Where's the transition industry policy for agriculture in Australia?

It's a sign of the times when newspaper headlines refer to something that went viral on social media. I think back to my journalism studies and it was never envisaged within the definition of news. We were still dealing with the dog bites man/man bites dog paradigm.

Because of personal circumstances, I've been taking a particular interest in the commercial realities and challenges of agriculture in Australia and I came across this article in the Toowoomba Chronicle: Darling Downs Vet's "corporate terrorism" blast goes viral.

It's well written, coherently argued and raises some striking points.

There's also last week's announcement from one of the big four banks of a 12 month moratorium on penalty interest and foreclosure action against drought affected farmers. None of the others have followed.

This prompted me to think about these problems from a public policy point of view.

Living in Melbourne (or any city) it's easy to forget about what it's like to be on a farm during drought. It's one of the most depressing and soul destroying things you can experience. The endless blue skies, unblemished by clouds, become oppressive, rather than welcome. A few years ago when Melbourne was in drought, people complained about water restrictions that meant they couldn't water their gardens every day. On a farm, vegetation disappears and the ground is just bare dirt. Animals are skin and bone. Everything is covered in dust. Hope is burned away under the relentless sun.

Not only is there no water or vegetation, there's no money. Income dries up too. We might feel the impact with an increase in food prices, but they'll creep up without being noticeable.

This image is from the Bureau of Meteorology and shows areas that have had below average rainfall in the last two years. Those red areas are Australia's prime farming areas. From their website: www.bom.gov.au

As I've watched my family's (mis)fortune on the land, I've come to the conclusion that farming, grazing, and any agricultural business is a mug's game. The investment required is enormous and the conditions required for a return - even to break even - are completely uncontrollable. The weather is central, yet is so uncertain. What other business has this challenge as central to its standard operating procedure? Add to this the impact of climate change and "free market" agreements which make market conditions even more difficult the need to borrow money is the only thing that's certain. Banks will lend it too, but have no tolerance for the natural vagaries of the industry. Call it corporate terrorism or at the very least, it's the modern equivalent of the unctuous snake oil salesman or travelling tent evangelist. The hands go out to take the money, but there's no one there when you need help.

One of the things we take for granted in the city is the ability to go to the supermarket and buy whatever food we want. Some of us are conscious about origin and try to buy local, but anyone who has ever tried to buy Australian garlic will know how hard this can be. We have a secure food supply. I don't think its continuity is assured. As more farmers are forced off the land and fewer people take it up, the real question is "who will grow our food"?

My Dad talked to me the other day about how his father was able to raise a family of four on a reasonably small farm. That's not possible anymore. What surprises me is that this is an industry going through the kind of transition that the automotive manufacturing went through in Australia, yet the support for the people who have no choice but to leave is just not there.

One bank promising not to foreclose on drought affected farmers for 12 months is not going to cut it. Where's the comprehensive public policy response? There isn't one. Farmers aren't sexy in the way cars are. They're also not concentrated in particular towns. Most regional towns and villages in Australia feel the flow on effects when the farms surrounding have no money to spend. While 12 months might bring welcome relief for farming families who are affected, it does nothing to solve the problem. What happens at the end of the 12 months? Farm debt will have grown even more and the capacity to pay still won't be there. Perhaps the banks hope that the issue will have faded from public view and they can quietly go about the business of evicting families.

The other aspect is the actions of the supermarket duopoly which distorts the market and puts further pressure on farmers.

Food is pretty important. A safe and reliable food supply is critical. It might be hard to imagine these are under threat, but without a comprehensive public policy response, we're in trouble. Some may argue that the market is operating as it should and weeding out inefficient businesses. That's probably true, but there are plenty of examples where a pure market response has been abandoned and the government has intervened.  Surely feeding the nation in a secure, sustainable way is a priority.

ETA: Today's Daily Telegraph newspaper has a comprehensive story and photographs about the situation in Walgett in NSW's west.

The Commonwealth Bank is running an appeal. Donations can be made here.

Talking to the animals

Whenever I visit my family I am surrounded by animals of all kinds. It's a welcome change from my urban life, where I admire other people's dogs from afar. 

Sometime yesterday one of the heifers gave birth to a female calf, chocolate brown with soft curls. Her mother seemed to take little interest and the calf was left alone, breathing heavily and rapidly. The calf was able to stand up but seemed exhausted by the effort. Meanwhile the mother looked on and moved away whenever the calf approached. The calf sniffed my legs and groin, imagining that I might have milk to offer. I didn't. Somehow, the calf managed to attach herself to the mother's udder, but this was short lived when the mother wandered off. 

Another cow tried to nudge the calf towards its mother. The calf responded by trying to drink from it. 

We decided to separate the cow and her calf from the rest of the herd. We got them into a separate paddock, carrying the calf part of the way. While the calf rested in the shade of a tree, the mother bellowed and stared at us but made no move to be near her calf.  We ran her up along the fence line towards a smaller yard and then the cow climbed over the fence - back into the paddock from which we'd just removed her! A horse was saddled and the job finally completed. 

