Reflecting on a bit of simplicity

i'm deviating from my norm today.  the winds are howling outside .... i've put the laundry on the line, got bread going in the breakmaker and it feels like there is a pause in activity for some time of contemplation and thot on my world and where i am at.  this seems a little self-indulgent .... so my apologies now.  but that's just how it is today .....

...working towards our permaculture roots

• Milkwood Permaculture.  i honestly can't speak highly enough of these guys.  i went to an intro to permaculture course that these guys did and it affirmed everything my heart told me about simplicity, stewardship and the way that we should be living our lives.  i encourage you to check out their courses.  from grafting to acquaponics and beyond... Nick has managed to put together a great team of like minded folks who INSPIRE.  i'm hanging out for when they get their kids program up and running .... dreaming of our family going out to their property and hubby and i doing the permaculture design certificate and the kids doing the kids program for two weeks.  making it a family thing!
• Evangelical Environmental Network.  i am so appreciative of the visibleness of this group.  it is a bunch of christians who have gone, "hey .... guess what guys .... God gave us this great gift of a beautiful planet and we're ruining it!  we've bunged up the stewardship and need to get it right."  i like them, i like everything they stand for!
• River Cottage.  what can i say about Hugh and is funky ways.  if you go back to his really early shows in England ... he started by wanting to leave the rat-race.... on a third of an acre he had veggies, chooks and pigs and completely embraced the concept of community.  way to be Hugh!  he is of course bigger than ben hur now .... but is still inspiring people with his great cooking and quirky ways! i can never get enough of his stuff

 ... taking care of me

• Music.  where do i start?  Martin Luther said that next to the Word of God, nothing soothes a mans soul like Music.  oh yeah!  i love it all .... from Barber's, Adagio for Strings through to Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles and even some ZZ Top and Red Hot Chili Peppers .... i love it all .... it challenges, confronts, soothes and lifts our spirits. 
• Scripture.  well ... it's where it all starts.  "be still and know that I am God."  when i need to get my head screwed back on straight i head straight for the Psalms .... they remind me how much i am loved no matter my circumstances (and yes, i do take issue with those people out there who think that God is all about guilt ... SORRY .... YOU HAVE IT WRONG!!!! <g>)
• Coffee.  Oh my .... getting the day started with a great smelling and tasting cup of coffee?  who can pass that up!  a vice for me i admit .... oops .... and i'm not sorry to say so either.  check out my local coffee guru .....Ministry Grounds
• Wine.  let's have an argument over the best wines!  i became a wine lover on aussie wines and remain convinced today that they are the best around.  from the light whites in Margaret River to the chocolate shiraz in the Barossa to the pinot's and merlots in Mudgee .... they are all to die for and i will take them any time they are offered.  currently revisiting my love for all things from Banrock Station.  and it doesn't hurt that they have a conservation bent either.  i am starting my trip into organic wines ... if you know of some to inspire, please let me know. 
• Cheese.  i put a question on a quiz about me once that asked which did i like better, chocolate or cheese.  most folks got it wrong and said chocolate.  don't misunderstand me .... a good chocolate goes a long way .... but it cannot even begin to compare to a great cheese ..... room temperature on a crisp cracker with a few chilled grapes .... bliss! 
• Quilting.  a secret but long held love of mine that i don't get to indulge in often enough.  i always have a project on the go and seem to overextend and expect from more from myself than i actually have time to accomplish.  currently trying to finish a table runner and then on to figuring out how to finish a quilt for my daughter. 

...cooking .... oh yum!
this one is pretty obvious.  i love great cooking and am a real sook for cooking shows.  love them all in any flavour you give them to me .... even Heston's Feast hooks me in a second.  here are a few web sights that keep me going with heaps of practical recipes.  if i can't find it on one of these web sites then it's probably not a very good recipe. 

• Cooks.com. http://www.cooks.com/
• Taste.  http://www.taste.com.au/
• All Recipes. http://www.allrecipes.com.au/

i am feeling distinctly guilty about focusing on me .... that i should've shared something about how i love to care for my family.  but there is a time and a place for reflecting on the things we love, enjoy and are grateful for in our own lives.  hey .... it's a simple way to smile <g>.  what inspires you?