Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I want to employ you, Lovely Chef!

An article in the Green Guide (favourite TV Guide) led me to sit down and watch the first "Masterchef Australia" which has just begun on our TV.
I am not sure if I will love it enough to keep watching it, but my delight in the first show, where they were weeding through applicants, was the first one who got through to the semi finals. She said that she loved cooking comfort food sort of meals, basic, but delicious; and wanted to do homestyle cooking but out of the home so people could come to her to eat it. (Something like that!)
And she made a delicious meal that Matt Preston hugged her for.
I looked at my daughter (who hears all about my YamDaisy ideas) and she grinned back as I said "I would SO employ that woman for my YamDaisy Cafe!"

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Anzac Day

I am preparing to talk to the Chef at the Sliding Door Cafe about a possible school project we could do together. My idea is to join school healthy eating around "Sometimes Food" and "Everyday Food" my Comfort Food '09 and the Sliding Door Cafe's community food focus. I need to see if the cafe is able to be involved, as I know they are pretty pressured at the moment with apprenticeships and catering. That's on my list for first thing next week.
I have been reading a book about colour in website design (thanks Libby and Robert) but I think I have done all I can to make the background look pale yellow. If more computers are seeing a nasty orange I will have to rethink.
I am having such fun on the Jamie Oliver site, it is very well set up. But I put up a topic about Comfort Meals without thinking to talk about my project first. I got some lovely replies and a great range of meals, plus lots of calls for a Fabulous Food Fairy! But I haven't got permission to put those meals up on my site. I think I can count them in at the end though.
I still want to start a blog there, but I am not sure my health is up to doing it. I will wait a little longer and see.
And I need to put up some more news on the website so it is interesting enough for people to keep coming back!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Two Blogs!

I spent some time today looking at the blogs on the Jamie Oliver website and decided that this sort of blog - following the process of my project, isn't really going to work there!
But I might have a try at doing two blogs, starting a more general food and life blog there. I will have to find a digital camera though, as they seem to be very photo focussed. Another thing to learn! But it is a very good networking place. I have got some great Comfort Food replies from putting the topic there, and there are a lot of other good things to do.
I have had a few days to recover from my big day on Monday, but I will do more tomorrow. I was so successful putting up News Sheets that I ran out. (I only printed 8 but they aren't going quite so far and wide yet). I will print another four. And I will chase that background for websites info.
Then I had better sit down at my desk and get my YamDaisy files up to date.
I have had some lovely feedback about my site: that there are interesting things to read, - so that means it is time to think about putting new interesting things to keep the momentum (such as there is!).

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Busy Busy

I am recovering from my busy few days of publicity, and now I am wondering if I should move my blog to the Jamie Oliver Site. It would be situated in a busy hub of people interested in cooking, so that would be a plus.
I also need to check out Background colours for my website as I have had a bit of feedback that it looks awful at the moment.

Monday, April 20, 2009

YamDaisy April News Sheet

The website is up and launched, I am still letting people know. It is such a good feeling!
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~yamdaisy

I wrote April's News Sheet today. This is how I put news in the local community (Darebin in Melbourne Australia). I make up an A4 sheet with news about YamDaisy, Comfort Food '09 and any Community Food News I can find. I print them onto YamDaisy yellow and put them up at the local Neighbourhood Houses and Community Information Centres and Community Noticeboards.
This is the third one and it is nice that people are finding them familiar and welcome.

I am also doing quite a bit on Jamie Olivers website. There are Forums and places for articles and lots of opportunities for sharing things, so I am enjoying that.

I have had one piece of feedback from the article in the CSMC, someone who has become a Facebook friend! I love the organic way this is growing.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Website, Article, Twitter

It has been a busy few days as I have been wrestling with the technology of getting my website up. I seem to have made about every possible mistake, but right at the moment it seems to be up and working, and if it still is tomorrow I will be able to 'create an event' on Facebook and email the whole world to come and have a look.
This is the culmination of a year of struggle. I knew I needed a website, I knew I wasn't well enough to sort it all out myself, and I hoped there was an easy way to get it up. After several possibilities that failed it was wonderful to find that my health had improved enough at the beginning of this year for me to go to the first term web design class at the local Neighbourhood House. It has taken so much of my precious time and energy, how wonderful it is to feel that it has been SO worth while. I finally feel that I am on the brink of the next stage of the project, which is publicity and interaction.
To add to that wonderful feeling, the first YamDaisy article is in the Scarlet Letter, the magazine for The Council for Single Mothers and their Children. When I contacted Jane, the coordinator, she talked about the need many single mothers have for a place to eat out that is close by and affordable, and an easy break from the relentless meal making that is the lot of a single mum.
And Twitter! I have joined up and I'm having a gentle start, feeling my way into how I can use it. I think it will be fun.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Beginning

I am just about to get the YamDaisy Cafe website up and then to begin a real push to get my idea out and about. I want to use the blog to talk about the process and the progress.
The YamDaisy Cafe is a big idea. I want it to be a Franchise and every suburb to have its yam,Daisy Cafe providing good food at prices people can afford: especially pensioners and HealthCare Card holders.
But I am a little person! I struggle with a chronic illness, and I am not in a very powerful position for making my idea reality. But I am going to try, and this blog will chart my journey.
I would love feedback.