I've named the calf "Kylie", even though she's not mine to name. I hope it sticks and I hope she makes it.

Checking each other out.
Copyright 2014 divacultura

We tried to feed Kylie on the bottle but she didn't like that much either. 

Trying the bottle.
Copyright 2014 divacultura

I decided that Shirley the lamb was a better prospect as I explained she would one day help me knit a jumper!

Shirley the lamb
Copyright 2014 divacultura 

Blowing smoke - it's a question of manners

It was a gorgeous late summer day in Melbourne yesterday. I took advantage and met a friend for breakfast in the Village. We went to one of the old cafes that has recently taken advantage of outdoor space under trees by laying some astro turf and placing tables and chairs and removing a wall from their cafe.

It was to be expected that there would be more people than tables and so we started scouting for a couple of spaces on the end of someone else's table. We soon found it, joining a family who left minutes after we arrived. There was space for four or five other people, but we had eaten all of our food and were waiting to order our second coffee by the time we had people join us.

Three people sat down and within seconds, two of them had started to smoke cigarettes. I am an anti-smoking non-smoker and find the idea of sharing a table with a bunch of smokers abhorrent. We were outdoors, but I still think that good manners would dictate they seek permission to smoke before lighting up. We were there first and they were joining us. If we sat down where people were already smoking, it would be a different matter.  If permission had been sought I would have politely replied that I did mind if they smoked and would prefer that they move away from the table to do so.

We weren't going to be there much longer, so neither of us said anything. I wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. I was also quite unsure about what the actual laws are, not that the legal position should preclude common decency.

I'm interested to discover that smoking in outdoor dining areas is allowed in Victoria, subject to the position of the walls and whether or not there is a roof. There were no walls and no roof (other than a lovely canopy of trees) so these people weren't doing anything "wrong".

I'm left wondering why the smokers - an increasingly small minority - are allowed to hijack the best spots when dining out in Melbourne.

Would you have said something? 

Food samples and brand promotions

Sometimes food and drink is given away at train stations in Melbourne. Mostly, it's a way for companies to promote new products. Usually the products they are throwing at the public are sugar laden and therefore not anything I eat.

Yesterday, frozen pizzas were being handed out. It was fascinating to watch.

Very good looking people dressed in either very revealing clothing or something suggestive of scientific - or a combination of these (think very short lab coats) - smile at people and call out the brand name repeatedly. Before long, commuters are making their way to these very good looking people and clamouring for whatever is on offer.

If standing and watching this procedure was my first glimpse of Melbourne I would have thought that people who live here are reliant on UN food parcels for survival. It was like a flock of seagulls descending on a lonely dropped chip. No orderly queues to be seen here, just people on automatic pilot, lured by the promise of free fat and sugar, forgetting that it's actually advertising and a ploy to secure their money and loyalty down the track.

I wondered whether any homeless people would benefit from this commercial magnanimity but then realised the cruel twist of fate attached: frozen pizza is only edible if you can heat it in an oven first.

As I walked away, I saw a man wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "i Rock" emblazoned on his chest. Looking at him, I was unconvinced that he did in fact rock, but then looks can be deceiving. I wondered whether it was his looks he was railing against; that he'd had so many accusations that he did not rock, that he had hired a PR consultant and gone on the front foot with a declaration of his rockiness. Or perhaps he was trying to convince himself. Or, he was being completely ironic. Or he was making up for a lack of positive reinforcement from his parents during his adolescence. Or it might have been a statement of competency in his day job as a babysitter. Or he's a narcissist.

It struck me that the whole world is busy with image management.

I travelled home, without a frozen pizza melting in my handbag, and thought about the pleasure of making good food.

Quitting sugar - FAQ

Yesterday's post about the impact of a year without sugar raised some questions amongst readers.  I'm happy to answer them all.

Lots of people wanted to know about the affect, apart from the lab results.  I've dropped a dress size.  I don't have cravings. My appetite is more stable. I eat less. My skin is clear.

I've really noticed the 3pm sugar run that people in the office have. There's a line to the biscuit tin, the chocolate box and the lolly jar. It's so great to be free from that kind of slavery.

The other question I received was about whether I eat fruit. The answer is: "rarely". I now eat fruit when I'm at an event and the only other food on offer is sugar laden cakes and biscuits. I will also choose the fruit carefully and pick high fibre or berries, ie avoid watermelon and dates and choose the pineapple, pear (skin on) or banana. I never have juice. Juicing the fruit turns it into almost pure fructose when the the fibre is removed. I also avoid dried fruit because the fructose becomes concentrated.

Some of you also wanted to know about my porridge. Breakfast was actually the meal that I had to change the most.  I used to be a yoghurt, fruit and muesli girl. That had to go. I discovered Vita Brits, just with milk. As my palate adjusted I discovered a natural sweetness in many foods that I would not have previously identified as being sweet. Porridge is my new favourite breakfast during the week. Oats are also recommended for lowering cholesterol. I buy rolled spelt and mix it with rolled oats, cook it on the stove top with some added chia seeds and then serve with milk and a sprinkle of seeds and cinnamon. You can sprinkle the chia seeds on top instead of cooking them in if you prefer. This is a long way from brown sugar and maple syrup that I used to love.

