Exciting times at my place

There have been a couple of exciting things to report this week. First off the rank is our new chooks, one of them (Margot I suspect) laid her first egg on Thursday, followed by another one on Friday. Yay homegrown eggs again.......thank you girls.

Queenie on the left and Margot in front, both are Old English Game hens

The next exciting event was that I made my first pair of undies. Yes you read right, undies, panties, knickers whatever you like to call them. It's been a goal of mine to sew my own underwear and I finally did it. Actually it was rather easy and I don't know why I put it off for so long. Interestingly I rediscovered a lingerie pattern I purchased in the 80's. It would appear I've been carrying this desire to make my own smalls for a very long time.

Why do I want to make my own undies? I simply refuse to purchase cheap imported junk from sweat shops in China or Asia. Cost is also a factor. I've seen some beautiful fair trade undergarments and clothes on the net, and as much as I'd love to support these people it's just too expensive for me. Plus I love to sew and this gives me a good excuse. No undies......I'd better make some!

1st pair made with leftover cotton lycra. I traced the pattern from a favourite pair and they fit perfectly!

2nd pair, you'll need your sunnies on to look at these. Leftover t-shirt cotton

You can recycle unwanted t-shirts or use up fabric that you've had festering away in the cupboard for years. I've found a supplier of Australian organic cotton fabric, I'll look at buying some fabric from them in the future.

Underpants this week, next week I'll tackle bras!! That should be interesting.

If you'd like to have a go making your own or are interested in ethical and fairtrade underwear and clothing have a look at isismade

Hope you have a lovely weekend

Cheers Lisa

Is there an ethical option?

As I progress in my journey to a slower more simpler way of living, I've become more aware of the following important aspects of my everyday life.

The source of the food that we eat - My vegetable garden is just in the beginning stages therefore we buy the bulk of our fruit and vegetables from local and organic producers. Where possible I buy organic/local dairy products and dry goods, same for eggs. I make all our bread and cakes etc, cook all meals from scratch including, jams, preserves, cordials, yogurt, soft cheese, the list goes on and on. I've also become a bit pedantic about buying fair trade chocolate, tea and cocoa, still working on Tony and his coffee.

Orange marmalade

My partner Tony is a meat eater. Fortunately TV programs by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver and a report by Animals Australia shown on 60 Minutes, has changed the way Tony looks at meat. For the most part he now only eats free range eggs, chicken, pork and lamb. I guess I can live with that.

The first real harvest from my garden

The garments I wear - Apart from 4 pairs of undies, some socks and one handmade t-shirt, I've not bought any new items of clothing or shoes for over 12 months. My aim is to make my own clothes or re-purpose current clothes, purchase items from thrift shops or when necessary to only purchase ethical garments and shoes.

Cotton bolero knitted this year

The bag I made from an old pair of jeans

The food my pets eat - This is an issue I have struggled with for years, both morally and financially. As a vegetarian I do not believe in imposing my lifestyle choices on my pets i.e. feeding them a vegetarian diet. The option of feeding them a raw diet based on free range meat and bones was just too expensive. Thankfully in recent years the price and availability of free range meat has changed and it's now a viable choice. I was also very fortunate to meet Jenny, owner of The Complete Pet Company. Jen is a remarkable person who created a raw food for dogs, that is free from factory farmed animals.

Pure bliss for a dog

Reduce everyday purchases - On this topic alone I feel I've achieved so much, I've reduced the amount of stuff that I/we buy. I try to make all our personal and household cleaning products. Alas I do fall off the wagon occasionally when it comes to "must have items" in the thrift/opp shops or the odd gardening/green living magazine. I've banned myself from fabric and craft shops, god knows I don't need anymore.

Recycling, energy consumption and water usage - We are working on this area, looking at solar hot water and energy, water tanks (I know we're a bit slow on this and have missed out on most of the government handouts). As for recycling, I really try hard in this area, however there is still work to be done. Transportation is another issue that I need to look at and change the way I get around. Baby steps.

Gosh this has turned into a bit of an essay...sorry bout that, just me rambling really.

Correction - The Complete Pet Company was created by Jenny and two other equally dedicated women. Jenny is now the owner.

Hope you have a lovely day
Cheers
Lisa