more expensive they are compared to the cubes, so I have started to buy those instead. Not all flavours are available in cube form though.

I think I could pretty much survive for weeks without the other items in my fridge, but these three would mean disaster before long. What do you consider to be your must-haves in the fridge?

Organizing Otte: The Odyssey Continues

I have had a bit of an epiphany last night and today. I may have figured out some things I really need to keep in my future planner/calendar.

I have been watching even more videos on youtube, and I seem to be getting tired of some of them. At least the ones with copious mentions of "cute" and "us planner girls". I find myself wondering where all the blokes are. But there are still nuggets of gold to be found in the videos, so I keep at it.

I hadn't really understood why the week on a page or two pages seem so loved. I haven't been able to fathom why they should be necessary when you have your months and your days. Until I realized two things. One of these came upon me a few days ago, and is a consequence of realizing why I can't really work with the monthly pages with blocks set in rows and columns according to week and day.

I get confused when my eyes have to move back and forth along the page and also ignore the weeks above and below the current one. Having the month listed downwards makes it much easier for me to see where I am, and not get distracted and confused by the other weeks. And I will admit, this is the system I have used for years so that means I am used to it.

Once I got my head wrapped around the concept that my eyes and brains can see too much and get distracted, it was easy to see that having my days on a single page means less distractions. The empty space around on the page means less to take in. So while I could probably fit in all of my daily things on the week on two pages spread, there would be so much information vying for my attention, I would lose sight of the relevant things.

And then it struck me that I could use the weekly spread in a different way. I could use it proactively to set some goals and ambitions for the week, which would help me get closer to fulfilling my goals for the year. Currently the focus on the goals is more vague, and characterized by a stop and go motion. This way it would be possible (in theory, at least) to get more of a steady, constant flow.

I am already getting visions in my mind of how I would like them to be. Now I "only" need to get them onto paper. Which means fighting with Word on my computer. Thus far I have managed to create these pages.

I freely admit they are nothing spectacular, but I am rather proud of myself. They have not been easy for me. My computer skills will be undergoing a rather impressive improvement this summer and autumn. I am especially proud of the illustrations.

Some six or seven years ago I bought an old six-volume encyclopedia from the beginning of the 20th century. I wanted to use the illustrations and also some of the pages themselves for creative purposes. The volumes are typeset in Gothic. I still haven't had the peace of mind to do anything with them, but now I have started scanning them in, and then cleaning the images up. Both rather tedious jobs, but I am really looking forward to the end result. 

I am aware that I need to limit the use of illustrations in the inserts I make. But some of them will definitely find their way into my pages. And I will be building up a library of images to make some of those ideas I had years ago finally come into being. I think the winter will prove to be both constructive and creative. And part of my hoard is no longer just taking up space, but being a tool and inspiration. 

Hooray for builders ...?

Or not, as it were.

I have had renovations to the house two summers running. I had hoped this year would be a peaceful one, without people working on this or that. Well, that isn't going to be. The stable outer walls are not in the best of nick, and I did know they would have to get done soon. Just not this soon.

The bricklayer came by yesterday to have a look. He will be working on an estimate for me, which I hope to have next week. Next week the carpenter will be coming around to look at the doors and windows which need replacing. Then we have to wait for his estimate, before we get a good idea of just what this will add up to.

This all means that I will be having to adjust some of the plans and goals for 2015. Because regardless of how cheap or expensive it will be, and of when they will actually be working here, it is going to sap some of my strength and energy. I know.

At least I don't have to worry massively about the financial aspect. My parents can afford to lend me the money. Even though I hate the fact it is necessary.

My dehoarding focus will probably shift from solely house to include the stable area too. Because that has also been stuffed with all sorts of stuff. If I try to look at this whole thing as positively as possible, this means I will be improving my options for using my stable. I had lots of ideas what I was going to do in that space; practically nothing has been accomplished. Because everywhere is stuffed with things, and there's no space to actually work, and walking about can be tricky.

Some of the dehoarding inside has already had the effect of me being able to access some of my stuff, and have room to start using it. This makes me hopeful that the stable could end up being used more - or at least better - if stuff gets culled. In fact we already did get three boxes of old newspapers out today. Yeah, there's old newspapers in the stable. They were meant to be used as a cheap version of weed sheets. They have been in there for four or five years. Perhaps even longer. They are going to get recycled now. With the repair work going on, and changes to my goals and expectations for this year, they wouldn't be used this year anyway.

