Fancy lunch out :) It’s birthday month!

Greetings from sunny Hawke’s Bay!

Paul and I started our birthday month in style, with lunch at our favourite winery, Craggy Range in Havelock North.

It was a stunning day and so nice to dress up. I wore my pleather trousers from Blue Illusion, red Hogl shoes, and a gauzy mini-leopard blouse from Farmers. With my Prada bag of course. And Dior sunglasses circa 2003 from when I worked there. Happily the flat oval shape is back in style. Yay!

I had red nail polish and chose to not wear my sleeve and glove for the afternoon. Just took my puffy hand along a la naturelle :)

 

 

Craggy Range does a divine lunch menu throughout the winter months and we caught the tail end of it for our birthday. The lunch was my mum’s birthday gift to us :) The theme was ‘An Early Thanksgiving’.

 

 

 

They do gluten-free very well, and the homemade bread comes in a gluten-free version also, served with camembert butter and honey. The light sprinkle of salt on the butter is such a nice touch. I mean, you could go home quite content from the bread course alone, but Paul and I were troopers and stayed for the whole menu :)

 

 

 

Paul had the pork belly for his entree, and I had the gnocchi. There was so much richness and flavour packed into every bite. I don’t really eat pork products, just not a fan, but I would eat anything put in front of me here as long as it’s gluten-free, it is just that good. (The gnocchi sauce was pancetta flavoured, with tiny cubes of pancetta too. It tasted amazing even though I don’t eat pork haha.)

 

 

For our mains, Paul had the turkey and I chose the salmon. Paul enjoyed his turkey although I think he has enjoyed other Craggy Range lunch mains more, and my salmon was delish. I loved the bright vegetables accompanying it too.

We started off with a glass of Tattinger champagne each, and had a glass of Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay with our mains (it was like drinking a glass of butter, and I mean that in the best possible way, le sigh!)

 

 

 

And for pudding there were donuts, but you can see they are more like donut holes. The pumpkin cheesecake underneath tasted like buttercream it was so rich and good.

 

 

 

 

And because it was our birthday we got a little extra plate, it was an ice cream cake and we managed to polish that off too :) The chocolate Happy Birthday was melted dark chocolate, so good with the ice cream.

They asked us whose birthday it was when they brought the ice cream cake over, and we both said ‘Mine!’ since we have our birthday later in the month on the same day. Such fun.

 

 

It was just such a lovely lunch, and we went home with happy tummies.

 

 

Yay for a most excellent start to our birthday month!

I hope you had a great week last week too, no matter what you got up to.

x Fiona

 

PS. I’ve been writing! I know! I’m so excited for being back in the groove again. It’s been in-out-in-out this year for sure :D

I am working on a book that I’d already written almost half of pre-cancer-diagnosis and I am completing the remaining chapters. It’s a goodie and I can’t wait for you to read it.

In the meantime, browse my 28 other titles here to see if anything takes your fancy!

Or go to fionaferris.com to see all my links.

 

 

(My Amazon link is affiliate, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for choosing to use my Amazon link if you are considering any Amazon purchases!)

The best way to enjoy fish (my new favourite recipe)

 

Hey friends,

One of our lovely neighbours dropped by one night recently and offered us two beautifully fresh just-caught crayfish.

It was so thoughtful of him to think of us.

(They’re only called crayfish in New Zealand, but I think they’re like lobster or rock lobster elsewhere? They live in the ocean anyway.)

When I was a child my family had a boat and dad would catch crayfish. I remember him dropping them into a big pot of boiling water and we’d eat it freshly poached.

He always told us the legs were the best bit and us kids would sit there with our pile of legs drawing out the fine straws of meat while the adults tucked into the tails 😂

Was that actually true that the legs were the premium part??? I have my doubts now 🤣

Paul and I, having never cooked a crayfish in our life, did some research online.

We found out the humane way to cook them, and also came across a simple recipe.

We served the cooked meat over boiled new potatoes, with melted butter and lemon juice poured over top, and plentiful fresh chives.

Here is the recipe we used although it’s so simple you don’t really need a recipe. I didn’t do the butter sauce with water, just melted it and it was just as delicious.

