Studio Oat

At the risk of causing a stampede as you all rush to order this series of gorgeous prints, thus creating a shortage before I've had a chance to buy it myself, I'd like to introduce you to Studio Oat.

I saw these illustrations - obviously created by a whimsical soul with oodles of talent - on Sunday at the markets and fell in love. Instantly.

The description that accompanies this series is equally as moving. "The Buddha Collection is about realising that through the ages there were a handful of those who truly know the heart of heaven. They are the link between heaven and earth. Living by their true virtue, they have proven that within every being there is a true nature. When realizing that the true nature is free of attachments, one can find true happiness – true peace. To have this awakening in this life, one will redirect one’s journey not only working for this physical life but focus on the permanent state of the spirit. Life then becomes a find balance between this world and the world beyond life and death."

I also have a soft spot for this image, it makes my heart sing.

Linky Goodness

Need a diversion? Check out the sites that have been lifting our spirits this week.

The World Needs all Kinds of Minds
Temple Grandin suffers from autism and in her talk at the 2010 TED (Technology, Entertinment, Design) conference raises the point that this diagnosis should not be regarded as a negative, but as something to be embraced. “She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.”

This nearly 20-minute video is a life-changer and well worth your time/download usage. Make yourself a cuppa and prepare to have your ideas challenged.

Top 20 salads
I love bringing my lunch to work with me but I find it a challenge to keep things interesting as well as quick and easy. I went through a phase of making sandwiches in the morning before work, but I may have overdone it a little because the thought of a sandwich has been incredibly unappealing for many months now, so I’ve been looking for salads that I can put together in the office kitchen without too much fuss. My favourite at the moment is cannellini beans, basil, feta and cherry tomatoes with a balsamic/olive oil dressing. It tastes like summer and is incredibly filling. I was worried that I was going to get sick of this salad, too, and started looking around for other ideas when voila! I stumbled on this wonderful site.

20 incredibly nutritious and easy to prepare salads that can be made at home before work or in the office kitchen. I love the chickpea, rocket and parmesan salad – my go to favourite for summer BBQs – and altered it slightly for today’s lunch by replacing parmesan with tuna, and I have to say I enjoyed it just as much. The lemon brings out the nutty flavour of the chickpeas and gives the rocket extra pow!

You’ll definitely find something you love here.

The Cove
I’m so pleased that The Cove won an Oscar for Best Documentary feature. I finally got around to watching it over the weekend and was incredibly impressed with the crew’s ingenuity and dedication. It’s not a film for the weepy though, as the dolphin slaughter in the final 15 minutes is breathtaking in its barbarism. Ric O’Barry, the man behind the movement to put a stop to this annual cull in Taiji – for “pest control” reasons (rubbish!!) – as well as the cruelty of whale and dolphin shows, has said that he hopes the attention the film will now garner will help spread the message in Japan, where many remain oblivious to dolphin hunting.

If you can bear it, I recommend watching The Cove. It is a riveting and eye-opening doco. If the plight of the dolphins moves you, go here and sign the petition.

Or go here for more information.

For Australian readers, you may also want to copy and paste the petition and send it to Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, who has discussed taking Japan to the International Court of Justice if it does not agree to cease whaling in the Southern Ocean by November. Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au
You can also contact Environment Minister Peter Garret who has spoken out at the International Whaling Commission previously. You can email him via a form on this page.

This Too Shall Pass – OK Go
This video clip has already had over 5 million views in the past week? Why? Because it’s bright, ingenious, uplifting and irrepressibly joyful. Come join the fun! http://bit.ly/aLcNkv

Dealing with the emotions of Black Saturday

In place of our regular Regional Profile this issue, we have an incredibly moving account of one man's journey as he deals with the emotional aftermath of the Victorian bushfires that occurred this time last year.

I had to read Stephen Andrew's account in bits and pieces because his writing was so articulate and emotionally aware that I started to experience some of the emotions he was writing about and often became a little overwhelmed - it is such a wonderful, valuable piece.

He writes at the beginning of; "I didn’t cry during the fire weeks. Now, I am teary often. Oddly, abundance will set me off, like when I was deeply moved recently by a green grocer’s shop full of fresh produce. (“For me? Can I have this?”) Perhaps it’s another reminder that I didn’t die. The fires have pulled me much more into the light of the world. My eyes are struggling to adjust to the glow."

He writes about the various events that led him to healing and understanding, including a visit to his town by a group of Tibetan monks who created a sand mandala (we also have a wonderful article about such mandalas in the new issue) and ends with some further insight.

"I note the movement in my psyche over recent months. Post-fire, my mind is stronger, more direct and clearer when it comes to choice. Emotionally, I am more open and accepting, especially of my heart’s own peculiar beat. My soul seems a little softer. Abundance still makes me cry. Time, too, seems different: perhaps the present has asserted itself as a more dominant part of my life. I waste less time than I used to. Like the landscape of the Kinglake Ranges, the fire has revealed what was always already there. I am feeling my finitude and am more awake and more alive.

"My background in psychology takes me to Carl Jung’s fascination with the transformational fires of alchemy. Responding to detractors who declared alchemy to be fictitious, Jung said: “The alchemical operations were real, only the reality was not physical but psychological.” I think he is half right. This ancient and mysterious process had played itself out in an all too literal manner on Black Saturday and in the days that followed. In the fires, the physical and the psychological were deeply entwined. Months after the end of the fires, the environment and the people in it continue to change."

I write about all of this, not just to share with you a piece I'm proud to have in our magazine, but because the anniversary is likely to bring up many, many emotions. Some we will be able to experience then let go, some may be more powerful and difficult to deal with.

