chocolate anyone?

  

While all of us love chocolate, a vast majority is not aware that about 1.8 million children are subjected to hard labour and horrible working conditions on West African cocoa farms, which is where 70 percent of the world’s chocolate comes from. According to the US Department of state, Cote d’Ivoire or Ivory Coast, which alone accounts for nearly 40 percent of world’s cocoa production, has more than 109,000 children working under “the worst forms of child labour”, with over 10,000 being victims of human trafficking and slavery. (Singapore Independent, 2014)

So given this news, what can we do? I've started drafting a post, but it's not ready yet... stay tuned.

Choices - so hard!

 

 My mission this year is to learn how to live more simply - because I want to know that I'm not disadvantaging people with my choices. This mission weighs on my mind daily. Coffee or not? Take away cup or BYO? Buy my lunch or take it from home? But my garden just doesn't produce enough to supply all my lunch needs..... as you can see - my thoughts wander through these cycles. 

So here's the thing - I think I've been absent from blogging because I'm feeling guilty.... living simply is hard by my current standards. Now, I have a new mission now - how can I live simply, in line with my hopes, in a way that is achievable in my actual life - that is - I commute 3 hours to work, don't see my garden any more than 1 day a week, and cant pack a lunch for every day. So - it's now about finding and purchasing ethically, locally, and minimally. 

While this is perhaps the image I had about simplicity.....

This is more like the image I hope for -  one of sitting peacefully with my decisions....

So now - I will be posting very soon on my Chocolate research.... it was an emotionally difficulty piece of research to do. But now I see my man making ethical decisions about what we're purchasing, and loosing weight as evidence that he's cut back - I feel like it was a great start.

Garden Musings

 Harvesting: Banana's, Cucumbers, Beans, Spinach, 

Basil, Parsley, Lettuce, Raddishes & Celeriac

 Radishes

 Leeks

 Basil

Spinach

After, what seems like a chaotic start to the year, I'm finally seeing some of the fruits of my labours. I made a new years commitment to developing and maintaining a food producing garden. This is quite a challenge given I stay in the city for 4 nights of the week... but the small segments of time I've been able to put into the garden since it's renovations at Christmas appear to be adding up. 

I'm really happy with the produce I'm getting out of it now - and even happier that, when I'm away, my man can find his way round the garden to find his salad and veggies. 

So far this weekend I've

• baked banana bread
• made a spinach and basil pesto
• made a quinoa and cucumber salad
• cooked a bean and tomato casserole for the freezer.

Meanwhile, as I potter in the garden I have been pondering things - family issues, work projects, and still trying to work out my own priorities and hopes for 2014.... there's so much to think about.

1. School Reunion or not?  It's not that I'm thinking about organising it, it's that someone is organising it and I'm wondering if I'll make the interstate trip to go? This is doing my head in! the school photo's and names list are bringing back all the emotions of a 16 yr old girl. Of course I want to go to see what everyone turned out like, but I don't know if I'm that interested? Then, caught up in all that, is the question did I turn out any different to what they would think? Is it about comparing yourself against your peers - again? or is it a general interest in people who travelled a similar journey at some stage of our life? Would you go?
2. Pay off the mortgage or travel or volunteer?  at the beginning of this year I promised my man that I would stay in Australia for the year - no OS travel - yet the desire to spend some time volunteering this year is stirring in me. So do I find somewhere I can volunteer in Australia for a few weeks or wait for another year? staying put is difficult for me...
3. The simple life - have i really made changes in the way I think and act? this year I was hoping to pursue more intentionally, a simple life - so that others may simply live. So far I think my life's just getting more complicated - my weekends are precious, but I keep booking them up with activities - like next weekend I'm going to Canberra to join in the Amy Gillet Foundation Community Bike Ride (110kms). I do enjoy cycling, and Canberra's a lovely place to cycle round. I enjoy the friends I do this with, and the achievement of completing such an event. I know cycling is good for my long term health, and socialising is an important part of an intentional life... but why do i feel so stressed.
4. Declutter your thoughts - So here's what I came to.... I was reading this great blog post about decluttering your thoughts. Brooke encouraged me to think through some of the big issues and my opions. She referred to someone who said we should be able to state our position on things in less than 8 words. Some of her points were lovely
• Travel is food for the soul. Take kids.
• Gardening is an incredible pleasure, try it.
• We are privileged, make it count for something.

• Some of mine would be
•  Something is better than nothing (exercise, giving, sleeping/resting, listening etc)
• Be genuine
• Life can be tough - take care of yourself

So pondering and gardening are things I take a stand on - do it - and something is better than nothing!