We liked this recipe so much we recreated it with fresh white fish on another night (see below). With slightly less butter though, and I added steamed veggies 😍

I always get fresh fish when I do the groceries each week; it’s a good routine for us to get those different nutrients.

Paul wasn’t a fan of the weekly fish at first, he felt like it didn’t really fill him up, but if I don’t try to make it too light and healthy he’s a happy boy. Hence the butter and potatoes 😊

I actually really think potatoes get an unnecessarily bad rap. In my healthy slim lifestyle I eat them pretty much every night. I might have trimmed down the quantity, but I still love spuds. They have so much fibre and nutrition.

Are you a seafood fan? What is your favourite and how do you cook it?

 

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And here is how I recreated the crayfish recipe with snapper (it was a hit too!)

It really was so simple to make:

💫 Air-fried or roasted potato chunks (or you can boil little new potatoes like the original crayfish recipe)

💫 Steamed broccoli (I like mine lightly cooked, still crunchy, bright green, and tossed in a dash of olive oil)

💫 Pan-fried snapper (I use olive oil spray in the pan, not butter, since I’m using butter for the sauce)

💫 Melt some butter in a pot on a low heat and let it brown while you’re cooking the fish. Those speckles on the white fish are toasted milk solids from the butter. YUM! Once it’s nicely browned, pour over the fish and potatoes at serving time, and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice too.

I am such a fan of browning butter in recipes, it provides a beautiful caramelised flavour. I remember often making a Donna Hay recipe in the early 2000s for ‘fish with brown butter’. It was always a favourite.

[I recently made a blondie recipe from Smitten Kitchen and it calls for the butter to be browned too. I made it for Micky dog’s funeral and everyone said how good it tasted. It was the browned butter that made all the difference!]

💫 Then a scattering of something green. Here we have spring onions, but I’d use parsley or chives at other times. A fresh green sprinkle is always a welcome addition both for sight and taste.

💫 Also, I really think part of the appeal lies in using a bowl to serve as well, rather than a dinner plate. In restaurants they often use big bowls, and the food is stacked up rather than spread around the plate. It really did look more restauranty to me, arranged like this.

And this, my friends, is how to get your husband to be excited about fish for dinner! 🤣

 

~~

 

 

 

Spotted: A real cutie when visiting the library this week.

Who wouldn’t want to sit on the seat in preference to cold looking cobblestones?

I do love a girl who has standards.

xoxo Gossip Girl 😍 Oops I mean Fiona :)

Have a great week!

Mocktail ideas, and another author milestone

 

Hello friends,

For these warm spring days I’ve been experimenting with mocktails. This one was a ‘Mojito’ which I served with frozen lime quarters and fresh mint from the garden. It was good!

I think the alcohol-free mocktails have bitters in them which adds that alcoholic ‘bite’ without alcohol.

I always enjoy sitting down to relax before dinner, but (and perhaps I’ve trained myself), a glass of plain water, no frills, just doesn’t cut it.

So I’ve been trying different special drinks to have alcohol-free evenings. There is quite the selection these days, but none of them are cheap!

Sparkling water is still a good option, and it would be lovely served like I’ve served this Mojito.

Please tell me, do you have favourite alcohol-free drinks to relax with at the end of the day? I’ve love some new ones to put on my ‘menu’.

 

~~

 

 

 Another milestone to share 😍

There are now 120,000 of my books floating around in the world - either on Kindles or as paperbacks, on home bookshelves or in public libraries - hopefully providing lots of inspiration!

And this number doesn’t include my audiobooks, which are a ‘new’ thing for me in the past couple of years. (I love reading my books for you 🥰)

I’m just so grateful that I get to share what lights me up with you, my reader. I’ve always had a rich imagination, and the need to make everyday life a little more feminine and lovely.

I feel like so much of life can be drudgery if we let it, and equally the opposite can be so.

I know I’m lucky, I totally get it. I don’t have to go to a job anymore, and haven’t since 2016 when we sold our retail business.

But honestly, it’s all come from what I write about in my books - both the ‘creating a rose-tinted mindset’ aspect, as well being financially savvy.

It is possible to live a very good life without spending a lot of money. And the less you spend (by only buying things that have value for you), the less stress there is to earn more.

