from the farm: billy tea

Ingredients include: the 3 of us. And a quad bike complete with Tip Top Bread crate for carrying supplies. Passengers must ignore the WARNING sign that clearly states: "You should not ride this vehicle as a passenger!" Pirate facepaint optional

Collecting necessary stones to create a circle and then finding wood for the fire.

Voila! Fire. And a Billy. Now...all we need is a billy holder - thank goodness for the meticulous and creative Virgo.

Sipping hot tea by a fire as the sun sets. Perfect

Ps. This is the last farm post. I took over 500 photos and wanted to put the best up here in this space. Tomorrow? Another birthday.

chai for your weekend

Last week I decided to give up coffee. I've never been addicted to anything but I think I was becoming addicted to the ritual of a cappuccino each day. I would really look forward to the stirring, the sipping, the chocolate powder sinking into the froth. But then I realised that my iron was low and a friend told me that caffeine doesn't allow your body to absorb iron. At around the same time I noticed that after a coffee I would get a few heart palpitations and generally feel a little off. I came to the conclusion that I wasn't even enjoying the actually coffee anymore - I was addicted to the habit of buying it. Addicted to the ritual.

And so I scrapped one ritual and embraced another.

A cheaper, healthier and much more satisfying ritual - chai.

A sweet, spicy Indian tea that will become, if you let it, the most beautiful comfort drink.

This recipe is from my friend Kellie but keep in mind that the best chai is your chai. Feel free to change the quantities of the ingredients to suit your taste.

Chai

place 2 cups of water in a saucepan and heat

add:

2-3 slice of fresh ginger (don't bother peeling)

12-15 cardomon pods (squash a little in a mortar&pessel)

half a cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon of cloves

small teaspoon of peppercorns (squash a little in a mortar&pessel)

one slice of whole nutmeg

4 teaspoons of tea leaves (I use a caffeine-free blend)

Let this simmer for about 20mins.

add:

one cup of soy milk

one cup of oat milk

or

2 cups of dairy milk

or

2 cups of whatever milk you like

Allow the tea to infuse for about 10-15mins

Strain the tea into another saucepan (to heat for later) or into cups.

Stir honey or raw sugar into your tea.

Enjoy. Om.

cuppa?

also fun to cut out and use on birthday cards....(the pictures, not the tea)

clipper organic tea is my new favourite. i judge my tea by its packet and its taste. both are beautiful and make me go back for more. at present i have chai, peppermint and chamomile in my cupboard. I have a strange desire to collect the entire range and display them on my kitchen shelf. all flavours suit the banana bread currently baking in the oven. later i'm making the rainbow lasagna from the fabulous vegetarian cookbook, green. (I sometimes make this lasagna too). I'm adding fresh kale from the garden because my iron is a little low. Any iron enhancing tips would be appreciated! (I'm not vegetarian but please don't recommend liver).

Also, if you're a knitter, where can I find beautiful knitting needles?

30 days of gratitude : 27

Gratitude today for 'green, jasmine & pear tea', a decadent concoction from the very lovely Madame Flavour. My mum found the 'sultry chai' blend in the supermarket and passed the hint onto me. These most gorgeous teas are presented in little fabric infuser pods, like 'silken purses' and they are completely biodegradable. The packaging is beautiful and each pack comes complete with a little note from Ms Flavour herself - the woman who, lucky her, has tasted tea in places far away - Paris, China, India...even with Geisha in Kyoto.

Sometimes a cup of tea can make everything better...

balance

A while back Che decided that he wanted to snooze in our bed, snug between us all through the night. He was unsettled in his cot and I was exhausted from getting up to him. So for a few months he has been sleeping in our bed and we have felt so privileged to have him there. It was so nice to go to bed and cuddle with our baby boy. But some things only last so long and last week I noticed that Che needed more room. He had a few unsettled nights, feeding frequently and generally not 'happy' when he woke in the morning.

I thought perhaps he had reached the stage where he wanted his own space to sleep. I thought it was going to be difficult to get him back into the routine of sleeping in his cot. But the last few nights after cuddles, a story and some milk he has drifted off to sleep in his cot and slept through the night. We play a lullaby rendition of The Eagles to help him relax. Daniel thinks it's a bit strange that Che falls to sleep listening to 'Tequila Sunrise' but I suppose it's just the result of having an 60s rocker as your Grandad.

I truly believe that each family has to find their own way, find their own balance. Months ago we could have kept him in his cot and ignored his obvious need to be close to us. We could have listened to the beliefs of so many people around us who seemed so horrified by the idea of co-sleeping. Instead we enjoyed night after night of peaceful sleep as a family. And we continue to enjoy a beautiful full sleep again. We all feel happy. We all feel balanced.

Me...I find so much comfort in finding my own way as a Mum. Che sleeping through the night feels like I have reached another phase of Mothering. Knowing this has made me realise that intuitive parenting is the best way for me. To listen to my little one and do what I believe is best for him. Balance can also be found in beautiful Japanese tea cups...even better if they're full of tea. Especially this.

tea

Tea cannisters found at a garage sale down the street. The perfect accompaniment to my teacups and teapots. Yes, I love tea. Picked up an Indian kaftan too. It smells like chai.