duck pond
animals, environment, home

Birds and Sports

Forestwood

I walk daily to the beautiful lake near our home by the sea.

plastic contamination

There are many new homes being constructed in this area at present, thus there is always something new to see along the way. But the real attraction is the birdlife in this area, such as this Heron.

As a Chinese symbol, the Heron represents strength, purity, patience and long life.”

I hope this might mean that both the Heron and I have a long life!!

Sometimes we even see the local kangaroos and their joeys in this area. Meanwhile, the Heron continues stamping the slightly soggy ground on the street’s verges looking for some food.

Today, however, we took a long walk in the opposite direction to the roos and away from the foraging Heron.

A new sports facility has opened up. In the current environment, this means that the ground is open, but as the football competition has been closed for the season, I am not sure if you could call it open, but officially it is.

We continue walking from the main road towards the “basin,” or pond. This is a mini wetland area that has attracted a variety of birdlife.

With a larger wetland environmental area opposite, the birds have plenty of food sources.

On closer inspection we could see cormorants, drying their wings in their familiar crucifix-like gesture, welcoming the morning rays of sunlight as well as a Black swan and the odd Ibis. A Willy Wagtail pair tweeting their way along the path in front of us, danced lightly on the ground. They were gone before I could photograph them.

We saw Moorhens chicks stepping their way through the waterlily pads, a perfect adaptation to the watery environment.

This Mother was calling her wayward adventurous chick, and had to chase after her to give her some food.

The cutest of all were these little ducklings. Covered with down, they dipped their heads under the water, but never really that far from Mother Duck.


New Sports Facility for Australian Rules Football

This football field will be a training ground for the local Australian Rules Football club. If you are not Australian, you might not know of this game. Developed as a way for the cricket players to maintain their fitness in the off-season, ‘Aussie Rules,’ is played on a large oval with four posts at either end. It is basically a kick and catch type of game, with elements of basketball thrown in for good measure and a few penalties along the way to add excitement. The players are tall and lean, and very muscular, and I might add, very highly paid.

The Football Clubhouse looks forlorn and vacant and I think of the term ‘white elephant’ when I look at it. It awaits the demise of Corona as we all do.

A storm was heard in the distance, towards the Northern coast. Highly unusual for this time of year, it did not threaten us, but we did get to see some gorgeous coloured sky and cloud formations.

The simple pleasures of life.

Some days I feel that the lockdown won’t ever be over. I push that thought aside and continue my walk from the ground back towards the estate.

Just before we hit suburbia again, there is an Eco-corridor. The Magpies are up early hunting for their breakfast and I am getting pretty peckish too.

The early bird gets the worm, I hope. Can you see four birds in these pictures? Three were magpies and the fourth, an Indian Myna bird.

That completes Monday’s Walk at the Home by the Sea. Thanks for walking along with me in the virtual sense.

Breakfast awaits.

duck pond
food, health

Day 3 – Caring for Sourdough Mother

Forestwood

Day 3 dawns and I finally get to engage a bit more with my Sourdough starter.

It’s been sitting for two days. Like a child, it must now have a morning and evening feeding – twelve hours apart.

I raised the lid on the glass container and there were bubbles, loads and loads of them.

Maybe too many?

Mary from Mary’s Nest said a wide glass jar allowed for better fermentation. I did place it on the benchtop near the, oh so warm, slow cooker all of yesterday, and it WAS a warm day weather-wise. Perhaps it was too hot for the yeast?

Have I killed this sourdough baby before it has even had a chance to grow?

Would there be bubbles and fermentation if I had indeed, killed it?

Some many questions and doubts arise in my head.

Peggy and Sandy? Is this okay?

The mix smelt really yeasty, but perhaps too yeasty. I did a quick image search on Google. It didn’t look like mould but maybe it smelt like it? I decided to feed it and see if it would grow. If it was dead, it wouldn’t grow, would it?

More tomorrow.

And I will feed it at 8.20 pm tonight.

sunglasses on a rock
food, health

Day 2 Sourdough Benefits

Forestwood

As nothing much is happening on Day 2 apart from stirring the sourdough. The little yeast organisms can does their job fermenting on the benchtop.

Meanwhile, I thought I would share some abridged snippets of useful information.

Preservative and Chemical Free Bread

Sourdough is free from other types of breads that have oils, sugar, preservatives, and other chemicals in their ingredient list.

Besides affecting the flavour of the bread, chemicals and additional ingredients are often added to other breads because they can’t stay fresh as long as sourdough can or fend off mould as well. The presence of bacteria, due to sourdough’s unique fermentation process, improves sourdough’s nutritional profile. This allows for better nutrient absorption, improved gut health, and some studies have even shown fermentation alters the structure of carbohydrates in the dough for better blood sugar control and a lower score on the glycemic index.