If the supermarket has other rolled grains available I buy them and mix them in too.  I cook two thirds of a cup of grains with twice the amount of water and find the stirring at the stove with my myrtle spurtle a quiet moment of morning meditation. This keeps me going until lunchtime. Ground cinnamon is an easy ingredient to sprinkle over if you need a little sweetening. With time, I've discovered that there is a natural sweetness in the oats and it's not needed. I haven't gone down the Scottish path of adding salt.

Anything else you'd like to know? Just ask me.  Thanks for your interest.

Quitting sugar - it paid off!

It's been almost a year since I quit sugar.  I did it at the suggestion of my doctor when my blood results showed an elevation in liver enzymes and cholesterol going in the wrong direction.  That day, I read Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar and I started immediately.  I viewed food with sugar as not being food.

So today, I want to tell you a good news story.  I received my latest blood results today and I can tell you that I've never been so excited.

Those liver enzyme markers were back to normal.  All the cholesterol and fat markers are back where they should be. Everything is looking great!

Here's the interesting thing - all I have done is cut out sugar (fructose).  I eat a balanced diet but you should know: I eat cheese; I use butter; I eat red meat, sometimes with the fat on. I eat the skin on chicken. I do not eat fructose. I also eat multi grain porridge (oats, spelt, barley etc) sprinkled with chia seeds.

This is what all the books say will happen.  The science around fructose is that the body processes it into fat through the liver and causes issues with cholesterol, appetite regulation and so on.

I was a bit nervous as I waited for my doctor to explain the results.  I really hoped that the early struggle and now my mindset had paid off with positive health results.  It did!

What's your view on sugar? When my doctor asked me that a year ago my answer was, "I love it!"

Oh that's right, I quit sugar.

It's been a while since I quit sugar.  The days of withdrawal are long ago and now sugar laden substances don't even seem like food to me.  This is the best place to be.

Last week I had a facial.  I used to go once a month and then my financial circumstances changed and I couldn't afford them as often.  Now I can, but I'm time poor.  All of that means I hadn't seen my regular beautician since March.

She commented on how settled and clear my skin is looking.  The usual problems I have with congestion (I've never recovered from living in northern humid lands) were much reduced.  My skin wasn't as reactive and sensitive as it had been.  She asked me what I had changed.

I couldn't think of anything.  I shrugged.  She continued to exclaim about how amazing it was.  Then she asked me if I was still off sugar.

"Oh yes," I replied.

"Well that must be it," she replied.

"Oh yes, I suppose that's right.  It's so long ago and so much part of my life now, that I forget that I've given up sugar."

She continued with the usual reactions about how hard it must be and it sounds like a good thing to do, but that she would never be able to do it.

I rested back on the pillow and relaxed.

This was a great moment of recognition and a reminder that the hard work and struggles of withdrawing from an addictive substance were worth the pain.

The other thing I've noticed is how much my palate has changed.  I should disclose that I recently shared a macaroon with a friend.  I didn't enjoy it and felt sick afterwards.  Won't be going back any time soon.  In the meantime, I now eat my porridge with milk and a sprinkle of chia seeds or a seed and nut mix.  I make my porridge from a mixture of rolled oats and spelt and find they are naturally sweet.  If you had told me this back in the days of brown sugar sprinkled on (or maple syrup on special occasions) I would have had you committed.

I told colleagues that porridge is naturally sweet and I had to run away.

This is a lifestyle change that was relatively straightforward to implement and is paying dividends in lots of ways.  Now I'm off to feed my television and knitting addiction!

What choices have you made lately to improve your health?  What's the hardest thing you've ever given up?  How did you make it stick?

Today - in pictures

I spent a wonderful ANZAC Day in Sydney.  Caught up with my dear friend John.  We realised we've known each other for twenty years! Here's the day in pictures.

Cliffs at Clovelly Beach
© divacultura 2013

Tanya and John - Clovelly
© divacultura 2013

View of Sydney city from Watson's Bay.
© divacultura 2013

Watson's Bay Beach.
© divacultura 2013

There's only one place to go for lunch - Doyle's for seafood lunch.
© divacultura 2013

© divacultura 2013

View from the table.  We finished lunch at around 4:30pm and had the place to ourselves
© divacultura 2013

Watson's Bay from Doyle's
© divacultura 2013

On the verandah after lunch
© divacultura 2013

Driving home over the Glebe Bridge - sun and moon
© divacultura 2013

Glebe Bridge
© divacultura 2013

The tables were decorated with rosemary for remembrance on ANZAC Day.
© divacultura 2013

Thanks John! Thank you Sydney! Thank you for the work that enabled me to be in Sydney.

Details - a good day

I ordered this for dinner this evening:  slow cooked Berkshire pork belly with sweet corn puree, smoked popcorn and Spanish chorizo foam.  It was perfect.