I love having my no-spend days, using what I have, aiming for a minimalist way of living in my own style, and appreciating how lucky I am every single day.

I know I am just a minnow in the author world where authors sell millions and even billions of copies of their books. But I am very happy to be so 😊 I’m just doing my own little thing over here, and whoever wants to join me can join me. We have the best fun!

So if you’ve ever bought one of my books or asked your library to order them in, THANK YOU. I appreciate you!

xx Fiona

PS. You can find my book ‘100 Ways to enjoy Self-Care for Gentle Wellbeing and a Healthy Body Image here on Amazon, or go to fionaferris.com for reading/listening alternatives, and of course all my other 25+ titles.

 

 

[My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase using these links. It’s no extra cost to you, so I really appreciate it if you choose to use my links for any Amazon purchases you might be making!]

Happy doggies, and a delicious quiche for lunch (recipe included)

Chloe and Daphne are all buckled in and ready for their walk ❤️❤️

 

Hello chic friends! 

 

My doggies physical ‘beauty’ always makes me laugh 🤭 I mean, look at those faces... Sometimes when we’re out, people will look at them and say, ‘What are they?’ in an incredulous way.

I have a soft spot for non-fluffy plain dogs now, from having these two in my life.

They said they don’t care what anyone thinks, they’re just having fun, living the dream, and as long as food rolls up twice a day and they get to hang out with their mum, they’re happy as.

Micky dog was getting leashed up too, out of photo shot. I just thought it was so cute how Chloe and Daphne were waiting patiently at the front door for their walk.

Give your doggies a hug from me today! 

 

~~

 

 

Lunch in the sunshine 🌞

 

I was lunching like a queen here wasn’t I!

I enjoyed homemade quiche with mushrooms and asparagus from Chantal’s recipe under her baby shower video description here (I used gluten free pastry for moi):

 

 

 

This is her quiche recipe:

— ingredients

puff pastry

500 g mushrooms

100g bacon (optional)

sundried tomato (optional)

1 bunch basil

150g creme fraiche (or greek yogurt/ sour cream)

4 eggs

200ml milk

50g shredded parmesan

pinch of nutmeg

— steps

1. preheat oven to 390F

2. defrost the puff pastry and cover the bottom of a quiche dish with it

3. fry the mushrooms with bacon in a pan until all moisture is gone, then add the sundried tomato. salt and pepper to taste

4. add fried mushrooms on top of puff pastry in quiche diche

5. in a separate bowl, mix the creme fraiche, eggs, milk, shredded parmesan and nutmeg. add in shredded basil

6. pour on top of mushroom mix in quiche dish

7. bake at 200C (~390F) for ca. 40-45 mins (depending on your oven)

8. serve and enjoy! 

 

~~

 

Thanks Chantal for sharing!

I served mine with rocket (arugula), and a side salad too. And fruit, Greek yoghurt, and almonds and coconut for ‘pudding’.

I love my lunches and feel so good from all the freshness.

Gosh that quiche was nice, I’ll have to make another one 😊

And the book was good too, I’ve finished it now. It was ‘The Honeymoon Affair’ by Sheila O’Flanagan. I also read ‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ (below) by the same author and that was great as well. (Better than ‘The Honeymoon Affair’ which had a satisfying ending but could have been a touch better I feel, just expanded upon.)

 

 

 

In my personal star rating system I gave ‘The Honeymoon Affair’ 4.5 out of 5 and ‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ 5.5 out of 5! That only happens for really good books 🤣

You can see Sheila’s books here on Amazon.

Let me know what you’ve been reading lately, and your favourite ‘happy healthy’ lunches too 😊

Have a great week!

xx Fiona

 

~~

 

Latest book out now (here on Amazon):

[My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase using these links. It’s no extra cost to you, so I really appreciate it if you choose to use my links for any Amazon purchases you might be making!]

My European-inspired life: family dinner out, and spring vegetables to plant

Hello friend,

Sunset is such a pretty time for a picture!

Paul and I met family out for dinner at a local pizzeria this evening.

I took a photo of the outdoor area where we sat at the end of the night so I wouldn't photograph people.

 

There were nine of us at the table and it was a fun time. As always, I got to have the other half of my pizza for lunch the next day. I chose Margherita, yum!

