Teenage Son was the only family not to own a monstrously large suitcase up until two days ago. We needed to buy him one because we're all going to be away at the same time so he couldn't borrow another family's member's this time. Furthermore, it's time. He's in high school now and will be going on school trips and summer camps.
When the rest of us got new suitcases it was easy. Wait until Harris Scarfe had them on sale and go and buy one. No Footprints then so it didn't matter which brand we bought or where from. How things have changed!
Harris Scarfe still sell heavily discounted suitcases. Unfortunately, HS is owned by the Manassen Food group. What's wrong with that? Who cares anyway? Manassen's parent company is now China Bright, a company which seems to be implicated in human rights violations. I certainly don't want to knowingly spend money which could go to this company IF I HAVE A CHOICE. In this case, I had a choice; shop elsewhere.
So, I exercised that choice and decided to go to Victoria Station, a company started by and still run by two brothers from Perth. There was no ethical sourcing policy in relation to the company but they were selling the same brands as all the other stores. As far as the brands themselves, I could find no luggage manufacturers with an ethical sourcing policy either.
That's where I hit a dead end. I could buy from a local company but I couldn't be sure about what I was buying. In this case, the suitcase was a necessity. The two choices were secondhand or buying the best product affordable so it wouldn't need to be replaced any time soon, thus having to buy more potentially unethical products in a short period of time. In this case, I opted for the latter. I've looked for secondhand luggage before and it's hard to find good stuff.
I ended up buying the best brand I could afford and hope that the suitcase lasts until Teenage Son leaves home!
Cheers.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Slow Movement
A friend of mine sent me a link to the following talk: Carl Honore praises slowness. My friend thought that there was some overlap between the Slow Movement and the Footprints Project.
Let me start by writing that if you live your life quickly don't bother to watch the talk. It is long and you may be unable to slow yourself down for the fifteen or twenty minutes it takes to watch it. Personally I found it riveting. That may be because I've been aware of and interested in the Slow Movement for some time. In fact, I was googling for information on it long before Footprints was conceived.
Husband is working from home today and joined me to watch the talk over a cuppa (Fairtrade organic, of course!). He immediately pointed out that one cannot live too quickly on Footprints. He believes we have to slow down and think about everything we do and its consequences so, although not part of the Slow Movement, we are living a Slow life by default.
What we are doing is different from the Slow Movement more in objective than in execution. I think the Slow Movement is wonderful and would have no hesitation in being a part of it. I would, however, continue to do what we're doing now for the reasons we started them.
Husband and I were eating Slow Food before there was ever a movement. We love home cooked meals made from fresh local ingredients and always have. As soon as we moved in together we began to enjoy a 'sit down at the table with no distractions evening meal'. Our lives are chaotic having two teenagers but whoever is at home for the evening meal sits down at the table for a cooked meal. Sometimes the combination is a little quirky; it's not unusual to have Husband, Teenage Son, The Boyfriend and me while Teenage Daughter is at work. One evening I had Teenage Daughter, The Boyfriend and the Twin Nephews with me. These days eating any other way would go against the philosophy of Footprints. Fast food for us consists of fresh baguettes filled at home with fresh produce. We do that when we have to be somewhere in the early evening and don't have time to sit down and enjoy a meal together.
It wasn't just food Carl Honore talked about, of course. Husband and I both agreed that we had been doing other things he talked about. I remember fondly the years when the children had bedtime stories. We began doing that almost immediately after each was born and found it rewarding for them and us. Some nights I'd read from books, some nights I'd make up stories and some nights we'd just lie in bed and talk as they got older. After that, I'd sing some lullabies. They're both musos now and have come to realise that I can't sing but I could fool them back then.
On weekends mornings they began to clamber into bed with us as soon as they were out of cots. They both remember with great pleasure the game 'Attack the Hand' in which they'd try to tickle Husband. Even now Teenage Daughter still occasionally climbs in for a cuddle and Teenage Boy jumps on Husband trying to attack him. After that we often have a big breakfast of eggs or pancakes.
