My evolutionary adventurers,
It's been a strangely sleepless week. I waxed contemplative until midnight, but the bulletin just had to wait. It seems every time I'm sure life is simple the universe turns and pummels me with stardust.
But that's okay, because I've always liked to glitter.
We're funny creatures, the way our breathless hearts quiver with love and with rage, at once courageous and terrified, clever but clueless. It's sometimes hard to believe we're moving forward, towards something better, towards hope.
But we are; we're sloshing through the mud towards enlightenment. It's thick and cold and heavy, and it stops us in our tracks time & again; but we're tenacious, humans. Us & the cockroaches.
Here's the good word:
News
Meeting
Don't forget there's a general meeting on Tuesday at midday in the co-op. All welcome. Please contact a coordinator (Lauren, Lah, Andrew, Gemma) if you've got something to add to the agenda (attached), or turn up on the day.
Welcome New Members!
(from Lah)
"Welcome, welcome, we love you all! Remember the perks with being a member are not limited to getting a veggie box and receiving this great bulletin each week. You have the opportunity to get involved in the co-op and make it what you want it to be! The adventures, projects and shenanigans are endless, already there is a proposal for a cooking skill share. Woohoo, yes; please teach me (newby veggie convert) to cook with lentils and tofu. Plus you are always welcome to hang out at the co-op, have a cuppa, a chat and maybe do some 'work' even--it's not difficult: a bit of sweeping, a bit of help'n people buy their stuff, a bit of packing – all fun!
Bulletin
If you have something for the bulletin please send it directly to Meghan (at this & not my personal address). Community news & stuff is always, always welcome & I'm happy to include it! Please be as detailed as possible. Attachments are okay, but must be small. Please keep the formatting within the email simple so that it transfers properly.
Any messages in the bulletin need to be sent to the aforementioned address by Friday night to make it in.
Cheers!
Member Reminders
GST
It's pretty important that you remember to put a * next to GST items on your list, as we legally have to account for GST separately, which means ringing them up first & writin' 'em down. Basically, if the item is processed/not a staple it has GST. Chocolate is not a staple, but cocoa and coffee are. If you're confused ask a vollie & they'll sort you out.
Big Fun in Small Spaces
(from Lah)
"The shop is small, and when there are a few shopp'n at the same time it can be a bit of a game of squeezing pass people then you squeeze pass them. A whole lot more fun then using a trolley, right? Use this as an opportunity to get to know other co-op members. Who knows maybe you will bump into each other next week and then week after…soon you guys will be best mates!"
Volunteers
There's always room for more volunteers! We need folks on every shift, especially to close and open. Please have a look at the roster for an available shift. It's good fun, you'll make friends, you earn a discount, and you get to know the co-op. Oh, and it's good stress-release from Uni & work. Why wouldn't you volunteer?
Eggs
I had a new egg adventure nearly every morning this week: scrambled, in pancakes, on toast, and it was fun. And so much better knowing the eggs come from well-loved chickens not too far from Sydney.
We've had a slight change in the ordering procedure, so from here-on-out, please submit your egg orders to our beautiful Lah (Angela for those of you playing along at home), or lovely Lauris. Remember, they have to be in bright & early Tuesday, so drop her a line post-haste!
Veggies
It's coming up to spring, in theory, and I can't wait to discover what's in season. Beautiful fruits & lush greens, perfect for stir-fries, salads, and grilling adventures.
If you want to get in on the action, your veggie order absolutely must be under the door before we open on Wednesday (i.e. by 9:30am); and they should really be in Tuesday night.
Please make sure you pick up your veggies by 5:30pm on Thursday. If you do not turn up we'll give them to someone in need. Call the shop if there's an emergency & we'll help you out as best we can.
Community
Introductory Permaculture Course
One of our awesome, albeit elusive, members, is offering practical, hands-on, introductory permaculture courses. Full details attached. He's pretty amazing, so it's a good idea to check it out!