Bread for Gut Health

Sourdough’s fermentation means it is gentler on our digestive tract and may be tolerated by those with a sensitive tummy. This is possibly attributed to the breaking down of a carbohydrate in wheat called fructans which can mimic gluten intolerances. Phytic acid, also present in bread and wheat products, causes digestive issues and sourdough bread neutralizes the effect of phytic acid on the body.

The long fermentation process involved in making sourdough has shown to improve digestion of gluten-forming proteins, known for causing wheat intolerances and allergies. Research has also shown the presence of fructans, a carbohydrate found in wheat, causes digestive issues similar to gluten intolerances and are now thought to be the cause of many self-diagnosed “gluten intolerances.” However, sourdough fermentation breaks down fructans, making them easier on the digestive system.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15631515

As varieties of wheat have changed over the years, it is possible the changes in composition of the grains, may be the reason some people assume they are gluten intolerant.

Shortcut to Making Your Own Sourdough

This Whole-Wheat Bread recipe recipe only takes 12 hours, compared to almost a week. Probiotic-rich yogurt and vinegar mimic the tangy flavor of sourdough without the need for a starter.

http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/whole-wheat-sour-faux-bread

Sourdough requires very little in the way of ingredients and have many health benefits.

Variations to Sourdough Starter Mix

I used a blend of half wholewheat flour and half white flour.

Do you add salt to your sourdough starter?

What flour do you use?

Whole wheat, white, rye or a blend?

More updates on my starter on Day 3.

kitchen design
food, health

Starting a Sourdough

Forestwood

At the moment, fresh food is in short supply and it looks like we will have to find alternate methods of ensuring we have access to the wonderful array and choices of food that we have all grown accustomed to having in our pantry. Such as basics like bread, pasta and toilet paper…

D.i.Y is on the rise! Hopefully not with toilet paper but D.I.Y bread is very popular.

I have an idea to make my own bread, but I never had much luck with using dried Yeast.

Many years ago, I use to cook my own bread -it was a blend of whole wheat and white bread, something that you could not obtain in the shops in the 1980’s. It was delicious, albeit with large airholes in the bread but the taste was fantastic when it was just out of the oven!

I made this bread using compressed yeast. This method worked really well and I often made whole wheat fruit buns and fruit loaves and they all turned out fine. They looked a bit like this.

I don’t have any photos of mine to show. Clearly I wasn’t the shutterbug that I am now!

It seems you can no longer get compressed yeast – trust me I have asked around. Even the Bakers themselves, do not seem to use it any longer, so a sourdough starter maybe an alternative bread raising agent.

Plus sourdough is good for your gut biome as the information below indicates. (I know M-R will totally disagree if she reads this!)

Vitamin and Mineral-Rich

Sourdough is a great source of several minerals such as iron and selenium. Iron and selenium helps protect our immune system, cells, and tissue. Sourdough is also a great source of many B vitamins, which assist in proper nervous system function and help regulate our metabolisms.

https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/is-sourdough-bread-healthy

Prebiotics & Probiotic-like Benefits

Prebiotics are a type of indigestible fibre that keep your gut healthy by feeding the good bacteria, called probiotics, that live there. The presence of prebiotics in sourdough is thought to make it easier to digest than many other breads and the presence of probiotic cultures have shown to increase vitamin and mineral absorption. The probiotics themselves don’t survive the baking process, but the lactic acid bacteria produced during fermentation remains and provides the benefits. The presence of lactic acid bacteria in sourdough has shown to also contain antioxidant benefits, safeguarding your body against illness.

https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/is-sourdough-bread-healthy

I have researched the YouTube videos and I’m ready to begin making a starter.

It may be a complete failure but let’s see how we go.

This is day one – April 19

Sour Dough Starter

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup White Plain Flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat Plain Flour
  • 1/3 cup water – leave tap water to sit for an hour to remove any chlorine

That is it.

Now it is left to sit for two days in a warm place in a container with a loose lid.

I simply have to stir it tomorrow.

health

What is a Mudra?

Forestwood

Kalesvara Mudra: For peace of mind, calming the mind and strengthening of memory – for treatment of tension, worry, anxiety and stress.

A quick and basic form of meditation is a simple way to ease the mind.

This can be practised at home, parked in your car or anytime when you can find a spare 15- 45 minutes. It can be used to relax and refresh the mind and spirit.

As an additional benefit, choose the meditation and accompanying hand posture in order to benefit a particular part or physiological process in the body.

