WEEKEND | 19-09-15

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: P E O P L E : E A S Y E A T I N G : B O O K S : D I Y : G A R D E N : T R AV E L : E N T E R T A I N M E N T : F A S H I O N : H O M E

BLOCK STARS AYDEN AND JESS JOIN WEEKEND: New DIY column inside.

+

NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY Hu g h Ja ckm an d i s cove rs h i s da rk s i d e a s Neverla nd ’s v i ll a i n ou s B l a ck b ea rd

+ T R AV EL //

Th e Ita l i a n c i t y yo u c a n have al l t o your s e l f t o en joy

Weekend

+ S CREEN LIFE //

Be ni ci o De l Toro m ake s a ca re e r out of d rug s on t h e b i g s cre e n

+ GARD EN //

H ow to t u rn c o nc re te s p a c e s i n to e di b l e ga rde ns

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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Weekend

welco me // in si d e to d ay

DIY gurus Ayden and Jess join Weekend W EE KEND EDI TOR K ir i Te n Dol l e

I

F YOU wondered “Hugh the heck is that?” on our cover today, you’ll be forgiven. I did at first glance of the images too. It’s Hugh Jackman, but he’s hardly recognisable in his latest romp.

Hollywood’s “nice guy” plays Pan’s evil villain Blackbeard in the latest Peter Pan remake. It’s a long way from the chiselled mutant superhero and man of Broadway, but it’s a (dark) side we hope to see more of from Jackman.

“It has taken me a long time to work out the villain has it a lot easier,” he tells Seanna Cronin, inside today.

“You only lose one fight as a villain. The hero gets beaten up the entire movie.”

Two others who know how to put up a fight – and win not once but twice – are The Block Triple Threat and Reno Rumble stars Ayden and Jess Hogan.

We are thrilled to announce the likable couple has joined Weekend. Each week Ayden will share a DIY project with you (this week find out how to build floating shelves), while style guru Jess will offer some winning interior design tips. Since their double TV renovation victory, Ayden and Jess have been busily planning the build of their family home. Join us each week as we follow their journey.

Finally, if you’re reading this, chances are you’ve scored yourself some free seeds as part of our popular free seed giveaway launching today. Inside, I chat with urban gardening guru Indira Naidoo, who grows some 70kg of vegetables on her 20sq m high-rise balcony each year. Indira reveals her tips to grow your own food in small spaces and dishes up some delicious ice cream sandwiches – perfect to kick off the school holidays. Enjoy.

MAKE

GARDEN

+ inside today READ // Hugh Jackman like you’ve never

seen him before – and his up-and-coming co-star hailing straight from Brisbane.

EASY EATING // Dan and Steph’s

spring-time strawberry tart, plus ice cream sandwiches, anyone?

GARDEN // How to start a vegie garden SCHOOL HOLIDAY TREAT: See the cherry choc-chip ice cream sandwiches recipe inside.

How to navigate your Weekend:

: We’ve colour-coded your magazine for easy reference.

Each section listed on the index page is coloured accordingly throughout. If you’d like to skip to Easy Eating, look for a yellow : symbol, or a magenta : symbol to skip to Home.

TRAVEL

from seed, plus the new-release spring flowers to bring colour to your garden.

MAKE // Ayden and Jess show us how to build floating shelves.

HOME // Tales of an ‘exercise dodger’ and the latest kids’ room trends.

STUFF // Apple’s iPad is not too big, not too small, but just right.

CLOSET // Get the look: Urban Safari.

YOU // How to live more and work smarter.

RELAX // Prick With A Fork: The book that will make you think twice when dining out.

TRAVEL // The Italian city you can have

SCREEN LIFE // Benicio Del Toro on

CHALLENGE // Adult colouring-in for

MIND // How to set healthy boundaries

to yourself while the city sleeps.

mindfulness – and why you should try it.

making a career from drug roles. for yourself.

: ON THE COVER: Hugh Jackman. Photo: Laurie Sparham. : CREATIVE: Megan Sheehan and Kiri ten Dolle. : CONTRIBUTORS: Seanna Cronin, Alexia Purcell, Chris Calcino, Tracey Hordern, Maggie Cooper, Simon Irwin, Ayden and Jess Hogan, Steph Mulheron, Angie Thomas, Maree Curran, Peter Chapman, Ann Rickard, Helen Hawkes, Meredith Papavasiliou, Greg Bray, John Grey, Jody Allen, Roy O’Reilly, Rowena Hardy. : CONTACT US: weekend@apn.com.au : CONTRIBUTE: contributors@apn.com.au : ADVERTISING: Visit apnarm.com.au or contact your local sales consultant.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Weekend

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rea d

+ Jackman’s good as a bad guy H o l ly wo o d ’ s n i c e g u y r e ve a l s h i s d a r k s i d e a s P a n ’ s ‘ f r i g h te n i n g ’ B l a c k b e a rd a n d d i s c ove r s t h e ‘ t h e v i l l a i n h a s i t a l o t e a s i e r ’ t h a n t h e h e r o

BY S e a n n a C ro n i n

H

UGH Jackman has accomplished something quite rare in Hollywood.

Our beloved acting export has managed to enjoy a long, successful career without a bad word being said about him.

Generally accepted as one of the film industry’s true nice guys, the 46-year-old has wide appeal for his versatility, ranging from the animalistic brooding of a reluctant mutant superhero to the flamboyance of The Boy From Oz. Thanks to his busy filming schedule and charity work with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, Jackman is never far from the spotlight.

Just recently, satirical current affairs show host John Oliver referred to him as the best thing to ever come out of Australia.

That might be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying his enduring popularity.

But after two decades on screen and stage, 15 of those as Logan/Wolverine in the X-Men films, Jackman can admit, jokingly, that he’s been doing it wrong all these years.

“It has taken me a long time to work out the villain has it a lot easier,” he tells Weekend.

“You only lose one fight as a villain. The hero gets beaten up the entire movie.”

The Oscar nominee makes a dramatic transformation in his latest

Saturday, September 19, 2015

role as the pirate Blackbeard in Pan, an origin story of sorts for the fictional boy who never grows up, Peter Pan. Jackman famously shaved his head for the role after hosting the Tony Awards last year.

He makes a memorable entrance as Blackbeard in the film, chanting the lyrics to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit as hundreds of orphans-turned-workers obediently sing along as a chorus below his floating ship.

‘‘

You o n ly l o s e o n e f i g h t a s a v i l l a i n . T h e h e r o g e t s b e aten u p t h e e n t i r e m ov i e .

“The second week of rehearsals Joe (Wright, director) handed out the lyrics to (Smells Like) Teen Spirit and he said ‘I think this should be the entrance’. I said, ‘Oh yes, that is so cool’,” he says.

“I remember looking at the studio executives who came in a couple of days later to see how things were going. All of a sudden we’re singing that whole beginning and I remember looking at their faces as they were thinking, ‘I didn’t think this

was a musical we green-lit’.

“Joe’s point is Neverland is the child’s imagination where anything is possible. So if anything is possible, why not have Teen Spirit? Why not have that kind of fun?”

Blackbeard is a pantomime sort of bad guy – the perfect fit for Wright’s colourful, over-the-top version of Neverland, a floating island world where fairies exist as tiny balls of light, giant crocodiles and mermaids patrol the waterways, big-eyed birds wander the forest floor and pirate ships defy gravity.

“I knew it was going to be just eccentric enough,” Jackman says. “If you tackle Neverland, it has to be eccentric, and no one does that like the Brits.”

Pan was filmed in Cardington, north of London, and Wright, a London native, is known for directing classic British romances Atonement and Pride and Prejudice.

Jackman is nearly unrecognisable as Blackbeard, sporting a black wig, moustache, angular goatee and dark circles under his eyes.

The notorious pirate is part theatrical slave driver, part swashbuckling madman.

“When I first met Joe, he showed me a picture. It had my face, the wig of Marie Antoinette and the clothing of Louis XIV superimposed on top,” he says.

“We discussed how he loves being a show pony, how he loves dressing up.

“The other thing Joe said was, ‘I want you to be frightening’. I think

Weekend

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Weekend

read SECRET POWER: Jackman says the secret power of Australian child actor Levi Miller – who plays Peter – is in having fun.

the most frightening thing for me (as a child) were adults who I just couldn’t predict. That turning on a dime thing was what frightened me – when you never know if someone’s going to hug you one minute and slap you the next.”

When the audience, and Peter, first meet Blackbeard, he is teetering on the edge of control over his workforce of orphaned boys, spirited away from their beds over years of night raids on London’s orphanages.

Blackbeard fears Peter may be the boy prophesied to finally free Neverland’s indigenous people, and the Lost Boys, from his rule.

“He loves that power, but he’s been the top dog for a long time,” he says. “He’s a little bit bored, sad, lonely and frightened. I was thrilled Joe wanted to dive into that side. He wasn’t afraid to make it a little more three-dimensional.”

Pan puts two Aussie talents on show.

Jackman’s experience is contrasted with the fresh young face of Brisbane’s Levi Miller (pictured above) as Peter in his first leading movie role.

Jackman is full of praise for his young co-star, who portrays Peter’s transformation from cheeky orphan to the leader of a full-scale rebellion against Blackbeard.

“Acting is natural for him. He could do whatever Joe wanted him to do,” he says.

“He was just having the time of his life. That situation, for a lot of people, can be overwhelming, but for him it was ‘to the manor born’. He carries the film and does it pretty effortlessly – that part you can’t teach.”

The father of two was certainly still a guiding hand for Miller on set, even if they had to play foes once the cameras started rolling.

“I found him grabbing some lollies at the craft service table and I said, ‘Mate, leave it until the end of the day or you’re going to crash’,” Jackman says with a hint of fatherly authority.

