Sourdough Bread Starter - AN EVENT FAVOUR THAT KEEPS ON GIVING! Perfect for weddings, anniversaries, milestone birthdays, kitchen teas, bridal & baby showers, corporate and private dinners, intimate celebrations and exclusive events. Give your guests something a little different - their own sourdough starter to take home, bring to life and bake with for years. The Country Bumpkin is a mature, 4-year-old dehydrated sourdough culture, cultivated in the Overberg and already baking in 1,000+ South African kitchens. Each personalised favour includes a portion of Bumpkin, easy activation instructions, my tried-and-tested sourdough recipe as well as ongoing whatsapp support. Because it’s dehydrated, there’s no rush to use it - stored correctly, it will keep for years until your guest is ready to start baking. Choose a packaging colour to complement your event palette, finished with a personalised label created for your celebration. PRICING 10 to 49: R100 per unit 50 to 100: R90 per unit 100+: R80 per unit Delivery available across South Africa and quoted separately. A little piece of your celebration they can take home — and turn into bread. 🤍 thecountrybumpkin.org/

Are We Progressing or Regressing? Because I'm Starting to Have Questions. I got home at about 4.30pm this afternoon, having spent a good portion of the day running around like a blue arsed fly. Taking my son to soccer. Deliveries. Collections. Drop-offs. Errands. Driving from one place to another, remembering something I had forgotten at the previous place, and generally keeping the wheels of domestic civilisation turning. Not to mention that this entire set of proceedings began with my son having to change a flat tyre (twice) before we could even leave the house, lol. How were we supposed to know that the spare tyre had an entirely different (shorter) set of bolts/nuts to the original wheel, which were just lying in the boot laughing at us as we went about our business. Needless to say, son got an extra arm and leg work out and then, in addition to being late for his soccer match, twisted his ankle during play. Not a happy camper, eeek! By the time I got home, I was finished with the public. Unfortunately, the public wasn't quite finished with me. I still had customers coming to collect their freshly baked sourdough loaves, which meant I had to remain available, presentable and willing to answer the door. Three things I rapidly lose interest in after having been “worldly” for an entire 3+ hours. Do not get me wrong… I love my customers. They are all fabulous people, and I am enormously grateful for every loaf they buy. But this evening, I was watching the clock with the sort of intensity normally reserved for bomb disposal experts. Because I had plans. Big plans. Much needed plans, DAMN!T! I was going to close the door, have a deliciously hot shower, wash off the noise of the day, put on my pyjamas and become completely unavailable to civilisation as a whole. The anticipation was borderline indecent, but I got there, eventually and sticking my feet into slippers felt like nothing less than heaven on earth, truly! As I got myself into my comfort zone, I had a giggle to myself about how much things change as you get older. At what point in our lives do all the things we once considered punishment become our greatest pleasures? Seriously?! When I was a child, being told to go and bath was an outrage. A totally inconvenient interruption to whatever vitally important activity I was engaged in, which was probably digging a hole in the garden with a teaspoon or attempting to convince a beetle to become my pet - no matter! Bath time was an administrative oppression imposed by unreasonable adults. And bedtime? Well…. That sh!t was practically a human rights violation. There was an entire world happening out there, and I was expected to lie in a dark room and MISS IT? Absolutely not. Pfffff! I would need water. Then the toilet. Then more water. Then I would suddenly remember a deeply important question about “My little Pony” or why the moon followed our car. Anything to delay the inevitable. Fast-forward a few decades. Now, if somebody told me at 7pm that I absolutely HAD to take a hot shower and go straight to bed, I would probably ask whether they were available for marriage. No flowers necessary. Just enforce the bedtime, lol! And the changes don't stop there. Remember when staying home on a Friday night meant your social life was in a state of catastrophic decline? When you desperately wanted somebody to phone and invite you somewhere? Nowadays, an invitation arriving after I have already mentally committed to staying home feels like a minor emotional crisis I would rather not have! I have to assess it. What time? How many people? Will there be chairs? Is parking going to be difficult? How late is this likely to go on? And, most importantly, is there a socially acceptable way to decline without having to invent a medical condition? Because if I was honest, I already have a very promising evening planned with a pair of pyjama bottoms that have never once disappointed me. And what about visitors? As children, we were beside ourselves with excitement when somebody came to the