tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33758877939852805002024-03-19T11:14:32.408+02:00Eco Footprint ~ South AfricaA chronicle of our family's transition to an off-grid, more self-sufficient and eco-friendlier lifestyle, sharing, wherever possible, helpful links and ideas, in order to ease anyone else's journey along this pathDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.comBlogger774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-79842902385250706982021-12-18T10:48:00.002+02:002021-12-18T10:48:41.372+02:00Re-usable jam tinsThe mousebirds have decimated the fruit on my trees this year, so this week I had to pop into the supermarket to buy a tin of jam.Looking at all the jars and tis of jam, I spied this...Tin with ring pull, and re-sealable, re-usable lidA tin of Rhodes jam with a re-usable lid.Wonderful!Yes, the lid is plastic, but it is really well fitting and will allow for the tin to be re-used for a myriad of Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-29565577714615420412021-12-05T10:29:00.000+02:002021-12-05T10:29:08.788+02:00Christmas tree alternativesI know everyone will slowly be gearing themselves up for the Christmas Season.For many years
when we were first married and our children were young, we had a traditional
live Christmas Tree - complete with real candles and lametta (German tinsel).
The number of long, boring years that the poor tree stayed in the same pot - I
used to feel sorry for it. When it finally caught the conifer fungus bugDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-8706069393875162292021-11-14T13:44:00.001+02:002021-11-14T13:44:16.862+02:00Repurposing glass jarsI confess - I can be OCD.
For instance, there are very few seeds which pass
through my kitchen without me having to "grow them on" - that has
resulted in approx. 70 lemon trees in our lemon orchard, numerous apples trees,
and most of my summer veg are all grown from something that originally passed
through my kitchen and whose seeds were saved from last summer for re-using
this summer.I have Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-70637105369979947322021-10-15T14:47:00.003+02:002021-10-15T15:03:18.520+02:00Easy peeling fresh hard boiled chicken eggsHas anyone else fund that trying to peel a freshly laid chicken egg which you have hard boiled results in the shell sticking to the egg white and ripping the egg white off as you try to peel it. I saw this hint somewhere and have just tried it - and as you can see, it works The hint? Steam the egg instead of boiling it.I placed a sieve which was suspended just touching boiling water in a pot. Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-35552398292348025722021-08-04T11:24:00.000+02:002021-08-04T11:24:21.344+02:00Learning something new at my ageI read somewhere recently that one can clear the glass of a wood burning stove with wood ash from the fire. So naturally, after one of our winter fires left the glass all "smoked" up recently, I had to try it.Dirty, smoked filled glassI took a small wad of loo paper (I don't buy or use paper towel in my home) dampened it and dipped it gently in the cold ash of the fire and then carefully Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-28369314564299671982021-07-28T15:22:00.000+02:002021-07-28T15:22:14.075+02:00Thank youThis is just to reach out to all of those who have contacted me since my last post - whether through comments on previous blog posts, or through personal e-mails.Firstly, thank you to you all - too many names to mention, but you know who you are. I was so very touched that you took the time and trouble to contact me. Bless you - you will never know what strength you sent my way - evenDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-11741689862259322692019-08-18T16:58:00.001+02:002019-10-20T17:23:34.605+02:00Ronald Peter Nieckau
Ronald Peter Nieckau
18/07/1953 - 17/08/2019
Rest in peace, my very, very dear Ronnie.
The horrific, last cruel four and a half
months should not have to be endured by anyone - least of all you - the bravest, gentlest and kindest person I know.
Your bravery, compassion for others, sense of absolute fairness, enjoyment of life, humour and oh, so gentle spirit Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-72743252872832326712018-01-29T13:48:00.001+02:002018-01-29T13:48:17.859+02:00LOAI will be taking a leave of absense from this blog. I have started another blog to help the residents of Cape Town who are about to hit Day Zero.
Day Zero is when the 5 dams which supply Cape Town hit a collective total of 13.5%.
