As you may have guessed from most of my recipes, I am not big on precise measurement and quantities.

This comes from years of practice in my own kitchen.
If making something for the first time I will follow a recipe. I have friends  who are recipe following zealots,who produce perfect results everytime.

However, I am a lazy cook. I love food and eating, but do as much as I can to avoid extra dishes to be washed up, such as are generated by careful measurment of ingredient quantities.
I rarely get out a cookbook unless seeking something very specific. I do use them for inspiration!

I am also very good at tasting a dish in a restaurant and, if it impresses me enough, will guess the key ingredients and techniques, to replicate it at home.

To develop your own intuitive cooking skills, be observant as you cook.
What is the ingredient ratio you are using when you do follow a precise recipe?
Try and get the feel for the quanity ratio and commit it to your 'intuitive memory'.
What ingredients are a match made in heaven?
What techniques can you adapt across a range of things to broaden the scope of ingredients you cook with.
What can I substitue for healthier options? Eg substituting yoghurt for mayonnaise usually works a treat.

Also sheer repetition of a recipe over and over again will rend it automatic over time.

Encourage all family members to be engaged, if possible, in food production by vegetable and herb growing and, at very least, meal preparation and clean ups. This gives hands on experience to all household members. Food preparation and cooking are key life survival skills, but equally guaranteed to win many friends. Sharing a meal is a great relationship builder and cementer.

I was shelling peas and peeling potatoes as a child of about 4 or 5. Prior to that I was on a chair, in the kitchen at my mum's side as she made biscuits and cakes in her trusty Sunbeam Mixmaster. I got to lick beaters and basins and add some ingredients under her close supervision. I helped dishing out biscuit mix onto trays and stirring cake mixes. By the time I was in my early teens I had responsibility for ingredient growing or purchase and cooking on weekends at our farm. 

I am also very lucky to have grown up in a food oriented family of cooks. My grandfather was a top chef in Melbourne, my mother's skills in the kitchen were legendary and my father, equally competant in the kitchen, usually prepared the Sunday roast and taught me to cook over the coals on a barbecue.

Grandmothers on both sides of my family were equally accomplished at creating impressive meals from nothing, or very basic ingredients and stretching those ingredients to feed large families and many guests.

Grandma Leila, introduced me to food foraging around the back lanes of Elwood, where we would gather fruits from overhanging trees, which would be turned into pies and preserves. I cannot make fig jam, without remebering the succulent delight she sent me in a special tiny jar of my own, every year!

Whilst Grandma Elsa had died many years before I was born, none the less her food legacy was passed on via both my parents and her sister, my beloved great aunt, Alma Dennis. Elsa was famous for her home-made pasties and German potato and apple recipes, of which she had many. Irish stew was another of her specialties.

My dad credited the fact that he was one of four brothers for his own culinary skills. The boys were each expected to serve as assistants to his mother in the kitchen, which was then the traditional and almost exclusive domain of women.

My mother was a passionate cook and shared her love of food and adventurous palate with her children from an early age. 
Ancestral foods ranged from the best traditions of our Australian, Greek, German and Celtic culinary heritage, as well as Italian and even Chinese cuisines.

All those cooks who shaped my early training and introduction to food were intuitive retainers and custodians of recipes and methods passed down through their own famillies. Each used and collected both recipe books and recipes collected from family and friends, but adapted them to their own needs, tastes and economic circumstances.

That my own nieces and nephews came to me seeking recipes they too had grown up with, after my mother died, prompted me to first document some, to pass them down through future generations.

This process is one that I continue in the recipe category of the Pets and Plants blog!

On this ANZAC day, along with those humans who have suffered or died as a result of war, take a minute or two to reflect upon the animals, who have served and supported our veterans.

From horses, that were members of the Light Horse, pulled ambulances, or helped transport troops in World War 1, to Simpson and his donkey, who heroically rescued wounded soldiers at Gallipoli, to more recent times, where dogs have aided our troops in Afghanistan, animals have been heroes too!

Pet insurance is a fabulous form of ensuring you can afford to provide your pets with vetinary assistance when they need it.


Nothing could be more heart-breaking than to have to have an animal you love euthanised, because you are unable to afford the cost of expensive surgery or treatment for a chronic illness, but this is the sad reality, for both vets and pet owners.

