Gosh, I have no pictures for this post. It came all of a sudden after reading an article in my husband's newspaper entitled "The Domestic Goddes Back In Town" (Herald Sun 31/12/08). It was all about women doing stuff from scratch, growing food, keeping chooks and rejecting the consumer model presented since the 1970's. Yay.
I was pleased to read such an article. While it had undertones of back to the land, herbal-type domesticity, quotes from various retail sources (Lincraft, Spotlight, reatail plant nurseries, chook hire businesses) indicate substantial increases in sales. There's interest for sure.
I was really pleased to see this in the Herald Sun newspaper, usually the last to feature such things (unless it's a paid work mother vs non-paid work mother issue).
In Happening News (for me) Jackie French's The Wilderness Garden has a new edition. I bought this book in 1992 when it was first released. Giles was a baby (he's now 16.5 years). It was formative. I have used all of Jackie french's books, in one way or another.
(A photo showing her influence should be inserted here...).
From around the same time came Earth User's Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow. Another Important Gardening Book for me. A recently published Important Gardening Book is Lolo Houbein's One magic Square. The Jackie French book, I'm so pleased it's been revised and re-released. That means a whole new generaton of gardeners will be introduced to her gardening philosophy, and hopefully their lives will be changed too.
I can see so many grandmothers and great-gradmothers shaking their heads at these developments. It would be as if we're "re-inventing the wheel". Certainly my paternal Grandmother would be aghast that we don't do these things anyway. My maternal Grandmother avoided all things domestic, she went deaf in her early 30's (before hearing aids were readily available) and became only interested in animals (in a sentimental way), not liking people at all. Chops & veg. was her standard meal, every night of the week. Likewise my mother, but we had steak, sausages and pork chops for "variety". That was pretty standard at the time.
I can't imagine having meat every night. No, I can - but there's no way it would be affordable. The cost of a discrete piece of meat for each person (seven) in our family every night would be...well, it would blow the budget Big Time. The kids whinge a lot about having vegetarian meals often. In Giles' word, "Why don't you just cook a steak?". Sigh. I preach to the unconverted.
I've made a double batch of apricot jam today...and making things from scratch takes time. Always , it's a juggle between what gets our time and what doesn't. I am down to my last pair of trousers wearable in public. I really need to make a couple of new pairs. I get tired of the juggle sometimes.
I do like to make things from scratch, it's very satisfying. It's the juggling that's tiresome.
In spite of whinging, I am looking forward to 2009! Yes, I am! I hope the New Year bring your hopes to fruition. Hell, it'll be a good one.
Insert pictures of celebratory fireworks and the like.