It is the day when level 7 water restrictions take effect and when everyone within the Cape Town metropole is limited to 25 ltrs (+/- 6 gallons)&Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-11454296476439791292018-01-21T10:58:00.002+02:002018-01-21T10:58:59.352+02:00Let there be lightWe have tried various solar power lights for our front entrance steps and finally I have found something that actually works.
The builders left us a problem - an uneven top step designed to confuse anyone decending the stairs in the darkness
The tread of first step isn't equal to the rest, and this sometime throws off your "mindset" as you decend the steps. Add nighttime Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-5550484095654007862018-01-13T15:14:00.003+02:002018-01-13T17:26:10.410+02:00Emergency action
This is probably a boring subject to most of you, but the reality is that the drought in the Western Cape, and specifically Cape Town, may cause Cape Town to be the first ever metropolitan to run out of water. Ever.https://www.enca.com/south-africa/cape-town-day-zero-moved-forward-by-a-week
There are 5 dams which feed Cape Town:
Theewaterskloof Dam.
Wemmershoek Dam.
Steenbras Dams (Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-29474241845242225092018-01-06T12:31:00.003+02:002018-01-06T12:31:52.735+02:00Home made Olla potsHappy New Year everyone. Yup - I have been MIA but, unfortunately, family visiting and their requirements takes precedence.
Notwithstanding the extreme weather being experienced in the northern hemisphere, the Western Cape drought continues.
I defy anyone ot tell me that climate change is a figment of some scientists imagination...😈
The people of Cape Town are on level 6 water Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-25670718233357094002017-12-25T15:37:00.004+02:002017-12-25T15:37:59.966+02:00Merry, Merry and Happy, HappyMay the Reason for the Season abound in your homes.
Merry Christmas from our home to yours.
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-89628373860354975342017-12-16T15:42:00.004+02:002017-12-16T15:42:52.669+02:00DisturbingThey were found in on our windowsills, and on our floor, in just one day.
14 dead bees - what caused this to happen in only ONE day?
What is the cause?
It could be the drought.
It could be the chemicals sprayed by the farmers on the surrounding fields.
It could be the loss of habitat or the lack of crop diversity ( http://sos-bees.org/causes/ and http://sos-bees.org/wp-content/Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-33660586462576488462017-12-09T15:48:00.000+02:002017-12-09T15:48:40.414+02:00Canine accomodation
Stellar at 6 months old small enough to fit under my writing desk
So, with Stellar and Dusty now firmly members of the family (well, actually, they were from the moment we laid eyes on them) ...
Stellar at 1 year and Dusty at 6 months old. ne bed fitted in the spaceperfectly. Two - was one too many. Their beds block the entrance to the Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-3054489269356304002017-12-02T17:13:00.001+02:002017-12-02T17:13:58.593+02:00Harvesting and rooting
Youngberries at various stages of ripeness
I have started to harvest youngberries - and have discovered that I have competition.
Not the normal competiton - not the normal mousebirds, mice nor snails, but the four-legged kind of competition. Actually, (without jinxing it) in contradiction with last year, I haven't seen a single mousebird this year...?
Stellar searching for ripe Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-66793710197701876552017-11-25T15:05:00.001+02:002017-11-25T15:05:03.297+02:00Manna from......heaven.
On the 14th / 15th November the heavens finally opened and dropped some desperately needed manna from heaven on our smallholding.
How much water. in the dam? Nada. Zilch. Nothing.
January 2017 was dry. Dry. Dry. Dry.
The dam was so dry that even the bentonite "seal" cracked open
We were teased for a week beforehand as Norway promised rain.
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-30007453029008149882017-11-18T16:00:00.000+02:002017-11-18T16:00:04.686+02:00Candied
I love ginger.I especially love a bit of ginger with my meal (finely chopped raw ginger).
But, I also love candied ginger.