“I probably got more from him than he got from me. I wanted to remind him that no matter what’s going on to just keep having fun. The secret power you have is having fun.

You can find all the energy you need and you’ll be able to get through any fearful moment if you know ‘this is the thing I love to do’. It doesn’t have to be easy, but would the challenge be fun? I think audiences always respond to that.”

In Pan, scriptwriter Jason Fuchs creates an original story for literary foes Peter Pan and Captain Hook based on a small mention in JM Barrie’s original book of Hook learning his trade “as a boatswain to Blackbeard”.

It was all the inspiration he needed for the fantasy adventure, set before Hook loses his hand and Peter learns he can fly.

Weekend

: Hugh Jackman takes on a whole new appearance with his black wig, moustache, angular goatee and dark circles under his eyes.

PHOTOS: LAURIE SPARHAM

They start as friends, when James (Hook) agrees to help Peter escape Blackbeard’s mine.

It’s a reluctant partnership at first, which blossoms into a friendship after they meet the captivating Princess Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara).

“This is very much a coming-of-age story,” Jackman says.

“To Levi it was a real challenge because Peter becomes

quite cocky and self-assured. He has the cockiness and the courage as well as that fear.”

Jackman is happy to be the scary villain and his performance will leave cinema-goers hoping it’s not the last time he plays the bad guy.

Pan opens nationally on Thursday.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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ea sy ea t in g

+

+ Spring sweetness

THE WEEKEND COOK w i th M a g g i e C o o p e r

S t raw b e r r i e s a r e a m o n g t h e v i b ra n t , f r e s h p r o d u c e o f t h e s e a s o n .

E AT

w i th D a n a nd S te p h M ulh e ron

: The first reference to an omelette is found in French PHOTO: MAGGIE COOPER literature dating from 1393.

Omelette a protein punch

P

LANNING a day of hard yakka? Do yourself a favour and eat a breakfast full of protein to help keep you going. A few years ago, I spent a winter skiing in North America and started each day with a hearty breakfast. My favourite was this tasty omelette, packed full of spinach, mushrooms and swiss cheese.

While learning to cook, someone told me to limit the number of ingredients used to flavour a risotto to three, and I’ve found the same rule can be applied to an omelette. There are many ingredients you can use, but keep it simple and let the taste of the eggs come through. Use only the freshest free-range eggs you can buy – or if you have chooks in the yard, lucky you.

Spinach and mushroom omelette

INGREDIENTS: : 1 tbs unsalted butter : 3 medium eggs : 2 tbs water : handful baby spinach leaves : 1 large mushroom, finely sliced : 20g swiss cheese, grated : 2 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley : salt and pepper, to taste.

METHOD: Preheat grill to medium high. Melt butter in a frypan over medium heat. Break eggs into a bowl, add water and whisk together until frothy. Pour eggs into the pan and place spinach leaves over half the eggs. Top with mushroom slices. Cook for 2–3 minutes, gently lifting the edges of the omelette with a spatula as it sets, allowing the uncooked egg to run underneath. When eggs are almost cooked, place frypan under hot grill.

Cook for a further two minutes, or until omelette is puffed and golden. Sprinkle with cheese, parsley and season to taste. Fold omelette over and slide on to a warm plate. Variations: Try prosciutto slices, asparagus tips and shaved parmesan or sliced green onions, diced capsicum and cheddar. Serves 1 Email Maggie at maggies.column@bigpond.com or check out her blog herebemonstersblog.com.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

I

T SEEMS as though the feeling in the air has changed.

Spring is our favourite time of the year, not only for the racing carnival, but the abundance of amazing produce that is available. Everything is vibrant and fresh. Vegetables such as asparagus, sweet corn, fresh peas and zucchini are thriving. Our garden has been taken over by the zucchinis.

Fruit such as papaya, rhubarb, pineapple and blood oranges are perfect this time of the year, and even strawberries are cheap and sweet. They are great for creating quick, simple desserts like this one – a yummy strawberry dessert with a hint of basil.

Strawberry, basil and cream tart

INGREDIENTS: Pastry : 1½ cups of plain flour : 125g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into cubes : 1⁄3 cup of icing sugar : 1 egg yolk : drizzle of cold water.

OR You can create a base like that of a cheesecake and use one packet of plain biscuits with about 80–100g of butter, melted.

Filling : 250ml cream : 165g mascarpone : 1 vanilla bean : 1 tbs of honey : 1 – 2 punnets of strawberries : 3 tbs of balsamic vinegar : ½ cup of pistachios, toasted : 1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped.

METHOD: Place flour, icing sugar and butter cubes into a food processor and blitz until they look like breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and blitz again. If the pastry doesn’t form a ball in the processor, slowly drizzle a small amount of cold water as it’s running. Once the pastry is done, it will form a ball to one side of the processor.

Place pastry on to a floured bench and bring together softly – do not knead. Wrap the pastry in lightly floured cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once the pastry has been cooled in the fridge, remove and spray oil your rectangle fluted tart tin, or use a 23cm round fluted tart tin.

Roll out the pastry on a piece of floured baking paper in the shape of the tin until it’s about 3–4mm thick. Then flip the baking paper over onto the tin, slowly remove the baking paper and press in the pastry to all edges, and trim the edges of pastry, leaving a little over the top. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Take out pastry and line with baking paper. Add weights such as rice or baking weights, then place into the oven for 10 minutes. Then remove the weights and baking paper and continue to bake for 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to

MARINATE STRAWBERRIES IN BALSAMIC VINEGAR FOR FL AVOUR BURST

: Here’s a quick, simple strawberry dessert with a hint of basil.

PHOTO: GLEN DAVID WILSON

cool completely – trim any edges to level up.

OR If you use the biscuit base, simply crumb the biscuits in a processor and melt the butter. Combine until it resembles wet sand. Press into tart pan and refrigerate. No need to bake this one. Make sure the biscuits are wet enough, though – otherwise it will become crumbly and fall apart when you slice it. The biscuits should look quite wet with the butter.

In a bowl, whip the mascarpone until slightly fluffy, then add the cream. Whip on medium to high until quite stiff but not over-whipped. Stir in honey and taste. Add more if you wish.

Pour this mixture into your cooled tart case.

In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar and vanilla bean. Cut strawberries in halves and place in the balsamic mix. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain.

Carefully push the top of the strawberry into the cream.

Continue until the entire tart is done.

Crush your toasted pistachios and sprinkle over the tart, then finalise with finely chopped basil leaves. Place in the fridge to firm up and then serve.

Dan and Steph Mulheron won My Kitchen Rules in 2013.

Visit www.danandsteph.com.au or find them on Facebook – Dan & Steph – My Kitchen Rules, and Instagram – danandsteph13.

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e a sy e a t i n g

: Cherry choc chip ice

+

cream sandwiches.

PHOTO: ALAN BENSON

NEVER FEAR: Return of the Dread is a pleasant allusion to the Dreadnought Stout.

M Y S HOU T

w i th S i m o n I r w i n mys h o u t@ ap n.co m .au

Stouts to shout about

A

+ Pure indulgence I c e c r e a m s a n dw i c h e s st ra i g h t f r o m you r c h i l d h o o d

BY I n d i ra N a i d o o

T

HESE are the heavenly ice cream sandwiches of your childhood. Even better – the ice cream recipe doesn’t begin with a custard, and so avoids the “will it or won’t it?” curdling fear.

Cherry choc chip ice cream sandwiches

Makes 18 INGREDIENTS: : 2 cups (500ml) thickened cream : 1 cup (250ml) full-cream milk : ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar, plus 1 teaspoon extra : 1½ cups (225g) frozen cherries, partially thawed : 85g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped : 36 plain chocolate biscuits (Arnott’s Choc Ripple biscuits or similar).

Weekend

METHOD: In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk and sugar, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Toss the cherries with the extra teaspoon of sugar. Add the cherries, along with any juice, and the chocolate to the ice cream mixture. Transfer to a container with a lid and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread ¹⁄³ cup (80g) of ice cream over a biscuit and top with another biscuit. Repeat with the remaining biscuits and ice cream. Wrap tightly in baking paper and freeze until ready to serve. The sandwiches will keep for 24 hours in the freezer.

Recipe from the book The Edible City by Indira Naidoo with photography by Alan Benson, published by Lantern, rrp $45. See the Garden page for more about Indira’s new book.

S THE days are steadily becoming longer and warmer, we can start to turn our minds and palates from the heaviness of winter drinking to the joys of the tipple on a long, hot summer afternoon.

Thus it was in the spirit of the last hurrah of the chilly weather that Hugh the Neighbour and I settled down in the cool of a recent evening to enjoy a couple of really pleasant stouts.

Now, when I was growing up on the southern Darling Downs, stout meant Carbine, a drink that had the stigma of being the preferred brew of those best described as “having a problem with the grog”, and, accordingly, not one we ever really thought of drinking.

So when HTN mentioned he had found a seasonal stout from Little Creatures, my interest was piqued and I raced down to my local Chapel of St Daniel’s and found some Cascade Stout to use by way of comparison.

The Return of the Dread Domestic Extra Stout is a 7.2% alcohol volume monster of a drink, full of delightful chocolate and treacle with a blast of hops on the nose and palate, and one I thought was exceptionally drinkable.

A seasonal beer, meaning one that is only produced from time to time, Return of the Dread is named for Dreadnought Stout, which was the original seasonal beer from the team at Little Creatures.

HTN found the hops to be a little overpowering, and there is certainly no shortage of it in this properly black and malty beast.

The Cascade Stout was Hugh’s preference – it displays no shortage of flavoursome toasted malt characteristics but does not have the punch-in-the-nose hops finish of the Return of the Dread.

