Spreading Ripples: A Book List

Reading is one of the constant and indulgent joys of my life. My love of reading began with the Enid Blyton storybooks a family friend gifted to me when I was smaller than six and which I still have, my name carefully written in my child's hand, on the inside covers of many. (I have shared the adventures of all those at the top of the Magic Faraway Tree with my beautiful boy and would still dearly love to try an exploding toffee shock!)  There was always a book tucked up with me in bed when I was young and now I always have a tall pile of them, teetering on near collapse, on my bedside table. I borrow many from my local library and there are some I have bought and kept over the years that I treasure and visit with time and again, like old friends!

A little book filled with inspiration!

One such book, that has lived on my study bookshelf for many years and which I return to from time to time when I feel a little overwhelmed by the challenges facing our world, and what I can do about them, is this one. Written by the inspiring and optimistic Tony Ryan, The Ripple Effect:  How You Can Make A Difference to the World Every Day is only a little book but it is filled with examples of the way in which positive ripples can be created and how they can spread out to bring about change and hope. In this book's preface, Tony has written:

"All of the little things you do in every moment of your life can ripple out to create endless changes in the lives of others ... one of your tiny actions this very day could ripple out and make a positive change to the world."

So, in the spirit of spreading ripples and weaving in with this post I did earlier in the week, on the changes we've made to try and live more sustainably here, I have added a page at the top of my blog with a list of books, poems and a film or two that are filled with words and hope for nature, our Earth... and us! I have read (or viewed) all of them and they have all inspired me in one way or another. Many live here with me on my bookshelf. Perhaps you might enjoy a few, or all, of them too!

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Perhaps you'll have time to read a little or to intentionally create a happy and hopeful ripple ❤

Meg

p.s. Please feel free to comment with the titles & authors of books you have read, or documentaries and films that you've seen, that you have loved and that you think inspire hope for nature, our world and us. 

A Lovely Lemon Slice

An oaty biscuit base, a tangy filling and a crumbly topping make up the layers of this lovely Lemon Crumble Slice. 

A lovely and lemony slice.

When a beautiful and generous friend gave me a bag full of Winter citrus from her trees recently, I set about making the most of those tangy fruits. With the juice from the fragrant lemons I made this slice, a firm favourite here in our house.  The original recipe, came from Lauren and Lucy over at Thermobliss, but I tweaked it (as is my way) to cut down on the sweetness in the base and topping. Although I have a Thermomix, I don't use it to make this slice. I do it this way instead:

Lemon Crumble Slice

Base & Topping

1 1/4 cups white spelt flour (or plain flour)

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1/3 cup dessicated coconut

170g butter, melted

Filling

1 tin condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 egg yolks

1.  Preheat oven to 180C.

2.  Line a 20cm x 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.

3.  Combine dry ingredients for the base/topping in a large bowl.

4.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter.

5.  Mix thoroughly.

6.  Spoon half of this oaty mixture into the cake tin and press down gently with fingertips to cover the bottom of the tin evenly and form the biscuit base of the slice.  Set remaining mixture aside.

7.  Bake base for 10-15minutes until lightly golden.  Cool while you make the filling.

8.  Beat condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks together, in a clean bowl, with hand 

     mixer until smooth, thick and creamy.

9.  Pour this lemony mixture onto the cooked base of your slice.

10. Crumble the rest of the oaty mixture over the top of the lemony filling and press this 

       topping down very gently with your hands. 

11. Bake in oven for 20-25mins until topping is lightly golden. Remove and cool in the tin.

12. Cover and refrigerate overnight before removing from the tin and cutting into small 

      squares.  Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Oaty Base

Lemony Filling

Crumbly Topping

Although I cut this slice into quite small pieces, it still seems to disappear here at a very rapid rate. You might need a lock on the fridge if you decide to give it a try! 

Meg

Earth Care at our Place

There is much about sustainability "swirling" around us all the time now as our world grapples with environmental challenges, not the least of which is climate change. Just recently here, there has been the popular television program, ABC TV's War on Waste, media reporting of imminent energy price hikes in some Australian states, the release of the independent Finkel Review into the future security of the National Electricity Market, the controversy surrounding the proposed Carmichael Coal Mine in Queensland's Galilee Basin, widespread coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and so on ... 

If you are anything like me, sometimes all this can be overwhelming and can leave you wondering, "What can I do about all of this?" "Will anything I do make a difference?" The answer to those questions, for me, lies in one of Permaculture's key ethics. Maddy Harland, in an article for the magazine Permaculture (Vol. 82, Winter 2014)  wrote "Earth Care ... involves many decisions...we can make choices about what and how we consume and conserve." I think the choices we make as individuals count, I think they merge with the choices of others, like Fiona and Cheryl and Morag and Tammy, to create ripples for change in the world around us. 

So, here are some of the choices we make at our place. Did we make these changes overnight? No. Is there more we could do? Yes. But a beginning is a start, isn't it!

For the House ... 

Solar panels and solar hot water on our roof.

(We make a conscious effort to use appliances like wash machine in daylight hours.)

We collect rainwater from our roof.

(We have this small tank and a much larger one under our house.)

In the kitchen .... 

We grow and eat some of our own food.
(Reduces the food miles significantly.)

Healthy, wholesome meals made from scratch in our kitchen.

(Meat-free meals appear on our table regularly too.)

Reusable storage containers, pockets, covers and beeswax wraps.

(I no longer need to buy plastic kitchen wrap!)

Buying in bulk helps reduce packaging that comes into our home.
(Stored in good quality, air tight containers.)

Fruit and vegetable scraps go into our worm farm.

(Significantly reduces waste and returns goodness to the soil.)

In the Laundry & Bathroom ...

 The cleaning products and hand knitted washcloths we use.

(This is not a sponsored photo or post, simply the products we use.)

I buy this in bulk box of 48 double length rolls of 100% recycled toilet paper.

(Again, this is not a sponsored photo or post, simply a product we use.)

 Sunshine dries our washing.
(We have a line under the house and airing racks for wet days.)

On Our Bodies ...

Sewing some of our own clothes.
(A new skill I'm learning!)

A few simple products for skin and hair.
(Soap, coconut oil as moisturiser & apple cider vinegar as hair conditioner.)

Sourcing some pre-loved clothes from op-shops.
(I love this new-to-me top & wear it often.)

In the Garden ...

Our garden is a haven for wildlife like bees, lizards, birds and more... 
(We grow some native plants, have bird baths for water.)

We make compost from garden trimmings.
(This compost feeds our soil rather than garden waste going to landfill.)

Our garden prunings become mulch which feeds and protects our soil.

(Less waste destined for landfill.)


Handweeding instead of using chemicals.
(Fewer chemicals, that can adversely affect human & animal health, in the environment.)

Out and about ...

Reusable shopping bags and produce bags.

(Significantly reduces single-use plastic that comes into our home.)

One of our reusable water bottles. 

(We have stainless steel straws too in case we get milkshakes!)

We visit & borrow often from our local library.
(Books like this one broaden our knowledge & give us ideas.)

We spend time outside, soaking up and getting to know nature, as often as possible.
("We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know.")

~ Richard Louv

You may do similar things at your place or you may do things differently. What we do here is by no means an exhaustive list (Far from it!). In the spirit of creating and spreading ripples, I hope you'll have ideas of your own that you can share. I'd love to know what you do at your place.

Happy Monday to you all.

Meg