PS. updates on exploring ethical chocolate to come soon
and - I've updated my 'books read' tab for 2013 and was pleased with self - most read in a year since 2009!

Japanese Literature Challenge 7

 Dolce Bellezza hosts this wonderful reading challenge and I've joined in for many of them over the past 7 years! I love this challenge for many reasons, but probably mostly for sentimental reasons. When I started blogging, I wasn't much of a reader, and could never really boast about what books I had read. But this challenge introduced me to some new genres, authors and content that I have really enjoyed. You can see some of my previous posts about these challenges here in my review pages.

In most of the previous years I consumed Murakami with a passion. Now I can really boast that I have almost read everything he's done - fiction and non fiction.

 So this year I've sought out some different authors and styles - and have any another interesting  and engaging experience of Japanese Literature. Snow Country, for me was a little weak on interest and plot - but was immensely beautiful in descriptors of the country, the activities and relationships. The author, (I found) Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read. And this is something else I can boast - to have read a Nobel prize winner..

Mistress Oriku: Stories from a Tokyo Teahouse, by Matsutaro Kawaguchi, translated by Royall Tyler is set in Meiji-era Japan, this is the story of the sensitive, compassionate and indomitable Mistress Oriku. Formerly involved in the pleasure trades of Tokyo, Mistress Oriku leaves that life behind to run an elegant teahouse on the city's outskirts. But despite her hopes for a quieter, less hectic life, she finds she can't escape her involvement in the city's creative, intellectual and political circles [borrowed from Goodreads.com].  
I really enjoyed this story about an older women who knew her place in society and her influence, but also enjoyed the company of men. I was impressed by her character and a little envious of the Japanese Culture that allows women such a place. 

(sorry for the bad image).. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima, Ivan Morris (Translation).  In The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, celebrated Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima creates a haunting portrait of a young man's obsession with idealized beauty and his destructive quest to possess it fully. [borrowed from Goodreads.com].

Based on a real incident that occurred in 1950, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion brilliantly portrays the passions and agonies of a young man in postwar Japan, bringing to the subject the erotic imagination and instinct for the dramatic moment that marked Mishima as one of the towering makers of modern fiction.

I haven't got anything good to say about this book - I never finished it. Too depressing. Again, that's something I've learned about Japanese writings - it can be all too real!

 

I'm yet to finish all the stories in 'The Izu Dancer and other stories' but the Izu Dancer was written by Kawabata (the one who wrote snow country) and I can say his style was much the same in this short story. Very description, almost poetic for me, simple in structure, and based on the country side and activities of the everyday. See - now I can boast I've read two of his works!
This is on my e reader, so I pick up these stories when I'm on the train. I'm sure I'll get through the others soon.



So that's another episode of Japanese Literature Challenge hosted by Dolce Bellezza. See the challenge site here for all the other amazing entries.

Before I sign off though, I want to say a huge thank you to my fellow challengees because with out your wonderful reviews, I wouldn't know where to start on choosing my books. I look forward to joining you all again next Challenge (which usually start July through to January).

So

Confessions of a Chocaholic!

Image from http://www.fta.org.au/posters.html

In  my pursuit of being considered, intentional and purposeful, [part of my year devoted to simple living] I've identified February as Chocolate month. So here's my confession - I am a chocaholic and I live with a chocaholic. We eat chocolate almost every day.

But most of us would know by now that chocolate production is caught up in some very unethical practices. I'm not clear about these, and would like to be more aware. So I've decided that during the month of February I will research the practices behind chocolate production, trial a range of available fairtrade and other ethical brands, and hopefully find some chocolate we like, that is not hurting other people or the planet. Sadly, I know that this means that I may need to change my ways.... it is always possible that the best thing I can do for others is to quit.

It really scares me what I am about to learn, but it scares my partner even more. So I return to January's goal - stakeholder engagement. If I want to make changes in my chocolate eating practices I must engage my partner - because we need to share the experience of eating chocolate, but also because he does all my shopping. So, whatever I read, I'm going to have to discuss with him, give him time to process the info, and work with him on what our future practices will look like. 

I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts, wisdom and guidance. If you have links, articles or authors you recommend, please send them through. My contact email is available on my 'about me' page.