Coming in a little lighter at 5.8% alcohol volume, it seemed to have a much sweeter, albeit less fruity taste than the West Australian brew.

Both more than drinkable, and both worth a try, these stouts made me realise I had wasted 30-something years by not seeking them out earlier.

: Return of the Dread: 7.2% alcohol vol, 330ml bottles, $16 per four pack; $80 carton of 24. : Cascade Stout: 5.8% alcohol vol, 375ml bottles, $13.50 per four pack; $40 carton of 16.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

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fa r mer s ma rket

+ Nuts about maccas LO CA L PRO DU CE

+

WHAT’ S F RE SH

News f rom th e fa rme r s’ market s

Goats milk and cheese

THE goat milk from Nimbin Valley Dairy is at its absolute best right now. After a dry spell, the goats have just had their babies, and are producing what aficionados refer to as the young milk – rich in fat and deliciously creamy. Cheesemaker Paul Wilson has wasted no time turning this goat milk gold into his superb cheeses, and the season’s first batches of Nimbin Valley’s classic Saint Billie, feta and haloumi are now available at the Nimbin Valley stall at Mullumbimby and New Brighton farmers’ markets (the harder cheeses will need a bit more time to mature).

Our pick of the soft cheese has to be the Saint Billie.

Try it with some fresh crusty bread and a little honey and you’ll be in goat cheese heaven.

Pineapple

THE local pineapple season is starting to hit its stride.

Well-known local potato grower Mike Burless (Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market) has a big crop of sweet pineapples that will be hitting the markets over the next few weeks. Fresh pineapples not only taste great, they contain the group of enzymes known as bromelain which help digest proteins (good for your gut, as well as tenderising your steak) and can help reduce swelling and inflammation in the body.

Sprouts

THEY may be small, but sprouts punch well above their weight when it comes to nutrition. Naturopath Ruth Hanrahan, who runs the Sproutlovers stall at Mullumbimby and New Brighton farmers’ markets, says they are one of the best food medicines around – full of vitamins, enzymes and protein, and the ultimate healthy snack. Add them to your salad and you’ll get even more goodness, as they help you absorb nutrients from other foods you eat.

w ith Kate O’Ne ill

Tr ee- change r chucked in hi s ci t y lif est yle for “r eal” job of g rowi ng f ood as we ll as te aching p eop le ab out the va l ue of nati ve foods

I

F ANTHONY HOTSON had to name a favourite from the huge variety of macadamia products he creates for his native food business, it would be the macadamia butter.

“I eat so much of it,” he laughs, “macca butter on toast, macca butter with potato mash, macca butter with chilli and coconut and garlic in satay, macca butter with miso, macca butter and wasabi – it just goes on and on.”

The Tuckombil farmer (pictured at right) says it’s a staple in their house, especially as his partner Jules is dairy-free and it is such a healthy alternative to butter. “(Macadamias are) high in monounsaturated fats and the ratios of different sorts of fats are perfect for us. So it’s very, very healthy – an amazing nut.”

Macadamias – native to the rainforests the Northern Rivers region – are the mainstay of Rainforest Foods, the business Anthony started more than 20 years ago after swapping his inner-city lifestyle and career in the arts for a “real” job – growing food.

At the local farmers’ markets, Anthony sells a huge range of macadamia products, from sweet and savoury flavoured nuts to macadamia oil, macadamia muesli and, of course, macadamia butter, however he says the plain and simple natural macadamia nut remains his best seller.

“People always comment that they’re really fresh and they find that hard to find elsewhere,” he says.

Anthony puts the quality of his macadamias down in part to the red soil they’re grown in (“we have very good soil and we look after our soil,” he says), but also the processing, which all happens locally.

“That’s something we think is important. The big macca processors are sending shipping containers of nuts off to Vietnam and China to be hand-cracked then they ship them all back again.”

Along with macadamias, Anthony also makes a range of jellies, jams, marmalades and sauces from the native rainforest foods on his farm, such as finger lime, Davidson Plum, lemon aspen and riberry.

He says it has always been his mission to educate people about the value of native foods.

“They can see value instantaneously in food, and that can then connect them to other really important values like biodiversity and conservation.”

: Find Rainforest Foods at the Mullumbimby and New Brighton farmers’ markets.

Vegan Macadamia Cheese

MAKES a wonderful snack or starter – serve it with drinks or nibbles before a dinner party or BBQ as you might a cheese platter. For a light lunch, add some crackers, some raw crudite, mixed olives, half an avocado and a few lettuce leaves. You don’t have to ferment it, you can simply eat it as it is but it takes on a deeper, more savoury flavour and is really more delicious.

Makes: 1 round wheel Ingredients : 1 cup macadamia nuts : 1 cup cashews : 1 tsp lemon zest & 30ml lemon juice : 1 tbs savoury yeast flakes : 1 tsp mixed dried herbs : 2 tbs cider vinegar : 1 tbs white miso (unpasteurised) : 50ml olive oil : 1 tsp good salt For a yellow cheese: : 1 tbs yellow vegetable stock powder (omit salt when using stock powder or taste before adding salt) : 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Method Process the nuts until they are a fine meal and begin to turn into nut butter. Add remaining ingredients and blend until it forms a ball in the food processor.

Remove and shape into a round, flat, “cheese-like” shape. Serve it like this after chilling it for 1-2 hours or you can wild ferment it to deepen the flavour. It takes about 3 days. You wrap it in some muslin cloth (makes a nice pattern) or simply put it in a bowl and cover it with a light, clean tea towel. Allow it to sit in a warm place and ferment slightly for 2-3 days. The unpasteurised miso creates a wild fermentation process. In the case of warmer weather check daily to ensure the cheese doesn’t get too smelly! I’ve done it in hot weather and it seemed to be fine but I did check it every day to make sure. Place in the fridge to chill slightly before serving. : Recipe by Anthea Amore, Organic Passion Catering.

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Offices in: Lismore Casino Ballina 66226822 66623039 Email- crjames@bigpond.com.au Saturday, September 19, 2015

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g a rd en

+ Grow your own

FREE SEED GIVEAWAY: Collect your free seeds with your daily newspaper purchase starting today.

F oo d m ove m ent fr om th e bal cony BY

SEED-SAVING TIPS:

K iri ten Do ll e

: Store your seeds in a cool, dry place, or preferably the refrigerator in food-storage bags or a mason jar. Humidity NYONE who’s ever grown their own food knows the and warmth shorten a seed’s shelf-life incredible flavour and reward that come with it – from : When you’re ready to plant, remove the container from nurturing the seed, feeding and watering it to the fridge and allow to reach room temperature before maturity, then your first harvest. opening. This will prevent seeds from clumping.

One that sticks out for me was a small crop of rocket I had sewed in a sawn-in-half water tank one spring. The peppery explosion of flavour was out of this world and the crunch, get the maximum sunlight,” Indira explains. “Plants need well, it was like nothing you’d ever get in a bag. about six to seven hours of sunlight per day to grow, so There’s a growing fascination and yearning for knowledge whatever space you find, make sure you get really good light about the provenance of the food we eat that is fuelling a because that is going to increase your productivity. grow-your-own food movement. Not just in backyards granted “People often think that having a garden can take up a lot the space, but inner city apartment blocks and urban spaces. of time. Most little gardens like my balcony garden take as One of the urban gardeners leading the quiet revolution little as 10 minutes a day.” rolling through our cities and turning concrete into crops is The key is to start small. “Put in things like herbs – mints, media personality and foodie Indira Naidoo. basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint – that are quite easy to On her small 20sq m balcony on the 13th floor of an grow. Once you master that and get good results, then move inner-city Sydney apartment, Indira tends a micro oasis from on to lettuces, leafy greens and kale, which is popular at the which she grows 43 different herbs and vegetables a year. In moment. Then when you are comfortable you can move on to the first year alone, Indira grew more than 70kg of produce on tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums etc,” Indira says. the side of her building, which she “Even if you only have a window sill, with a documented in her first book, The Edible bit of sun you can grow your own herbs. It Balcony. honestly just lifts and changes the taste of Her book, a bestseller, has taken her every meal. And it changes the way you cook. around the world to Hong Kong, London Sometimes I grate some radishes and carrot and New York. She came to realise that with my lettuces and have it with a boiled egg gardening spaces in cities are limited only for lunch. by the imagination.

“You are reducing the chemicals in your diet She charts the successes of some of and you’ll be surprised how much you save.

Australia’s most innovative kitchen “The wider benefits are you are creating an gardens and the green guerrillas behind ecosystem for insects, for bird life and you are them in her latest book, The Edible City. putting greenery into your environment. Those “I was in shock as anyone else is – I plants are giving off oxygen, which you are really believed that this (growing your own breathing in and you are reducing the impact of food) was a hard thing to do and I didn’t transportation and storage on the general have the skillset; I’d never been a environment of imported food.” gardener and I wasn’t a horticulturist,” When we spoke, Indira was about to start Indira tells tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants P O P U L A R T V P R E S E N T E R Weekend. “There and greens for the summer. One was a lot of trial and error, but it of the greatest pleasures of A MICRO-GARDENING GURU really wasn’t that difficult. gardening, she says, is sharing “With a little light and water, edible plants will grow almost the fruits of your labour. anywhere we will let them – on rooftops, on walls, on “When you are growing in a small place ‘glut’ isn’t usually footpaths, even indoors.” a problem because you eat everything you grow,” Indira Indira’s latest book aims to inspire people to do just that – explains. to dig up the verge on the street or the playground at the “Other people are now growing food in my block and we’ll school no one uses anymore and convert it into a vegetable share and exchange our produce. Someone will call and they garden to feed their communities. are making spaghetti and need oregano, so I’ll pop some The best way to maximise a small space, she says, is to oregano in the lift and send it up to their floor. assess your space for what your plants will need.