I've always loved the dreamy ideal of a long family table outdoors, Italian style. I've seen it in movies where there are tables placed end-on-end, with white table cloths, wooden chairs, and fairy lights in the trees.

On the tables are jugs of water and carafes of red wine. Good food is abundant and passed around. All age groups and generations are represented.

I love that visual so much!

And we sort of had that at our pizzeria dinner. I must say, our waiter was so good, very personable and helpful. He even remembered nine orders in his head and they were all correct. What a skill to have!

If you too adore bringing little touches of the European lifestyle into your daily routine, I think you might enjoy my book '100 Ways to Live a European Inspired Life'.

It's a quick read available on Amazon (eBook, paperback, or audiobook) or in my eStore (eBook or audiobook) for an Amazon alternative.

 

 

~~ 

We had the rainest, coziest, drizzliest day here the other day. Just the perfect day to be at home.
 

I love those days where the rain is so soft it's almost invisible, but it's giving everything a good soaking.

I've bought my spring plants but not planted them out yet - two types of tomatoes (acid free roma, and ‘early girl’ just because I liked the name 😊), cucumber, cos lettuce (green and red), perpetual spinach, and basil.

All vegetables that I know I can grow easily, and are plentiful when they do grow. And most importantly they are what we actually eat on a daily basis so they are saving us real money (plus, spray-free!)

You can see my plants still in the boxes, enjoying a spring shower. I leave them out to take in the sun on sunny days, but pull them in under the eaves if it is frosty overnight.

 

Just a hint of spring warmth sent me to the garden centre! I'll plant these out within the next week or two.

But on this day I enjoyed the cozy rain 😊

~~ 

I have been writing towards my next book - it’s 2/3 completed.

And I got the idea for another book while out walking a few days ago, so I made some notes and started on that one too. Just to capture the idea while it was fresh in my mind!

For now I’m back to the first book mentioned, so I can finish it up and release it into the world. I love always having multiple ideas on the go. Sometimes I switch between them depending on what the energy is strongest for, and other times I’ll focus on the one book to get it finished. I love to go with the flow! And it all works out in the end.

Wishing you a lovely week, whatever it holds for you.

xx Fiona

~~ 

PS. You can find all my links at fionaferris.com if you’d like to find out more about my writing, or peruse my 25+ books all about living a fabulous life without spending a lot of money.

 

[My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase using these links. It’s no extra cost to you, so I really appreciate it if you choose to use my links for any Amazon purchases you might be making!]

Enjoying a simple life

 Hello friends!

My friend Tanya and I meet for lunch every month, and we take turns going to each other's house. Whoever is driving picks up sushi on the way there.

And the person whose house it's at gets to provide the sweet. This was at my house, and I made peanut butter cookies. They are so easy and so good!

The recipe is so simple I can remember it (I've made them three times so far).

1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Preheat oven to moderate (180/350) and line a baking tray with baking paper. I give it a quick spray with olive oil from a can too.

Mix all ingredients together and spoon out/roll into small balls (maybe the size of a walnut) and then flatten them on the lined tray with a fork.

I play around with the sugar quantity, using less sometimes than others (about 1/4 to a 1/3 less), and also different types of sugar to use bits and pieces up. This batch had raw sugar, brown sugar, and normal sugar!

I've also done slightly bigger cookies sometimes and smaller others - all up this recipe makes 16-20 cookies I've found.

Bake for ten minutes for lovely chewy cookies that are caramelised around the edges.

No they're not healthy, but they are delicious. I only bake for guests, it's not a rule but just the way things turn out. That way it's a treat for me as well as nice to provide home baking.

Also, I like to give them away fresh on the day or the day after. I gave my mum a little bag of them and thankfully my husband Paul helped consume them too!

If you try making them, let me know!

The day Tanya came around it was sunny and warm, a beautiful autumn day. So sunny that we had to pull the shade down a little. Which is a good problem to have when it's this close to winter!

 

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I love going for my walks each morning once it's warm enough. I usually go about 8am. First Paul and I take the doggies for a walk, then I go for a walk by myself with an audiobook playing on my excellent AliExpress headphone headband which is still going strong at least a year later.

