Lovely Simple Song

Free Design - Love You

How to live a money-less life by Mark Boyle

The Prairie Oysters - Things that I Like Best

Brian McFadden - Real To Me

The Great 'Simple Living' Survey

If you live a 'simple' lifestyle in one way or another, we need your help!

The Simplicity Institute is an organisation dedicated to research and policy analysis around the topic of simple living, downshifting, and similar lifestyles. This research is profoundly important as it touches the core of global problems such as climate change, over-consumption, work-life balance and a host of other social and ecological issues.

The Simplicity Institute's current research project is focused on people who have chosen a 'simpler' lifestyle, including changes such as reduced or restrained income, reduced consumption or reduced working hours.

If this sounds like you, then you are part of the most promising social movement on the planet. Learning more about people like you is therefore extremely important, so if you can spare 4 minutes to answer some quick questions then please do! As an added incentive, if you participate you'll go into the draw to win an exciting book package on the topic of 'simple living'.

To learn more and help build a better future, click here:

The Simplicity Institute was founded by Samuel Alexander and Dr. Simon Ussher.

Samuel Alexander is a lecturer at Melbourne University in Australia and editor of Voluntary Simplicity: The Poetic Alternative to Consumer Culture (2009). He is also the founder of the Simplicity Collective – a grassroots social network dedicated to advancing the voluntary simplicity movement.

Dr. Simon Ussher is a medical doctor in Melbourne, Australia and a passionate advocate of the holistic benefits of simple living.

The Simplicity Institute was founded with the vision of a sustainable, just and flourishing society. Read more about our mission.

jetty road - million miles

Dry Land Crop - The Sunny Cowgirls

I wonder if they will feel exactly the same way when they are 46?

A Simple Living Movie

I had the joy of watching the Hannah Montana movie last night. My husband has been to Tennessee so that is part of the appeal I suppose. Recently I was talking to my daughter about ferrets. She wanted to get one. I am wondering now if it was because of the movie.

Anyway, I loved the theme of the movie, not so much Life Wasn't Meant To Be Easy of our former Prime Minister, but

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause


I was impressed by the canning jars in a carrier unceremoniously dropped by Miley's Granma. There were lots of things I liked even the reference to Hip Hop in the following video, since I love Justin Bieber's song, which I think is hip hop and play it in the car, all related to seeing dance concerts and competitions. I think the trailers don't do this movie justice.



Anyway, the ferret in the movie did exactly as expected from my experience with ferrets and what I told the girls they were like!

Simple Fun

My girls got this trampoline at the tip, so it was free fun as well.

5 Acre Happiness

Ten Favourite Free Things

Kadeeae at Consuming The Harvest has tagged me. She was tagged by Magic Mummy at The Diary of a Frugal Family. The next person up the chain (?) is Make do mum. You can then read what their favourite free things are.

Ten Favourite Free Things

1. Looking at the scenery (yes I have to drive there to see it, but I am going past it anyway)

2. Looking at the red leaves on my liquid ambar or sweet gum in late autumn or early winter, out the window.

3. Watching my fish in the fish pond. (Unfortunately I have to drive there to see them.)

4. Reading novels from the library.

5. My youngest daughter's smiles and hugs. She seems to always have them.

6. Watching sunsets. No driving required.

7. Enjoying the roses on my arch, they always seem to flower, except in winter of course. They are Renae roses.

8. If I am in my car I listen to music, I don't seem to listen to my CDs any other time.

9. Getting things from the tip, yes I don't actually do the dirty work.

10. Watching the older girls ride their ripstick skate board and powerwing scooter.


Who am I going to tag?

Frugal for a Reason
Mom's Musings

The Good Report

I found this at Pardon my Chaos who found it at the GOOD REPORT. It is late at night here, so I have lost track of which day is best to post my Good Report.

1. My daughter planted some cucumbers, tomatoes & capsicums.

2. I may watch Jamie Oliver's American Roadtrip. I was going to post a video but there are no suitable ones available that I can find. I hope I don't mind watching the show, it is on Monday on Ten.

3. It wasn't too hot and dry to do our gardening today.

4. Our jerusalem artichokes are not dead, they are growing quite well.

5. I think everyone is going to school tomorrow, it will be nice as I had one home for three days last week, and it was hectic with two big shopping days

6. I found a purple grannies bonnet that came up by itself in my wheelbarrow. I was looking at the different shades of pink and lilac ones we have last week. Now I have purple. It could have been a seed years old that came from my Mum's house, or just possibly blew in? I don't remember.

Simple Justice

Today I was watching a program on TV called Border Security. There was a man being filmed who came from Canada I think. He was questioning being body searched I think because he said he didn't have any drugs on himself. In the end they were going to get a Justice of the Peace to talk to him, because he was doing it for the principle of the thing. After watching it I was wonder really, how many people would do that. I don't think too many. Before I thought maybe some would. I have that tendency myself, so if no one really does it, yikes.

Does justice have anything to do with simple living? The blog Voluntary Simplicity and Social Justice has made that connection.

Can you live a simple life without manners?

Back in the 50s and 60s when simple living was at its best perhaps, the wheels of life were greased with manners. What would happen if a simple life was lived without them? Is it possible or are the two interwoven together? Going back even further a quote from The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder would fit here.

What Decade Are You?

You Are the 1950s

You are a conventional, traditional, and responsible person. You try to live a good life. You appreciate the simpler days of the 1950s, when hard work and family were valued. You believe in doing your best, even if you aren't rewarded right away. Being a moral person is its own reward. You don't like to rock the boat too much. You like your life as it is and aren't looking to change it.

What Decade Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Lying Around The Garden

No, I don't mean junk, hoses, old newspapers, I mean you.  Do you do it?

I have determined, it probably depends on the privacy aspect.  Last weekend I was lying on the yet still unpainted garden bench.  The only small problem is a neighbours window a block away, but still it is there at the back of his house.  If it wasn't for that it would be perfect.  This is at my new house, the current one is very overlooked, read on the side of a hill.

Allposters

I think it is important to simple living.  I remember once lying on the back lawn of our rented farmhouse.  It was great.  Our landlord chose that moment to visit his farm.  Isn't it always the way.  It was fine, but not the same as just with family until whenever you feel like getting up.

Retro Simplicity

Be Yourself

It's all happening

This is the lane near our new house. Lots of works going on. Hopefully it will mean a new sewerage system soon. We are very lucky. I remember visiting this lane in 2001 and thinking it was so different to my hometown. Not sure what changed in the meantime on the right side of bottom pic, I know the other side is still the same. We were going to buy that property.

Simple Pleasures