Luckily I no longer eat sugar because also on the menu was warm cinnamon doughnuts with Canadian maple syrup, King Island cream and pomegranate.

Here's where I was working today:

© divacultura 2013

It was lovely to wake up in a beautiful part of the world.  I forgive the appalling television reception and the fact that the downlighting in my hotel room might be stylish and moody, but it's impossible to put my make up on!

What did your world look like today?

Summer holidays - end of part one.

The first leg of my holiday finishes tomorrow.  I arrived at my brother's house five days before Christmas and have had a lovely time.  In between Christmas and family visits, I've been working for my brother catching up on his accounts, cooking, knitting, reading, enjoying having animals around the house.  I have also been to see a couple of movies in Tamworth since Boxing Day.

Family portrait - mother and foal.
Some of my brother's patients.
(c) divacultura 2012

Tomorrow I head over to spend a week with my folks before I head off to music camp.  The house is empty except for me and three cats. The other humans have gone out with my brother for a day of veterinary work.  The chickens are wandering around (I just thanked them for the two eggs they had layed). I occasionally hear the horses talk to each other.  I've put my ipod on shuffle and have just put a large quantity of oven baked bolognese sauce in the oven.  It will be turned into lasagne for this evening's dinner (good for when you're not sure what time everyone will be home for dinner).  It smells divine!  (Wish I could link to a smell for you...)

I'm in a very pretty spot here and the only other sounds are the drone of tractors cutting the lucerne for hay.

On the film front, I went and saw "Les Miserables" by myself a couple of days after Christmas.  I had been so looking forward to it, but I was a little underwhelmed.  I love Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe and thought they were excellent choices to play Jean Valjean and Javert respectively, but something was wrong.  Hugh's singing was a bit overblown and nasal at times and I know he can do better.  Russell did a fair job of Javert.  His singing was better than I expected.  It was tuneful but a bit wooden and plodding.  Still, I cried my eyes out several times!

The two stand outs for me were Eddie Redmayne playing Marius and Samantha Barks playing Eponine.  Eddie is my favourite actor of the moment.  I loved his work in "My week with Marilyn" and also in "Pillars of the Earth" which was screened recently on ABC television here in Australia.  (Shhh, don't tell me the end! I haven't seen the last two episodes.)

The other film I saw was "The Hobbit".  My brother and his wife chose this when I offered to shout them tickets as a thank you for having me to stay.  I had enjoyed The Lord of the Rings films so was happy to go along.  It's spectacular in parts, but is a fairly endless journey that the dwarves, Gandalf the wizard and hobbit Bilbo Baggins are on.  I was a little bored by the whole thing and was annoyed to discover we're only a third of the way there at the end of the movie!  I felt the same way about the book.  (I was supposed to study it for a speech and drama exam.  I couldn't get past the first chapter and still received an Honours grade!)

Yesterday I went to the creek with my brother and found two yabbies in the yabby trap.  They are now living in one of the horse troughs for the time being.

Up close and personal with a yabby
(c) divacultura 2013

Watch those claws! Love the spectacular shade of blue.
(c) divacultura 2013

The oysters we had on Christmas Day were also very good - even if they weren't plucked
from the water immediately before eating.
(c) divacultura 2012

When I took my four year old nephew to collect eggs during his visit, he was so excited to find two waiting for him, he clapped his hands together when he was holding them!  I noticed quickly and swooped before too much damage was done.  He looked a bit surprised and disappointed that they had cracked.

When I said goodbye to the same four year old I asked him who his favourite Aunty is.  Usually I'm on a winner, but today the answer was "No" as he pointed at my sister-in-law.  I'm okay with that.

The full moon rising over the hills was spectacular the other night.  Trying to photograph it with my iphone reminded me why taking possession of a proper camera again is on my list for 2013.

See that speck? It's the full moon peering over the hill.
(c) divacultura 2012

Sunset.
(c) divacultura 2013

The first email I received in 2013 was about how to insert a zip into a knitted article.
The first text message which wasn't about wishing me all the best for 2013 was from Metro Trains telling me that the 4:32pm Williamstown train from Southern Cross Station is cancelled.  Looks like some things won't change in 2013.

Quitting Sugar - 5 weeks down

So, three weeks have passed since I wrote my first post about quitting sugar.  I'm now in the fifth week and I'm going very well.  In the first eight week period, I'm not having ANY fructose - so that means no fruit for now.

The main thing I've noticed is how different my mindset is.  I'm actually not interested in cake or biscuits or icecream or chocolate.  That's a pretty big change as I'm a baker with a sweet tooth.  I would always look for something sweet after a meal.  I had already discovered the value of liquorice tea as a naturally sweet after dinner drink and I still like to have it after a meal.  If it's not available, it's okay.  I'm not craving something sweet to finish.

The biggest challenge is still the catering provided by clients.  They often cater for a lot of different dietary requirements, but "sugar free" still seems to raise an eyebrow.  Last week the food on arrival consisted of soft drinks and juice, along with chocolate bars.  Lunch was delicious, consisting of salads and fish.  The dressing was on the side, so that was excellent.  Afternoon tea was chocolate cake, brownies or beautiful looking mini vanilla slices.  I resisted them all, but was quite hungry and very pleased I had packed my own snacks.  Activated nuts and sesame crackers are now a fixture in my handbag.

