one month down

The humidity today is horrid. Old Testament clouds are building, tempting us with the hope of rain and a relief from the last tendrils of the wet season.  The cold front that swept over the southern half of WA last week pushed up a macking swell, with three days of waves at least triple overhead. Unfortunately for Aquaman, he was suffering a severe bout of the flu and missed the best part of it in bed. Being the water wife that I am, I kept one eye on the patient and the other on the waves, with timely gasps as mountains of white wash crashed down beyond the reef.  

At one stage we made a dash to the clinic for a malaria "rapid test" to be sure it wasn't another case of cerebral nightmare.  They took a second blood sample to check under the microscope that night - when the power came on. With Tom still sleeping and sweating, I called the nurse at home and was relieved to get the all clear. Meanwhile, I spent the weekend hunting for driftwood, drinking tea and gazing at rainbows. 

tea on the beach

It is 35 in the shade and humidity is pushing my tolerance levels, however as the British Raj demonstrated, that is no reason to pack away the teapot. With the kitchen only metres from the water, I can take all of my paraphernalia to a shady spot and catch the sea breeze. A swim or three in between blog posts and I’ve earned a nap. 

Sumba and I are home alone, with Aquaman doing a quick Singapore run to renew his visa. I have a new appreciation for the daily challenges a single mum must face, and I’ve only got a bleeting goat that misses his dad.  My current challenge is convincing him how delicious fruit and vegetables are, and that he should try chewing them rather than the plate they are on.  There will not be photographic evidence of me on all fours eating carrot stalks.  

still

Here there is time to be calm; to watch a shaft of morning sunshine drift across the kitchen, or steam rise from a green tea into the cool and humid dawn. Instead of television we are entertained by the antics of our barking gecko, or hermit crabs scratching on the kitchen floor. There is space for awareness, for a pause between thoughts; a simplicity and peacefulness that we value greatly. Are you finding some time to be?

season of plenty

The middle of the dry season is the peak time for produce. Carrots have arrived, tomatoes are in abundance, cauliflower make a brief appearance, cucumbers are sweet, and lettuce thrives in the cooler temperature. Kan kung (water spinach) is always plentiful and very cheap (top photo), and it provides the green in our green smoothie; the fuel for fearless paddling and blogging.  The local tofu is firm, delicious and versatile - scrambled, steamed, marinated, blended with cacao...I'll prepare it any way except fried.  The fridge is fully stocked this week for the arrival of Aquaman's parents, and we called upon our friendly neighbours to deliver the bounty in their ute. This called for morning tea, followed by the great veggie wash-up and a market day feast for the goats. There goes another simple morning. 

chai with leo

I lugged a couple of litres of soya milk from Bali and rationed them for chai.  Soya beans aren't available on the island, and must be shipped from the mainland to make tempeh and tofu. There is a very similar bean grown locally over the wet season that I mistook for soy and tried in vain to make milk with disastrous curdled results.  I tried three different methods, even sprouting the beans first to make a raw soya milk. Let me tell you, do not try this at home.  It was so wrong, and turned into a weird lumpy custard when heated. 

For a couple of sweet mornings we sat down mid-morning for a spicy brew and a slab of sesame power bar from the market. To accompany our cuppa I read the latest inspiring blog post from Leo Babauta, the writer of Zen Habits.

His post "How to Live Well" parallels our tenets, and the truth that you can live well with little. 

Little things include these mugs from Bill Meiklejohn at Willyabrup Dreaming Pottery, one of the artists I interviewed over summer for my upcoming book... A handmade connection to our Australian home and designed to keep your chai hot for longer. 

"He who is contacted is rich" Lao Tzu

first morning of winter

While I agree there is beauty in a crisp winter's day, the morning dew heavy on the grass, a roaring fire, hot milo, footy season and the sound of rain on a tin roof; I relish the incredibly pleasant dry season in the tropics. Minimum 23 degrees, maximum 30, offshore breeze, and nothing but blue skies. Sorry to do this to the southerners moving toward the shorter, cooler days of the year, but I welcome your reverie to gaze into the lagoon, imagine your feet in the shallows and the sun warm on your shoulders. Green tea anyone?   

  

the barefoot studio

Aquaman's been splashing around paint rather than water of late. Surf conditions have been pitiful, but not unexpected for this time of the year.  When a small bump in swell arrived yesterday the southerly blew the bejesus out of it.  Doesn't bother this little mermaid, as my lagoon activities are unaffected by the capricious breeze.