“It’s quite beautiful; the bartering, sharing and exchange “I was lucky my balcony was north-facing, which means I system that comes out of gardening.”

A

: Indira Naidoo is the author of The Edible City, rrp$45, published by Lantern.

PHOTO: ALAN BENSON

Indira’s tips for starting a vegie garden from seed:

: CHOOSE ORGANIC SEEDS. Even if you grow in organic soil and don’t use pesticide, the plant is going be contaminated as they are generally sprayed with pesticide. : ESTABLISH PLANTS IN SEED TRAYS. At this time of year it can still get quite cold, so it’s best to start your seedlings in a warm place indoors.

Transport to pots outside once they reach 3-4cm in height. : START WITH A GOOD QUALITY SOIL. If you are growing in pots, use a good organic potting mix and add some manure and compost.

Vegetables need lots of nutrients, they are very hungry feeders. : MULCHING IS IMPORTANT. Put down some lucerne, hay or even pebbles – something that covers the soil to reduce the evaporation of water from pots. : KEEP YOUR VEGIES WELL WATERED. The biggest thing for people is they forget to water their plants. You only need to water a little bit every day, especially those first few weeks while your seeds are growing. One of the first things I do in the morning is go out and water the plants while I’m having a coffee. Then they look after themselves. : FEED PLANTS EVERY SIX WEEKS. Simply add a seaweed fertiliser or fish emulsion into your watering can to strengthen the plants.

+

Pincushion bushes are among the exciting new releases .

GREEN THUMB w i th M a re e Cur ra n

: Scabiosa Mauve Delight.

Weekend

ONCE again, there are some exciting new plants released for spring this year. I’m loving two new pincushion bushes, with the rather unattractive botanical name of scabiosa columbaria.

They both grow about 30cm high and 40cm wide, and have lovely lacy green foliage. Mauve Delight has soft mauve flowers, and Vivid Violet is a bit brighter. Both flower profusely, and the flowers last well when cut. They are also highly attractive to butterflies. Plant them in pots or garden beds in a sunny position in well-drained soil that is not too

dry. And for salvia lovers, the Go-Go series is good news.

These blooming machines grow quickly to a height of about 1.2m and will flower non-stop for two to three years in full sun to semi-shade. There are scarlet and purple forms available.

Daphne Perfume Princess grabbed the headlines when Don Burke labelled it the “Holy Grail of Horticulture”. It was bred

by New Zealand plant breeder Mark Jury. It produces clusters of large, intensely fragrant pink blooms in spring. Once the plant is established, it requires only occasional attention and should only be pruned lightly. Most daphnes need a cool climate to thrive, but this one is said to be heat tolerant.

Thankfully, some of the best new releases from last spring are back again this year. I had great success with dianthus Memories. They are flowering profusely, and the bright white blooms have a softly spicy fragrance. I’ll be planting more of these this year.

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h om e

+

TAXING TIME: Exercise equipment can be classified as a Fat Tax, according to Stay At Home Mum Jody Allen’s Husband.

STY L E

w ith Tracey Hord ern

Forget pink and blue, create a unique look

W

HEN it comes to decorating modern nurseries and kids’ rooms, the easiest way to create a unique interior that any child would love is to incorporate some one-of-a-kind handcrafted accessories. Make them yourself or markets are always great sources of original and affordable decorative pieces.

For instance, felt is a fabulous soft material and popular styling aesthetic. You’ll easily find soft cloud toys, felt ball rugs, banners and hanging pendant lights in shades of all colours suitable for children’s rooms such as pink, orange, yellow and aqua.

Bunting is also easy to make. Simply collect pieces of fabric, cut with shearing scissors to create a wonderful jagged edging, then string on pretty ribbon and you instantly create a joyous and colourful trim for a child’s room.

There are also so many possibilities for nursery colour schemes other than traditional pink and blue.

Layered neutrals like greys, creams, and whites with a lovely pop of bright colour look fabulous. Or be bold and paint a single wall in a strong colour such as red or navy.

It’s hard to go wrong with colour these days, but on that note, good lighting can also have a massive effect on how a room looks. If your nursery does not have great natural light, then try to choose lighter colours to keep the room looking bright and uplifting. Small, well-placed lamps and night lights can also create a pretty sense of lightness (but never use candles in a child’s room).

If your child is old enough, work with them, it is after all their space. If your child enjoys his or her bedroom and had a hand in creating the space, chances are they will be happier and more likely to want to share their bedroom. Sleepovers with friends will be a celebration not a chore as your child shares their special world with their friends.

GET CR AFT Y AND SPICE UP YOUR CHILD’S SPECIAL SPACE

: Taubmans Hedgehog creates the perfect backdrop to red, white and navy.

PHOTO: TAUBMANS

+ Exercise dodger Exer cis e ma c hi n es just g ive t he ba n k acc ou n t a go od wo r kou t : Jody Allen reckons she has earned a PhD in exercise dodging. .

STAY AT HO ME M UM wi th Jo dy Al l e n

I

F I had to list my talents on a resume, right up the top would be “Exercise Dodger”. In fact I would have a PhD on the topic. For many years I have collected exercise equipment. And it has in turn collected dust or become a hanger for my washing when it is raining and the dryer is full. A few years ago I begged my husband for a treadmill.

The reasons I gave for wanting one included: A. I can watch Dr Phil and exercise at the same time – win/ win.

B. It would save money on a gym membership.

C. I don’t have to go outside to exercise (as I don’t do sun) He said “No – you won’t use it.” So I ignored his wishes like the good wife I am and went out and bought one anyway. And you know, I don’t use it. “Told you so,” he said.

Meh. Then there was the rowing machine.

A. I will have abs of steel – maybe even a six-pack.

B. I love rowing a boat – it will be exactly the same but drier.

C. I don’t have to go outside to exercise (sun = bad).

About $700 poorer, I don’t even know where that rowing

PHOTO: PATRICK WOODS

machine is now…probably where exercise equipment goes to die. “Knew you’d never use it,” he said. So I poked my tongue out at him like a three-year-old.

Then I bought an elliptical trainer off eBay. A. It is second hand – I can’t lose money on it.

B. It is an exercise bike and a treadmill – I will be twice as fit as anything else I could get.

C. I don’t have to go outside to exercise (bad things happen outside).

Five puffed minutes later, I was heard complaining that it made my hips hurt. “Fat tax machine,” he scoffed. That’s now what he calls all the fitness equipment I buy and don’t use.

In the interim I’ve bought: 1. Hand weights (they make my arms ache).

2. An inflatable ball that popped after rolling down the paddock and getting stuck on the barbed wire fence.

3. Those rubber bands that offer resistance (rotted in the sun after I left it in the yard).

And as I sit here writing this, eating a strawberry cupcake and sipping an iced coffee with cream on top, I think to myself that maybe I’m not built for speed, just comfort.

Jody Allen is the founder of Stay At Home Mum: www.stayathomemum.com.au

+

PRO D UC TS

With Tra cey Ho rdern

Baby Love: fabulous nursery furniture

Saturday, September 19, 2015

: Selection of Organic Baby Mattresses, Priced

: Roomates TeePee Play Tent $19, from a selection

: Eco-friendly Ubabub Cot, POA, for Australian

from $78.95, Tetra, www.tetrateatree.com.au

at Kmart, www.kmart.com.au

stockists, www.ubabub.com Weekend

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Weekend

m ake JESS’S STYLING TIP: Add books, photo frames and personal accessories to create your own piece of wall art and store stuff at the same time.

WHILE PR ACTICAL, FLOATING SHELVES ARE ALS O AESTHETIC ALLY PLEA SING : “There is nothing more rewarding than at the end of the day standing back to see what you have accomplished over a cold beer.”

PHOTO: ELIZABETH ALLNUTT

+ Whatever floats your shelf

Find your stud locations in the wall. Your studs are generally 400mm or 600mm apart. I usually measure out from a corner either 400mm or 600mm and tap on the wall. If it’s solid you have found a stud. This will help set out where your shelves will go. Once the studs are found set out with a pencil and a spirit level on the wall the desired positions for your shelves.

: STEP 2: CUT TO LENGTH Measure and cut to length your shelves using a handsaw or circular saw. Using a set square mark a line through the centre of the shelves at the back face (40mm thick timber mark 20mm), measure stud widths on the wall and correspond them to the back face of the shelf.

: STEP 3: PREP THE FIXINGS Drill a 10mm hole through plaster and into studs and into the back face of the shelves, about 85mm deep. Using a hacksaw, cut 10mm threaded rod into 160mm lengths.

.

: STEP 4: FIXING OFF w ith Ayde n an d Je ss

Tools:

: Set square : drill : 10mm drill bit : hand saw or circular saw : pencil : hammer : tape measure : Selleys Aquadhere Durabond : acetone : rags : spirit level.

Materials:

: Timber lengths between 200mm and 300mm in width and 20mm to 40mm thick : 10mm threaded rod.

EARLY 12 months ago I was working up a sweat mowing the lawn when Jess came running out with our kids, yelling “we are on The Block”. What a shock to the system.

What a ride we have been on in the past year. We went from one day raising our two beautiful kids and running our

Weekend

: STEP 1: SETTING OUT

Im a g i n e m or e st o ra g e w i th out the price t ag

DI Y

N

become fully fledged do-it-all renovators and designers and take out the number one spot on Reno Rumble.

We would love to share our knowledge and experience with everyone and hopefully entice you to Do It Yourself.

There is nothing more rewarding than at the end of the day standing back to see what you have accomplished over a cold beer.