Following the specific breathing technique for maximum benefit.

Daily Mudras is a free app with a timer to remind you when time is up. (Just in case you fall asleep).

Sit in a constant chair, on a floor mat or even lying in bed.

Choose your meditation music and desired time frame. (Select between 15 and 45 minutes).

Assume the suggested hand postures and press start.

http://dailymudras.in/share/23/en

walnut cake
food, home

Walnut Streusel Cake

Forestwood

Finding an energy-dense food that is not only rich in fibre and omega-3 fats but also contains higher amounts of antioxidants than most other foods and could improve brain health, sounds like a valuable addition to our diet. If we aren’t allergic, we can gain these benefits by adding walnuts to our diet.

Even though walnuts are rich in calories, studies indicate that they don’t increase obesity risk when replacing other foods in your diet… [and they] are the only nuts that contain significant amounts of Alpha Linoleic Acid or ALA. ALA is considered especially beneficial for heart health. It also helps reduce inflammation and improve the composition of blood fats.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15514264

If you don’t like simply snacking on Walnuts, and there is only so much Waldorf Salad you can eat, incorporate walnuts in a sweet baked delight such as Streusel Cake.

Streusal Cake Recipes

  • 113g Butter
  • 198g Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 240g Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 227g Yogurt
  • 2 tsp Vanilla

Streusel Mix Topping

  • 100g Sugar – I used a mix of brown and fine white sugar
  • 2tsp Cinnamon
  • Minimum of 1/2 cup of Walnuts, chopped

Prepare a 8 inch bundt pan or 9″x9″ pan and pre-heat oven to 350F – 175 C
Cream together room temperature butter with the sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Fold flour mixture into the creamed butter, alternating flour and yogurt until well mixed.
Spoon half of the batter into a prepared pan, sprinkle with half of the streusel and cover with remaining batter.

Sprinkle remaining streusel on top. *(I omitted this step)
Bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.

Variations to the Recipe:

I am going to increase the ratio of brown sugar to white sugar in the streusel topping mix and put in a thin layer in the bundt pan first, before adding the cake batter. That way, the cake will turn out with a streusel topping insitu.

I used a mix of fermented kefir and vanilla yoghurt, and it worked fine, so I am pretty confident any yoghurt, or even sour cream, will work with this recipe.

Here is how my variation turned out. Simply Delicious.

For full enjoyment, break out a gourmet leaf tea to accompany like this Royal Ritz flavour from The Tea Centre.

Thanks to Sandy for her recipe which was originally sourced from King Arthur’s Flour.

Linking to a Virtualteaparty over at Su’s blog

blogging, writing

Functional Sketching

Forestwood

Hi I’ve always had a yearning to sketch.

As a young child, at times in my teens, and now in semi retirement, I find great joy in sketching. Sketching doesn’t have to be perfect.

Sketching is almost a semi conscious activity. I let the pencil, or pen, do the work and don’t think too much about what I am doing.

In that way I find it is relaxing and therapeutic.

Sometimes it works ans sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter.

I’ve been making some sketches with a view to decorating a few basic Calico shopping bags.

Re-useable bags are going to be around from now on and they’re a great way to reduce our use of plastics.

I added a little colour to one of them as a gift to a neighbour. Asking her what her favorite colour was and then adding a little dry brushed/watercoloured style gouache, here and there.

I then heat set it with a hot iron.

What do you think?

From the Home by the sea.

food, home

Pumpkin Scones!

Forestwood

They’re healthy, contain a vegetable and decadent with jam and cream:

They are Pumpkin Scones.

For Americans, do you call them Pumpkin biscuits?

The following is not my usual recipe.

But it is a great way to gain some of the benefits of eating pumpkin, particularly if you don’t like it or have children who dislike it.

Pumpkin is a great source of potassium and beta-carotene, which is a carotenoid that converts to vitamin A. It also contains some minerals including calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamins E, C and some B vitamins.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-pumpkin

The following recipe comes from a controversial figure – a wife of a highly conservative politician, known for Electoral Gerrymander, who became a conservative Federal Senator herself, Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen. The recipe is good, but I do prefer my recipe for Pumpkin Scones.

She could make a good pumpkin scone apparently, but the higher oven temperature on the following recipe, is way too high and will result in burnt scones. I would err on the lower recommended temperture rather than the highest.

Tip: I also pat a little milk on the top of each scone so that they brown up nicely. There is nothing worse than a pallid scone – it looks uncooked.

Here is a link to my usual scone/biscuit recipe:

Pumpkin Scones

Multiple Scone Recipes

Something nice for morning tea whilst we are cooped up.