Food for thought

I'm really behind in writing about things that have been of interest to me over the last few weeks. I had a really bad cold again (yes, my third illness since moving to Germany) which totally depleted my energy. I've also been working on some behind the scenes work for Green Renters as we are making our website and website content open source. I've also been spending time with new friends in various capacities: visiting Dawanda craft market here in Leipzig (the Etsy of Europe), going out for drinks, enjoying Guy Fawkes Day/ Bonfire night with a bunch of English expats and students, having friends over for dinner and also working on recipes, writing....

I got my 5 year residence permit (AUSFENTHALTSKARTE) to live, work, study etc. here in Deutschland. As I am married to a UK citizen, we both have full freedom of movement under the EU laws. That said, if I wanted to get a job here in Leipzig, without better Deutsch, it is almost impossible. There's a lot of Europeans in Leipzig looking for work as the reality is that it is very hard to work without fluent language skills. It's something I took for granted in Australia, despite working with International students in Tafe and Universities for ten years and another seven years working with refugees and other migrants through Green Renters.

In Australia when I worked with Councils or government authorities for example, translated documents and translators were plentiful. I even did a few workshops with folks from different countries and thus 3 interpreters (difficult at best). Leipzig is not like this. Almost everything is in Deutsch without translation. I am not trying to complain about this, more to provide a contrast. When I visit the Auslander officer (Foreigners office) I can only speak Deutsch, no one (at least willingly) speaks english.  But I managed fine in Deutsch this time without Chris having to help which was a bit of a triumph for me. I also recognise more words when I talk to people and overhear other people's conversations. It's little things that make the difference and are the reward for getting up early each weekday morning to go to Deutsch schule.

                

This sign at the laundromat always amuses me.

A few things new and old which have attracted my attention of late:

A Letter to my 22 year old self, Erika Leibrandt, Elephant Journal.

Unbearable Whiteness of Gone Girls, Amanda Ann Klein, Avidly. I enjoyed reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girls and I liked the twist so  found this very interesting. 

I love the idea of an articles club.

 I've been following the Kathleen Hale case with interest. Kathleen Hale is an author who wrote an article in The Guardian about perceived cyber bullying by a reader who gave her book a negative review initially on Good Reads advising others to not read the novel.  Her response after online conversations was to track down the reader to their workplace and home address and demand a response in person. It's a complex issue. At first I felt a bit sorry for her. As someone who has worked in arenas where I 'put myself out there' in public forms, it is easy for people to criticise your efforts from behind a computer, anonymous without recourse.  But  I also consider that I myself am writing a novel and I expect that not everyone will like it. People are open to criticise, this is reality. But I read a bit more like this article:

Author stalks anonymous blogger who gave her a one star Review, Erin Gloria Ryan, Jezebel

and On the Importance of Pseudonymous Activity, Dear Author. I also read this article with interest Authors behaving badly, how I pissed off legions of Emily Griffen fans, CoreyAnn. I have read a couple of Emily Griffen books and whilst they are well written, I find the characters very unlikeable!

The problem with thug cuisine, Bryan Terry, CNN

Answer Sheet: Teacher spends two days as a student as it shocked what she learns, Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

I've been meaning to mention  the world of Haley Morris Cafiero for a while:

For a year, Haley took photographs of strangers responses to her in public spaces. As someone who is bigger than they used to be, this work definitely resonates as many see you either as invisible or an object of amusement. You can read more at Pictures of people who mock me, Haley Morris Cafiero, Salon.

Loving these works by Stephen Baker

Lastly one of my favourite ads from a little while ago

                

On the mend and Food for Thought

Bit of a weird week this week. I went to see the vascular surgeon on Wednesday after seeing the specialist physio the week before. Thursday morning I got a call, I was booked in for surgery the following day! I had a bilateral fasciotomy to treat compartment syndrome. It's basically a condition where one's lower legs feel chronic pain or tightness and the only way to treat it is to cut the fascia vertically. I've tried a lot of other treatment (including six pairs of orthotics) and it's such a relief to be accurately diagnosed and treated. I won't post a link about the surgery as they all involve pictures which don't look great!