Being on Footprints requires taking time to solve problems, look up information and plan and prepare things. One needs to be creative. There is a certain excitement in having a problem and a solution finding you when you're doing something else. That happens a lot to me but I'm not sure it could happen if I lived my life too quickly and tried to fit too much into it. When I'm weeding or cleaning or doing other things I would classify as 'mindless' I like to leave my mind open for day dreaming rather than plugging into a portable digital device. I don't know what the Slow Movement would think of that but I find it helps with creativity.
Speaking of which, I'm off to meditate for awhile before the kids get home. It's a busy night. Grrr.
Cheers.
Let me start by writing that if you live your life quickly don't bother to watch the talk. It is long and you may be unable to slow yourself down for the fifteen or twenty minutes it takes to watch it. Personally I found it riveting. That may be because I've been aware of and interested in the Slow Movement for some time. In fact, I was googling for information on it long before Footprints was conceived.
Husband is working from home today and joined me to watch the talk over a cuppa (Fairtrade organic, of course!). He immediately pointed out that one cannot live too quickly on Footprints. He believes we have to slow down and think about everything we do and its consequences so, although not part of the Slow Movement, we are living a Slow life by default.
What we are doing is different from the Slow Movement more in objective than in execution. I think the Slow Movement is wonderful and would have no hesitation in being a part of it. I would, however, continue to do what we're doing now for the reasons we started them.
Husband and I were eating Slow Food before there was ever a movement. We love home cooked meals made from fresh local ingredients and always have. As soon as we moved in together we began to enjoy a 'sit down at the table with no distractions evening meal'. Our lives are chaotic having two teenagers but whoever is at home for the evening meal sits down at the table for a cooked meal. Sometimes the combination is a little quirky; it's not unusual to have Husband, Teenage Son, The Boyfriend and me while Teenage Daughter is at work. One evening I had Teenage Daughter, The Boyfriend and the Twin Nephews with me. These days eating any other way would go against the philosophy of Footprints. Fast food for us consists of fresh baguettes filled at home with fresh produce. We do that when we have to be somewhere in the early evening and don't have time to sit down and enjoy a meal together.
It wasn't just food Carl Honore talked about, of course. Husband and I both agreed that we had been doing other things he talked about. I remember fondly the years when the children had bedtime stories. We began doing that almost immediately after each was born and found it rewarding for them and us. Some nights I'd read from books, some nights I'd make up stories and some nights we'd just lie in bed and talk as they got older. After that, I'd sing some lullabies. They're both musos now and have come to realise that I can't sing but I could fool them back then.
On weekends mornings they began to clamber into bed with us as soon as they were out of cots. They both remember with great pleasure the game 'Attack the Hand' in which they'd try to tickle Husband. Even now Teenage Daughter still occasionally climbs in for a cuddle and Teenage Boy jumps on Husband trying to attack him. After that we often have a big breakfast of eggs or pancakes.
Being on Footprints requires taking time to solve problems, look up information and plan and prepare things. One needs to be creative. There is a certain excitement in having a problem and a solution finding you when you're doing something else. That happens a lot to me but I'm not sure it could happen if I lived my life too quickly and tried to fit too much into it. When I'm weeding or cleaning or doing other things I would classify as 'mindless' I like to leave my mind open for day dreaming rather than plugging into a portable digital device. I don't know what the Slow Movement would think of that but I find it helps with creativity.
Speaking of which, I'm off to meditate for awhile before the kids get home. It's a busy night. Grrr.
Cheers.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Vintage Shopping
I had my first experience of vintage shopping back in my mid-teens. One of my best friends and I decided to visit Mabs. For those of you familiar with Adelaide back in the 1970's Mabs was on Rundle St in the East End, along with many other quirky and unusual shops.