I've been doing my own bit of arty farty carry-on in my studio.  I put together a driftwood "mosaic" and have started on a "busroll'.  To protect my desk from paint, I'm using one of only two newspapers to arrive this year, and have caught up on the Arab revolt and the all ordinaries index from June.  Plenty of aspiration without expectation, with time for tea, cake and friends in between. The decoration of our only solid wall is complete; must be time to extend.

Sasha from Mick's Place, me & Karen

nature's takeaway

After the previous post about donuts, I thought I better redeem myself with a banana promotion. What great love I have for the this perfectly packaged superfood.  Recently I had the joy of picking and eating my first ever banana straight off the tree. While bananas are still peaking at $15/kg in Australia, this organic beauty was free. 

We munch and blend our way through between 100 and 130 bananas each week. They are home delivered from nearby gardens, and we pay around 10c each.  The locals think we are totally insane. They believe you can only feel full if you eat rice. They have never drank a blender full of frozen banana and cacao smoothie.

My current favourite snack and tea accompaniment is sliced banana with lemon juice and a few dates.  Eating banana with a fork elevates it from banal to dainty.  Or so I like to tell myself. 

Banana enjoyed whilst flicking the inspiring pages of My Heart Wanders, by Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Thank you Linda. xx

tea with friends

Tom is out in the greenroom office, but that doesn't mean I am sitting at home lonely. I have our faithful four legged companions watching my every move as I sit with my cup of tea, banana and notebook.  They know they are not allowed in the house, but like to sneak their hooves up on the step for a better look.  Bo Peep is now one year old and growing into a strong lad with the help of our scraps. As his baby bleets are becoming deeper and his tiny horns longer, we have given him the manly name Tex. 

Their bond is remarkable, and while Tex is as big as his mum, he doesn't like to stray too far and will snuggle and groom her, and use her as a pillow for a midday nap. Being the rambunctious child, he also head butts  her when the banana skin doesn't go his way, which is only going to lead to tears when she shows him the gate.

time for tea

Without the constraints of work schedules, school hours and appointments, it is always cuppa time.  You can drop around to visit anyone at any hour of the day and the kettle is not far off the boil.  In the house of an expat, the offer is made for tea or coffee; black, white, sugar?  In a local's home, the tea arrives black with a small plantation of cane sugar already added.  You smile graciously and wait for the host to announce he or she is about to drink, at which you acknowledge the host and state your intention to sip. 

Depending on which expat you call upon, it could be English Breakfast, Earl Grey, organic Genmaicha, Nescafe or thick Indonesian mud posing as coffee.  There is the odd plunger and stove top espresso maker around, and our neighbour Linda upped the ante with the first hand operated milk frother.  In a sweet demonstration of attachment causing suffering, the "strong hands" of their pembantu broke the frother in the second week and the camp sank into mourning.

Milk is powdered, or UHT for those that can be bothered carrying it in.  We ration our precious soy milk from Bali, as I am yet to perfect making a drinkable version from scratch.  Soya beans are available in abundance at the market, as it tofu and tempeh, but milk is unheard of, and I can't get anything other than a curdled glue on its way to custard.  If anyone has any tips, please send them my way.  Until then, it's a green oolong, or black Nerada, pesticide free, hold the cow.

bits of the day

Went for an early morning walk on the beach.  As always, I can't resist picking up a couple of nature's gifts from the high tide line. 

Had a lovely cup of aromatic Earl Grey.  Black, no sugar.

In the late afternoon, when the backyard came into shade, I laid some more pavers on the road to nowhere.  The vision is to create a sand free link between the guest quarters (aka tent) and the house.  I like to place a few squares each day, then sit back and survey my handiwork.  No rush.

chai wallah

For those partial to a spicy soy chai, look no further than Biku teahouse in Seminyak. Served in an unusual teapot with a fine china cup and saucer, the blend of quality leaf tea, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and ginger is an authentic tribute to mother India.

If the mere thought of a hot beverage in the tropics makes you perspire, try the refreshing iced teas, infused with mint, star fruit, wild ginger blossom or lemongrass.  

Biku is the perfect place to lounge and catch up on gossip, email or your half read novel.  A small branch of Ganesha Bookshop sells new and used books, magazines and cards, so grab a pen and indulge in the old fashioned tradition of letter writing over a cup of loose leaf Darjeeling or Lapang Souchang, reported to be a "favourite of intellectuals and artists who seek inspiration and creative stimulation."

‘Tea’s proper use is amuse the idle, and
relax the studious, and dilute the full meals
of those who cannot use exercise, and will
not use abstinence”
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)