What's in a name?

We (well, mainly I) have been throwing around various names for our smallholding.  Something friendlier than 'Plot XYZ'.

Amongst them have been 'Fiddlewood Farm", in honour of the five magnificent (well they will be once they've grown a bit) Fiddlewood trees we have planted.

But, RMan obviously wasn't convinced.

The mosaic plot numbers I made earlier this year.
Unobtrusive, but serving their purpose :)

One perfect balmy evening at the end of March, he was sitting daydreaming on the verandah  - beer in hand - when, suddenly, he said, "I've got it".

"Got what"?, I asked in exasperation.  RMan often does that - thinks of something, and shares a bit of inconsequential info on his thought process.  Which causes me to question (and sometimes cross-question) him in order to extract the course of his mental wanderings, so that I can become part of the conversation.

"I've got the name for the farm", he replied, " Wind Hoek  " (Windy Corner)! (honestly, there was an exclamation at the end of his pronouncement.)

How did he come to that name?

Well, his favourite tipple is Windhoek Lager...

There is always a breeze of some sort on
our farm - thank goodness,
for I don't do ironing! LOL

...and our farm is situated in a place where there is always a breeze of some sort blowing.

Very apt, RMan.  I think it could be a keeper!  :)

Our smallholding is situated in the foothills
of the Langeberg Mountains

Or so I thought.  But every time I asked if I can go ahead with the name, I got a non-committal response.  There was no finalisation.

So, then, I suggested "Foothills Farm" - because of our location in the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains.

I got a "Hmmmm" as a response.

Ten days ago, RMan suddenly turned to me and said, "I've changed my mind.  Not Foothills Farm...

You remember the two gabions which RMan scored
at the auction ages ago, and which thought they
had been forgotten and have been gathering
dust...

... but, in keeping with our ethos here, I think we should call it 'Foothills Organic' - it's more appropriate".

I used old builders scaffolding planks as a
backing, and old broken old tiles for the
mosaics.  There was even some left over tile
grout from the tiling of our bathroom(s). The
gabions, which RMan scored at the auction,
have been put to use at last - filled with a
small portion of the stone which abounds
on this property, we now have an entrance
"pillar"  with the other one yet to be filled LOL

I can live with that :)

So - scratching through the box of old tiles I had schlepped from our town house (I honestly did try and declutter, I did, I did - but maybe now you understand why we moved with 105 boxes of various sizes,), I found the wherewithal to make a mosaic of our chosen farm name to add to the entrance gate which RMan and John installed a few months ago.

RMan installed the name on Wednesday, and we had a naming ceremony, complete with respective favourite tipples...

It is the first time that we have ever named the place
we are living.

Finally, for this post, we have been here exactly one year today - how the time has flown.  Just for info here is a peek at our electricity consumption for this entire period:

1290.3 KwH in exactly one year

We have produced / consumed 1290.3 KwH in a year - that would've cost us ZAR1845.00 in our town house.  If we had not moved to our smallholding and gone off grid, we would've probably continued "recklessly" using electricity in our town house at an average of 550 KwH / month, which would've given us a total consumption on 6600 KwH for the year at a cost of ZAR9438.00 at the current cost rate for the same period of time.

A saving of ZAR9438.00 against the outlay cost of going off grid is more than 15% of the cost of our total solar system.  At this rate our system will have paid for itself within 5 years :)

A sneak teaser for a post next week - I have some stupendously exciting news to share - but give me a little time... :)

Thought for Thursday

I received the following in an e-mail, and it struck a chord.  So I wanted to share with those who may not have seen it.

It's a simple message of how we have strayed from our path, and added enough unnecessary complications to make our lives sometimes seem like a burden instead of a time of gratitude and pleasure.

A thought provoking sunset.
It's the simple things in life which honestly give us
the most pleasure.  Why do we have to complicate
everything to "improve it"?

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long
ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing, regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

Welcome and Exciting news for Off-gridders

Firstly, welcome to Staci of Life at Cobble Hill Farm.

Staci's "About" info goes as follows:

"I'm Staci and together with my husband Jay we have a backyard micro-farm in upstate New York just south of the Adirondacks. I started this blog in 2009 as a way to document our experiences {read as successes and failures}and serve as a reference point for others interested in a similar homemade type of lifestyle.We dream of, and are working toward, a long-term goal of a larger "someday" farm.    We are currently "farming" on less than an acre, remodeling our 146 year old farmhouse, crafting things by hand, budgeting to stretch each dollar, making homemade alternatives to products we'd typically purchase, caring for our crazy menagerie of critters learning about sustainable living by producing as much of our own food as possible in the garden as well as preserving the bounty, and settling into a simple, homemade life.   All of this on a bit of a tight budget.

