This is not the November 9 World I wanted to wake up to. I’m wearing blue stockings in honour of yet another smart woman who lost out to misogyny (amongst other things) and as a symbol of the hope I have for a better world and a system that improves for everyone.  

Even though we might be driven by anger and disappointment I feel that we must be good and gentle as we go into this fight. We need new kinds of globally regenerative resistance (aka permaculture) and fancy new armour.

Hope Armour

The other day

I thought I’d lost my hope armour. 
See

I’d been looking for something 

armour-shaped,

but a little dull, grey

and of

heavy

metal.
It turns out that I’d sent it to be upgraded:
The armour was polished

articulated

so that I will be flexible

and my words

direct and clear.
The inside has been lined with 

(non-mulesed)

merino.

I feel caressed

insulated

yet breathable

and even after a summer’s day resistance

I will not stink.
My upgrade came with a cape

that i will embroider

with our stories

and a newly-honed hope axe

for breaking down barriers.
Heavy metal is good for rage

but not always so good for hope.

So my shield broadcasts a mix of tunes

for optimised good times.
My hope armour feels as good as new

and as it is cold out I will wear it with 

bright

blue

leggings. 
We’re taking orders for new hopes

and you can always get existing models upgraded.
The new hope is loving

and fierce

and flexible.

I finally got my favourite sewing machine, a vintage Husqvarna Viking 2000 – 6440, repaired and it only cost €50. I’d been putting it off sending it to the mechanic for over 2 years. So I went out and celebrated by visiting Textil Müller in Wels. I’m pretty sure that 90% of the fabric in stock was there when I last visited in 2012.

A reminder that unless you plant seeds nothing can grow.

To the right are tomatoes for the Hafengarten community garden, behind the cat’s barley grass is an assortment of edible flowers, herbs that are waiting to grow and fenugreek sprouts.

Tim’s been making Blunzngröstl lately – refried bloodsausage with fried potatoes and freshly grated horseradish. And invariably we drink a Most (Austrian Sour Apple Cider) that’s mixed with soda water.

It might be worthwhile forgetting what I wrote about salads a minute ago – pigs’ blood fried up with onion and potatoes is the bomb.

I rarely drink beer and The Maths Captain invariably dry retches after the first sip – but despite this I received a beer brewing kit from him for Christmas 2014. We bottled our first brew – a standard Coopers Brewery Lager –  in January and in April I mislabelled the bottles that we gave to a friend for their 40th.

In Australia homebrew is totally normal – but here in Austria people either thought we were idiots or akin to crazy gods.

Recently some of the most satisfying meals I’ve eaten have been mixed up hippy salads. Here are lentils, refried potatoes, a local sauerkraut, self fermented beetroot and hidden underneath is feta too. Delicious.