If you feel the need to talk, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website www.lifeline.org.au. There are people there 24/7 who will listen and know how to help.

“In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, whether the floods or the bushfires, for many people the immediate need is survival; shelter, food, clothing and the like,” Lifeline Australia CEO Dawn O’Neil said today. “However, it can be many months later, even a year later, when they begin to feel the emotional impact of the event, and so when that happens it’s important to seek some support.

“Support can be speaking with a close friend or family member, a trusted colleague, a professional or a service like Lifeline. We have a 24 hour telephone support service on 13 11 14, as well as a range of online resources and discussion forums for people to utilise.”

www.lifeline.org.au

The issue with this article will be on stands February 17.
Image: Getty Images

All You Need is La

The lovely Rebecca Cavalôt recently wrote a two-part feature for WellBeing about how music can help to heal our bodies as well as the planet.

"Recent discoveries show that the whole universe is alive with melody. In 2003, NASA studied the Perseus Cluster black hole and found it has murmured a B-flat for the past 2.5 billion years. In 2006, Professor Adam Burrows of the University of Arizona found that stars sing a “death knell” in middle C before they explode as supernovae. Even Earth has its own song. In 2008, Discovery News reported on a subtle and mysterious global hum detected by seismologists. If you’re curious, you can download the MP3 from the internet. Earth’s hum is deep and rhythmic, like the sound of heavy drums or the didgeridoo. It seems to work its way into the pit of the stomach. The feeling that comes with listening to it is grounding — the sound promotes a sense of connection to the body. It’s the kind of music you could imagine listening to while meditating."

You can visit Rebecca's website to read more. She also has some interesting entries on her blog.

The Carbon Conundrum

Sustainable Living expert Michael Grosvenor wrote about carbon credits for us in the latest issue (on stands now).

"One of the dilemmas for those seeking to live a more sustainable lifestyle is working out how to have a sustainable holiday. How do you visit all those great places around the world, support the local communities by doing so, learn about and appreciate the beautiful yet fragile cultures and ecosystems we have on this planet and ... avoid generating all those greenhouse gas emissions in getting there on a plane?" he writes.

Read his answer here.

Spaghetti with pesto & zucchini

I love a good pasta. It doesn’t matter whether it’s summer or winter, I can be easily convinced to whip up a pasta dish for dinner … and even more easily convinced to dig in when my husband cooks! This summer I’ve found a recipe that has quickly become my favourite go-to dish on those occasions I’d much rather spend the cool of the evening outside enjoying the twilight and the cool breeze than inside cooking.

Spaghetti with pesto & zucchini
Serves 2

2 medium zucchinis
½ cup of pesto (see recipe below)
enough spaghetti for 2 (170 grams feeds my husband and myself)
olive oil

Cook your pasta according to instructions. Slice zucchini into ribbons lengthways, I use our mandolin to achieve thin, consistent results. Heat oil in a fry pan and cook your zucchini so it is slightly soft but retains a bit of crunch and texture, usually about 4 minutes, then add your spaghetti and pesto. Toss for a few more minutes until the pesto covers everything in the pan and serve up.

Home-made pesto
I found this wonderful pesto recipe and used it for the first time when cooking the zucchini pasta and I couldn’t be more happy with the results. It has a full flavour, but doesn’t overpower the soft, buttery taste of cooked zucchini. In fact, they’re prefect partners! I make a batch and freeze half to use next time, which cuts down on prep time.

Recipe via: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001570.html

How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother

One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife. I gave my double-bladed mezzaluna to a friend last year because it was collecting dust (I also didn't like how ingredients would get stuck between the blades), but have a large half-moon shaped pizza cutter that works like a dream. Francesca's mom even approved and said it cut her chopping time in half. This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made.

The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason she does it this way (instead of chopping everything all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as much - it encourages specturm of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.

You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right.

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
one small handful of raw pine nuts
roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.

You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.

Makes about 1 cup.
Image: www.101cookbooks.com

Do you know the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and Ovarian Cancer Australia have provided a few facts on the disease and symptoms that, if recognised and followed up with a medical appointment, might just save your life.

What Are The Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer?

The four most frequently reported symptoms from women diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer are:

• Persistent abdominal pain or pelvic (lower abdominal) pain.
• A noticeable increase in abdominal size or abdominal bloating.
• Needing to rush to the toilet to urinate often or urgently.
• Feeling full quickly or finding it difficult to eat.

Other symptoms that have been commonly reported by women with ovarian cancer include:

• Vague but persistent stomach upsets such as wind, nausea, heart burn or indigestion
• Vaginal bleeding
• Change in bowel habits
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Excessive fatigue

Did you know?

• In 2010, more than 1500 Australia women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
• More than 850 will die from the disease – that’s 1 woman every 11 hours.
• 75% of women are diagnosed in the advanced stages and will not live beyond 5 years.
• Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cause of death in Australian women.
• Ovarian cancer can affect women of all ages – girls as young as 7 have been diagnosed. But the risk of getting ovarian cancer increases with age. The average age for an ovarian cancer diagnosis is 64.
• There is no detection test – a Pap smear does NOT detect ovarian cancer.
• The majority of Australian women DON’T know the symptoms of ovarian cancer but almost all women with ovarian cancer suffer symptoms.
• To ensure a good chance of survival it is essential that ovarian cancer is caught in the early stages.
• If found in the early stages, the majority of women will be alive and well after five years.
• Awareness of symptoms is the principle means of early diagnosis to save lives!
• With the help of the media, we aim to save lives by educating women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer. We aim to inform them about what to do if they have symptoms, empowering them to manage their health.

Pass this link on to all your female friends - education about the disease and its symptoms is a powerful tool.