I bought a pale mauve 1940's dress. It was way too big for me but it came with a belt so I wore it with the belt tight and the top portion of the dress sitting over the belt to create and skirt and top illusion. The look probably didn't work but I felt good in the dress. I've always been a little different from the rest of the crowd so the dress and the way I wore it was probably reflective of who I was.
A couple of years later I spent a summer with my grandparents. My nana had long abandoned dresses in favour of the polyester pants and blouses so popular with her generation. She was, however, a hoarder. I spent happy hours exploring her closet and finding several 1940's dresses and a beautiful hand beaded cream coloured cardigan. I wore the cardigan until it fell apart.
Over the past weekend, my husband and I renewed our marriage vows. I decided I wanted to buy something vintage to wear. It would be classy and fit into our lifestyle. Vintage hasn't gone out of style; there always seem to be a handful of vintage boutiques. I went to Ruby Red Vintage and Relax in Vintage. At the former, the owner had fun handing me various 1950's dresses, all of which were too small. (I'm bigger than people think.) I was on my way back to the car when I remembered hearing about the latter so I dropped in. It was there that I saw four or five hand beaded cream cardigans. I bought one and brought home my treasure. Everything else I wore I already owned except the shoes which I borrowed from Teenage Daughter. I planned my entire outfit around my new treasure. I'm hoping to wear this one until it falls apart, too.
Cheers.
I bought a pale mauve 1940's dress. It was way too big for me but it came with a belt so I wore it with the belt tight and the top portion of the dress sitting over the belt to create and skirt and top illusion. The look probably didn't work but I felt good in the dress. I've always been a little different from the rest of the crowd so the dress and the way I wore it was probably reflective of who I was.
A couple of years later I spent a summer with my grandparents. My nana had long abandoned dresses in favour of the polyester pants and blouses so popular with her generation. She was, however, a hoarder. I spent happy hours exploring her closet and finding several 1940's dresses and a beautiful hand beaded cream coloured cardigan. I wore the cardigan until it fell apart.
Over the past weekend, my husband and I renewed our marriage vows. I decided I wanted to buy something vintage to wear. It would be classy and fit into our lifestyle. Vintage hasn't gone out of style; there always seem to be a handful of vintage boutiques. I went to Ruby Red Vintage and Relax in Vintage. At the former, the owner had fun handing me various 1950's dresses, all of which were too small. (I'm bigger than people think.) I was on my way back to the car when I remembered hearing about the latter so I dropped in. It was there that I saw four or five hand beaded cream cardigans. I bought one and brought home my treasure. Everything else I wore I already owned except the shoes which I borrowed from Teenage Daughter. I planned my entire outfit around my new treasure. I'm hoping to wear this one until it falls apart, too.
Cheers.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
All That Remains ...
One of my cousins posted a link on my Facebook page she thought I might be interested in. It was a link to a news story about a couple of guys who have started a business packing relatives' ashes into bullets and shooting them out, as a way of scattering their ashes. Only a small portion is used and the families can decide what they want to do with the rest. It was, indeed, an intriguing story and interesting way to deal with human remains.
I'm against guns. However, I didn't think it was a particularly bad way to be disposed on. At risk of sounding flippant, which is not my intention, it seemed like one last joy ride.
There is concern these days about overcrowding in cemeteries. Cremation is a solution. However, not everyone wants to be cremated. Furthermore, it goes against the religious beliefs of many. Even with cremation, the ashes have to go somewhere, be it in an urn, a cemetery or scattered.
My mother-in-law's ashes sit in an urn at my father-in-law's house. Apparently, when he passes away, their ashes are to be mingle and scattered. It's kind of romantic, except for the fact, that I remember my mother-in-law telling me years ago that she wanted her ashes to be buried under a rose bush. Perhaps when the time comes, I'll remove a little of hers and put them under my David Austin so she can finally have her wish. I hope that when the day comes to finally scatter their mingled remains it's not a windy one. I've heard that the lovely notion of scattering ashes can come back and hit you in the face - literally - if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. That is one of the things I like about the notion of scattering by shooting; it eliminates having your relatives' ashes become a mouthful.