I have three pairs of leggings and four tops so I always have fresh walking gear available. And I bought a pair of leather New Balance shoes just for my walking. Fabric sneakers, no matter how fancy, just get so wet in the grass and I'd get back home with damp socks!

If it's not cool enough for my sleeveless jacket, I take my belt bag to put my phone in.

It is SUCH a nice part of my day and if I don't go for a walk I really miss it. It's only about 30-40 minutes long, depending on how fast I walk.

At this time of year I get to admire the late autumn beauty around me, and it's lovely and fresh being outside. Plus, the sunlight is meant to be very helpful to your brain happiness early in the day. Or helps you sleep better at night. Something good anyway! I choose to believe it all 😊

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Late autumn goodness in our fruit bowl 😋

 

Persimmons, oranges, mandarins, feijoas and gold kiwifruit. All except the kiwifruit are homegrown (some given to me and some grown here).

Each day for our lunch ‘pudding’ I put together fresh fruit, plain Greek yoghurt, and a sprinkled topping of sliced almonds and shredded/roasted coconut.

It’s such a delicious sweet to round out lunch!

When we don’t have such a free bounty I love a crispy apple chopped up with the yoghurt and almonds.

~~ 

I’m wishing you a lovely week. It’s Monday here, King’s Birthday, so it’s a public holiday. Today’s plan is to clean the house this morning, and have a lovely relaxing afternoon, enjoying our refreshed abode!

See you next time 😊

xx Fiona

 

PS.  If you would like to receive this newsletter by email (via Substack at no charge), please go here to Substack and sign up :)

Living well at home

Hello friends!

I love how setting the table nicely makes even a simple dinner feel more special (here we are having spaghetti bolognese).

My essentials are:

✨ Candles (I am using tealights in my faux Baccarat candlesticks tonight)

✨ Jazz playing on the bluetooth speaker

✨ Sparkling water alongside the wine

✨ A side salad sprinkled with Parmesan cheese

✨ My homesewn coasters for a nice feel when you put your glass down :)

It's so nice to create a restaurant atmosphere at home, it really doesn't cost anything extra (unlike dining out), and you get the satisfaction and pleasure of using items you already own.

Don't get me wrong, I love going out for a special meal or when we are travelling, but wow prices have gone up a lot. And I know it's hard to make a dollar in the restaurant business too, I don't doubt that. It's just how things are right now :0

But when you are working on strengthening your own personal economy, creating a beautiful dining experience for yourself is a great start.

Another thing I like to do is make my own eating-out favourites at home. I make fish and chips from fresh fish seasoned and cooked in the air fryer, with the chips made from fresh potatoes chopped into wedges, sprayed with olive oil and baked in the oven. YUM!

Something like this is a necessity for me since I'm celiac and have to be gluten-free, but it's actually such a delicious upgrade and far healthier too.

Are you an eat-at-the-table fan?

Also, let me know your favourite fakeaway meal to make at home :) I also love making my own pizzas (I have made the bases before but have been buying gluten-free bases lately), bunless burger and fries.

(This makes me look like I have homemade fast food all the time but they are only on the menu every so often! Mostly we do a roast with tons of veggies, meatloaf, curry, chicken and vegetables etc.)

And, please let me know how you like to make dining at home more special! 

~~

 

 

I bought myself a new, inexpensive wreath for our front door. I love having a Christmas wreath up during the holiday season and always feel so sad taking it down.

I had a thought that seasonal wreaths must be a thing, and they are! I ordered this 'autumn wreath' online and it makes me so happy every time I see it.

I already have plans to find a winter wreath (since we have winter in the middle of the year in the southern hemisphere), and a spring wreath when I need it too.

I know it's not really a necessity, but it really lifts my spirits. And switching them out every three months or so means I won't get bored with them either. Such fun!

This one was from Temu for $15. Don't judge!

I heard the phrase 'fast fashion worn slow' a while back and it's exactly how I approach things. I might buy something inexpensive, but my purchases are always carefully considered ('will I enjoy this for a long time or will it be clutter and junk in five minutes' 😂)

I decided that my autumn wreath is the former! Of course I did 🤣

I hope you had a lovely weekend (and maybe you're still in the middle of it). It's Sunday night here, and we're tucked in cozy with the fire going. Doggies are happily sprawled, 'sunbathing' their tummies, and it’s dinner time soon.