So, with some of the home grown ginger I've harvested I decided to make some of the latter.
First, I peeled the ginger - using a teaspoon makes that task easy.
Peel the ginger with a teaspoon
Then the peeled ginger was thinly sliced with the assistance of a mandolinDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-42851354631229187112017-11-11T12:20:00.001+02:002017-11-11T12:20:40.888+02:00Less waste, no landfillMy mission in 2018 is to become single use anything free. I passionately hate single use plastic - in all it's forms.
Back in September 2017 I posted this pic with the question "Does anyone know their purpose...?" Mum was the only one who came close with her comment: "Not a clue apart from wraps for sandwiches."
Cotton fabric and grated bees wax - sourced locally.
What is Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-52100369868179104292017-11-04T15:48:00.001+02:002017-11-04T16:05:54.190+02:00Feedburner issues?
I had noticed a while ago that I was getting a lot of e-mail followers with the email address ending in outlook.com The names of the people were strange also.
Then, Blogger stats were showing a surprising number of hits from Russia.
So, I removed the stranfge addresses and the option to follow by e-mail for a while. When I reinstalled the gadget, the problem remained.
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-452547607394632702017-10-12T11:05:00.000+02:002017-10-12T11:05:36.363+02:00WastedI was gifted a packet of biscuits by a visitor who came to an impromptu dinner gathering the other night.On opening the packet I discovered that it had not one, not two, but three layers of packaging.
Three layers of packaging:1 outer flimsy layer 2 middle firm(er) layer 3 inner flimsy layer
And we wonder why this planet is being overrun by refuse / plastic...! What a waste Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-6335587413968839132017-10-09T13:17:00.001+02:002017-10-09T13:19:43.261+02:00Pickled broad beans (fava beans)Broad beans are like zucchini - boy, do they proliferate...!
So I really tried to limit the number of broad bean plants that went into the ground this year. But, even with 6 plants, I had more than I could give away and more than RMan was willing to eat - to frequently. So, I went searching for some way to preserve them.
The umteenth harvest of broad beans
I had tried blanchingDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-22624053441133369372017-09-30T16:51:00.002+02:002017-09-30T17:23:41.389+02:00Safety firstAs you all know we live on a smallholding outside Swellendam, and our water is supplied by Overberg Water (OW) in Heidelberg to one distribution point near our valley on the N2. Between us and OW in Heidelberg are kilometers of main water pipe, which, without fail, during December / January of each year, is damaged by farmers ploughing their land.
When we moved to our smallholding at the end Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-56915634431056524662017-09-23T16:17:00.001+02:002017-09-23T18:43:12.189+02:00This - and thatDuring winter I miss the cruch and taste of fresh lettuce, tomatoes etc so I make a point of growing seed sprouts.
Seed selection for sprouting
Sprouts - day 4
They certainly fullfil the "fresh" requirement, and yet there is something missing. Perhaps it is the kiss of sunshine? The waft of a fresh breeze across them? The occasional nibble by a snail?
Beetroot micro Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-21265538338077852232017-09-16T08:59:00.001+02:002017-09-16T09:22:40.740+02:00Kitchen waste useI'm not perfect - and probably never will be. But, I'm trying every way I can to reduce my footprint. By that I mean the short and long term impact I make on this planet through the evidence that I leave behind - whether that is what I send to landfill, or what we do on our smallholding. I can control the use of chemicals we use - that is 100% non-negotiable to me. I will Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375887793985280500.post-83561728471408506242017-09-09T16:01:00.000+02:002017-09-10T08:04:49.162+02:00Not just honey...
We have all been aghast at the recent monsoons which have affected some many people in the east. And the horrific hurricanes currently pounding the Caribbean / USA.
So much (excess) water elsewhere, and our extreme drought is ongoing.
Are there still any climate change / global warming deniers out there...?
Thankfully, even though we are seeing higher than normal Spring Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04020970904311512357noreply@blogger.com6