A Stiletto Summer: Bubbly Water

Soda Streamer: How to make fizzy water without the green guilts.

I love bubbles. Bubbles in my bath, bubbles in my champagne, but most of all bubbles in my water...especially in summer with some fresh organic juice... However, for the past few months I have gone without....too much green guilt for me...plastic, air miles, rubbish...plus I hate trekking them back from the store and what a waste of money...so would rather buy a gorgeous vintage handbag...just when all seemed lost, I found Soda Stream. For $75 you can make all the bubbly water you want at home. This cute, milkshake-looking gadget uses a gas canister to make bubbles...so fun. You can buy them at K-Mart or Big W or in the US go to Soda Stream. Cheers! xxx.

Gaia Organic 50% Off Sale

If only I could shrink my girls...I love everything about Gaia Organic Cotton clothing. Divine fabrics, adorable styles, organic cotton and made by a Mum...and now all the summer stock is 50% off. Have given lots of the cotton onesies as newborn presents to many a happy Mum. Personally, I love the classic white cotton dress...but unfortunately my girls have outgrown Gaia...bummer...I think my niece might look adorable in it though...Happy Shopping. xxx

PS I find that the toddler sizes run a bit small so I would order up a size.

A Stiletto Summer: Air Conditioning

OK...Sydney is a long way from lots of places (as Mom likes to remind me)...but it is Summer here and there is nothing quite like Sydney in summer...there are endless beaches, blue blue water, frangipanis in bloom and Ferries to whisk you around the city...

Somehow in summer it just seems so much easier to be green...fresh fruit and veggies are everywhere, long days keep the lights at bay and who wants to wear much more than a bikini and cotton (organic) dress? And forget about spending Saturday in the mall..I am off to the organic markets instead with my big straw bag. Summer just seems too make us all a little more stiletto-like...

However, summer does have its eco downsides...the biggest one being air con...Now, we only have air con in our kitchen area so it is easy for me to go light on it and we try to only use it on and off for those few brutal hours in the afternoon on the scorching days. I am not going to tell you how to suck lemons - you know to turn it down, use it less...but did you know it is really important to use it less during peak times? (Summer peak times are the afternoon; in Winter it is early morning and evening when everyone turns on their heater.)

Why is this important? Well, electricity capacity (eg generators) is based on making sure that at peak times the lights stay on. When everyone uses their air con at the same time it increases the need for peak capacity, eg more generators. So while one household curtailing energy during peak periods will not make a real difference, if we all did it, well, you know how that works...

So on that next hot day, think about turning your air con off for half an hour and make sure you don't use other energy-intensive appliances during that time (washing machines, dishwashers, etc.).

See you at the beach. xxx

Painting by Martine Emdur at Art House Gallery