For our first week we are going to show you how to create your own floating shelves, whether they are out of pine, hardwood, Craftwood or an old piece of solid timber you found in the shed.

own cabinetmaking business on the Gold Coast, to slogging it out renovating Unit 3, No. 27, Darling St in the sought-after suburb of South Yarra, Melbourne, on The Block Triple Threat series.

Thirteen days later after a 14-week intense, fast, renovating apprenticeship, we backed it up for a further six weeks to

Squeeze about 10ml of glue into your timber shelf holes and wall holes and two lines of glue on to the threaded rod. Using a hammer, tap the threaded rod into the timber shelf. Now line up your timber shelf with your wall holes, and using a timber block (to protect the face of your timber), hammer tap the front face of the shelf until it is flush with the wall.

: STEP 4: THE FINISH Clean off excess glue using a white spirit and a rag. After two hours you are able to give your shelves a light sand and coat them in your desired paint or lacquer. For an easier finish you can sparingly wipe on some household vegetable oil for a real matte natural look.

Ayden and Jess Hogan won The Block Triple Threat and Reno Rumble this year. Follow them as they build their dream home on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AydenAndJess

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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t rave l

: The Stax museum in Memphis showcases more than 2000 cultural artefacts, music exhibits, and memorabilia.

(RIGHT) The motel room at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr was staying the night of his death.

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

+ Classic reflections of America in Memphis M u s e u m s a n d m e m o ra b i l i a t ra c e h i st o r y .

T R AV E L

w i th Jo h n B i s h o p

T

HE magnificent museums of Memphis tell a compelling story. It’s hard to find a more challenging story in modern times than the struggle by African Americans for their civil rights in the South of the United States.

At the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis the story is told with historical pictures and sound archives, video and actual news footage, testimony from witnesses and participants, and it is told brilliantly.

The museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King was staying the night he was killed. Back in 1968 that was in the black part of town,

SOUTH AMERICA

Memphis being a segregated city.

King had come to Memphis to support a strike by black sanitation workers for better pay and pension rights.

He stepped on to the balcony of his first floor motel room at just after 6pm on April 3, 1968, and called out to a man below, a musician called Ben Branch and asked him to play Precious Lord on his saxophone at the church service that evening, and “play it sweet”, King asked.

A shot rang out from across the street and King fell down.

He died about an hour later without ever speaking again.

At the end of the tour of the history of slavery, segregation, discrimination, hangings, beatings, and killings, and after a hundred years of struggle for racial equality, you look through glass into Room 306, where King’s coffee cup is on the bedside table, bed partly turned down, just as it was that night in 1968.

A local activist called D’Army Bailey scraped together the money to buy the motel, and then raised $9.7 million to

16-day South America luxury cruise with Scenic

THERE are only a few days remaining for cruise travellers to take advantage of the earlybird offers to South America, which end on September 30.

Guests can enjoy a “partner fly free” offer in economy class on South America tours of more than 16 days plus there are airfare credits of up to $1500 per couple on all other tours of more than 12 days.

Offers are also available for the solo traveller, and there are business class upgrades from just $4195 per person return.

In addition, Scenic has opened a new 2016 departure for its 20-day icons of South America tour – September 12, 2016.

Visit Peru’s World Heritage site of Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley for three nights, Cuzco – the historical capital of the Inca Empire and Lake Titicaca; the spectacular Iguazu Falls and the cities of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. : PRICES: From $12,795 per person twin share. : MORE DETAILS: 138 128 or scenic.com.au.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

establish the museum, which opened in 1991 and was extensively revamped in 2012.

Visitors can sit at a lunch counter and watch 1960s video of protestors being trained in non-violent resistance. They would later sit at whites-only counters in restaurants and refuse to leave until they were served. You can sit on a replica city bus next to Rosa Parkes, the black woman who refused to give up her seat in the whites-only section of the bus.

Utterly worth a visit. The story of Stax Records is a positive one; how a dream of an independent record label for black artists became a reality, a real cultural force that helped reshape music and made the label, its owners, its stars and its special brand of soul music into a commercial and social success, and later helped foster black consciousness in the 1970s.

Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton began the business as Satellite Records in 1957, recording country and pop music, but changed the name to Stax in 1961 and started recording R&B and soul. After two changes of ownership, the label folded in 1975.

The museum is more than a story of a defunct record company.

It traces the history of soul from its gospel roots (gospel turned secular is one definition) to how Stax developed its unique Southern soul sound – and made it different from its main competitor, the Detroit-based Motown Records.

Booker T and the MGs (remember Green Onions) were the house band, including the legendary Steve Cropper on lead guitar, who was also a producer, writer and arranger, and Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass.

Otis Redding was their single biggest star, but the line-up included Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Mar-Keys, and Isaac Hayes.

Culturally, the label was a huge success for black artists.

Commercially distribution deals with Atlantic records and Warner Bros turned sour, and the company collapsed in 1975.

The self-guided tour shows the progress of a separate and special musical genre. * John Bishop visited Memphis at his own expense. He blogs on his travel experiences at www.eatdrinktravel.co.nz

FLORIDA

Cruise the theme parks

FIRST, you jet to Orlando in Florida to enjoy all the fun of Universal Studios, complete with a three-night stay in a four-star hotel and a day pass to the studios.

Then board Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit and sail away on a 14-night cruise. The whole holiday lasts 18 nights, includes flights from Sydney or Brisbane. : COST: $4399 : MORE DETAILS: Departs April 20, 2016. www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au Weekend

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ONLY 11 DAYS LEFT TO SAVE

Discover the wonders of the world on an all-inclusive luxury Scenic journey. With included return flights* and exclusive savings of up to $1,000* per couple on a wide range of cruises and tours, there has never been a better time to book.

See your local helloworld store for more great Scenic offers.

JEWELS OF EUROPE

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BREATHTAKING BORDEAUX

11 Day Cruise from Bordeaux > Bordeaux From only $6,195*pp including return flights to France* INCLUDES: exclusive dining experience and classical performance at Château Giscours • 29 world-class meals at up to six on board venues • complimentary beverages all day, everyday • your own butler • complimentary laundry • Wi-Fi internet • return airport transfers

MYSTICAL IRRAWADDY

14 Day Tour & Cruise from Yangon > Mandalay From only $7,695*pp including return flights to Asia* The brand new Scenic Aura will be the most luxurious all-suite ship cruising the Irrawaddy.

INCLUDES: 37 sumptuous meals featuring both international and regional cuisines • complimentary beverages all day, everyday

SPECTACULAR ROCKIES & ALASKAN CRUISE 21 Day Tour & Cruise from Vancouver > Vancouver

From only $12,435*pp including return flights to Canada* INCLUDES: discover the Canadian Rocky Mountains from a GoldLeaf carriage on the Rocky Mountaineer • 43 superb meals included • exclusive hotel stays at the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts • expert local Tour Directors • all tipping and gratuities QUOTE SNTRD196 WHEN BOOKING

In store

helloworld.com.au

131415

*Conditions apply. Prices based on per person twin share in AUD ex SYD/BNE are strictly limited and subject to availability. For new bookings only. EUROPE AND FRANCE: First non-refundable $1,000pp deposit due within 7 days of booking. Included flights based on economy class on airline of Scenic’s choice. Air taxes of up to $1,000pp included. Prices based on 2016 departures in Category E Cabin (no balcony) STC 9 March BOD 3 October. Included flights offer available until 31 October 2015 or until sold out. Save up to $1,000 per couple offer excludes STC021116.2 & STC071116.2. IRRAWADDY: First non-refundable $1,000pp deposit due within 7 days of booking. Flights based on economy W class Singapore Airlines taxes of $585pp included. Price based on MYMI.2 05 April 2017 departure in CA category Cabin. Earlybird offers available until 31 January 2016 or until sold out. CANADA: First non-refundable deposit of $1,000pp due within 7 days of booking. Includes flights and airline/airport taxes up to $740pp. Flights based on economy L class Air Canada. Price based on RPCW 17 April 2016 departure. Earlybird offers available until 30 November 2015 or until sold out. EXCLUSIVE HELLOWORLD OFFER: Strictly for new bookings only. Prices listed include discount. Valid for new bookings made from 22 August 2015. Offer valid until 30 September 2015. Pricing correct as of 15 September 2015. For full terms and conditions refer to relevant Scenic Brochure and Earlybird flyer and scenic.com.au/helloworld. Scenic ABN 85 002 715 602. SNPR2483

Weekend

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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+ Italy entertains

RICH REWARDS: Not-so-obvious cities and towns feature wonderful histories, architecture and culture.

F e st i va l p r e p a rat i o n s w i l l awa ke n you r s p i r i t s .

T R AV E L

w i th A n n R ic k a rd

I

TALY brims with important towns and cities, some of them not so well known to Aussies as the other more obvious places.

Ascoli Piceno is one such place.

In the Marche region, which abuts the Adriatic Coast and has the Apennines mountain range running down its inland backbone, Ascoli Piceno’s history dates back to 1000BC. It was home to many different people until the Romans took it in 268BC. Most of its handsome buildings were completed during the 12th and 13th centuries when Ascoli Piceno enjoyed considerable power.

Now it has a population of about 60,000 – but all of them were asleep when we visited on a hot summer Sunday afternoon a few years ago.

We walked the empty streets, looking in closed shop windows, peering into shut cafes, staring up to

closed-shuttered windows in graceful old buildings.

Having the town to ourselves meant we could appreciate its serenity and beauty, from the travertine-paved square to the splendid 13th century Palazzo del Popolo guarded by the monumental statue of Pope Paul III. In the square, grandstands had been erected for the annual festival, La Quintana, a medieval jousting event recreated with colourful costumes and a grand procession to the beat of drums and bugle call.