My dog policy costs me about A$10 per week. 

This year, my dog has had is annual check up and vaccinations, an ear infection and, most recently an allergic reaction to a bee sting which occured over Easter, resulting in an expensive out of hours emergency consultation and treatment.

Without pet insurance I would be close to A$500 out of pocket. With it, I am about A$60 out of pocket for all of our visits. To my mind, Whippet Boy's health insurance is money well spent, and this year alone, money actually saved!

Pet insurance is thesedays, part of responsible pet ownership. 

In many ways, the less money you have, the more vital pet insurance becomes!

In Australian capital cities, there are clinics, such as at Melbourne's Lost Dogs Home, that offer more affordable vet care for those on limited incomes or who carry an Australian Health Care Card.

Outside the capital cities it is very much a case of user pays.

I have known many people who have taken out personal loans of thousands of dollars to cover vet treatment for their beloved animals, when having pet insurance could actually have prevented even further financial hardship.

When I adopted Whippet Boy, I knew he was likely at some point in his life  to require costly emergency treatment, as the breed is prone to injuring itself via impalement, running at high speeds. His breed alone, was an incentive for taking out pet insurance.

Our previous whippet ended up twice in intensive care for several days from just such injuries, and was stitched up a few more times for comparatively minor impalements, that still required an overnight stay at the vets.

The policy I took out with RSPCA Pet insurance, also returns a percentage of the premiums I pay to the RSPCA's animal welfare programs. My premium covers 80% of costs, in most situations and up to A$11,000.00 annually.

A friend told me she has to pay over A$200, for any one visit before her policy kicks in, so be careful to shop around.

Easter is traditionally a bad time for medical emergencies with dogs. 

Unfortunately, chocolate is extremely toxic to dogs and vets are often overwhelmed treating dogs who have sustained poisoning, as a result of eating sometimes even a little chocolate. Chocolate poisoning can be be fatal. 

The Easter Bunny needs to be reminded only to hide chocolate Easter eggs in locations that are well out of the way of inquisitive and chocolate hungry dogs.

The last thing any dog or human needs is an Easter break, filled with anxiety and guilt as a result of failing to keep your dog safe from chocolate poisoning!

My dog was stung in the face by a bee on Easter Sunday. His face swelled up, so rather than looking like a whippet, he looked like a bulldog, with a whippet's body.

I called the emergency out of hours vet, who instructed me to keep him under observation,  a little swelling was normal and as long as his mouth remained pink and he didn't swell anymore, he would be okay in a few days, but keep monitoring him.

By morning, Whippet Boy had swelled up even more. His gums were bright red and inflamed. He was not eating and lacking in energy. I called the vet again and arranged an immediate consultation.

Whippet Boy's favourite vet was on emergency duty.

 "What happened to you"? He asked my dog after seeing how swollen his face was, even without examination.

Whippet Boy was gently popped on the examination table and the vet inspected his mouth and sting site. He was given a shot of antihistamine and some antibiotics to avoid infection of his nasal passages and throat.

My dog had also peed on his front legs, another sign of pain and disorientation.

I've been instructed to let him rest and keep monitoring him for the rest of the day and if the swelling hasn't come down considerably, he will need another shot of antihistamine tomorrow.

My vet assured me I had done the right thing, by seeking out of hours vetinary assistance for a dog who was so clearly unwell.

Meanwhile I am very glad I have pet insurance. It has paid for itself for this year, with this emergency out of hours visit and his recent ear infection and annual immunisation!

Birds play a vital role in our backyard eco systems. Not only are they beautiful and fun to observe, they provide a free source of manure and enjoy eating predatory insects, some are even essential pollinators.

Birdlife Australia is free to join and provides an excellent avenue to become involved in documenting brid life in your own environment, as well as meeting with and learning from fellow birders.

Birdlife Australia provides useful information in creating bird attracting habitat in your own backyard, as well as being an organisation worthy of support and lifelong participation.

I began birdwatching  with my dad as a small child. It is something I still enjoy where ever I go.

My own backyard is officially zoned within "critical endangered bird habitat", despite it being in the suburbs of Ballarat  and hosts a range of native birds, from crimson and eastern rosellas and magpies, to wattle birds, honey eaters, crested pigeons, mud larks and silver eyes on a regular basis. I have also sighted blue wrens, native quail, willy wagtails and last year a rare gouldian finch visited my birdbath.