Life is good, I hope it is for you too whatever you are doing!

See you next week :)

xx Fiona

 

~~

PS. Check out my book '100 Ways to Live a Luxurious Life on a Budget' if you like the ideas in this post! It is quick-to-read, packed with inspiring ideas, and also my most consistently popular book with almost 800 reviews on Amazon (and an average 4.6 rating out of 5 stars).

It is not the kind of book that will give you discount codes or which places to go to to get a bargain. What you will find is all my secrets how I have created a luxurious life for myself, even though I value thrift and simplicity. You can create any kind of reality for yourself too, and it can happen in an instant with a shift in mindset. Sounds airy fairy but I am fully about the practical as well.

I always say to have your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. It has served me well so far! Happy reading :) Please let me know what you think of it!

 

 

[My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission but at no extra cost to you. I appreciate it if you choose to use my links!]

A harvest day, and what I'm reading

 

 

Last weekend Paul and I attended a harvest day at one of our local wineries called Alpha Domus. We spent the morning picking grapes, and then enjoyed a beautiful lunch with wine. The weather was lovely and it was a very pleasant way to spend a day overall.

 

 

Doesn't this just look like a painting? That sky :)

 

 

I don't think I was as fast as a professional picker, but I did my best and managed not to nick myself this time. This is the third or fourth time we've attended this harvest day, and I admit, I did manage to cut myself the first time. The snips are very sharp! The secret is to have your hand under the bunch of grapes and let the bunch fall into your hand, rather than grip the bunch. The gripping leads to the snipping, lol.

 

 

 

We picked Chardonnay grapes for their top-tier Chardonnay. When you taste the grapes they are so sweet. I always thought that wine grapes weren't as sweet as table grapes but I was wrong. They are lovely!

 

 

 

 

And after our busy morning picking 2.5 tonnes of grapes (I know! It's a lot!) we got to see our grapes being squeezed and tasted the first of the juice (it tastes just like apple juice), and also tasted the wine from the same grapes we picked this time last year.

 

 

 

 

Lunch tables and umbrellas were set out, and it was so nice to sit down. I really felt like we'd done a full day's work (actually a half day's work but that doesn't roll off the tongue so well, haha).

 

 

 

 

Lunch was so delicious. I had lamb paella and the freshest salad with Parmesan and homemade dressing over top. It filled the spot perfectly, paired with a glass of red wine of course!

 

With thanks to our gracious hosts at Alpha Domus, it was a wonderful day :)

 

 

 

 ~~

 

And in reading news, I just finished this book. omg, so so stressful 😂 but so good! It is suspense genre and I've been into these types of books lately. Would recommend if you want to increase your heart rate 🤣

 

 

Two women who want to disappear from their lives cross paths at the airport and end up swapping tickets, passports, phones, luggages... lives.

It's not gory like The Housemaid book but it is definitely 'thrilling' and a good read. It makes you wonder what is behind closed doors in other peoples lives. Not that most people are 'that' different. Most of us are just very normal, living normal lives. Thank goodness!

 

The Flight book is here on my Amazon affiliate link, or I'm sure you can find it at the library like I did!

 

 ~~

 

 

Our hallway just inside the front door,
in my ‘Inspired by Ralph Lauren’ style

 

A little peek into our home...

 

I love a mix of traditional and modern, just like Ralph does. He goes chrome in his modern furniture though, whereas I prefer gold.

Note the table tennis balls for Nina cat corralled under the glass-topped hall table 💛😉🐈‍⬛

She loves to play with them and sometimes gets one out, and other times likes to bat them around within the confines of the table base.

It’s funny to hear her playing with them ☺️

Who is your main style influence if you have one? And what kinds of opposites do you like to mix together?

Wishing you a great week, whatever you are doing. I have writing planned, of course I do! I am working on multiple new books. It's just the way things work out. Eventually one pulls ahead and that's the one I finish next. And of course, keeping up with my audiobook recording. I am up to my twentieth audiobook, phew! It's actually really nice recording them, revisiting the books I've already written :)

My audiobooks are available anywhere you get your audiobooks from, including the library (you can ask for them to order them in), and they are also available in my eStore as an MP3 download.