We wished we had timed our visit for a week later to enjoy all the colour and spectacle of La Quintana.

We sat in the heat of the still afternoon, staring at the empty grandstand, wishing for more activity.

Our wish was granted when a group of lycra-clad male cyclists raced into the square, leapt off their bikes and rushed to an ornate fountain (a fixture in every square in Italy), sticking their sweaty heads under the water, drinking thirstily and filling water bottles.

It broke the silence, and from a woman’s point of view, looking at all that shiny lycra stretched over taut bodies, it lifted the spirits.

After they left, a group of attractive young men in tight

shorts and clingy singlets drifted into the piazza. More lifting of a woman’s spirits.

They began marching and drum beating, obviously rehearsing for the festival and we watched in delight – until an old bloke on a wobbly bicycle cycled right into the middle of their marching, dismounted, threw his bike angrily on the ground and began shouting furiously.

He raised his fist and roared into their faces until they all shuffled from foot to foot looking ashamed and embarrassed.

“What is wrong,” I asked one of the young men after the old man had wobbled off on his bicycle.

“He sleeping. We wake him. He angry,” was the reply.

It was a wonderful Italian scene of high emotion on a hot and still afternoon.

But disappointingly it halted the rehearsal and the beautiful young men picked up their drums and flags and slunk off.

The moral of the story? There is always something to entertain in Italy. ann.rickard@scnews.com.au

PHOTO: THINK STOCK

DISCOVER THE KINGDOM

Cruise in Burma

Solo savings on Burma river cruising: Cruiseco has solo traveller savings on select departures on its 11-night or 17-night river cruise through Myanmar onboard Cruiseco Explorer.

The luxurious, custom-built ship travels through the vastly undiscovered nation, sailing on the waters of the Irrawaddy, Upper Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers.

This is a prime time to visit Myanmar to witness the kingdom, as it enables you to travel in comfort and style, while still enjoying an authentic encounter of the country.

In the evening, dine on a fusion of traditional Burmese and western cuisine, while relaxing onboard with demonstrations and entertainment by local performers.

By day, go ashore for a variety of excursions. Cruiseco is offering the discounted prices on select departure dates this year.

AN EPIC VOYAGE

Bound for Seattle

Sydney to the Space Needle: Take an epic voyage sailing the Pacific Ocean from Sydney to Seattle with a new cruise-fly-stay package from Cruise1st.

This 25-night package includes a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas from Sydney to Seattle via New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Hawaii.

More on cruising.com.au or call (02) 9492 8520.

More on 1300 596 345 or cruise1st.com.au.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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Weekend

c ha llen ge

+ Colour me crazy

PICTURE THIS: Pick up some pencils and change your image.

W H Y N OT T RY

B e st - s e l l i n g b o o k s d raw f an s i n t o a wo r l d o f a r t , h e l p i n g t h e m r e d i s c ove r c o l o u r i n g - i n e n j oy m e n t

BY L au ra Wey m a n - Jo n e s

C

OLOURING-in books were not something I found particularly entertaining as a child and to be honest, I wasn’t very good at it. So why would I want to take up a coloured pencil and put it to paper as an adult?

Adult colouring-in books are on bestseller lists around the world with its advocates claiming it is not only fun but also calming and great for mental health.

For years I used to read novels for relaxation but now that I spend all day reading news for a living, I find books so much less enjoyable. And if my eyes spent any more time looking at screens for the pleasure of watching a movie or TV, I would probably end up with squinty peepers like Popeye, or at least glasses.

So I stepped into a bookshop and started browsing their

Weekend

: Adult colouring-in books can relax the mind.

colouring section. Barbie was still there alongside some new faces like Elsa from Frozen and some boy named Ben Ten. “Excuse me,” I said flagging down a shop assistant.

“Where is the adult section?”

After being led to another kind of adult books first, I eventually found myself in front of a series of titles like The Mindfulness Colouring Book and Colour Yourself Calm. I picked up the latter and sought out some coloured pencils.

With probably more pencils than necessary and a fantastic little sharpener with a container shaped like a wheelie bin, I sat down at the beach and got to work.

PHOTO: LAURA WEYMAN-JONES

At this point that question popped into my mind: “Shouldn’t you be doing something more productive?” I squashed the thought and tried to calm myself, as the book title suggested.

The finished product probably isn’t going to win me any free meals at my favourite restaurant but I might still give it to mum to stick on her fridge. : TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Why not try adult colouring-in?

Share your experience and photos with us. Email weekend@apn.com.au or on Instagram: #weekendmagchallenge

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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c los et

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L I F E M O ST FAB U LO US w i th M e re d i th Pap ava s i l i o u

The elixir of life is just past your comfort zone

T

HE comfort zone. It’s a nice little place we all like to dwell from time to time.

It’s cozy, mostly non-threatening, and we know it oh so well.

But conversely, it is a thwarting, dampening and eventually soul-destroying place to be. Stay there too long and it becomes as stifling as it does suffocating, as damaging as it is self-destructive.

I have a friend who lives by the notion that all that’s beyond the comfort zone is the elixir of life. It’s true.

Nothing wonderful, nothing exceptional, comes from doing what you’ve always done the way you’ve always done it.

Whether it’s because of the stuff I’ve been through personally, or the fact I work in media, I know this to be so true. My best achievements have come from jumping in the deep end – boots and all, risks and all – and just having the faith in my ability to swim.

And therein lies the key.

Staying in the warmth of your comfort zone – whether you choose to admit it or not – is a powerful declaration of a complete lack of faith in yourself.

And I ask you: why?

Why are you not worth backing?

It’s scary, it’s hard and it’s often very confronting.

But don’t be confined to the bounds of your zone.

Be it a big step or small, the important thing is to take it. Back yourself. Have faith in you.

Look at the possibilities and temper your fear with your potential and promise.

Having the courage to face what lies beyond your comfort zone is a leap of faith and a vote of confidence in the most important person in your life: you!

And that is fabulous.

DON’T JUST DO WHAT YOU ’VE ALWAYS DONE

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FA SH IO N w i th K i r i ten D oll e

IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE: Team a utility shirt dress with a tribal necklace, hat and gladiator sandals.

Urban safari

Ut ilit ar ian struc tur e meet s exot ic pr in t s a n d me t allic f in is he s Khaki has stampeded its way to store hangers this spring. The urban safari trend embraces military tones with earthy hues (camel, cinnamon, latte and sand), crisp white, soft suede and tan leather. Utility shirt dresses are in, as are epaulettes and tie-up waist belts. Look out for bolder animal prints in the lead-up to summer and accessorise with tribal-influenced jewellery.

: Live on the edge – have faith in yourself to succeed at something new.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

+ .

ST Y L E w ith Tracey Ho rd e r n

Burning (wo)Man LIKE many, the annual Burning Man festival in the US fascinates me. This is the festival where no rules apply – other than being yourself. On the playa (desert sand) the only dress suggestion is to be wildly authentic – that is, the most fantasised version of yourself.

There’s no wonder that images of Burning Man costumes flood Instagram and Pinterest – they can be absolutely amazing. Among some of my friends, there is a group of Saturday, September 19, 2015

FIRST ROW (from left): : Sunseeker South Beach Hat, $29.95, David Jones : Long Sleeve Shirt Dress in olive, $29, Target : Prowl Tank, $80, Kookai : Resin Tribal Spear Almond Drops Earring, $22.95, Adorne : Silk Rib Tank, $59.95, Witchery : David Lawrence Brickwork Necklace, $48.30, David Jones : Silk Cami, $89.95, Seed Heritage.

SECOND ROW: : Laos Shorts, $140, Kookai : Gravity Skirt, $99.95, Sheike : Tie Split Skirt, $129.95, Witchery : Suedette Pant, $169.95, Seed Heritage.

THIRD ROW: : Dawn Heel, $199, Mollini : Samantha Wills Midnight Rendezvous Ear Cuff, $69.95, David Jones : Brandy Crossbody Bag, $199.95, Witchery : AmazON AmazOFF nail lacquer, $19.95, OPI.

regular Burners. One such beautiful friend spends time between each Burning Man festival collecting, sewing and concocting her outfits for months leading up to the festival.

According to these Byron Burner friends, there is no right or wrong way to dress on the playa. It’s about staying true to yourself – letting loose and adorning yourself in clothes that you have always dreamt of wearing.

Burning Man is essentially fantasy on steroids. For 10 insane days these fantasies are played out in the desert. On the final evening, the great finale of burning the man-made sculpture signifies the end of the year’s festival. The burners then pack their costumes and artworks and head home, most likely to their desk jobs and mundane wardrobe.

Some of the best parties I have ever been to, while not the scale of Burning Man, were dress-up, themed events. Clothes are an outer expression of who we are, what we do – and sometimes, who we would like to be. If you want to host a party, I reckon the best chance of loosening up your guests is to set a fantasy theme and let the clothes unleash your guests’ innermost personalities. Chances are, the costumes will unleash authentic joy faster than any cocktails.

: Alimay Brown from Byron Bay at Burning Man. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

Weekend

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you HAT DAY FOR MENTAL HEALTH: Wear a hat and make a donation to help shine a light on mental illness on October 9. Visit www.hatday.com.au.

+

TAKE 5

with Linda Friedland

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Live more, work smarter

+ Is it all in the mind?

Re s e a r c h e r s i n t o n e u r o i m m u n o l o g y a r e b e c o m i n g i n c r e a s i n g ly c o nv i n c e d t h e b ra i n i s t h e m a ste r c o n t r o l l e r w i t h a hu g e e f f e c t o n h e a l t h .

WEEKEND WELLNESS w i th Hel e n H aw ke s

H

OW MUCH influence does your mind have on your health? This is a fascinating question that researchers continue to explore, with the emergence of the field of neuroimmunology betting on the brain as the master controller.

