the fifo wife

It was with realisation today that Big Boy the cancer drug trial dog is heading into the beginning of the last stages of his disease. He is happy enough still but has started the symptoms that they consider part of the final progression.

Naturally what do I do apart from cry? I get angry and well that makes me want to eat I know such a terrible cycle but I can’t help it well I can a run I could fix it with a run I know that but right now I just want something gooey sticky sweet and I want it right now but in that same frame of mind I don’t want junk so I made this instead.

Pure comfort I tell you.

Have it as a side with a roast throw in some salad leaves, pine nuts a soft cheese and well its a whole meal but I didn’t I ate it straight from the baking dish..like a sad and sorry mess.

Roasted pumpkin and balsamic and Maple Syrup.

What you will need:

1.75kg butternut pumpkin, deseeded, cut into 2cm-thick pieces
olive oil cooking spray
red onion sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

How to:

Preheat oven to 250°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place pumpkin and onion in a single layer on trays. Spray with oil and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast pumpkin, turning once, for 20 minutes or until golden and tender. In the last five/ ten minutes pour in the maple syrup and honey and cover. depending how caramalised you like your pumpkin and onion will depending on cooking time.

enjoy.

{image with thanks to here}

Do you know what its like to lose the family farm after its been in your family for one hundred and fifty years he said? Do you know what it feels like to be the generation the man. The family to lose what your father, your fathers father and father before that worked so hard for?

Do you know what its like to have tried your damnedest and still fail because farming isn’t valued enough and nobody wants to pay an extra 15 cents for the product you have work so hard for and yet they don’t even blink at the idea of paying extra for an overseas named brand t-shirt thats made in India no less?

I looked at him. I was holding the gate to the fence where his cattle had escaped and wandered out.

No I don’t I said. Nothing else was said and we went on to talk about how much he loved his cattle having changed from Brahman to Wagu hoping he could save himself.

I handed the flimsy wired gate back to him and continued walking his words striking me but not affecting me enough to consider it further until this past weekend and I had coffee with my friend Mel.

‘Deb you are serving me Woolies milk?’ she said.

‘Yeah’ I said why completely forgetting she is a dairy farmers wife. I forgot because she is a photographer, the wife of a dairy farmer and of a FIFO worker. Her husband has had to leave the farm to work in a mine four hours away because the price of milk has plummeted and they can’t sell off a farm that makes no money.

I tried to justify myself by saying that I go through 12 litres of milk a week and that’s on a good week.

“If you brought my milk it would be better for you its full cream not watered down and the boys would drink less” she said.
I rebutted with a laugh no they wouldn’t it would just cost me more money. She stayed silent and said no more because what is the point when fighting about the almighty dollar.

It wasn’t until she left that I stopped and thought about my local farmers to which there are many living around me being a rural area.Many have progressed into business as they need to trying to stay afloat and diversify. Some have succeeded and yet some have closed their doors and have started to sell off their land. As a result surrounding towns have gone quiet farming supply stores surviving just on hobby farmers coming in from the city to get a slice of what could be.

And it was a gut wrenching penny dropping that I realised the course of my actions my trying to save some bucks will indeed have attributed whilst not totally but the mind-set of those farmers closing. It occuered what a slap in the face it would be to the likes of farmer John and my friend Mel to not to even batter my lids at paying additional for a ‘good quality shirt’ that’s made in India yet not justify to pay additional for something that will stay here support my neighbour an and Australian business.

With the knowing of every door closing I have always thought oh how sad but the reality is that s someone’s livelihood someones heritage gone but I thought no more of it then.

Yet today I thought back to Mel and how tired she looked, how tired farmer John looked my neighbours my fellow Australians and so I made a decision this weekend to try to buy more Australian made and less imports where I can. I am not being unrealistic about it but the very idea that if I switch to paying an additional $1.00 for a bottle of milk might keep my friend Mel in business then I will. If it means paying 30 cents extra for tomatoes I will. Realistically I can’t buy all Australian made and I can’t make promises but I can do more than I am now.

So if I can change my mind if can change it just a little we might just save another Australian farming business going out of business and the flow on effect from that is priceless.

Do you buy much Australian made are you a conscious shopper?

xx Deb

This has been a tough week. I knew I was in for a bit of ‘meltdown’ today when I found my B2 walking with me this morning, and not shutting up. Which led me to think does my laundry lock from the inside.
I love my kids. I seriously adore them, but this week I have had someone clasped to my hip all week and whilst I love them I have been wiping orifices for most of it. The only downtime I have is when he slept between vomits. My sleeping has been minimal with last night being my first full night in five days. My B1 he vomits in his sleep so relaxing isn’t a word I would use to describe this week.