 

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

Creating free fun, growing your own food, and spring sunshine

 

Hello chic friends!

 

Paul and I took advantage of his new job's roster earlier this week (he works weekdays and weekends, in various mixes) to have a picnic on the beach on a sunny Tuesday.

We planned to eat lunch at home and go for a walk along the beach, but then thought 'Why not take our lunch with us?' We had a chicken and avocado salad each, and fruit and yoghurt for afters, and a can of Coke each for a fun touch. All brought from home! It was yummier, healthier, and far less expensive than buying lunch out.

And we still had a nice time. Even though most people are at work on a Tuesday, there were people around - holidaymakers, retirees walking, and teens sunning themselves on the beach, probably exam time with days off.

 

I love making the most of where we live and creating free outings like this. I sort of count our lunch as free even though we bought the groceries :) Plus, some of the salad ingredients were free since they were grown on our property - the cos lettuce, parsley, and avocado components!

I just love living a simple, low-cost lifestyle. To me it’s as enjoyable as spending lots, and you don't need to kill yourself in a job you hate to pay for it all.

This is especially pertinent to us since Paul was made redundant from his job earlier in the year. He has now found a new job and he absolutely loves it, working at the cellar door for one of our local wineries.

He is in his element, and meets the nicest people too - a lot of overseas tourists who are interesting to chat with and hear about where they are from. Even though he is the one pouring the wine, not drinking it, he still has a blast.

Do you live near an area of natural beauty that you can take a picnic too? I didn't take photos of our picnic because it wasn't one of those staged Instagram-worthy affairs, but we did dine with cloth napkins from our plastic lunch boxes! 

 

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Just look at these beautiful roses at my mum's when I visited during the week. Her friend Ann brought them from her garden. I always love pinks/blush/pale yellow/peach shades together.
 

 

 

I took the three doggies with me which I haven't done for a while since mum adopted a new rescue cat Minnie who is about a year old.

Turns out Minnie can hold her own. She stalked the dogs and at one stage was chasing one of them around the garden. So funny 😂 I had to rescue Chloe dog from the cat!

Minnie cat was VERY happy to see me drive off with my three idiots. She much prefers a quiet, dog-free home. She even followed us out to the car to make sure we all left: 'Don't let the door hit you on the way out!' 🤣

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On a bright, sunny day I picked spinach (for smoothies) and cos lettuce for salads. I also spent some time tidying up and watering our vegetable garden.

 

 

It’s a petite space but provides us with yummy goodness 🥬🥒🫑

In addition to spinach and lettuce, there are cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and little orange bell peppers already growing but not ready yet, and yesterday I added in dwarf beans for the first time. They are long round green beans which I love. The plant grows in a small bush instead of climbing so I’m told. I can’t imagine how a tiny plant grows long beans but I will find out soon enough with any luck!

 

I am not a huge gardener, even though it is very satisfying. My ideal garden looks good but is easy-care 😁

But I do love picking fresh vegetables for our lunchtime salads. Cos lettuce is my favourite because the bugs don’t seem to eat it the same as mesclun, which I only seemed to grow for the birds and white butterflies - there was never any left for me!

I hope you’ve had a lovely week. Today it has dawned a cool, calm Sunday here and we had rain overnight. I have a relaxing day of writing, coffee, and pottering planned. Just bliss!

 

xx Fiona

 

 

PS. Check out my newest book if you haven't already!

 

 

 

Financially Chic Vol. 2 is all about living a fabulous life on little cash. Find out how to create a 'rich lady lifestyle' for yourself. Switch up your mindset to live 'beyond your means'!

 

🌺 Read it on Kindle and in paperback here on Amazon, and find the audiobook wherever you listen to your audiobooks. You can ask your local public library to order in the paperback or eAudiobook too!

🌺 eBooks and eAudiobooks are in available in my eStore here.

🌺 Listen to the audiobook free on Spotify if you have Spotify Premium.

(My Amazon links are affiliate, but it doesn't change the price for you. Thank you if you choose to use my Amazon link!)

Reader Q&A!

 

Dear chic friends,

 

It's reader Q&A time!

To celebrate the launch of my newest book 'Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', I am doing a series of reader Q&As.

 

And today is the first question, which is all about finances for singles.

