Slow Living Monthly 9 : August 2014

Lovely to reflect on the month of August, a month of varied and contrasting weather.

 A month where we settled back into the routine of school term. 

NOURISH: 

The weather in August was still cool enough for the likes of comfort foods like fragrant curries and leek and potato or chicken noodle soup. We enjoyed hubby's homemade pizza again too. My brother gifted us with eggs from his hens and we enjoyed them scrambled, fried or in omelettes. Always a quick and easy cost effective meal!

There was plenty of baking  and sugar cookery as my daughter tried to get through most of her practical classes for consumer studies.

She made the best ever Swiss roll...

 short crust pastry filled with confectioners custard and topped with granadilla, 

fudge, coconut ice, marshmallows, a vanilla sponge cake....

milk tart, iced vanilla biscuits and coconut biscuits!

 Her efforts were much appreciated by all our younger son's friends as we served them at his birthday party. There is nothing tastier than delicious home baked cakes, biscuits and confectionery!

PREPARE:

There was no preparation this month, unusual for me, but we did stock up on canned tuna as it was a good price and I can really stretch a can a long way! 

I froze some lemons too as I found out one can freeze them on someone's post for last month...

thank you!

REDUCE:

Nothing new, just our usual recycling.

GREEN: 

Nothing new.

GROW: 

Oh gosh another month with not much happening in the garden!

 Hubby got some beautiful compost from our heap for the veg beds and I have done a little weeding here and there. We have enjoyed herbs ( I have a Basil that has even lasted through the winter!), lemons, granadillas, strawberries and a few peas and gooseberries. 

CREATE :

A friend gifted me this pink wool and I made a baby blanket...

 four baby beanies, a prem jersey, a newborn jersey and two pairs of booties.

The wool is all the same colour but photos were taken in different light.

 I am  so relieved to move onto other colours after a month of this dusky pink!

DISCOVER:

 Not much of my own reading as we are back to school! 

We have been reading about Ancient Greece and Rome.

ENHANCE: 

 We have enjoyed babysitting my nephew regularly and a couple of sleep overs for him too. 

My knitting has all been done for donation to the Fish and Chips Project.

ENJOY:

We celebrated our youngest's 14th birthday, Christmas in August with friends, beach and forest walks, log fires when the storms came and the first braai was enjoyed when the sun came out. 

Thanks for the link up Linda!