Walks in the woods

I am grateful, this weekend, for the beautiful weather and the chance to go for a walk in the mountains outside the city. My husband and I drove up into the hills, leaving behind the bustle of the city and the mundane chores of being at home.

William Ricketts' sculpture

We wandered through two very different forests. One was native, with towering, ageless gums. It felt like being in a sort of natural cathedral – peaceful and renewing. The other was an arboretum with sections of dense evergreens making the light emerald and fragrant; then an area of birches with thin, silver trunks and rustling golden leaves; finally, a hill of large bushy trees and rowdy kookaburras. I write this so that I will remember, once we get into Winter, the last sunny long weekend in Autumn.

Master-diet-chef

Masterchef has made me a more inventive, easygoing cook. I was never a contestant on it, but I've watched enough seasons (2.5 or so) to know the basic games and challenges. This week I've started an Elimination Diet to see if adjusting the foods I eat (again) will improve my migraines, which are currently out of control. The first time I did an Elimination Diet, about seven years ago, it was terrible. For the first four weeks I only ate plain, steamed rice and
vegetables. I can't even remember what I managed for breakfast. Through that time I was tired and stressed; I lost tons of weight which had not been my intention; and I developed a short-term loathing for rice. This time it's roughly the same restrictions for the first four weeks: most fruit and veg (no nightshade family or citrus) and only rice, buckwheat and quinoa for grains. However, because I have seen 'Mystery Box' challenges on Masterchef I can now make a variety of dishes with those ingredients: stir-fry, fried rice, risotto, sushi rolls, plus quinoa porridge or poached pears for breakfast. So thank you, Masterchef and the creativity you've inspired.

Fall back

Today I'm grateful for daylight savings. An extra hour of sleep is nice, but I really appreciate the added brightness in the mornings. It was getting harder and harder to get up in the dark. It also means that the cat sleeps in longer before pacing the bed whining for breakfast, at least for a morning or two. The other thing about this adjustment of time (I never remember if we're 'on' or 'off' DST) is that it means we're heading into Winter. Although I'd rather be easing into Spring, I do look forward to cozy sweaters, nights by the fire, hot chocolate and other wintery pleasures.