Of course, therapists who work with thoughts and feelings will say this has always been so, while internationally acclaimed pharmacologist Candace Pert was telling her peers as early as the 1970s that feelings create chemicals in the body that are linked to health or disease. Her book, Molecules of Emotion, makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in the power of the mind.

While some practitioners may treat only the body, what we do now know is this: the nervous and immune systems are in constant dialogue.

Feel sick to the stomach? Someone giving you a pain in the neck? Sick and tired of your job or your relationship?

All of these common and well-worn sayings tell us that what we feel and think influences our body.

Whether you are a straight-to-the-doctor person, or an alternative type, have no doubt that what you tell yourself and what you feel about things is powerful.

On a day-to-day basis, there are thousands of feelings and thoughts – many repetitive – that affect our reality and our wellbeing.

Just like a junk food diet, a mental diet of constant negative thoughts – this will never work, I’m too old/fat/unattractive, I hate my job/life/home and so on – will slowly but surely have an impact on your mood and your health.

Chronic stress, usually accompanied by thoughts of not being able to cope, or of hopelessness and resentment, is also like swallowing daily poison.

Hormones produced by ongoing stress are implicated in a number of diseases ranging from autoimmune conditions to heart disease.

So what’s the answer?

Catch negative or self-defeating thoughts before they cause a reaction between the brain and the body and either challenge them – the basis of cognitive behavioural therapy – or dismiss them and then distract yourself with a pleasant memory or activity.

Meditation, or relaxation, for 10 to 15 minutes morning and night can help calm the mind – and the nervous and immune system – and make it less likely to grab onto fleeting and repetitive thoughts.

Spending time with positive people and avoiding emotional vampires – the whingers, takers, critics or chronically negative – will also improve wellbeing.

Much of the recent research in neuroimmunology has focused on the role of immune cells and immune mediators in the initiation and progression of specific neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. But, as the field progresses and our interest in complementary medicines continues to boom, expect more breakthroughs that show how the brain, or the mind, influences everything we do.

EXHAUSTED, stressed and unmotivated? You are not alone. When the demands at work exceed our capacity, we default into a survival mode, as if we are in immediate danger, burning out from the high levels of circulating stress hormones. It is unsustainable. So where have we gone so wrong? And is there anything we can do?

1. Get stressed

Paradoxically, stress is not the enemy. It is the key to growth. Most stress is actually good for you. For a muscle to grow, it must experience stress; as happens when you pump weights. It is during the post-exertion rest phase that muscle grows. What applies to the physical body applies equally to the brain. The problem is that when you push too hard for too long, it tips you over the edge into damaging and destructive stress.

2. When leaving work...leave work Although it is much easier said than done, know when to stop! Your time outside of work should be spent on you and the people you care about. Much research demonstrates that there may be up to a 60% increase in the risk for heart disease for people regularly working more than 10 hours a day.

3. Manage energy rather than time Energy is the fundamental currency of high performance and yet we misuse it badly. We eat highly processed foods. We don’t exercise enough. We drink too much coffee and far too much alcohol which plays havoc with our sleep, our moods and our performance. Not much positive comes from putting in extra time without ensuring high quality energy.

4. Respect your body clock

Although managers expect their employees to be at their best at all hours, it’s an unrealistic expectation. You have a well-defined internal clock that shapes your energy levels throughout the day, called the circadian rhythm.

This facilitates the release of different hormones and enzymes at specific points through the day. There are peaks of naturally high energy and troughs of low energy and it is impossible to fight this innate human natural rhythm. Take breaks. .

5. Interval training

Exercise is essential. A training schedule that combines cardio training (such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming or cycling) as well as strength and flexibility training is ideal. In recent years HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training has been shown to significantly enhance work performance and energy sustainability.

Dr Linda Friedland is a doctor, best-selling author and mother of five. Visit www.lindafriedland.com.

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WE LOVE

wi th He l en H aw kes

Great beauty buys we’re loving right now Weekend

: IF YOU love Dr Hauschka, one of the cream of the natural skincare crop, check out the Night Serum made from organic rose apple blossom extract. It’s oil-free, suitable for all skin types. $79. www.drhauschka.com.au or 02 8765 1100.

: WHY not go a bit crazy for spring? Elegant Touch House of Holland Glitterbug are fabulous press-on false nails inspired by London chic. The pack includes 24 nails in 10 sizes, nail glue and a nail file. $16.99. Stockists: Priceline or online.

: SKEYNDOR Corrective products address the areas where gravity has left us “low and lined”, such as the cheeks, around the eyes and mouth.

Expression Lines Serum, $186, Instant Wrinkle Filler Cream, $186 Stockists. 1800 554 545.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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sc reen life COMPELLING: Stars are in top form for a new crime thriller.

Sicario

: Stars: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal. : Director: Denis Villeneuve : Rating: MA 15+ : Reviewer’s last word: Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro are in top form in this compelling and gritty crime thriller about an idealistic FBI agent who is forced to question her beliefs in a cross-border drug war.

Star profile: Emily Blunt : Benicio Del Toro in a scene from the movie Sicario.

: Quirky fact: Acting and adopting new accents helped her to overcome a debilitating speech impediment (stammer) at age 12. : Best known for: The Devil Wears Prada, Edge of Tomorrow, The Young Victoria. : If you like this movie you’ll like these: Black Mass, Macbeth, Escobar: Paradise Lost. : Quote: “I couldn’t talk as a kid because I stammered all the time, so I would just watch. I’m fascinated by human behaviour. People surprise me all the time. And I love being able to morph into different characters.”

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

+ Wrong side of law Be n ic i o D el To r o m akes a ca r eer fr om drug rol es S CR E E N L I FE

wi th Th e Ind ep en dent ’s Ka l eem Af tab

“

I’VE made a career out of drugs,” states Benicio Del Toro.

“Obviously it’s because of our times, if I’d been an actor in the ’30s it might have been alcohol or bootlegging. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’ve played a junkie, a casual user, the supplier, the one who has gone after a drug dealer, I’ve played them all.”

The 48-year-old has two more drug-related roles coming up on the big screen.

He is playing the most notorious drug lord in history – Pablo Escobar – in Italian director Andrea Di Stefano’s crime drama Escobar: Paradise Lost.

Del Toro’s other film, Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario, is centred on the border conflict between Mexican cartels and the FBI. The drama was acclaimed at Cannes and stars Del Toro as a mysterious hit man, said to be a former Mexican prosecutor,

who is working with the Feds to smash a smuggling ring.

He delivers a typically haunting performance that leaves us unsure of his motives.

Del Toro is remarkably studied on the drugs trade within the Americas. His acquaintance with it on screen ranges from very early roles as drug dealers in Miami Vice and Drug Wars: The Camarena Story to his Oscar-winning turn in Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 film Traffic, playing a Mexican police officer who makes a deal with the DEA. “In 15 years, I don’t think anything has changed,” he says.

What does he think the politicians should do about it?

“I think legalisation. That road needs to be explored more.

In the United States they are legalising marijuana in some states, so instead of fighting fire with fire, that road needs to be explored.”

Del Toro has been open about his own past drug use, but when I bring it up, he reverts to humour. “Yes, I just did some now. You got some?” He raises an eyebrow and gives a look with that glint in his eye that says “enough already”.

It’s a look that, with slight adjustments, he’s used in films to let the audience know he either wants to kill someone, or make love to them.

He put on weight to play Pablo Escobar but has lost it again, and looks as devilishly handsome as ever. His reputation as a ladies man precedes him. He’s been attached to a plethora of co-stars and had a daughter with Rod Stewart’s daughter Kimberly in 2011 – an infamous press release at the time of Stewart’s pregnancy confirmed that they were not a couple.

“Every day becomes more real,” he says of parenthood.

“I think about her in a way that is not so much right now, but I’m always looking ahead, like 10 years down the line.”

Although he’s tended to steer away from blockbusters in the past, it’s clear that he’s become more amenable to them recently. He took a starring role in last year’s Marvel Studios’ smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy, an experience that he describes as “Halloween, every day you want”.

He says he’d happily jettison all the drug movies he’s made because “I like the characters that get the girl in the end – one way or another.”

Sicario opens nationally on Thursday.

+

R EV I E WS Wha t ’s n ew o n th e b i g s creen

Pan

THIS origin-story twist on the classic tale of Peter Pan is colourful and fast-paced, drawing on the extremes of its pantomime-like characters. Young Aussie Levi Miller holds his own as the orphan Peter opposite Hugh Jackman’s eccentric baddie Blackbeard. : Stars: Hugh Jackman, Levi Miller, Garrett Hedlund. : Rating: PG : In cinemas: Thursday.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

The Visit

HORROR director M Night Shyamalan returns to form with his latest offering, which follows two children who discover a dark side to their grandparents. The Visit blends a dark sense of humour with some truly scary scenes, and as a bonus stars Aussie actor Ed Oxenbould. : Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould. : Rating: M : In cinemas: Thursday.

Blinky Bill The Movie

BELOVED animated koala Blinky Bill returns in a new big-screen adventure in which he travels across the dangerous outback in the hope of finding his missing father. A high-spirited family film for the school holidays featuring the voices of a talented Aussie cast. : Stars: Toni Collette, Ryan Kwanten, David Wenham. : Rating: G : In cinemas: Now. Weekend

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Weekend

rela x

+ Big serve of humour

+

EDITOR’S PICK: Prick With a Fork, if only for the wonderful title.

WOR D S AN D M USIC

I n s i d e r w r i te s a t a st y ex po s e o f t h e r e st au ra n t i n d u st r y

Private Sydney

R EV I E W by K i r i ten D o l l e

By James Patterson: Fast-paced novel from the author of great detective fiction, featuring once again the team from Private.

