Country Living Anywhere

Even in the city these days, there's a move towards sustainable and organic living, providing for ones own family, stepping more lightly on the planet, and returning to traditional ways. People are realising that taking the time to re-learn the skills our grandparents took for granted is not only better for the Earth, but also for our health.

We're lucky in Woodend to have a little more space for these pursuits than many of our apartment-bound friends in the city, and New Leaves has many of the resources you may need for starting your patch of paradise.

There are books on indentifying wild mushrooms and keeping bees. Books on how to make your own cheese and ferment your own yoghurt and miso, and make sourdough bread or brew your own cider. Some of these have gone down particularly well at our house with the recent purchase of our new house cow.

Some of New Leaves most popular titles are shown below - drop in and see if you are inspired to begin producing your own food in your corner of the world.

Penguin's Lantern imprint has recently released this volume of inspiration and advice from 18 of Australia's most productive kitchen gardens. Ordinary people producing extraordinary food at home!


Aracaria Biodynamic farm produces a range of wonderful planting and alternative health guides and New Leaves stocks them all.


Learn all you need to know about Choosing and Keeping Chickens, no matter how much or little space you have with this fantastic guide from Hamlyn. For absolute beginners to old hands who are a little rusty.

The Long Awaited!!......

Book 5 of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney arrived in store today! It's secret title has been revealed to be 'The Ugly Truth'.



Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really it's cracked up to be?

Drop in to New Leaves and find out!

Here comes 2011

We are excited to be getting ready for 2011 at New Leaves with the arrival of the 2011 Rebound Diary!


We LOVE these classic Golden Books rebound as week-to-a-page diaries, handmade from 100% post consumer recycled paper right here in Melbourne. They have a full blank page opposite the dated page, and those who love to relish in the nostalgia of their covers will be thrilled to know that the ENTIRE Golden Book story is still hidden within.

So find one that you had as a kid, or enjoy a new Golden Book for a new age. I have one for 2010 and I swear I smile every time I pull it out to use - that must be every day!

Drop in to New Leaves and pick your favourite now before they are all gone.

Blackbird Catering

There's a little bit of mutual love going on in Woodend at the moment....... For those of you who don't know the new Blackbird Catering, please have a look! For parties, events or my favourite - midweek catering, Sharyn is your go to girl. I'd like to keep her on tap, and for all lucky Woodend residents, we can almost do just that.

Here are some treats she kindly made for our recent evening sale. Check her website for the Winter Menu and everything else available. Also check the blog to see what yummy treats she's been making lately. It'll definitely whet your appetite!

ABC's

There are some fabulous Flashcards here at New Leaves for the little ones. Beautiful collage, funky font-play, and stunning Charley Harper artwork. Two of the sets even turn over to become a selection of puzzles in 12 - 16 pieces. Who knew learning could be so artistic?!

Winter Warmers

Keep your eyes peeled on this blog for news of the upcoming Picture Book Shopping Spree. All Children's Picture Books will be discounted for a day - so make it your day to shop for Winter Warming Tales!

Invitation

AUTHOR AT NEW LEAVES.

Children from as young as 3 will love Claire Saxby’s new picture book ‘There was an old Sailor’

You and your family are invited to New Leaves on Saturday 27th March at 1pm

to hear the author read the tale of an old salty sailor who swallows a krill which makes him ill, and who cures his terrible bellyache by eating each animal in the sea, one after another.

We hope to see you there!
RSVP to New Leaves for numbers.

The We Love Food Launch was a great success - thank you to all who came and sipped champagne and sampled the fabulous fare! Congratulations to Kirsty and Peta for a hugely successful book - and many wishes for its success to continue.

The first bi-monthly edition of Green Magazine came out last week. I LOVE this mag, and have recently ordered as many back issues as I could get my hands on. The title is currently noteworthy to - as the blessing of almost unprecedented rain leaves Woodend the greenest I've ever seen for the end of summer. Could this be a break in the drought? Fingers crossed.

We Love Food Launch

We would like to extend this special invitation to the launch of



We Love Food
By Macedon Ranges authors, mothers, food growers and cooks -
Kirsty Manning-Wilcox & Peta Heine

Thursday 4th March, 6pm

Join Kirsty and Peta at New Leaves. Raise a glass, and sample some of the treats of this beautiful new family cookbook.

Interspersed with detailed descriptions and beautiful photography, We Love Food is packed full of useful tips on creating your veggie patch with your children, and shows you how to use the produce in healthy, simple meals. In We Love Food, Kirsty and Peta have gathered their favourite recipes and added lots of really helpful tips on how to grow things, whether you have acres of land or a tiny balcony in the city.

Don’t miss this chance to talk in more detail with Kirsty and Peta on the night and even get your copy signed. We hope to see you there.

Please RSVP to 5427 3772 or claire@newleaveswoodend.com.au
New Leaves: corner Anslow & Collier Sts, Woodend

B+P Magazine

New Leaves was lucky enough to be featured in the latest Bookseller+Publisher Magazine. A little self-indulgant chance for me to tell our story and thanks those who've helped me along the way.

New Issue of Dumbo Feather, just arrived!!

Issue 22 of Dumbo Feather, pass it on has arrived instore. One of my all time favourite mags, I have been a long time follower and am thrilled to be able to stock it here at New Leaves! It's $15 an issue, comes out quarterly, and the rest of my weekend will be spent devouring it.