My eating patterns have also changed.  I'm hungry earlier, wanting lunch before 12 noon and ready for dinner at about 5pm.  Interesting.  If I can, I do eat when I'm hungry rather than waiting for some artificial notion of meal time to arrive.

Breakfast is completely different from what it was before I quit sugar.  I was a muesli and yogurt girl in summer and porridge in winter.  On my porridge I would sprinkle some brown sugar.  Gone is the muesli (I put it in a ziplock bag and gave it to a friend who loves muesli.  He also took my stock of muesli bars) and natural yogurt makes a great accompaniment to a curry, but I just can't do it for breakfast.  Vitabrits with milk and nothing else or porridge made from oats and spelt with milk and nothing else feature regularly. I've just bought a jar of toasted cereal topping to add some interest.  It contains sesame seeds, linseed, buckwheat kernels, sunflower kernels, sliced almonds and cinnamon.  I like it with everything, including salads and sprinkled on vegetables.

If I'm home during the morning, I'll have toast with a scrape of butter and sometimes vegemite or toast with an avocado and pepper.  Again, if I'm at home, I'll eat my main meal during the day and be satisfied with a light salad at night.  Gone is the balsamic vinegar which I loved on salad greens.  I've replaced it with red wine vinegar and am still deciding what I think of a sugar free mayonnaise I have found.  The currants have also gone from my favourite brown rice salad.  I've replaced them with more seeds, nuts and finely chopped parsley and mint.  It's still delicious.

I do miss sweet chilli sauce.  I would have it on everything from scrambled eggs to cheese on toast to steak.  It's gone.

The other thing I'm missing is the ginger cordial I loved to have with lime and mineral water, or even as a mixer with gin (Hendrick's is the best).

Commercial baked beans are also banned, which is a shame as I enjoyed them as a light snack to have in a hurry.  I'll have to get back into the habit of making my own, but even that will require some adjustment as brown sugar was a feature of them in the past.

Today I had coffee with a friend and two gorgeous looking macarons arrived along with the coffee.  He didn't know that I've given up sugar and I didn't want to offend him.  I thanked him and gently explained my sugar free quest.  He did say something about it being Christmas, but I'm proud to say that I held firm.

The fuzzy headed feeling is gone and I'm sleeping very well.  Friends have told me they can see I have lost weight and I'm having trouble keeping my jeans up without a belt.

Christmas will be the next challenge and I'm really glad that my new eating habits will be well entrenched by the time it's in full swing.  I'm exploring sugar free Christmas menus to find ways of satisfying everyone. I'm confident that I won't be tempted - I'm just not interested anymore. Sarah Wilson has a handy Christmas menu planner on her website.

I regularly check David Gillespie's Sweet Poison quit plan and it goes with me to the supermarket.

What's your favourite sugar free snack or breakfast?

Music, food and laughter cancel out train trauma

For the first time in a while, I woke up hours before the alarm.  The sun was coming in my window and I felt well rested.  I had time to lie in bed and think.  Read.  Consider the day ahead.  I was hours ahead of schedule.  I had an all day vocal group rehearsal today and had to make the salad I was taking for lunch (sugar free, of course) and be ready to catch the train at 9:38am.

I proceeded at a leisurely pace and was ready to enjoy the walk to the train station.  I arrived with about five minutes to spare.  There seemed to be more people there than usual for that time on a Saturday morning, but I figured everyone had woken up to the glorious day in the same way I had.  All of us were running ahead of schedule, except for the trains.

The automated timetable announcement proclaimed at about 9:35 that the 9:18am train would be departing in about six minutes.  The one I was there to catch, the 9:38am - was about 17 minutes away.  Oh well, I'd catch an earlier train and leave later than I anticipated.  Only Metro trains could make that happen.

A few minutes passed and a manual announcement was made, advising that due to something-or-other, all trains had been suspended until further notice.  When you're at an unstaffed station, this is the most frustrating kind of announcement.  No details are given about alternative services and there is no one to ask.

Luckily I hadn't been waiting for that long, so I was still within the window to be able to touch off my myki and not be billed for a trip I wasn't going to take. I made my way back home and started my car.

It's so annoying to be forced onto the road when you're committed to public transport and try not to clog up the streets with one person car trips that could otherwise be taken on public transport.  And on the weekends, the price of travel is capped at $3.30 for the day, so it really is better than taking the car.  At least I have a car and could easily take alternative transport to get to my rehearsal.  In Melbourne's western suburbs, if the trains go down, there aren't a lot of other options.

While I missed my reading time, I did enjoy the airconditioning and radio discussion about the colour of a kitten's fur being a big factor in determining whether it will have a home or have to be destroyed. (Black cats aren't really agents of Satan you know.)

We had a great rehearsal and one of those wonderful shared lunches where people generously provide food and it all works together to be a bountiful and delicious meal, made better by good company and the sharing of music.