My sister and I researched and stewed over what to do with our mother's ashes. For a short period of time they sat in a box on her sofa in exactly the spot where she used to sit. When I went to her house to sort her things and prepare the house for sale I liked having her there. I imagine my father-in-law feels that way. Ultimately we put my mother's ashes in a cemetery near her house, facing the sea and looking out over the school where she used to teach and where half of her grandchildren go. They sit in a wall, rather than taking up ground space.
Since putting my mother's ashes into the cemetery, I've only been to visit a handful of times. Considering the fact that I'm down there often dropping the children at school this speaks volumes. I know there are many people out there that get comfort out of visiting their relatives graves or plaques. I'm not one of them. My mother is gone but I carry her in my heart. In the months following her death, she came to me in dreams. As I cleaned out her house, I had conversations - albeit one-sided! - with her. There is a lovely photo of her on her plaque but it's not her, it's just some plaque in a graveyard.
Despite being Jewish, a people that bury their dead, I love the idea of scattering ashes. It seems like the ultimate "ashes to ashes". Furthermore, I have to admit, I kind of like the idea of having that joy ride out of the barrel of a gun!
Here is the link that my cousin sent me.
Holy Smoke
Cheers.
I'm against guns. However, I didn't think it was a particularly bad way to be disposed on. At risk of sounding flippant, which is not my intention, it seemed like one last joy ride.
There is concern these days about overcrowding in cemeteries. Cremation is a solution. However, not everyone wants to be cremated. Furthermore, it goes against the religious beliefs of many. Even with cremation, the ashes have to go somewhere, be it in an urn, a cemetery or scattered.
My mother-in-law's ashes sit in an urn at my father-in-law's house. Apparently, when he passes away, their ashes are to be mingle and scattered. It's kind of romantic, except for the fact, that I remember my mother-in-law telling me years ago that she wanted her ashes to be buried under a rose bush. Perhaps when the time comes, I'll remove a little of hers and put them under my David Austin so she can finally have her wish. I hope that when the day comes to finally scatter their mingled remains it's not a windy one. I've heard that the lovely notion of scattering ashes can come back and hit you in the face - literally - if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. That is one of the things I like about the notion of scattering by shooting; it eliminates having your relatives' ashes become a mouthful.
My sister and I researched and stewed over what to do with our mother's ashes. For a short period of time they sat in a box on her sofa in exactly the spot where she used to sit. When I went to her house to sort her things and prepare the house for sale I liked having her there. I imagine my father-in-law feels that way. Ultimately we put my mother's ashes in a cemetery near her house, facing the sea and looking out over the school where she used to teach and where half of her grandchildren go. They sit in a wall, rather than taking up ground space.
Since putting my mother's ashes into the cemetery, I've only been to visit a handful of times. Considering the fact that I'm down there often dropping the children at school this speaks volumes. I know there are many people out there that get comfort out of visiting their relatives graves or plaques. I'm not one of them. My mother is gone but I carry her in my heart. In the months following her death, she came to me in dreams. As I cleaned out her house, I had conversations - albeit one-sided! - with her. There is a lovely photo of her on her plaque but it's not her, it's just some plaque in a graveyard.
Despite being Jewish, a people that bury their dead, I love the idea of scattering ashes. It seems like the ultimate "ashes to ashes". Furthermore, I have to admit, I kind of like the idea of having that joy ride out of the barrel of a gun!
Here is the link that my cousin sent me.
Holy Smoke
Cheers.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Good Old Days
I'm in the process of writing my first novel. It's set in 1979 and my protagonist has travelled back in time from the present. One of the things she struggles with is the lack of digital technology. Whilst the novel is in no way autobiographical, I know I would struggle, too. I love digital technology!