Patterson knows how to grab the reader from the first page and keep you riveted until the end. If you are new to James, you will definitely want more. – Sharon Cross

I

T’S a universal question: your steak’s not cooked how you ordered it. Do you rage at the waitress and send it back to the kitchen, or suck it up and disguise the blood in lashings of gravy? Larissa Dubecki says if a chef is asked to cook a steak longer, she’s seen them throw it on the floor, then put it back on the grill.

Okay, so maybe not all chefs are guilty of the aforementioned, but steaks are the most common thing to come back to the kitchen, she says.

“Everyone thinks they are an expert and that they know better. The number of hours spent debating whether a steak is rare or medium-rare could solve the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict with time left over to catch a movie afterwards.”

Before she was one of Australia’s top restaurant critics, Dubecki was one of its “worst waitresses”. Prick With A Fork is an hilarious expose of the restaurant industry, paying loving homage to her 10-year reign of dining room terror starting with crappiest Italian in a town Dubecki calls IlCrappo, where the food was “like a copy of a copy: a faded facsimile of one of the world’s greatest cuisines”.

Prick With A Fork is a revelation for diners. It’s cruel and it’s horrifying: “all commercial kitchens have cockroaches”. Full stop. And that sauv blanc you ordered is, behind the bar, less politely known as “cougar juice”.

It’s also enlightening. We know that ordering a wagyu steak well-done will anger any chef, but there’s apparently a general rule of thumb among waiters that you can judge how well a person will tip based on how they want their steak cooked. “The well-done crowd are the misers who wouldn’t even tip if there was a gun to their head,” Dubecki says.

For anyone who’s worked in hospitality, this book is therapy – just as it promises. You will laugh out loud. You’re probably familiar with “the women who order a skinny latte with a side of chocolate cake”. Or why one should never ask a waiter for a soy skinny decaf latte (“the universal consensus

+

YOU N G R E AD ER S

Famous Graves

By Steve Cooper: Screenwriter Steve Cooper turns his obsession with people who have kicked the proverbial into a guide for globe-hoppers who’ve lost the plot, profiling the lives and resting places of the famous and infamous.

– Sherele Moody

The Fatboy Slim Collection

: Prick With A Fork by Larissa Dubecki, $29.99, published by Allen and Unwin.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

is just in: why bother?”) or those who order their coffee “hot but not too hot” – how is this a quantifiable temperature?

Then there are the one-in-10 Australians who claim to be gluten-intolerant: “Food allergies are a little more than a hobby of the bored elite … for so many people gluten sensitivity is no more than a dream,” Dubecki says.

Read this one. And remember: be kind to your server, you never know what could happen.

+

A FUN party mix remixed by Fatboy Slim, full of his own favourites. Lots of familiar dance tracks, plus lesser known ones. Idris Elba features on Uptown Funk at the end for those who stick around.

– TME Grey

N EW ON DV D

w ith

D oc to r Q u i xo te

Samurai vs Ninja: Day of the Dreadful Undead

CHARMING is probably the wrong word for a kids’ gross-out comedy, but Day of the Dreadful Undead puts so much work into being icky that it’s almost adorable. From the Samurai vs Ninja series, this short novel for children who like bugs, fart jokes and Japanese mythology blends edutainment with absurdity. Two warring brothers (a samurai and a ninja) accidentally summon the disappointed spirits of their ancestors and are forced to climb mountains and clean their rooms. Includes a glossary of Japanese terms, a guide for counting from “ichi” to “ju” and some endearingly alliterative insults. This is an odd one but good for laughs and learning.

More from Doctor Quixote on doctorquixote.tumblr.com

Gotham

DARK, gritty series set in Gotham City before the usual age of the caped crusader.

Commissioner Gordon is far from his batphone days as a rookie detective trying to stand up against corruption.

Look out for origin stories and cameos. Out this Thursday.

– TME Grey

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Weekend

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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+

mi n d

+ Healthy boundaries

TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Quiz compiled by Roy O’Reilly.

M I N D YOU

QUIZ

1. A 2007 album by Kylie Minogue was (a) X (b) Y (c) Z?

w i th Rowen a H a rdy

E x p l o r e a n d a c c e p t w h o you a r e t o b u i l d s e l f - e stee m

2. The cost of producing each Australian five-cent coin is (a) one cent (b) seven cents (c) 77 cents?

3. The fish traditionally used in the making of Worcestershire sauce is (a) anchovy (b) mullet (c) whiting?

4. Issued in 1913, the value of the first Australian banknote was (a) ten shillings (b) one pound (c) fifty pounds?

5. Which billionaire recently avoided serious injury when he tumbled off the presentation stage at the A-League grand final?

6. “I see skies of blue and clouds of white, the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,” are lyrics from which song?

7. Graceland, Elvis Presley’s mansion, now a museum, is in which US state?

8. Ni Ni is in which Australian state/territory?

9. Felix Kiprono, a Kenyan lawyer, reportedly offered 50 cows, 70 sheep and 30 goats for the hand in marriage of which US politician’s daughter?

10. Who won the first 10 races of the 2014 MotoGP? 11. Which Gold Coast Titans Test forward recently signed a three-year, $1.5 million deal with the Manly Sea Eagles?

: Whatever behaviour was demonstrated around you growing up is likely to have influenced your belief in yourself.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

12. Beginning with “d”, which animal is commonly referred to as a sea cow?

13. Is the Prado, Spain’s main national art museum, in Barcelona or Madrid?

14. An exonumist collects (a) rainfall statistics (b) tokens (c) words containing an “x”?

15. Which internet video sharing site recently celebrated its tenth birthday?

16. Recently sentenced to death was 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for his role in the bombing at which US sports event in 2013?

17. The leader of which Asian country recently ordered his defence chief executed with an anti-aircraft gun for complaining, talking back to him and sleeping during a meeting?

18. “Betty Blockbuster” was the nickname of which director of the National Gallery of Australia because of her love of blockbuster exhibitions?

19. Which US state is named after an English county?

20. Next week, Australia’s first match in the Rugby World Cup will be against which Pacific country?

21. In the 1930s, in which middle-eastern country were parliamentary seats divided according to the six to five Christian-Muslim population ratio?

L

OOKING back at my early life, I see now that I didn’t have a clear sense of my boundaries. It took me a while to realise that and it has become clearer as I have developed and been working with others. What I have come to understand is that many people are unaware of their personal boundaries because, like many things that influence behaviour, they are established early on in our unconscious.

What are boundaries?

They could be described as “the physical, emotional and mental limits you establish to protect yourself from being manipulated, used, or violated by others, allowing you to separate who you are, and what you think and feel, from the thoughts and feelings of others”.

They are an important part of who you are as they indicate your level of self-respect and self-worth and are communicated to others in verbal and non-verbal, conscious and unconscious ways. They have a bearing on all of your relationships, not just with others but also with yourself.

Having said that, how do you recognise and establish healthy boundaries? Whatever behaviour was demonstrated around you growing up is likely to have influenced your level of respect and belief in yourself, given you an understanding of boundaries and defined the behaviours that were acceptable and those that weren’t.

As you might imagine, this could go well, badly or somewhere in between depending on the role models you had as a reference point, but it is up you to take responsibility

22. Which leading Australian fashion designer was recently commissioned to design uniforms for up to 10,000 Westpac staff?

‘‘

T h e y h ave a b e a r i n g on al l of yo u r r e l at i on s h i ps . . . for and control how others treat you and that starts with establishing a strong identity – that is, finding out who you really are.

So if you’ve been used to seeing someone who puts everyone else’s needs before theirs then that’s likely to be how you go about things now. It’s not purely a female trait and it’s important to acknowledge that your needs and feelings are just as important as those of others. But when you constantly put yourself last and never allow time for yourself it becomes exhausting and you may become resentful and disengage. That approach is unhealthy for you.

Rather than have your self-esteem dictated by others, it is necessary to explore and accept who you are and identify and establish new physical and emotional boundaries. Doing that will improve confidence and self-worth and give you the ability to let others know when they’ve crossed the line, acted inappropriately or disregarded you. And that will help you build healthy relationships based on trust and respect.

When was the last time you checked your boundaries?

Rowena Hardy is a facilitator, performance coach and partner of Minds Aligned: www.mindsaligned.com.au

NEXT SATURDAY IN WEEKEND

23. In 2011, which former Test cricketer climbed Mount Everest?

24. The arrangement by August Wilhelmi of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Air is commonly known by which title?

25. In which church was King Richard III recently reburied?

A NSW ER S

1. (a) X. 2. (b) seven cents. 3. (a) anchovy. 4. (a) ten shillings. 5. Frank Lowy. 6. What a Wonderful World. 7. Tennessee. 8. Victoria. 9. Barack Obama. (Malia). 10. Marco Marquez. 11. Nate Myles. 12. Dugong. 13.

Madrid. 14. (b) tokens. 15. YouTube. 16. Boston Marathon. 17. North Korea. (Kim Jong-un). 18. Betty Churcher. 19. New Hampshire. 20. Fiji.

21. Lebanon. 22. Carla Zampatti. 23. Adam Parore. (New Zealand). 24.

Air on the G String. 25. Leicester Cathedral. (Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester).

Saturday, September 19, 2015

+ READ //

F i nd ou t w hy sp or t a nd l ei su re wea r qu e e n L o rna J ane C la r kso n i s p e t i t i on i ng t h e F e d e ra l G over nme nt .

+ EASY EATING //

T h e re ’ s not h i ng l i ke a f o ot y f i n a l s f e a st . We ’ ve go t you r m en u c overe d – it’ s e a sy, i t’ s f ast a nd ve ry ta st y.

Weekend