One of my fellow singers confided in me that she had misread my recent blog post about my discovery of the television show "Survivor".  When I wrote that I'm "hooked" on the show, she read it as "booked".  She suddenly saw me in a whole new light.  We both thought this was very funny.  I concluded that I'd be able to play a great social game, but would be a waste of time in the physical challenges.  I'd have to make everyone love me enough not to care.

I drove home and spent the rest of the afternoon at the piano.  A great way to spend Saturday.

GIVEAWAY:
TO WIN a double passto see "2 Days in New York" comment on this post, telling us where you'd like to spend two days and why.  Entries close next Friday, 30 November.  Winners will be announced on the blog.  Don't forget to check back and see if you've won - you'll need to provide your mailing address details.

Passes are valid during the season in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide and the ACT.

Good luck!

Quitting sugar - two weeks down

It's now two weeks since I had my last serve of sugar.  At the recommendation of my doctor I am following the eight week program devised by Sarah Wilson.  I'm also reading David Gillespie's book, The Sweet Poison Quit Plan, which has lots of useful information about how to interpret food labels and understand what's what.

I have a sweet tooth and some bad habits have crept in - like the standard piece of white chocolate with my evening cup of tea.  I also am often fed by the clients I work with.  Generally the lunches include a selection of salads and sandwiches, so that's easy enough.  It's the morning and afternoon tea plates that are challenging - plates of fruit and plates of cakes and biscuits.  Fruit juice is standard and soft drinks are sometimes offered.  (During the detox phase, there's no fruit allowed and fruit juice is off the menu completely.)

During the week after a long day, I walked towards the train station.  It was after 6pm and I was feeling tired, hungry and generally strange.  I knew that I was feeling the symptoms of withdrawal.  My path home was flanked by all kinds of temptations and perhaps I would have stopped to have a smoothie from a juice bar.  I now shudder to think what I was actually ingesting.

I made it home without succumbing and made dinner as soon as I arrived.  It was healthy and satisfying.

Yesterday was another day of feeling flat with a dull headache and a sense of cotton wool wrapped around my head.  My skin is breaking out at the moment too - this could be down to the liquorice, fennel and spearmint tea I now have after meals to satisfy my craving to finish my meal with something sweet on my palate.

Trips to the supermarket take a lot longer now.  I've always spent most of my time in the fruit and vegetable section, but there's always the need to visit other aisles.  I'm now aware of the danger lurking in the breakfast cereal section.  Sauces are another danger zone.  I now no longer visit the confectionery aisle or the biscuit section.  The health food section was fascinating.  Even amongst the packages proclaiming "gluten free", "low fat", "suitable for people intolerant to lactose" sugar lurks.

I'm one quarter of my way through withdrawal.  Six weeks to go and so far, so good.  I'm very pleased that I've never taken sugar in my tea or coffee.  I'm also pleased at my decision to go cold turkey.  If I was to wean myself off sugar, I don't think I'd ever make it.  Rather than thinking of it as deprivation, I'm gathering knowledge and embracing the idea that sugar is poison in the quantities found in the modern diet - I'm not depriving myself, I'm boosting my health.

I've found some great organic sesame crackers which are sugar free and can be kept easily in my handbag for afternoon and morning tea.  And the avocados are sensational at the moment!  Great time of year to be doing this.

Have you quit sugar?  I'd love to hear your stories.

My favourite things - this week

1. My diary for next week is my favourite thing this week.  There is NOTHING in it!

Empty
(c) divacultura 2012

 It's not often I feel happy about that, but with the recent frenetic pace, I'm quite happy to know that I can spend some time at home.  I know there's a lunch date sometime.  I have some accounts work to do.  I have some follow up from the empathy project.   These things can all be done at home.  That feels really good!

2. Getting dressed and ready for today's job.  I didn't even have to get dressed if I didn't want to.  I didn't have to shower.  Didn't do my hair and applied no makeup.  I picked up a pair of holey jeans  and a stinky t-shirt from the laundry pile.  Today I was playing a woman suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.  She is currently homeless.  It was a tough gig, but the wardrobe requirements were a dream.

3.  Flying on a plane with no audio visual distractions.  Usually I love the inflight entertainment, especially on longer flights.  Flying back from Brisbane last night there was not a screen anywhere to be seen.  I took the opportunity to put in some quality reading time.  I'm now 100 pages from the end of "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen.  I'm loving it!  I did plug my ipod in and enjoyed the soundtrack to the Almodovar film "Hable Con Ella" (Talk to her).  It's gorgeous and perfect in the background.

4.  Surprising dining experiences in regional Australia.  I've been out to Traralgon a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, pulling into the Century Inn, right on the highway.  I sighed the first time I pulled, not expecting very much, but I was soon happily surprised.  The food in the restaurant is sensational!  I enjoyed a rib fillet steak with lyonnaise potatoes, baby leeks and red wine jus and a rocket, pear and parmesan salad on the side.  Beautifully cooked and bursting with flavour.