                                                 

Due to my limited finances I was able to do it as day surgery which was great as I didn't have to stay overnight in hospital.  I  had a weird reaction coming out of the anaesthetic and had to be sedated. Oops. The pain is now manageable thanks to the painkillers though I have to keep the dressing on for a week. I'm actually teaching workshops everyday this week, luckily I can do it sitting down and I've got some helpers for part of the week!

 If you are in the area, come visit me at Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre between 12pm and 1:30pm next week! I'll be teaching ways a few different things:

   

Tuesday	Jam and chutney making
Wednesday	Love leftovers, reduce food waste
Thursday	Introduction to pickling
Friday	Container and small space gardening
Saturday	Container and small space gardening
Sunday	Jam and chutney making

Here's a few things that are holding my attention this week:

How amazing are these flowers? Hard to believe they are made out of paper!

Loving these images of children's reference books in the 1970's. 

I'm teaching a vegan roast masterclass in June as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's June Roast series. You can find out more about it herehttp://greenrenters.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=470. I was interviewed by a journo from The Age about it earlier in the week so hopefully it'll get enough bookings to run. By the way if anyone has a good source for vital gluten flour, let me know! I've rang many health food shops and am struggling to find it IRL stores (I like to give everyone info on where to find things). 

I love the idea of visible mending but unfortunately most of my clothes are a bit too far gone by the time I get to it. I even included some works of it in an exhibition I curated a few years ago:

 Tom of Holland has some great imagery and resources that are fantastic!

Love this interview with Mirka Mora on Design Files. Such a wonderful woman.

Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for writers.

I love the good work of Defy Ventures

Laura Kemp's 9 Reasons why I love Chic Lit.

I'm still here!

                                          pic from here

Sorry I'm a bit quiet at the moment. I went to see my surgeon yesterday for post-op check up . Unfortunately the first surgery has fixed one lower leg problem but has not solved the bigger problem of chronic compartment syndrome. As a consequence I need to have a double fasciotomy, which is surgery on each leg. To my knowledge it's a fairly minor surgery but requires an overnight stay in hospital. Like the majority of surgeries of the lower limb, it's considered elective. The timing financially isn't great but it would be good to get it done before my sea change.

I saw a physio today who specialises in the condition and I have been given three things to do which will prepare me for surgery:

• Lower leg emersion as frequently as possible in ice water (to reduce the inflammation of the fascia). Sitting in a bath full of ice cubes? Not fun! 
• A specific stretch
• Keeping off my feet (not so easy!).

Its all a bit nerve wracking, especially as the surgery doesn't always work (because the fascia can grow back and reattach) but it's apparently more successful in severe cases like mine.

What else have I been up to?

I ran a Community Preserving day in Heidelberg. We made 6 recipes including Strawberry & Apple Jam, Tomato Kasundi and pickled Beetroot.

We've booked out overseas flights (including Mr Pablo's journey).

I've been working on a Community Leadership Program around themes of sustainability and food waste reduction since October last year, writing curriculum and training the participants. On Wednesday night three groups successfully pitched for seed funding for their projects which include a no waste cooking program for kids and grandparents; a monthly meet up for foodies in the eastern suburbs and a permaculture primary school project. I feel so proud to know them all and we'll be reporting on their progress (and helping their promotion) through Green Renters.

I've also been making loads of double door snakes for Green Renters online store. We use them at home in this cold weather and they really make a difference.

Things I've been reading:

This account (and recipes) of an edible flowers cooking workshop featured on the blog Adventures in Cooking. I often use herbs and flowers in my cordial making so I was very enchanted. 

I love this idea of a Clandestine Cake Club. I might even start one in Leipzig! 

"This Man Is About to Die Because an Alcoholic Lawyer Botched His Case", by Marc Bookman in  Mother Jones. I majored in Criminology at University (one of those interested but non-vocational course if zillions of post graduate courses are not undertaken) and I've always had an interest in miscarriages of justice. I followed the case of the West Memphis Three with a sense of absolute horror and eventual relief at their release due to the Alford plea. Whilst the Australian judicial system is far from perfect, we fortunately no longer have the death penalty. 

I'v also been doing some planning for my novel and upcoming events like our next Vegan cooking masterclass in June. I'm making rejuvelac at the moment in preparation for some cashew mozzarella balls. I like to practice my recipes before classes!