Sant-o-menel

08/04/2022

Feeling pretty satisfied with this DIY project. I finally installed a post box and video doorbell intercom at the bottom of our hillside driveway. Since our house is mostly windows all around and we mostly work from home, this gives us a little more privacy and I'm sure makes the postal carriers much happier!
♪Ding-Dong♪

07/04/2022

The jasmine we planted in our central atrium has finally bloomed, filling the house with the light, sweet scent of spring--

20/05/2021

Went for an evening walk around the valley to see the fireflies who live among the cedars and the cypress trees. The little stream we use for our water supply is clean, clear, and secluded, so they gather there ...little faerie lights floating through the forest and sometimes zooming out over the rice paddies... then suddenly we heard the sharp cries of deer and crashing of antlers from the woods on the far side of the valley --this is the day-to-day magic and drama of nature.

18/09/2020

Meet the Japanese pheasant--
A warm welcome to the new residents of our little mountain community! Though the grasshopper on my windshield has decided to hitch a ride and relocate to another town, a few of these big pheasants have recently moved into the valley. (I guess you win some and you lose some...) First sighted during one of our early-morning walks just last week, they add some pleasant cuteness to our days by running along the road ahead, diving into the rice fields, and cooing invisibly as we pass. So happy to be part of this expanding network of life in Sant-o-menel, the garden of the universe--

21/04/2020

After clearing off a small area of this little mountain to build our lovely glass & cedar home, I basically let nature take over and do its own thing... and so now after a few years, the scraped soil is becoming home to giant earthworms, native grasses, fluffy ferns, bamboo shoots, wild berries, and the accompanying wildlife: frogs, snakes, rabbits, ferrets, and myriad birds. So it wasn't a totally unexpected surprise when I looked up from my computer screen to see a hawk swoop down and suddenly pounce on the grasses just two meters from my front step and then be escorted on his way out by the crow who lately nests atop the high cedar. Such a dramatic moment in an otherwise normal day of working at home in this wild nature--

02/01/2020

The magnificent light-well of Sant-o-menel

It's the winter holidays and it has been cold of late, often dropping just below freezing overnight. Though the mornings start quite 'brisk', the passive solar well of light that is the heart of Sant-o-menel slowly collects the warmth of the sun's lovely rays throughout the day. And by 3pm, while it is only 12C (54F) outside, I am here on the couch 'glistening' in a pink t-shirt and loving it. It will eventually start cooling down as the sun sets around 5pm, and I will close the curtain at the top of the well to hold in the heat for the evening. Gradually we will layer up again into the usual winter-wear but hold off lighting a fire in the woodstove until we need its cheery warmth after dinner around 9pm.

I hope we can all take inspiration from collaboration with nature's abundance in our lives--

17/11/2019

Chim-Chimney... today I played a chimney sweep cleaning out the stovepipe of our wood stove. Now we're ready for winter and I'm ready for a bath. ...I must be as lucky as lucky can be! Chim chim cheree--

11/11/2019

Making Japanese 'Nuka-zuke' Pickles
自家製ぬか漬け！

We're making traditional Japanese 'nuka-zuke' pickles! Today we mix some new fermenting 'nuka' rice bran into the 'nuka bed' so we can accommodate more vegetables than before. Then we bury some fresh organic daikon radishes, burdock root, and zucchini in the nuka. Next week we can uncover them to enjoy some homemade probiotics infused pickles! The nuka is also good for your skin and smells like chardonnay--

先日からチャレンジしているぬか漬けですが、もう少し沢山漬けたいなと思い、今日はぬか床に発酵済みの糠を追加しました。
そして、早速地元で採れたオーガニックのお野菜を投入！
小さな色んな色の大根さん、ゴボウさん、ズッキーニさん。
来週の実食が楽しみです！
ぬか床を混ぜてお肌もしっとり。
しかも、ジェフリーいわくワイン（シャルドネ）の香りがするらしい。

Making Japanese 'Nuka-zuke' Pickles 自家製ぬか漬け！ We're making traditional Japanese 'nuka-zuke' pickles! Today we mix some new fermenting 'nuka' rice bran into th...

02/11/2019

Onward with a new moon cycle--!
新しい周期に突入！

Today we show our workout training routine for muscle building in this first week of the new moon cycle. Pushups, crunches, pullups, and light yoga stretching --it's quick and fun-- perfect for busy people like us!

今日はムーンライフスタイルの最初の週、新月の翌日から上弦の月までの期間。
栄養を吸収し、筋肉に変える1週間です。
そこで、今回は私たちのいつもの筋トレについて紹介しています。
メニューは、腕立伏せ、腹筋、懸垂と、ヨガ（ストレッチ）。
手軽に楽しめます。
私たちのように忙しい人ににぴったり。

And from this video today we are broadcasting through our new Sant-o-menel YouTube channel. So check us out over here on YouTube if you like! You can even follow along if you get inspired-- We're enjoying it and we hope you do too!

www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJvgORWFAn24HTFyNt0Dug

そして、今回の動画からサントメネルのユーチューブチャンネルにて発信しています。
なので、こちらのユーチューブチャンネルからこれまでの動画やこれからの動画を視聴いただけます。
月の満ち欠けに沿ったライフスタイルに賛同いただける方は、ぜひとも！私たちと一緒にナチュラルで健康的な暮らしにトライしてみてください。
質問も大歓迎です。

https://youtu.be/CGIAcrbdWO0

Onward with a new moon cycle--! 新しい周期に突入！ Today we show our workout training routine for muscle building in this first week of the new moon cycle. Pushups, c...

29/10/2019

Fall is here! and I found a butternut squash!
Stuffed it and baked it with a little clove and amazake...
it tendered up and caramelized perfectly-- excellent!

21/10/2019

自家製ぬか漬け！を食す。
This weekend we started eating our homemade Japanese 'nuka-zuke' pickles. It was like digging up buried pirates' treasure: the eggplant, beets, carrot, and okra shining out like gems from the sand-colored 'nuka' fermenting rice bran. We buried them raw, and now they have a nice balance of their original flavors and a tart, soft crunchiness. A very healthy garnish with rice and chili-beans!

今週末は先日漬けたぬか漬けを掘り出しました。季節のお野菜達の色も変化して、艶の出ている茄子やピンク色になったビーツがまるで宝石のようです。なんだか愛しさまで感じて、大事にいただきました。我が家の糠はオーガニックの糠なので、糠自体も食べられます。なので、糠付きの栄養たっぷりのお漬物。私達の美容と健康をサポートしてくれるのを期待して、色んな食材でぬか漬けライフを楽しみます。