What I've enjoyed this month: April 2012

Oh, April. Where do I start in recapping this month?!

I suspect it goes without saying that our engagement lifted the month to Very Memorable levels. Indeed, with the accompanying trip to Exmouth, the first week of April turned out to be one of the more memorable weeks of my life.

When we returned, there was Mr Bite's birthday, complete with two cakes, and the rest of the month seemed to go by in a bit of a blur.

With that being the case, there are still some 'normal' things that I've enjoyed in April. That afternoon spent in Fremantle was one, and making lavender biscuits was another. Here are some others.

Smoothies

I enjoy smoothies, but don't make them regularly. Several things have contributed to a smoothie run in April, including being able to run more consistently than injuries have made possible of late (smoothies post running are particularly good), and finding this milk:

Several Australian bloggers have already exclaimed their excitement over this reaching Australia, and I can only add mine. Not only is this almond milk cheaper than the brands I could previously find, it is available at my local supermarket (no driving around town to find it), has calcium, and is, as proclaimed above, unsweetened. I've updated my non-dairy milk spreadsheet to include it.

In the above smoothie collection we have;

• Almond milk, frozen banana, coffee and hemp seeds (top left and centre; I'm quite fond of this mix!)
• Almond milk, frozen mixed berries, coffee, and hemp seeds (bottom left; an optimistic twist on the banana, which didn't really work)
• Almond milk, frozen mixed berries, and that Vitarum sugar free drinking chocolate that I'm struggling to find uses for (right; surprisingly good)

There was also the green smoothie I enjoyed in Fremantle, and a few others haphazard creations not pictured here. Given that Perth's weather is finally getting cool, I'm not sure how long the smoothie kick will continue for, but it's been fun while its lasted.

Hemp Seeds and The Face of Birth

(I promise there is a link between these seemingly un-linked things...)

I was fortunate enough to receive not one but two give aways in April. The first was thanks to Theresa at The Tropical Vegan, who hosted a give away of hemp seeds provided by Hemp Seeds Australia.

I had hardly heard of hemp seeds prior to Theresa's post, and so was interested to read the nutritional benefits of them (they are sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and of protein). I was absolutely thrilled to then be given a pack to try, and have been adding them to all sorts of things ever since. I'll save the results for a dedicated hemp post, but suffice to say I'm enjoying them - one product is featured right, and you may have noticed that hemp seeds featured in many of my smoothies.

The second give away was a copy of The Face of Birth DVD from Brydie at cityhippyfarmgirl. In addition to feeling mildly guilty for receiving two free things, I initially felt a undeserving of this because (i) I haven't had children and (ii) having children isn't planned any time soon. However, I am so grateful to have been able to watch the film. It is one I think all women - particularly all Australian women - should be able to watch.

It's difficult to summarise this documentary. It focuses on childbirth and  the importance of being able to make choices about how, where, and with whom childbirth happens. Being set in Australia, it also talks about how Australia's medical system approaches pregnancy and birth, including the idea of home births, and how this compares to other countries.

Prior to watching the film, I had very little knowledge or understanding of home births. If the idea of childbirth was daunting, the idea of doing it at home was definitely scarier still! This isn't surprising, it turns out, because Australia doesn't really support home births. They occur in a tiny minority of cases, and nearly became illegal in 2009. Last year, Professor Fiona Stanley publically endorsed home births, and called for those who label them as "unsafe" to provide data to support such claims. Despite her reputation in the area of child health and development, she was criticised for her comments.

There were many things in the movie that were powerful, but two in particular I wanted to touch on. The first is that research suggests the risks associated with home births are the same as those associated with hospital births, for low risk pregnancies. The second is that other countries have a completely different stance on home births. In the UK, the National Health Service supports home births and births in non-hospital birthing suites, with these options receiving NHS support and being available as choices for all mothers.

I don't know if I'll ever want to deliver a baby at home, but I do know that if I'm ever pregnant I would like to be given choices, and not told something is dangerous if the data suggest it is not.

Given all of the above, I would be happy to send the Face of Birth DVD on to someone else if anyone is interested in watching it. If there are a few people, perhaps we can have a DVD migration around Australia. Just let me know in a comment or email if you would like to watch it.

After that lengthy section...

Purple carrots

After finding them in Coles, I was thrilled to discover them yesterday at the local weekend markets where I usually buy fruit and vegetables. It seems they are well and truly in Western Australia! I'm more than a little excited to be able to try more purple dishes.

Purple carrot muffins are currently dancing in my imagination, so I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing more savoury and non-savoury purple products before long.
What has your April involved?!

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