5.  Lipstick pink hire cars.  Everyone looked at the car as I zipped along the road.  It was fun, but I don't think I'd buy that colour.  Resale would be hard, but it would be visible in the parking lot.

Lipstick pink Yaris
(c) divacultura 2012

My favourite things...this week.

This week, I'm struggling to find favourite things.  I seem to have spent most of the week sorting out problems with just about every aspect of my life.  I've spent hours talking to people in call centres being belted around the ears with the words "policy", "procedure" and "there's nothing we can do". Sigh.

1. In amongst that though, my high point was receiving my first reward for participation in the myki customer experience panel.  I've previously written about my experiences with myki and it hasn't all been pretty.  Participating in the panel requires a fair bit of time.  I'm happy to give that as I see it as part of my community contribution.  I'm learning a lot about the ins and outs of myki and it's great to know that someone is listening to the feedback that is being given.  Today I'm off to spend the first voucher I've received. Thank you!

2. Soup.  Especially home made!  On the weekend I bought some lamb shanks, put a pot on the stove and made some Scotch broth.  With the pearl barley and the clear broth, this soup reminds me of my Granny who always made it.  The resulting soup is sweet and nourishing.  I feel better immediately when I sit down to a big bowl.  I've put some portions away in the freezer so they're available when I just don't feel like cooking.


3.  My new iphone 4s.  I wasn't looking for a new phone but then the offer from Vodafone came along and I decided I may as well take advantage.  I'm always concerned about the built in obsolescence with our gadgets.  Experience tells me that if I ignore the opportunity to secure a new phone, my old phone (which is about 18 months old) would probably die the very next week.  It's largely the same as the iphone 4 except for Siri, the assistant.  I've only had the phone for a day and already Siri and I are friends.  It's so much easier to say what I need than typing on the phone.  Great innovation and I like that she has a local accent.

9 days after application in colour "Here today, Aragon tomorrow"
(c) divacultura 2012

4.  Gel nail colour.  During the winter months I really love to wear rich dark colours on my nails.  The problems with these colours is that even with the best manicure techniques, they usually start to look shabby after four or five days.  I'm always sceptical about claims about nail polish that will wear for weeks without chipping, but I decided to try OPI's new gel colour.  I'm hooked.  It really does wear for weeks!  I've had three applications about three weeks apart.  There's a bit of fiddling to get the colour off, but once it's on and cured, the colour is set.  No more smudges in the first hour.  




5. Electronic billing.  I know that receiving bills is no one's favourite thing, but paperless billing has to be one of the greatest things in the world.  My ultimate goal is to receive ONLY electronic bills.  I have a little way to go, but I'm getting there.  It's so much easier to file and keep track of records and they don't take up physical space.

Photo a day June - ON YOUR PLATE

ON YOUR PLATE
(c) divacultura 2012

Yesterday I baked "Blacksmith's tea loaf".  Here it is on my plate today.

I love the combination of fruit cake with a cup of strong tea.  Blacksmith's tea loaf is even better because main liquid ingredient is strong black tea.  I made this loaf with wholemeal spelt flour and it's delicious.  My hair still smells like the loaf coming out of the oven.

I'm having a lazy day today.  I've been watching television.  I don't feel guilty about it though.  I've finished a pair of socks I started only a few days ago and now have started to knit my own design!  It's been in my head for a few weeks and I'm now playing around.  So I guess I'm not that lazy.  My hands are never idle.  I'd never be able to sit and watch television for hours on end without doing something else!

I'm putting the kettle on.  Who's for a cuppa?

Movida with mates

Food is something I enjoy.  I love to cook, especially for other people.  Increasingly, I cook vegetarian food when I'm at home.  It's delicious, cheap and freezes well, meaning I can have a supply of nutritious food on hand for those nights when I would otherwise have toast. Or nothing. Or pizza.

I have dabbled with vegetarianism before, but struggle to keep adequate iron levels even when I'm eating steak every night.

So imagine my surprise when I found myself eating goat on Saturday night.

I had secured a table for me and two friends at Movida Aqui which took some doing.  I told the truth about my friend who was visiting from the "desert" and how every time she visits we attempt to get a table at Movida, but have never been successful.  The only condition was we had to agree to keep senior citizens' hours and dine at 6:30pm.  Luckily daylight savings is over and it's black at 6pm these days.

We met for a pre dinner cocktail at 5:30 at TheTrust, the bar in the magnificent old Port Office building.  We were the only people there at that hour, so the service was great.  I had a Negroni and my friends had a dirty gin martini and a campari and soda. We left when the hen's party arrived, looking like the cast from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". We then had to navigate our way through footpaths that have been dug up as part of the replacement of the William Street water mains.  Not great when you're in your very high, suede shoes!

The address for Movida Aqui is Level 1, 500 Bourke Street, but you need to forget about that and go around to Little Bourke Street.

The space is intriguing and there is lots to look at.  We spent some time considering the lighting - low energy fluorescent bulbs housed in milk crates along the top of the bar.

From the moment we arrived, the service was sensational.  The greeting was warm and our coats were taken as we were seated.  Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable, refilling glasses and taking away plates unobtrusively.  Perfect.