I am still not entirely happy that this is going to be happening this summer. But it can't be helped. I am just going to have to grin and bear it, and look for the silver lining.

Veggie Box Tales: 3. June

And this time it is for real. I have the veg sitting on my stove.

And once again I have been swapping a bit with my mum. There was a head of white cabbage in my box, which I traded for two spring onions and three carrots. The rather somber looking stuff at the back is red kale, then the spring onions, carrots and two zucchini. They are flanked by spinach and broccoli and in front are toms, garlic and two limes.

I am contemplating having the spinach for supper, with some leftover pizza sauce and mozzarella, perhaps a wee bit of ham. I still haven't decided whether or not to have pasta with it. On the other hand, the spinach would go well with some feta. I could probably use the kale instead for this evening.

I never got around to having the fennel from last box as the toms and zucchini were eaten without it, so this could be the week when that combo happened. And the carrots, spring onion and lime could be used for some sort of Asian inspired concoction. I do have soba noodles and miso paste.

So, a day late, but full of yummy options.

Veggie Box Tales: 2 June

And another fortnight has passed and it is once more time to see what goodies are in store for me. Except ... I have to wait a day more.

This is one of those things which probably only happens when you live in a remote place. The lady in charge of the veggie boxes was phoned by the freight guy and told her supplies wouldn't be coming today. He had too much other stuff. So we'll be getting our veg tomorrow.

This means you guys will be getting an extra post this week. I won't be cheating you of the veg pic.

Instead I'll try to answer a question you might have been asking yourself: Why is Otte blathering on about veggie boxes and fridges every Tuesday?

Well, one reason is accountability. If I show you guys pics of the fridge and of my veg, I'm opening up for comments about how the fridge needs cleaning, or "why is that jar still in there? We've seen it for seven months now", and "did you actually eat those veggies?". Which means I have a stick, or is it a carrot, to try to keep the fridge in some sort of decent nick and to get those veggies down in my stomach to do some good.

Another reason is that I might serve as inspiration. I have learned that fridges sometimes do act as time capsules in other homes, and that other people may also have trouble eating all their greens. If I show you guys my efforts, perhaps you will find it easier to get to work with your own.

Thirdly, if I share ideas on how to prepare veg which I like, you may be tempted to share your methods with me. And although there is no guarantee that we share the same tastes, if we never try out new recipes and ideas, we'll never be able to broaden our culinary horizons.

I will admit I have also considered doing a freezer show and tell sometime. It seems my fridge exposing means I am keeping the fridge much cleaner and tidier than usual. But hey, that's a good thing!

There are a couple of more aspects to the concept of "foody Tuesday". My hoarding hasn't only been limited to things, it has also to a certain degree included food items. Frozen veg at 3-for-the-price-of-2? Hoard. Jars of yummy stuff at buy-1-get-1-free? Hoard. Frozen fish at save-x-Dkr-this-week? Hoard.

And then I forget about all the stuff floating about at the bottom of the freezer till some years later I start pulling out bags which are years past their "use before" date, and which, on some of the occasions where I have tested them, have felt like and tasted like eating cardboard. So much for those savings!

So flashing my food stores will mean I get better at using up the items, and toss less, and ultimately waste less money and food. Not bad.

And then there has been an added reason for this series. I have been seeing a dietician for some years now. She has now got a new job. And there doesn't appear to be any replacement coming to fill in her place. So I am now back to trying to figuring out this "eat healthy" all by myself again. At least I know more about it now. But having you guys along for the ride will make me feel less alone. I just hope you will want to stick around. And if I can help you guys back, well, all the better.

So that's why I'll be blathering on every Tuesday about food. And on occasion, even Wednesdays. Tune in tomorrow for the real unveiling of the veggie box.

Organizing Otte: An Odyssey Into Getting Organized

During early April I wanted to try out bullet journalling inspired by some friends who were using it. I started using an old, tatty, small notebook which I'd been scribbling in earlier but not used up. I wonder if the notebook was too small, but whatever the reason, bullet journalling hasn't really struck a chord with me.

In my attempts to find out what bullet journals were all about, I had gone searching youtube for videos, and while snooping around them I stumbled upon planner videos involving all sorts of fancy planners, and started watching them.

Now, insert an image of a rabbit hole, and you'll get the picture.

I have been struggling with getting some form of structure to my life and everyday. I used to be pretty good at it. But events and circumstances have reduced me to sometimes feeling like a dead leaf which gets blown hither and yon by the wind.

