salad patch

The local vegetable plots are in full production, and a source of much envy and admiration to this lazy gardener.  Carrots, spring onions, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, chilli, basil and a variety of Asian leafy greens. All organic, watered by hand and eaten  within hours of harvest. Every Tuesday baskets are walked to the weekly markets. This is carbon negative food with zero food miles and an abundance of available nutrients. Super fuel for Aquamen, lontar climbers and wordsmiths.

happy birthday aquaman

Aquaman eschews fuss or fanfare for his birthday. Give him a dawn surf and breakfast with his family and he is a happy man.  Although a vegan chocolate mud cake doesn't go unappreciated.

Mum and dad were meant to leave tomorrow, however they were bumped off their flight by government officials (despite having booked it two weeks prior), so they have to depart a day early and take the ferry to the mainland.  Tom offered to go as their escort, as a  night in the "city of dreams" can be an unpleasant experience for the uninitiated.  It  is not exactly what Aquaman had in mind for the remainder of his special day, but at least he is keeping good company.  

May your waves forever be uncrowded, the wind offshore and the water warm.

xxx

a helping hand

Tom's parents are visiting, and what better time to attack the list of handyman projects when there is willing, able and free labour.  Tom inherited more than half his hummingbird genes from dad and together they are a formidable team.  I'm on hand as tea lady and chef, keeping their energy levels sustained for peak performance. Mum is an excellent supervisor. 

The first job was to build removable panels to close the front of the house when we leave. Previously we have used a large tarp, which is time consuming and insecure. The new shutters are light, easy to handle and can be pinned in place the night before we depart. 

Dad has rewired the dining room light with a temporary "Mad Max" installation and chiseled a wedge to keep the fridge door closed.  Today's manoeuvre is a locking system for the bedroom front shutter and  the addition of cross bracing in the roof so we can remove the upright posts.  

At the end of the day, there is time for a quick nap before a well earned cold beer.

back from where i've been

Home again after a two week stint in Bali and relieved to be free from the hideous traffic, pollution and noise of Seminyak. Despite my best intention, I always seem to end up there as it is convenient for stocking up on supplies before I return to island isolation. The coffee isn't bad either.  For the last two nights our hotel was opposite a three storey building site where work continued until 11pm, followed by all night horn beeping and motorbike revving.  The majority of Bali holidaymakers are only just warming up around 10pm, so wouldn’t even notice, but for this koala it was torture.

Tom’s parents are here for their first visit. Our days are full of cultural outings, nature walks, swimming and Feldenkrais, with Tom putting his dad to work on outstanding projects. Today we have a fierce scrabble tournament on the go. Tom's in the lead, with me sniffing a close second.

For photos from my trip to Bali, and to see where I laze about in my resort manager's bikini, visit Treacle for Stickybeaks here, here and here.

I'll leave you with a Bingin barrel, taken from the pool at Mick's Place.

lua lemba festival

The Indigo foundation is a small independent Australian community development organisation that provides support to a range of education and health initiatives in our region, via the Lua Lemba Organisation.  Indigo’s support has contributed to the establishment of two senior high schools, the provision of education bursaries,  mother and child health workshops, and the introduction of permaculture techniques to local farming villages. Last year they launched a small cultural festival with the view to an annual event.  I caught up with the team preparing for this year's Healthy Living Festival.

A professional puppeteer and festival coordinator from Australia is on hand to teach the kids how to make paper lanterns with bamboo frames, and choreograph a delightful shadow play based on a favourite children's song. It is complete with paper surfer's, pigs and a chaotic city scene.

harvest of the palms

The dry season is the peak time for harvesting sap from the lontar palm.

Every second day we receive a home delivery of fresh sweet juice; a boost to our morning green smoothie.  At peak flow times, the majority of the fresh liquid is simmered over an open fire for two hours and reduced to a thick syrup. A bundle of lontar leaves placed across the wok prevents the liquid boiling over. The gula syrup keeps through the wet season when fresh juice isn't available, and provides an important energy source for the villagers. We like to drizzle it over fruit and add it to the Sunday choc banana blitz.

 

To see more photos and info about the process visit this post.

who are all these people?

Less than a day in Bali and I have almost killed myself with two lattes, carbon monoxide poisoning and the shock of an internet connection that doesn't require me to read half a book between clicks.  Here for a couple of weeks to manage Mick's Place in Bingin - my second stint after a successful trial run in December - and to escort the in-laws on their first visit to our island home.  It is clear that I am not the only one with a desire to be in Bali. After three months of village life and quiet nights with a green smoothie, a book and my husband, the crowds, noise, traffic and sensory stimulation is freaking me out.  Is there an official name for a fear of traffic jams?

take no prisoners

critical duckdives made

boards creased, broken & lost

leg ropes snapped

three times overhead, four out the back

as many spectators in the channel as surfers in the water

I watched the action from the safety of the shoulder, waiting with my shutter finger to capture Aquaman pulling into a screamer...but then I had to leave for a morning tea date.  He caught the very next wave. What kind of a dedicated water wife am I?

I caught up with him later over a green power smoothie and he had this to say about the session :

"We have had a couple of teaser swells earlier in the season, but this was our first bit of a giggle.

Much appreciated. Lets you know you're alive."

How was your day in the office?

moving to a different beet

You are seeing the first ever beetroot to appear at our weekly market. The seeds were given to a local lady by a keen expat gardener, and we are reaping the rewards in our lunch. I made a simple salad with grated beetroot and carrot, lemon juice and cumin seeds.  I would normally add juicy raisins, but alas the cupboard is bare and the closest shop stocking such exotic imports is a day's travel away.

Swell has picked up and there are double over head sets pushing through.  For those of you far more interested in barrels than beetroot, I will hopefully have some action shots to share in the next couple of days. That is providing Aquaman and his mates put on a decent show. I don't shoot kooks.