The restaurant promotes sharing plates and we were advised to order about five dishes to feel satisfied.  Each of us put in our bids.  I selected CONEJO AGRIDULCE - Andalucian Sweet and Sour Local Organic Rabbit with Pine Nuts and Dried Figs and was very pleased with that selection.  It was tender and sweet.

We also had:

SERRANO 24 month old Jamon.  I love the translucence of the paper thin slices.

BUTIFARRA - House Made Catalan Pork Pepper Sausage with Chickpeas and House Made Morcilla.  This dish was robust and tasty and a wonderful experience to eat.


ALCACHOFAS - Fried Artichokes Served with Toasted Almonds and Manchego Custard.  I liked this more than I expected to.  The Manchego custard was what made me hesitate, but this was like a delicious, runny fondue cheese sauce.

SETAS - Braised Pine Mushrooms Cooked in White Wine.  This was served last and was too delicate to appreciate after the robust flavours of the butifarra.

And we had the goat - which isn't on the menu, so must have been a daily special.  I was nervous, but it was proposed as a trade for making people eat rabbit.  I looked at the dish when it arrived and it just looked like meat.  It didn't smell particularly strong and it's texture looked like lamb.  I plunged in.  The flavour was much milder than I expected.  It was a bit dry and stringy for my liking.  I could see why it is usually done in a long cooked curry.  I spoke to a woman in the bathroom who had also had the goat and was unimpressed, agreeing that it was very dry.

We shared a bottle of Mayer "Big Betty" 2010 Shiraz based on the energetic description given by the sommelier.  He was right about it being wild and its flavour changed considerably the longer it was out of the bottle.

We finished off the meal with FLAN - Crème Caramel Served with Pestinos and washed it down with a Pedro Ximinez sweet sherry and espressos.

I enjoyed the experience.  It's loud and sensory overload, not the first choice for an intimate dinner, but great for dinner with some mates.  Take the opportunity to wander past the open kitchen to see where the food comes from.

Photo of the day - DELICIOUS

(c) 2012 divacultura

My favourite with strong blue cheese and a cracker!  Mmmmmm.

Ring in the New Year!

2011 is drawing to a close and I am feeling relaxed and content after a lovely celebration lunch with family at the Willow Tree Inn restaurant, Graze, situated halfway between Tamworth and Scone in country New South Wales.

My last meal for the year started with a chilled beetroot soup and sourdough roll to awaken my palate.  For entree I chose a twice cooked souffle of gruyere and caramelised onion.  My main meal was a beef rib cooked in a sticky chilli and black vinegar sauce.  The plan was to resist dessert, but then I saw the words "peanut butter bombe with caramel sauce and home made honeycomb" and the plan changed. An espresso saw me out the door.

It was a fitting meal actually.  2011 has been a year of transition, direction changes (hence my ability to quickly ditch a plan at the last minute), consolidation and finally, a positive trajectory.  These patterns define the years since 2008 and I feel that 2012 will be more focussed on consolidation, development and deepening. The first few months are already looking good.

Starting divacultura was a great step taken in 2011.  My initial impulse was to create and embed a daily writing habit, which has happened, but it's also enhanced my powers of observation and helped me develop my voice.  Creating a discipline around my creative practice was also a way for me to be productive during the times when other (paid) work was a bit quiet.  I call these troughs "mini retirements" and learning to value and use this time has been an important lesson in 2011.

Optimism and confidence are essential to well-being when self-employed.  I've always easily harnessed these traits and I've learnt their importance in creating the right "vibe" to attract people, work and opportunities to me.  I'll be continuing to cultivate these in 2012.

There will be more writing, more music and further development as a performer, perhaps with my own material, in the coming year.

My knitting resolution for the year is to tackle a really complicated lace pattern.  It's a technique that I haven't really practised much and it's time I did.  I will also find another charity to devote a month of knitting to as I did this year.

At the start of lunch with the family today I asked about resolutions and no one had any.  I was a bit surprised.  Everyone seemed too busy to have spent time in contemplation.  I don't approach the new year with resolutions, but rather a mindfulness about my intentions for living.  The same thing I guess, but they tend to be less prosaic if I think about them this way.  (Although "sort out the spare room" is still a work in progress which I do hope to achieve this year!)

(For more inspiration, you may like to visit my friend Rose's blog.  I love her idea of spending more time with the people who make her feel anything is possible.)

divacultura is not yet a year old, but the end of this year is still a milestone worth marking.  The top ten posts of 2011 are:

1. MYKI: it's your key to bureaucratic frustration
2. To knit or not - it's my choice
3. The love rug
4. Love in the letter box 
5. Beginnings (my very first post)
6. Taking to the streets of Melbourne
7. The rejection letter (companion piece to "Love in the letter box)
8. The glee of singing
9. Singing with the nuns
10. 4 inches of love

Are your favourites here?

Happy New Year from divacultura.  Thank you for reading in 2011!  I wonder what your intention is for 2012?

Christmas cake - done!

The cake is out of the oven.  Smells fantastic!