I currently can't put down.....

Published by Icon Books and available at New Leaves for $22.99. Here's a little rundown....

Between the 8th and 15th centuries, scholars and researchers working from Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan to Cordoba in Spain advanced our knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine and philosophy to new heights. It was Musa al-Khwarizmi, for instance, who developed algebra in 9th century Baghdad, drawing on work by mathematicians in India; al-Jazari, a Turkish engineer of the 13th century whose achievements include the crank, the camshaft, and the reciprocating piston; ibn Sina, whose textbook Canon of Medicine was a standard work in Europe's universities until the 1600s. These scientists were part of a sophisticated culture and civilization that was based on belief in God - a picture which helps to scotch the myth of the 'Dark Ages' in which scientific advance faltered. Science writer Ehsan Masood weaves the story of these and other scientists into a compelling narrative, taking the reader on a journey through the Islamic empires of the middle ages, the cultural and religious circumstances that made this revolution possible, and its contribution to science in Western Europe. He unpacks the debates between scientists, philosophers and theologians on the nature of physical reality and limits to human reason, and explores the many reasons for the eventual decline of advanced science and learning in the Arabic-speaking world.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing you a wonderful 2010.

Pop into New Leaves for some fantastic Summer Reading Ideas if you are lucky enough to have time off to relax and recharge.

Image: TopNews

Spring tries again......

Our beautiful tree waking up after winter, and the warm breeze and smell of fresh cut grass wafting in through the door of New Leaves this morning, are all helping to keep my mind off the 8 hours of bookkeeping I did yesterday, only to have the file corrupt and disappear!

Never mind. The tax department can wait. Spring is in the air again, and there are 'New Leaves' everywhere.

Summer Dreaming.

Well it seems a jaunt to India is not enough for this bookseller. Winter is fighting back today, and I am dreaming of exotic destinations. Ordering wonderful travel books and stunning books of Australian and International aerial photography has my feet itching for summer again. We've had some fantastic rain, so perhaps a weekend (or a Monday) in the garden will cure me! See you next week.

Image: Scott Douglas Media

Back to Work!!

India was FABULOUS - as it always is. Down south this time to Kerala, where I have never been. A trip to the tea plantations where my sweetheart's father used to work. A relaxing night or two on the backwaters, floating by rice fields and water buffalo, and a wonderful time catching up with my sweetheart's brother and seeing where he began his life.


And finally, to celebrate my birthday, a (not so) surprise bottle of Champagne which my sweetheart remembered to pick up at the Duty Free Shop, 2 weeks early! That's love.

Check out the company cghEarth, who are the leaders in sustainable travel experiences in India. Their establishments are all run responsibly on solar power, and sustainable energy, they have rainwater collection and recycling systems, they will shortly be able to recycle and responsibly process 100% of their own waste, and their philosophy is strongly rooted in the ancient Ayurvedic tradition. www.cghearth.com Definitely worth a moment of your time. Enjoy!

Images (until I can extract the camera from my sweetheart), Wikipedia & CGHEarth.com

Mad for India

My forthcoming trip to India, to stay with the brother of my sweetheart, is quickly approaching. In my excitement to get back to this brilliant, crazy, exciting, mad, thoughtful place, I have been re-examining some of the Indian reference books I have in stock. Not to mention the Lonely Planet, whose latest edition of 'India', comes out in the first week of October.












Images..........
1 & 2. Ganges: Along Sacred Waters. Pavan (Thames & Hudson)
3. Indian Wisdom: 365 Days. Follmi (Thames & Hudson)
4. India Panorama. Steiner (EditionPanorama)
5, 6 & 7. Made In India. Winata & Darmon (Chronicle)

Sweet Spring

Spring has arrived in Woodend - and I for one am hoping it sticks around. The breeze is gentle, and the sweet smell of blossom is in the air. Here's a branch my sweetheart salvaged for me this morning.

Father's Day

Need some ideas for Father's Day? How about one of the following. A bloke's cookbook, a BBQ special, or a new, fantastic breakfast recipe book to liven up your family weekends? How about an activity book - 'Things to Do With Dad' for little kids (and big ones!). Or the history of Flight, Daft Cars, or the sinking and final discovery of the HMAS Sydney. Dad can even create his own cars and trucks with our Car, Truck and Emergency Vehicle Origami Set. Go on! Keep him entertained.

Faraway Tree

So what have I been up to over the last few days? Apart from receiving a huge amount of fabulous new books, I have also received some fabulous games, puzzles and crafty toys from my favourite French Company, which I will blog about soon. Not to mention some great eco-friendly fun outdoor games for adults and kids alike. Watch this space!

But most importantly (for me), its my godson's 4th birthday in a week or so, and he is absolutely crazy about the Faraway Tree series at the moment. At the end of last week I got a cry for help from his mum, who needed cake decorations for the party.

She (he) requested Moonface, Silky, Saucepan Man and the Angry Pixie.

So the scissors, glue, cardboard and textas came out, and I set to work.




And here is the result. All packaged up on Tuesday and sent to England where I hope my godson will be happy to receive them. Perhaps Enid Blyton could have done better.... what do you think?