Introduction to Permaculture
Saturday, August 23rd, or 30th, 9am – 5pm
Illawarra Catholic Club, Hurstville
Course cost: $80 for the day, $70 concession/unwaged
Contact Loki Ysebaert on 0422 310 712 or loki.ysebaert@gmail.com
Thoughtful Yoga
A reminder that you can take yoga for free at TF (on the lawn, unless it rains) every Thursday from 2 - 3. It's totally suitable for beginners, and mats are provided. Come check it out.
Eternal thanks to Tyler from Yoga in Daily Life Kensington for providing this amazing community service.
UTSpeaks--Breaking the Ice: Will we be able to live on an ice-free Earth?
Thursday 21 August!
"Day by day our planet keeps warming. The rhetoric keeps flying – in the media, in politics, in science and among ourselves. Our icecaps are a crucial part of the weather system, and are pivotal in driving ocean currents and sustaining our sea life. What will happen to us when the ice breaks, melts and the Earth warms even more?
"Presented by two outstanding UTS scientists, this not-to-be missed public lecture looks at the role the poles play in keeping our world working and what the implications will be if we must live on an ice-free Earth.
"Associate Professor Peter Ralph is a marine botanist who leads a cluster of climate change researchers at UTS. He and his team are examining the impact of climate change on the micro algae that support vulnerable ecosystems including coral reefs, the Southern Ocean and Antarctic sea-ice. Over the past 15 years he has worked with sea grasses, freshwater macrophytes, macroalgae and terrestrial plants, with the scale of work ranging from whole organisms to cellular to biochemical processes.
"Professor Greg Skilbeck is Professor of Earth Sciences and acting UTS Dean of Science. His main research focus is on past climate variability using the sedimentary record from coasts and oceans, with a special emphasis on the El Niño phenomenon. He has participated in several research cruises during the past 15 years investigating patterns of marine sediment deposition arising from atmosphere, land and ocean interaction in the climate system. He is currently an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project leader on the use of radioisotopes in the study of El Niño.
Thursday 21st August 2008
6.00pm drinks for 6.30pm start
Ends 7.45pm
UTS Great Hall
Level 5, UTS Tower, Broadway
Free parking only for those who cannot find alternative transport:
Peter Johnson Building basement car park 702-730 Harris St, Ultimo
*RSVP*
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Register attendance with Robert Button
Email: robert.button@uts.edu.au / Tel: 02 9514 1734
(I'm goin'; see ya'll there!)
Man of La Mancha is showing at 8pm in Io Myers Theatre UNSW:
Tuesday 19th,
Wednesday 20th,
Thursday 21st,
Friday 22nd,
Saturday 23rd of August
$20 Adult/$15 Student with a $3 NUTS member Discount. Book online here.
Foodie Workshops(from Emma & Suzie)
"In the spirit of eating good food, making it with your own hands and enjoying some lovely company, we are pleased to announce that we will be launching a series of Foodie Workshops this semester. If you are interested in participating in any of these, please email Emma (purple_tomatoes@hotmail.com) or Suzie (suzie.hunter@gmail.com) so we can have an idea of numbers. We'll organise venue and equipment once we know how many people there are!"
Sunday August 31: Vietnamese rice paper rolls
We'll be making rice paper from scratch and then turning them into the yummy rolls that we all know and love.
Sunday September 14: Sourdough Bread
This will cover how to make a good sourdough starter culture, then be prepared to get your hands messy as we do a big bake-up.
Sunday October 12: Preserves
For this workshop, we'll take advantage of the wonderful produce springtime brings us to make... well, whatever our inspiration creates!
Featured Products
(from Alice)
Organic split chickpeas: we got these in when conventional chickpeas where out because of the drought (which is why they're so small by the way). Counter-intuitively, they cost almost half as much as other chickpeas. Word on the street is that they make a wicked hommus or dahl.
Sago: I'd had a jar of this stuff on my shelf for almost a year, until I discovered this recipe for a yummy, super easy vegan sago pudding, which I brought along to the chai night on Wednesday. What is sago? The ever-helpful Stephanie Alexander has the following to say on the matter:
"Sago is prepared from the pith of the sago palm and a few other palms. The pith is washed and dried to produce sago flour, or washed and pressed through a sieve and dried to produce the small white pellets we know as sago." Not to be confused, despite similar appearance and texture, with tapioca, which comes from the grated root of the cassava plant.