One problem about trying to make plans has been a lousy sense of assessing how long stuff actually takes. Another the ever present perfectionism, though I seem to be better at controlling it. And the obstinate streak in me which rebels at any form of system or framework imposed upon me, even when I'm the one doing it. Another reason I have been failing at staying organized will become apparent when you see the pile of notebooks and pads I have been using through the past 10 or so years of my life trying to bring structure into my life.

It should be fairly obvious why it has impeded me more than it has helped. And that isn't even all the ones which have been used.

Since falling down the rabbit hole, I have been rather more efficient than is my wont, not to mention feeling okay about it. I focused on my calendar which is the spiral-bound book on the top of the pile, and on using it more in my daily life. And I started thinking more about what would and would not work for me, and what I actually wanted to keep tabs on.

I have come to some sort of acceptance, that because of my mental health issues, a certain amount of rigidity and routine is required in my life. It is finding the balance which is going to be the important part.

And instead of rushing out and buying a planner, I've been making do with what I have already, and experimenting a bit. This means I get to use up part of my hoarded stationary items (yeah, I have also been hoarding that sort of stuff). I have already been inspired in several ways to make my own hacks. So while this may be leading me into hoarding more stuff, it is also getting me using stuff I've already hoarded.

And because I still haven't found any inserts I really like, I have started playing around with Word and working on making my own. So far they have been very simple, and there's still a ways to go before I figure out what I really want, but I am gaining experience. I have also been working on making stickers. Planner stickers aren't a bit thing here, and the few I have found have been unappealing, not to mention irrelevant. So I want to make some which I like, and which will work for me and my needs.

 I made a video on youtube a month ago about my state, and will be doing a follow-up this weekend. Summing up what progress I've been making, and what seems to work (yes, I am happy to say there are things which are working). I have also been experimenting with some personal sized 6-ringed binders I discovered up in my attic. Expect more blog posts and videos on my odyssey into becoming a seriously organized cat.

My parents have been rather skeptical whenever I mentioned laying plans. They've come to associate it with emotional outbursts when plans failed. And that it would be better to do stuff, than sit and plan it. But they are changing their minds. They have seen that it does help me (especially when I keep it at a realistic level).

There is still a long way before I will have a full grip on things. But using a planner is proving to be a valuable tool for me on my road. So even though the bullet journalling system which was the reason I got into all this turned out not to be "my thing", it did bring about a lot of good.

The post that didn't appear

You may have noticed I didn't post this Tuesday. This is the sort of thing which can happen. I had planned to do my usual "What's in my fridge?" post, and for obvious reasons, well, that has to be done on the same day.

And I did start. And I took a pic. And then technology started breaking down. And then my head fell apart. And the rest of the day was more or less just geared at getting through, keeping myself fed, and just rest, rest, rest.

It is a fact of life that I can start out a day doing fine, and then suddenly it just disintegrates, and being able to string two thoughts together and making sense of them is but a dream. Sometimes there is a trigger, but there doesn't have to be. Yesterday the trigger was camera troubles. I did get them sorted out at the end of the day, but I decided that if this blog is to really give a tangible impression of how my life goes, well, sometimes I won't be posting even if it is scheduled. And I am not going to be ashamed about it. Sad, yes, disappointed, maybe. Ashamed, no.

This has made it clearer to me how important it is to keep a schedule of my blogging, and to try to write a bit every day. This isn't bad, in fact it may be beneficial to me to get the routine in. And having a few finished posts ready so I can use a back-up plan on future days of brain malfunction. Because there will be more. I know it. At least they aren't as frequent as they used to be, nor always as bad.

There are three valuable lessons I learned from what happened Tuesday.

First: planning my blog ahead, and building up a buffer or reserve of posts. It strikes me this isn't merely practical for building a frame/routine for myself, nor for making it possible to post something even on bad days. It would also be helpful for when I plan on going on holiday. And in June and July there will be a need for that. Especially in July when I will be out of internet reach.

Second: I am learning more about technological appliances and computers. I may not always understand how and why, but from believing I had wasted money on a new type of memory card which was useless, I was able to think "What happens if I do X?", and then slowly experiment my way into being able to access the pictures and videos on the card. Even though I am still very much a novice at all this, I am building up a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

Third: Sitting down with one of my colouring books and a box of colour pencils and getting on with them, while either watching a documentary or film or listening to music helps to calm my head, and slowly get it to settle down and start being functional again. I actually knew this already, but it was good to be reminded of it. I need to remember it for the future. It won't cure me, and I might not be able to do anything mentally demanding the rest of the day, but it helps soothe me.

