Well……seems like I am breeding quite a few moths at the moment, as today our cabbages and broccoli looked more like stalks of something else…only some sad looking sticks left…and a bunch of fat happy green caterpillars, that apparently now can turn into moths…. Grrr.
Here is a photo resume of our little veggie patch so far.
These plants are the happiest on our plot. No matter if we have a dry spell of 3 months or pouring rain. Resilient.
Still waiting for our Butternuts to be ready…yum!
Pumpkins are well on their way now, today they have started to change color. Will add some new pix of them soon.
These are my “dry” photos. Next time I will upload a couple from after the rain…the weeds are taking over, yes and the tomato plants!
I love our little plot, although, we are novices, we are enjoying ourselves, and this summer we have learnt lots, by trail and error. And we will try and take this with us when we start all over in the new year.
But on another note, whether your vegetables grow well or not, it is something very healthy and therapeutic about digging, planting and growing.
Filed under: Health, Meditation, nature, positive, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tags: self-sufficient
I have not been very active here for a long time, but have decided to make a change…
We recently went on a little mini break to the Alentejo mountains, staying in a little self-sufficient cottage, surrounded by olive and cork trees and mountains. To spend your day strolling on ancient footpaths and swimming in a natural river pool, is very healing.
On our last morning while everyone was sleeping, I tiptoed outside with the mornings first cup of coffee and a book. Lying in the hammock taking in all the morning sounds and smells, made me think of what I really want out of life. I just wanted to pause in that moment, make it last longer…
I don’t think there are many things that can be so soothing and relaxing as nature, you really feel you belong.
This made me wonder, how I can get a little bit of this peace into our busy everyday life.
I have things in mind; yoga, meditation, gardening or just plain positive thinking. So this is what I have decided to dedicate this space to.
Positive Thinking & all things relaxing.
Filed under: positive
Yes the birds have been singing beautifully today…but that was not really what I wanted to tell you. No, I have finally gone and joined the world of Twitter, @SprigsAndSprogs .
I see you there or here, if you prefer!
A real mojo day for me today. 😉 The sky was blue… ended up with a mountain of CLEAN and DRY clothes on my bed. Jay!!! Beats having a garage full of wet clean clothes that refuse to dry.
Ditched the gym for a 40 minute run along a beautiful beach, with my favorite person. THEN…yes there is more! I went for a bike ride to pick my son up from nursery, which made his day, as he got to wear his new helmet AND I enjoyed some more sunshine on the way. Got to top up my vitamin D’s! I feel great!
I believe that the tone of my day was set, when I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm went off. Thank you for my mojo day!
For those of you who missed out on mojo today, here’s some coming your way!
A new beginning… all those things that I didn’t quite managed to make reality of last year is now getting a second chance…
So here’s to an even better 2012! And what’s better than starting it off with a 30 minutes run, with a mantra playing in my head; “I AM STRONG, POWERFUL AND HEALTHY, I CAN SUCCEED IN WHAT EVER I PUT MY MIND TO!” I know it’s a mouthful, but you know the more you say it the more you believe and that’s the whole point. You know how people use the saying: “Seeing is believing”, I think they got it all wrong, it should be ” Believing is Seeing”. You have to believe in yourself, before you can change the world.
Enjoy your weekend runs. Don’t forget to believe!
Went out for a walk today, and I could not believe how much everything has grown… All it takes is a few days with rain and then a few days with glorious sunshine and, Voila! Even our windowsill tomatoes and peppers has had a growth spurt, and they are sitting on the inside?
As you know I have been dreaming for a while now, of having my own piece of land. And to see this sudden burst of edible things out in nature just fuels this desire… Do you think it’s a natural instinct? To be able to provide for oneself and ones family?
Our window sill garden is growing…and there is so much more I would like to add. But the next seeds are going to be Rocket, can’t wait to eat my “own” rocket. If you are not a rocket fan, try rocket on pizza or pasta. It tastes so good! I love it with most things at the moment. Why not try a cheese and ham sandwich with rocket… Staple lunch in this house. As a matter of fact, had it today.