house. People! Conversation! Possibilities! Perhaps biscuits! Now, an unexpected knock at the door after dark can cause an entire household to fall silent. Nobody moves. We exchange suspicious glances. Did you invite someone? No. Did YOU? Then why is there a person outside? Even the dog, who normally considers every passing leaf a matter requiring immediate public announcement, is expected to observe radio silence. And here's another one. Remember when somebody cancelling plans was a devastating rejection? Now, depending on the circumstances, it feels a LOT more like winning the fncking lottery! "Oh, that's such a pity!" Meanwhile, somewhere deep inside, a mini brass band has started playing. I'm not proud of it. Well, perhaps juuust a little, lol! Last but not least, let us dive into the evolution of our relationship with sleep, haha! As teenagers, we could stay awake until four in the morning, get up at eight, eat something dodgy AF and carry on with our lives. Now, one slightly disturbed night's sleep can have me questioning every major decision I have made since 1997. I find myself discussing pillows with the enthusiasm I once reserved for good looking men. Firmness. Neck support. Breathability. Gaawd, lol! Who have I become? When we are young, we associate freedom with being allowed to do absolutely anything. Stay out late. Go wherever we want. See whoever we please. Eat ice cream for breakfast. Nobody telling us when to go to bed. Then we spend years working towards that freedom. And once we finally attain it, what do we do? Hehe…. We voluntarily establish bedtimes. We get excited about clean sheets and kitchen towels with cool fabrics (don’t judge!) We buy vegetables. We complain about noise. We make plans to have no plans. And we experience genuine happiness when somebody says, "You don't have to come if you don't feel like it." It is such a fascinating reversal. We have spent our ENTIRE lives trying to escape the rules of childhood, only to recreate most of them ourselves. Though… now we call it self-care. I don't think it's necessarily that we have become boring, we have simply developed a much better understanding of what things actually cost. Not financially. In energy. An evening out isn't just an evening out anymore. It's getting ready, driving, making conversation, staying awake, coming home, and possibly sacrificing the following morning to the recovery process. Whereas a hot shower and an evening in your pyjamas? Very little admin involved and an excellent return on investment. You no longer need an event to feel as though you have had a good evening. Peace becomes something you actively look forward to. Being comfortable in your own company is no longer confused with having nowhere else to be. So, are we progressing or regressing as we get older? I reckon we are progressing rather nicely, actually. We have simply reached an age where we understand that freedom isn't necessarily about being able to go wherever we want, whenever we want. It is being able to stay exactly where we are, with absolutely nobody expecting us to put on a bra, find our car keys or make polite conversation. What is something you absolutely DETESTED as a child that you now consider one of life's greatest luxuries? Or something you once thought was terribly exciting that now sounds like an exhausting amount of unnecessary effort? I cannot possibly be the only one who has gone from fighting bedtime to actively looking forward to it. ......................... Welcome to “The Gemini Diaries” The stories are real. The photographs took liberties. I'm Jaynie, single mom and independent South African creative. These stories, my art and the content I share are part of how I earn my living. If my work speaks to you, please consider supporting any one of my many creative endeavors here: linktr.ee/justjaynie Your support helps me continue creating independently whilst sustaining our home and life behind the work. Every contribution genuinely matters. And if contributing isn't possible, a follow, comment or share helps my work reach more people. Thank you for being part of my creative journey. 💛

I’m going to be really honest with you. ❤️ The Country Bumpkin isn’t just a little sourdough business. It’s how I put food on the table and keep a roof over my head. I make and sell mature, dehydrated sourdough starter, with free delivery anywhere in South Africa, easy-to-follow instructions, a tried-and-tested recipe, and personal WhatsApp support to help you get baking. But right now, sales have dried up, and I genuinely need your support. If you’ve been thinking about trying sourdough, buying a thoughtful gift, or getting something a little different for someone who loves baking, please consider ordering from me. Buy 2 starters for R560 and I’ll send you a third one FREE — delivery included. And if sourdough isn’t your thing, sharing this video with someone who might be interested would mean the world to me. I’m not asking for handouts. I’m asking for a chance to earn a living doing something I’ve poured my heart into. Every order genuinely makes a difference. 🇿🇦 The Country Bumpkin — proudly delivering sourdough starter to homes across South Africa. Shop here: thecountrybumpkin.org