So the post that didn't appear instead spent itself in teaching me a few things. Not bad. And if this helps you see some hidden treasure in your life, better.

Fighting the Hoarder

Some of you already know that I am a hoarder. I don't think I can be said to be a recovering one quite yet. But things are getting easier.

This week, the recycling pick-up guys will have noted an increase in my paper recycling. I have started getting rid of my gardening magazines. I started this particular streak with several years' worth of a BBC gardening magazine, and then continued on the Danish Gardening society mags. Starting with January 1997. Because I have previously managed to get rid of the older ones.

Of course, this doesn't solve the whole issue of hoarding, nor even just the gardening mags. Because I am going through each and every one of them, and tearing out pages or cutting  small bits out. Which are making a rather fair-sized pile all by themselves. At least it is smaller than what's being tossed. I think I have tossed about 15 kgs worth of gardening mags in this round. And there's still a bit left. If we go by my mags, we are now ready for April 2007.

It does help that there was a period of time between 2001 and 2004 where there were no mags. That's when my parents stopped being members, and when I joined. I will probably opt to keep one or two years' worth of magazines, and then get into the habit of sending them off as the new issues arrive. I still haven't decided when I'll go through all the pages I've torn out. And who knows how I am going to store them and be able to find what I'm looking for.

But having reached the point where I can go through them and toss them at all is a major step forward. I have so much paper it isn't funny. Last year I started tossing old calendars, both the monthly wall ones, and the book format yearly ones. I had saved many of the wall calendars because of the pictures. All sorts of adorable animals, and mostly cats. The oldest ones were from 1974. I turned three that year. The student calendars, whether by complete year, or by school year, were all saved from 1985. I tore out the pages from the first one so the paper could be recycled, but I just binned the rest up to 2000. Too much trouble.

For some reason I have got stuck at 2000. I really need to pull up my socks and proceed. There's not much in them anyway.

The largest hurdle by far was getting rid of my (ice) hockey magazines. I had eight to ten complete volumes of The Hockey News, I had eight years of a Swedish magazine, multiple years of several Finnish ones, and then lots of random issues of Canadian and American magazines. I discovered I'd already got rid of the German ones.

And then there was the scrapbook. Since 1985 I had cut out all and any newspaper articles about hockey, and pasted onto paper and put in binders. During a good number of years we actually got three newspapers at home; a Danish, a Finnish and the International Herald Tribune. Plus I grabbed any articles from newspapers I could get my paws on.

It will probably not surprise you to learn that I had fallen way behind on the sticking things in. So I had boxes and boxes of newspaper pages, torn out and small notes about date and paper. And one day I would get it all in order.

I first started thinking about getting rid of them all last autumn. It was a mad thought. It was an evil thought. I forced myself to contemplate it. It took me half a year to bring it up to my parents. It took me some weeks to look for someone who might be interested in them. I failed.

I decided I would have to go the tough way. I gathered them all together. This is what it looked like.

The black packs are all Hockey News, the brown kraft boxes and the binders left of the lamp are scrapbook material, the two piles in front of them are the Finnish mags, and the ones in front of the lamp are the Swedish ones.

If all the mags were stood up in one pile, it would have been about my height. And they weighed 118 kgs. Yes, I weighed them all. One day, dad and I filled up the trailer with the lot and drove to our recycling centre. I stood and stared into the big cavity of the paper container before hurling in pile after pile. I was nauseous. I felt like throwing up. I felt like I was going to faint. It was a physically and mentally draining ordeal. I couldn't do much the next few days.

The worst thing is, because most of them had been stored up in the attic, I don't have a sudden vast empty space to show for it. And I sort of got stuck on continuing by getting rid of my hockey equipment, and looking into what to do about my card collection.

Instead I have managed to focus on the gardening mags. And in part my collection of crafting mags. I think you have noticed a pattern emerge. I have no idea when I slid from merely being a collector to being a hoarder. In fact, I was pretty certain I wasn't a hoarder. Until I read some books on the subject, and then answered some questions. Truthfully. Even then I wasn't really alarmed. That happened when I watched some BBC programmes about hoarders. Who had way more stuff than I do.

What scared me was hearing them say exactly the same things about their stuff that I have been saying about mine. I could tell they were blind to some realities about their stuff and their space.
Could I be blind to some realities myself?