Coming Soon:

image from: http://www.choosepermaculture.com/

• My Japanese Literature Challenge 7 Reviews.... 
• more thoughts on living simply so others may simply live
• news from my garden and permaculture principles

Tour Down Under and other important updates

What a week it’s been! I’ve been enjoying the pleasure of international road cycling here in my own country – and I’ve spent the last week track side of the Tour Down Under celebrating the fantastic cycling talent we’ve got here in Aus. Now before I loose all my non-cycling friends, this week has also involved some ‘simple living’ challenges that I’ll mention, and for my bookish friends – I’ve got some updates on reading.

My cycling hero, Cadel Evans, came in second place, only one second behind the younger Aussie and Aussie sponsored Simon Gerrans. The competition was tough all week, and the final decision was only made on the very last day! 

To attend the Tour Down Under I take a week off work, and travel with my partner to our home town, Adelaide, and stay with friends and family. I’ve had a blast staying with my friend and her beautiful 8yr daughter, who came with me each day to the race. This made for a fun time as we waited for the gooosh of the passing peloton. We watched hill climbs, race starts, race finishes, and Circuits.  Here’s just some of my favourite shots.

 

 

Reading Updates

Holidays are a great time to set some big reading goals, however this holiday was so busy that I didn’t get to first base on some of my goals. However, I have started preparing my end of Japanese Literature Challenge 7 post and reviews of

• the golden temple,
• mistress oriku stories from a Tokyo teahouse by matsutaro kawaguchi 

My reading list for the holiday included the the izu dancer yasunari Kawabata and other stories by yasushi inoue. I am hoping to finish these before the end of January and to get the post published next weekend. 

 Simple living challenge Updates

My challenge this year is to remain focused, intentional and purposeful about how to live simply so that others may simply live. So during my weeklong break, I tried really hard to be conscious, considered and intentional about my daily choices. I want to post soon on my reflections recently, but for now I will simply share that this week was a good time to start with stakeholder engagement. For me to make different decisions about my impact on the world, I need my partners engagement. We had some great chats this week about what this will mean for us. 

Hemp and bamboo clothing sparked an intense discussion for us when we found a shop in Handorf (South Aus) devoted to quality designer brands of ethically made clothing. We were immediately drawn to the products knowing that clothing made from these fabrics last longer, the materials are mostly ethically grown and developed, and the companies that use these fabrics make environmentally conscious decisions. So why not purchase something? Throw in an amazing sale, so there were items at 50% normal cost – why wouldn’t you want something? I came to the conclusion that I liked the stuff, that I wanted something, but I didn’t need anything. My partner, on the other hand, decided that he did need some items, and purchased long pants and long sleeve shirts that would protect his fragile skin while he enjoys his kayaking. We agreed that our final decisions were considered, ethical, intentional and purposeful.

Stay tuned for more updates soon...

Keyboards, blueberries and a purcuit of the simple life!

Living simply has been a bit of a focus of mine in the past week, and as I’ve been wandering around the blogging world I’ve been challenged - I’ve read about things I doubt are ‘simple’ and I’ve read things that I wish I could aspire to. 

A living simply philosophy has become a conversation in our house too, which is good. We had a computer crisis, after an electricity surge and our keyboard stopped working. So out came the old USB keyboard (which some simply living advocates wouldn’t have because they wouldn’t keep the old things that clutter),  as we considered what our choices were. We debated purchasing a new Bluetooth keyboard, just using the old USB keyboard, or trying the repair it. Simple living thinking made us question going out the buy something new.... a few days later the wisdom came to us – what else to do but to reboot the computer and keyboard!!! All good – no purchase necessary. 

The event did lead us to question – does a ‘no buy’ policy fit with the simple life we’re interest in? What is the ‘no buy’ policy anyway??  And what about the declutter policy promoting by many simple living authors??? So more reading to be done.... I’ll post more soon on those thoughts.

The other ‘simple living’ activity we did was something introduced to me at little eco footprints. My partner and I went on a date and had a lovely morning picking blueberries. I now have something like 4 kilo’s of blueberries in the freezer. They’re local, grown organically, and we did the labour – we did it together – and they are yummy additions to breakfast, smoothies or an afternoon nibble!

Here are a few quotes from this weeks reading

• Simply living can be an act of sharing
• Simple living can be a commitment to a lifestyle response to the highly skewed distribution of wealth in the world
• Share with others by taking less
• Be the change you want to see in the world!

Other posts to come soon – my Japanese literature reviews, other books read recently, and some cooking excitement in my new life.... 

Here’s a couple of the new simple living blogs I’ve been following

http://lovingsimpleliving.com/

http://simplicitycollective.com/

http://www.livingasimplelife.com/

http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

http://www.slowyourhome.com/

http://www.littleecofootprints.com/