“How to live financially chic while depending on one sole income?”

It’s hard in some ways of course, with one income not two, but in other ways it’s preferable. Being single gives you greater autonomy over your choices. You can cut back when you want to without getting someone else’s buy-in. And you can’t be held back by other’s poor spending habits.

Here are my three best tips to live financially chic while depending on one income:

1. Take a good look at your outgoings and see where you can delete unnecessary expenditures. Be really honest with yourself! Feel empowered when you cut things out instead of feeling deprived. Tell yourself you are giving that money to yourself instead.

2. Brainstorm all the ways in which you can have fun and feel rich for free (for me, using our public library, enjoying the lovely makeup and fragrances I already own, tidying up my wardrobe, going for walks in nice parts of town, making my lunch at home, making my own coffees, cooking at home in preference to eating out, and meeting friends for a picnic in the park vs an expensive lunch or brunch).

3. Look at ways you can bring in more income – a side hustle such as writing an ebook and uploading it to Amazon, renting out a room in your home if you have a guest room, or finding part-time work somewhere nice. I never saved so much money than when I worked weekends. I had no opportunity to browse the shops!

Know that everything you do, you are doing for you. You get to decide how plentiful and wonderful your future is.

I hope this was helpful, and if you have any ideas to add to this post, please do so! Maybe they are things you did as a single that really helped you feel (and be) financially chic.

 

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Here I am, walking my talk when it comes to being financially savvy 😊

These are my summer vegetable plants ready to put in once an expected cold snap next week has passed us by.

In the bonus chapter of my newest book ‘Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', tip no. 12 says:

“Grow what you eat. For me I’ve found the best value and easiest to grow are herbs, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini. Herbs are year-round, and the rest only in the summer.

Don’t grow difficult things or vegetables you never buy. This is meant to be a money saver/health giver, not an expensive hobby. If you have a small piece of garden, buy a $3 plant and enjoy the benefits.

We planted a six-pack of spinach plants because we buy spinach every week for our daily smoothies. The $4 spinach investment fed us for several weeks whereas before we were spending $5-8 a week on bagged fresh spinach.”

In my little stash here (with Daphne photobombing 😊) I have cherry tomatoes, cos lettuce (two colours – red and green), perpetual spinach, cucumber, and a new try for me – orange capsicum (pepper).

Our small vegetable garden is weeded and ready to roll. Already growing are cos plants from last summer and spinach planted more recently which are both still going strong. Because we have smoothies every morning, we go through a lot of spinach, hence why we are planting more when we already have some!

I don’t even consider myself to be a garden or have a green thumb, but some things are just worth doing.

Please let me know, what are your favourite things to grow for ease, value, and yumminess?

 

~~

 

This week I got to go on a winery tour and tasting, and it was so interesting.

The underground cellar here, where wines are aged in oak barrels is kept at an even 11 deg C (52 deg F) year round. It was very refreshing to be in there 😊

We tasted three whites and three reds, and there were eight of us in the group. We got to meet lovely people from Houston, Texas, Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland right here in New Zealand.

The times I've travelled to other areas of New Zealand and done wine tastings were so enjoyable. I mean, vineyards are generally in sunny, picturesque regions so what's not to like?

Paul and I did a quick Barossa Valley trip in South Australia some years back. That was great and I'd like to go back. Some of their wines are so old they look like shrubs, not having been trained along wires like 'modern' grape vines.

I hope you've had a great weekend, I've had a productive Sunday today. It's nice to have a lazy Sunday too, but when I have a productive Sunday it really feels like I've got a head start on the week!

Are you someone who loves wine tasting? Please tell me your favourite varietal!

There are no wines I don't like, I just prefer some over others 😍

I enjoy bubbles, Chardonnay, and aromatics such as Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. And Viognier too. Does Viognier count as an aromatic?

So, whites then! Although I do feel tres chic holding a glass of Syrah or Bordeaux blend. It's just so hard to choose a favourite, I get it!

Cheers to us all anyway 😊

xx Fiona

PS. You can read ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’ for free on Kindle Unlimited, or purchase as an eBook or paperback. Audiobook coming soon!

 

(My Amazon links are affiliate, but the price is no different for you. I appreciate it if you choose to use my links!)