The situation my protagonist finds herself in led to an interesting discussion between Husband and me the other day. Thinking about shows that had been on TV we began to wonder what it would be like to live in a 1970's house. It was purely hypothetical because there is NO WAY I intend to try that experiment!
Looking around our lounge room we concluded that only the television and lamps would remain plugged into the walls. No wonder our house, which was a typical family home when it was built in 1980, feels so small now; it wasn't built for all the extra stuff.
The kitchen would have only had the fridge, toaster and kettle. There may have been a radio where the television sits in our meals area.
Teenage Daughter and The Boyfriend would have had to endure phone conversations on a phone that would have been plugged in to the kitchen wall and I would be writing my novel by hand. I'd actually have to go out to do the banking and probably use the bus to get there because we may have only had one car.
With that all in mind I remarked that there must have been far fewer carbon emissions in those days. Husband was unconvinced citing the fact that industry was less regulated - if at all - and older appliances were less energy efficient. I suspect he's right. I still wonder, however, if regulation and energy efficiency have made that much difference. I honestly don't know - I'd need to see stats on it. There are definitely far more electrical/digital items in use than ever before so that has to increase electricity usage.
We meandered away from technology to food in the course of the discussion and then on to manufactured goods. I thought of all the food in the house and could see very little difference between what I purchase now and what was in the fridge and pantry when I was growing up. I don't believe in buying convenience foods and there has been a huge increase in them in the last thirty or so years. The big difference for me, however, is that back in 1979 consumers could be more confident that the food they were buying was grown, made and owned by local businesses. The thought of carrying the Ethical Consumer Guide would not have crossed my mind; it's very unlikely it would have been necessary at the supermarket at all.
Cheap imports are not a new phenomenon. Thirty years ago, they existed. People bought them and they quickly fell apart - the goods, not the people, of course. There was a choice. Now it is extremely difficult - sometimes impossible - to find locally manufactured goods. It's even more difficult to find locally owned companies.
Having written all that, however, I'm now going to go and do my internet banking on my computer!
Cheers.
The situation my protagonist finds herself in led to an interesting discussion between Husband and me the other day. Thinking about shows that had been on TV we began to wonder what it would be like to live in a 1970's house. It was purely hypothetical because there is NO WAY I intend to try that experiment!
Looking around our lounge room we concluded that only the television and lamps would remain plugged into the walls. No wonder our house, which was a typical family home when it was built in 1980, feels so small now; it wasn't built for all the extra stuff.
The kitchen would have only had the fridge, toaster and kettle. There may have been a radio where the television sits in our meals area.
Teenage Daughter and The Boyfriend would have had to endure phone conversations on a phone that would have been plugged in to the kitchen wall and I would be writing my novel by hand. I'd actually have to go out to do the banking and probably use the bus to get there because we may have only had one car.
With that all in mind I remarked that there must have been far fewer carbon emissions in those days. Husband was unconvinced citing the fact that industry was less regulated - if at all - and older appliances were less energy efficient. I suspect he's right. I still wonder, however, if regulation and energy efficiency have made that much difference. I honestly don't know - I'd need to see stats on it. There are definitely far more electrical/digital items in use than ever before so that has to increase electricity usage.
We meandered away from technology to food in the course of the discussion and then on to manufactured goods. I thought of all the food in the house and could see very little difference between what I purchase now and what was in the fridge and pantry when I was growing up. I don't believe in buying convenience foods and there has been a huge increase in them in the last thirty or so years. The big difference for me, however, is that back in 1979 consumers could be more confident that the food they were buying was grown, made and owned by local businesses. The thought of carrying the Ethical Consumer Guide would not have crossed my mind; it's very unlikely it would have been necessary at the supermarket at all.
Cheap imports are not a new phenomenon. Thirty years ago, they existed. People bought them and they quickly fell apart - the goods, not the people, of course. There was a choice. Now it is extremely difficult - sometimes impossible - to find locally manufactured goods. It's even more difficult to find locally owned companies.