So today I did what my body told me and I watched TV all day first time in a long time. I switched the TV on for B1, said “knock your socks off” and I did the same. I didn’t even have to hide in the laundry but in case you’re not as fortunate as I am yet here are five ways to relax before the little cherubs can open the laundry door.

But it won’t matter even if they because you have had five minutes you have relaxed your refreshed and ready for round two.

Five ways to relax before the kids can open the laundry door.

1. Eat some Chocolate
Just a square (about 1.4 ounces) of the sweet stuff can calm your nerves. Dark chocolate regulates levels of the stress hormone cortisol and stabilizes metabolism. I come bearing only good news.

2. Give Yourself a Hand Massage
When there’s no professional masseuse in sight, try DIYing a hand massage for instant relaxation that calms a pounding heart. Massages can be especially helpful for people who spend a lot of time typing on a keyboard. Hands, in general, can carry a lot of tension. Apply some luxurious lotion and start kneading the base of the muscle under the thumb to relieve stress in the shoulders, neck, and scalp.

3. Look Out the Window
No spying on the neighbours allowed unless of course, it’s worth the jail time. When things get hectic, take a five-minute break to do nothing but stare out the window. Looking at nature scenes like trees and public parks can be a lot more relaxing than staring at the TV screen.

4. Laugh
Laughter’s one of the sillier ways to beat stress, but there’s science behind it [20]. A fit of hysterics can increase blood flow and boost immunity. Keep a book of jokes handy in the desk drawer or check out a hilarious YouTube video for a quick pick-me-up. Consider these here and here.

5. Talk to a Friend
When something’s really bothering you, it can help to share your feelings with a friend. In fact, more talkative folks tend to be happier in general. So vent to a co-worker or call a close family member and spill.
xx Deb

{image and tips with thanks}

They are saying that you can see the exact moment that Jennifer Garner falls in love with Ben Affleck here and whilst she does look smitten only she can say when she fell in love but it got me thinking about falling in love with my husband. And whist I didn’t tell him in that moment I remember thinking oh god things are about to change forever.

I remember the day it was Sunday I remember what we were doing I was sitting in a lounge chair reading a text-book studying, I was doing a psychology degree at the time. He was on the floor writing something a letter no doubt when a Garth Brooks song came on..One Night A Day to be exact. He got up from the floor grabbed my hand and slow danced me around my living room.

That was it. I was gone I was his. Forever marked by him. And I think of that moment a lot and play that song more than I care to admit. It’s what keeps me going some days some nights when the silence is too much to bare.

He left for deployment a week later but I didn’t tell him. I thought it would pass and that I thought I had plenty of time. Obviously neither happened.

So over the static of an old sat phone in the front garden of my childhood home I paced as I said I need to tell you something.. I mustered the courage that doesn’t come easy to someone who doesn’t like to hold hands in public and blurted I love you …

and I got nothing back..but thats okay he had told me ten days after we met {a week before} that he thought he loved me it’s just he thought I was sleeping.

So I guess we were even.

Do you remember the moment? 

xxDeb

Mum can you make a cake. I hadn’t made one the previous day despite saying I would so of course first day of school it was the first thing they asked and it was the last thing I wanted to do. All I wanted to do was clean the house and revel in that controlled feeling for six hours but having a cake on hand is one less thing you have to think about putting in their lunch box. I hate school lunches seriously hate them its the one thing that I hate about the school morning routine; have I said I hate school lunches enough?

Anyway I found this recipe in one of the Woman’s Day Freezer cook books and so I by no means take any of the credit except for finding it eating it and presenting it here. Now occasionally I make it as a cake and occasionally I make it as cup cakes it really depends on how I am feeling {ie how much effort finding patty pans presents at the time} but the {cup}cake is quick to make super moist judging by the ingredients very much a in moderation treat and tastes like the {cup}cake version of chocolate crackles..well I think so and so do the boys.

So given that it ticks all those boxes give it a go serving it with a dollop of cream makes it even more ‘treat’ like but so good. I also add chocolate chips every now and then or nutella if being made on the weekend.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

What you will need: 

110g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plain flour, sifted
3/4 cup shredded coconut
4 tablespoons good-quality cocoa powder, plus 1 teaspoon extra
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

How to: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. In a bowl, beat butter and sugar together until pale, then add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 3. Add flour, 1/4 cup of coconut, cocoa and baking powder and mix well.

4.Pour batter into a 12-cup greased muffin pan. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

xx Deb

{image with thanks to here}