Very Quick Post - Preview of Coming Posts and a Big Yellow Machine

A crazy-busy day here again, as our departure looms ever more imminent, so this must be a short post. A couple mentions of the next two posts coming up, some tidying up of loose ends, and a bit more story-of-our-life.

I am finally going to post about my special coconut kefir, as I've been promising to for ages now. I really want to know people's opinion/feedback about this one, so please stay tuned.

And I apologize that once again, I mentioned 'chia-sweet' in my previous post without linking back to earlier posts about it or explaining it. 'Chia-sweet' is my no-sugar ingredient intended to substitute for things like dates/honey/agave as a binder and sweetener. It is basically a stevia-sweetened chia gel, where the liquid can be a strongly-flavored herbal tea, or water with stevia and flavor extracts, or what you will. I introduced it a while ago, in this post, and have posted a number of recipes that use it.

The other upcoming post to look out for is another product review.

Remember I mentioned our 'Sea-bastion' - the dirt/rock/timber-work into which Phil has poured heart, soul and many hours (and I've poured a few myself) in trying to keep the Pacific ocean from battering down the bluff on which we live?

Well, since the ground will almost certainly be frozen when we get back from our trip, Phil deemed it essential to spend a couple days (yesterday and today) moving enormous rocks up to shore up the bastion so that it doesn't get ruined by the big storm tide coming up through the winter.

He spent some of his small discretionary cash on this great big dinosaur to help him do it -

They dropped it off at the beach, and he had to drive it two miles or so up the beach to the area beneath our cabin.

The monster showed up late - I had the laptop with me and did some translating work while we waited on it in the ice, but it was such a beautiful morning

He left the monster down below us overnight, and this morning, at 8am when it was still very dark and teeming with rain, I drove him out along the beach to get an early start. Driving on the beach is a skill-sport at any time of day - boulders everywhere that you mustn't run your truck into, four-wheel drive essential, quicksand in certain places, barely a semblance of a road formed from predecessors' tracks (folks drive beater trucks a way out to gather coal and logs from the beach). So driving in pouring, pelting rain when it was pitch-dark was a very serious challenge. I guess I should feel proud of myself for having managed it fine.

Are there any special or strange skills that you've had to acquire by virtue of where you live/whom you live with?
love to all!