Having written all that, however, I'm now going to go and do my internet banking on my computer!
Cheers.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Doing a Year 12 Formal semi-ethically
Teenage Daughter had her Year 12 Formal the other night. Here are all the things about it that fitted into the Footprints Project.
- Her dress was second hand
- She borrowed shoes, jacket and handbag
- Twenty two of her friends met locally and hired a bus to take them into the city and back later
- All the jewellery she wore she already owned or borrowed for the occasion
- The make-up she bought will last quite some time since she rarely wears make-up
- Her corsage was not bought from a chain store but I don't know where the flowers were grown
The things that were not so ethical.
- The amount of product and heat that went into her hair!
- The hair clip
- The make-up was bought from the Body Shop whose parent company is L'Oreal.
- The nail polish
For the most part, I think we did well. I'm particularly proud of my daughter for wanting to try to do it as ethically as possible.
Cheers.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Vinegar weed killer
Our front garden currently smells like salad dressing! I read on the internet a little while ago that straight white vinegar makes a good weed killer so we tried it on the weekend. Some of the weeds responded almost immediately and wilted like cucumber in a dressed salad. Others, however, show no signs of distress. Proprietary weed killers take up to two weeks to work so we'll see what happens with the vinegar.
We decided to try it because we thought it would be preferable to weed killer. Our reasoning was that we ingest vinegar so how harmful could it be to the wildlife in our garden, including our dog and two cats. You may be wondering why we feel the need to poison the weeds at all; why not just pull them up? Those of you who have seen our garden already know the answer; neither Husband nor I have a single green thumb cell between us. We detest gardening and the harder the work, the more we avoid and loathe it. Add to the mix that our life of chauffeuring Teenage Daughter and Teenage Son around to their various weekend commitments means we get little time to keep on top of the weeds the way one needs to when pulling them up.
When I went to put something in the recycle bin after the big salad dressing spray, I have to admit the number of empty vinegar bottles in there bothered me. We went through four two-litre bottles and only did a fraction of the front garden. Yes, that certainly is an indictment of our gardening! However, the bigger picture is that herbicides are very concentrated. It can take quite some time to get through a two-litre bottle because only a small amount of it is mixed with water and sprayed on the weeds. I honestly don't know but now I'm wondering environmentally which is actually worse; to use so many plastic bottles, all of which use energy to be made and recycled, in an attempt to be eco-friendly or to use a product which may be more harmful but ultimately more eco-friendly in its packaging. It's something I need to research further. If anyone knows or knows where to look, I'd appreciate your input.
Cheers.
We decided to try it because we thought it would be preferable to weed killer. Our reasoning was that we ingest vinegar so how harmful could it be to the wildlife in our garden, including our dog and two cats. You may be wondering why we feel the need to poison the weeds at all; why not just pull them up? Those of you who have seen our garden already know the answer; neither Husband nor I have a single green thumb cell between us. We detest gardening and the harder the work, the more we avoid and loathe it. Add to the mix that our life of chauffeuring Teenage Daughter and Teenage Son around to their various weekend commitments means we get little time to keep on top of the weeds the way one needs to when pulling them up.
When I went to put something in the recycle bin after the big salad dressing spray, I have to admit the number of empty vinegar bottles in there bothered me. We went through four two-litre bottles and only did a fraction of the front garden. Yes, that certainly is an indictment of our gardening! However, the bigger picture is that herbicides are very concentrated. It can take quite some time to get through a two-litre bottle because only a small amount of it is mixed with water and sprayed on the weeds. I honestly don't know but now I'm wondering environmentally which is actually worse; to use so many plastic bottles, all of which use energy to be made and recycled, in an attempt to be eco-friendly or to use a product which may be more harmful but ultimately more eco-friendly in its packaging. It's something I need to research further. If anyone knows or knows where to look, I'd appreciate your input.
Cheers.
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