I also see squadrons of ibis and swans making their way between Lake Wendouree and Learmonth every morning and evening.

Non indigenous visitors include Japanese doves, house sparrows and starlings.

Our farm, at Chepstowe, was part of the Lake Goldsmith brolga habitat and I had the privilege of watching their mating rituals on more than one occasion. Another rare bird to visit there was a bustard.

Anyone living in Ballarat also has easy access to Lake Wendouree, that serves as a sanctuary to many native waterbirds, as well as tiny fantails, silvereyes and a range of indigenous finches. There are even a couple of night herons, you may be lucky to spot at dawn or dusk!

Occassionally, goshawks can be seen overhead, both at my home and at Lake Wendouree!

I keep both binoculars to get a better view of birds from a distance and a camera handy to record bird species I observe.

Keeping accurate records of bird species that visit your backyard and local environment helps Birdlife Australia monitor the numbers of our native bird species and can help preserve  all our wonderful bird species, including endangered ones!

Happy birding!

Does your dog obey your every command? 
 
If not, it is worth seeking help.

Nobody enjoys being with a dog that sets its own agenda, rather than following yours!
 
I chose to reward good behaviour with a treat, whilst ignoring the bad behaviour as per current dog training methodology. This created problems, as my dog is not into food treats. He is also a brainiac and a dominant personality. Not a good candidate for reward only based training!

The result was my dog began ignoring my commands. He ceased to be one it was a pleasure to be around and take anywhere.

At the Ballarat Begonia Festival, I met Caroline, from Beta Dogs. I began  a series of six individual training sessions for whippet boy and myself. The results have been miraculous!

After only 3 weeks my dog is holding a drop for half an hour. He is no longer pulling when I walk him and following my commands.

Caroline brings her own dogs to our training sessions as both training models and distractions. Methods she uses are simple and humane. She has trained over 250 dogs to gain accreditation as an Alpha Dog Trainer

I recommend Caroline and Beta Dogs most highly. Caroline is like Ballarat's version of Ceasar Milan when it comes to solving dog/human problems!  

She is based in Ballarat and can be contacted via her website.

If you have enjoyed visiting my Pets and Plants blog, you are now able to visit FionaLudbrook.com and explore items way broader than simply pets and plants!

Enjoying blogging for pets and plants is what opened up the world of blogging for me!

Along with plants and animals, writing remains another life long passion!

Recently I accompanied professional pet photographer Peter Gibney  of 'Furrever Friends' on a photoshoot.

Here are Peter's five top tips for photographing your pets!

1. Get down to the pet’s level: Nothing like getting on your hands and knees, or even your stomach for a bit of perspective!

2. Make some noise: Most pets love strange noises. It makes them look straight at you and you may get some very inquisitive expressions.

3. Don’t use treats: Yes! It may seem counterintuitive, but your pet will probably stare straight at the treat instead of the camera. Treats often make animals drool which is not a good look.

4. Think about light: Are you using flash, or natural light? Do you have the light source behind you, or behind the subject? Above you or to the side? The direction of the light will dramatically affect the photo.

5. The background: Take a moment to notice what is behind the subject. A considered background can potentially turn a good photo into a great photo! 

Here's hoping you can aim for photos that capture the best of your furry friends like the ones here!

Have you dreamed of going to the Masai Mara or Amboseli National Parks in Kenya, or Ngorgoro Crater and Serengeti plains in Tanzania and seeing animals in the wild?

That was certainly the case for me.

Last year I finally managed to make that dream come true and in the process found any concerns many hold about personal safety and difficult travelling in Africa something of a myth.

The safari took me through Kenya and Tanzania, with African Travel Specialists, following the migration of the herds. I cannot recommend their excellent and personalised services and emphasis on ethical travel that gives back to the countries and people you visit highly enough!

My safari was amongst the most enriching and extraordinary experiences of my life, changing my perception of the world and its complex eco systems forever.

As for the Kenyan and Tanzanian people, they were extraordinary. The middle classes there are on the move and both countries are dynamic, inspiring and exciting places to visit.

I think these photos will pretty much speak for themselves!

Keep following my blog for more safari magic, such as birding, the complex ecosystems and safari lodges or planning a safari!