I have now been trying to work on this for more than half a year. It is a bit depressing. I know I have gotten rid of lots of stuff. There just doesn't seem to be visible progress. I guess I have to be more patient. And just keep on. I still haven't reached the point where I can just say "oh, to heck with it!" and toss it. There's still the voice of angst whispering "What if you suddenly miss it next week?"

I am on the right way. I know I need to keep on. I will get there in the end. I am making sure anything that comes into the house is necessary. Or limited in amount. When I reach my 60s, I won't be living in a hoarder show home, I'll be living in a nice, reasonably cluttered home. I don't think I'll ever be a tidy person. But I have seen and heard what could be my fate. And I'm walking down a different road.

Joshua and his girls

As promised last week I am now going to introduce you to the Cluck Brigade. One of my dreams about homesteading involved chickens, ducks and quails. Almost three years ago I was getting frustrated I still hadn't any poultry and decided it was high time. So I bought myself a smallish chicken coop to get me started.

This turned out to be a wise move. Not long after I heard of somebody who needed to find a new home for her flock due to poor health (hers, not the chickens), and two days later I was able to pick up a rooster and three hens for no cost. They are Dansk Landrace chickens, Danish country breed. Supposedly one of the older, unaltered breeds of chicken, and can be traced back some 2000 years. They had been on my shortlist of breeds I was interested in.

Say hullo to Joshua.


So Joshua, Amelia, Beatrix and Cecily moved in to Fowlty Towers. The first few days they only had the small run for going out, but then we constructed a larger area with some netting and bales of straw. About a week later we were all ready for them to become free range.

I knew when they moved in that Fowlty Towers was on the small side for the four of them, and started building a larger coop. Unfortunately it proved to be too much for me to manage along trying to focus on eating and keeping the house, especially as that was the summer of house renovations, so dad ended up building the bulk of it. And it was fortunate that Pear Tree Lodge was being made, because one of the hens ended up hatching three chicks.

You can tell by the difference in wing development which order they were hatched

I had decided that any cockerels would be sacrificed in the name of discovering whether or not I could cope with slaughtering and eating my own chickens. And any hens would be sold off. As things turned out, all three chicks turned out to be female, and I was advised to keep them so Joshua had a larger flock to occupy him. Possible inbreeding on this level was deemed to not be a cause for concern. So at the end of 2013 I had a flock of one rooster and six hens.

Veggie Box Tales 19 May

A fortnight has passed, and it is time for a new box of veg. Hooray! It is almost like Christmas. Almost. See, I do actually get an email on the Monday telling me what's in the box. But still.

So, this is the goodies all lined up.

There's some tomatoes and a cucumber, a zucchini, fennel, some Jerusalem artichokes, a cabbage called "spidskål" i.e. pointed cabbage which a quick google tells me is a member of the white cabbage family, spinach, two lumps of ginger and a fresh garlic.

Now, actually the one ginger and the garlic were not in my box. Instead, there was a head of cauliflower in there. I have ... a complicated relationship with cauliflower. So mum traded me the extra ginger (my parents have a complicated relationship with ginger) and the garlic for it. Dad was looking forward to having cauliflower with the pork cutlets they were having today. I am looking forward to stuffing something with ginger.

I haven't munched my way through all the veg from a fortnight ago, though I admit I bought some toms to supplement. I do still have the lemongrass, which will now be paired up with some of the ginger, some garlic, soy, and other fun ingredients. A friend has given me a recipe for pointed cabbage, which is basically chopping it finely and then making an Asian vinaigrette of hoi sin sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. I think half of that head will be used up for that, and then perhaps I'll do a ginger/garlic/lemongrass/soy dressing for the other half as an experiment.

The spinach will probably find its way to a frying pan this evening, along with some onion and garlic, and some of the feta-type cheese in the fridge. The zucchini and the toms and part of the fennel will either make me a soup or a pasta sauce. I still have the kohlrabi and part of the celeriac from the previous box, and a few carrots, they could be paired up with the Jerusalem artichokes as oven roasted veg and then I could dive into the freezer for some steaks. I should have ostrich and kangaroo in there.

I am also wondering if I should try to cook some of the ginger in a syrup and preserve it. I had a jar of ginger in a syrup on my Ingredients shelf of the fridge for some years which was awesome for impromptu Chinese meals, and I finished it up some years ago. I miss it.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me, and by the time I get home, I'll be hungry and tired, which is never a good combo. I think I'll chop up half of the cabbage tonight and prepare it, so when I come home, there's at least something ready to eat.

Tip for people who have trouble with eating veg: soy and anything Asian style makes everything better! It's done wonders for me.