Rocket has as many other salad greens high vitamin A and C content and it has a very positive effect on liver function. Which could prove useful for detoxing. Apart from the above it’s also packed with other nutrients like; iron, calcium, folic acid and vitamin B.
Let me know what you think about Rocket, as I know this is one of these “love or hate” foods.
Just about half way through 2011, what have you got to show for this year so far?
I was thinking of that the other day. My plan was to be positive about it, BUT, instead my thoughts started… I have not done this and that I planned at the beginning of the year. So I decided to start again, and look at what I ACTUALLY have done instead, and then suddenly it didn’t look so bleak after all. So what if I have not started a new career or bought a house with a garden. I have regained my fitness levels, although not my waist goal and I have learnt some more Portuguese. The best part of it all, I have been watching my kids grow a bit older, learning new things and playing together and I have shared this with my husband. And the beautiful times you have as a family, beats all the “BIG” goals. Somewhat bitter-sweet, as we would love to have more of these moments with our extended families too…
The last week my boys have been so giggly and I just love to hear them laugh… That is the best medicine to absolutely everything. And I think all parents will agree on this one.
We had one of those idyllic days on the beach this weekend, a happy smiling all play and games family…. No fighting over who is going to have what towel, not too much sand throwing. Could not have been better, a little treasured memory, that you will remind yourself of when the rain is pouring and you are all getting cabin fever and the bickering starts.
I like to believe that what happens is meant to be, but not in the sense that you will just sit on your bum and wait for things to happen. More in the way that you come to a cross-road, and the road you choose is the path for you, easy or hard. Like you are handed a set of tasks, then it’s up to you to decide how you are going to deal with them.
So here’s to another six month filled with laughter, surprises, everyday stuff and a step closer to your “big goals”.
…I’ve been a bit absent recently…
I think I might be allergic to my laptop? is this possible? I just find I can not force myself to sit in front of my computer after work…is it just me? Or is it the weather? Or am I ACTUALLY allergic?
As for example, right now I am just dying to wrap up and log off.
But I will be back, I know I will. I hope it will be soon. So many things I want to share, but will save it for another day.
But I leave you with this thought…
How can we live in the present and at the same time plan for the future?
The colors of spring makes me happy.
Have you ever thought of what you would do for a living if you could do what ever you would like, without taking risks and finances into account?
I have… and of course this “dream” job has changed over the years; as a 12 year old I wanted to fly fighter jets…but I gave up that dream when i found out you need 20/20 vision. Then shortly after I wanted to be a pop star, and that lingered for quite some time. In high school I wanted to become a tourist guide and travel to far-flung places…
In my adult life my dreams have always hovered over health and fitness related professions, until recently.
Right this very minute I am dreaming of my very own cozy yarn shop with a little cafe. Yarns in all the colors of the rainbow, in all fibres available packed to the rafters. A cafe with muffins a la Sprigs SA and a knitting club of course!
yarn in beautiful colors and textures.
I love to create things, when I was younger I used to draw… But I think I made my last sketch in 2005!
About the same time I started to knit. I find it so relaxing and at the same time challenging. There is always something new to learn. A fantastic hobby to have, where you can get a fabulous and useful end product. Although it doesn’t always work out like that. But don’t forget practise make perfect!
AND some useful studies has proved that it can lower your blood pressure and get you to the same relaxed state as if you were doing yoga. Not bad if you ask me.
I went to my first ever knitting workshop recently, I really enjoyed it. And came home with a few new tricks to my repetoire. My teacher for the session was Zelia, she got crafts in her blood, she sews, knit and crochet, and I’m sure many other things to that. Very inspiring! If you want to see any of the things she made, pop over to her blog; http://zstitchin.blogspot.com/
I have a feeling that I am not the only one who want to make a living out of a hobby I love…
What’s your dream?
sprigs & sprogs 