I am mama to 2 spoiled French Bulldog "farmdogs", as well as a cat who thinks he's a dog, a princess kitty, and a flock of 16 chickens."

She did an amazing guest posting at Lovely Greens on building a chicken coop - which I've saved to show RMan - when he lets the red tractor rest a while and he finds the DIY mojo again - if he finds the DIY mojo again...

Staci - thanks for hitting the followers  button - I always reply to comments, but sometimes it make take a while whilst I wait on the batteries being charged by the sun...

----------------

Now for the really big , exciting news...

Credit:Maryland NanoCenter

... batteries made from wood.

The full story is here and here.

Anything that helps reduce the costs, performs as well, or better, and which will assist those of us off-grid is brilliant news :)

Dam fun - part 2

It's so funny - blogs from America are all saying it's the 1st day of summer - where we are from it's called mid-winters day :)  The shortest day, and the longest night, means that now we are on track towards our next growing season in 2½- 3 months time...

You recall from Dam fun - part 1 that we lined the dam with bentonite in order to help retain water.  Well, over the past month we have had roughly 35mm of rain - not all in one shower, but spread over a couple of weeks.  We wondered whether the dam would be able to fill with such small amounts of water.  Thankfully, the last downfall of 25mm created sufficient to swirl the bentonite about.

25mm of rain helped

This is the state of our dam two weeks after the last rain - not full, but not empty either :)

Can you see how the water cut into
the gound - turning the bentonite
to a white swollen mass

But, do you remember the rugby posts which RMan installed in the middle of the dam?

Our local sawmill - with a stockpile of tree trunk
offcuts - the outer curved wood of the trunk,
which is no good for construction, and is just
lying there - rotting.  Being able to find a use
for this waste wood - even if it's riddled with
wood worm excavation - gladdened my heart.
 A dose of used gearbox oil will hopefully sort
out any remaining woodworm.

To complete his project we (and the every helpful trailer) made a trip to the local sawmill to relieve them of some of their tree trunk offcuts...

They very kindly planed the offcuts flat for us

... which they thoughtfully planed flat.  When they were installed, they resulted in this culmination of RMan's vision.

We have a jetty :)

A jetty :)

No, I doubt we'll be tying any type of craft to it, but it will allow us to view any water creatures who take up home in our dam (we've spotted terrapins in another dam close by) and may even assist birds to spot their next froggy meal...

A perfect size to sit on in summer and watch
the sunset whilst sipping our preferred liquid
refresment

... and will also provide the perfect spot to watch sunsets from :)  It should also help, however slightly, to prevent evapouration by casting some much needed shade on the water in summer.

And I have a feeling that MKid is going to love this jetty.  Clever RMan :)  

Thought for Thursday 2

Here are some more wise words from TUT:

"Sometimes, Dani, when circumstances or disappointments bump you off track, it's the beginning of an even bigger dream coming true, that could not have come true on the track you were on."

It's good to have a reminder that "our" way / needs / desires aren't necessarily what our path forward in life is all about.  So much today involves instant gratification.  We don't know everything, and we certainly can't totally control what will, or will not, happen in our lives - we can help - but we can't dictate.  I sometimes battle with the time frame, but do trust the good Lord to steer me in the direction he wants me to go, even though, often, I can't see the fire for the smoke.

Without the (subject) pun, my Dover stove / Nordica Rosa episode is a prime example of that - I was so disappointed (and truthfully, panicky for how were we going to keep warm in winter) that the Dover didn't work for us, but something better was in store, and all it took was patience :)  The same applied to our long drawn out town house sale - it took forever, but boy, it was worth waiting for, because it made our dream of relocating to our smallholding and living off-grid finally came true.

Trini Lopez sang in the 60's:
"Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemon flower
is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat"
- unless you make lemonade LOL

So, the (albeit late) conclusion I have come to is that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, while you wait for the rest of the harvest to come in :)

Man and Earth

http://stevecutts.com/pages/animation.html

Now, after watching this can we honestly state that man is the superior being whose presence on Earth has been of benefit to the planet and it's other inhabitants?

RMan's heart...

... is now also beating a little faster LOL

Chug, chug, chug - but it got the basic job of
cutting the grass done :)
But the renosterbos - not so good...

You recall he purchased a second hand ride-on lawn mower - specifically to try and control the tall undergrowth and renosterbos on our smallholding.  Removing any places where cobra's, puff adders and horned adders (to name the worst of the bunch) could hide was a priority - not only for us, but especially for our grandson and the dogs.  Hmmmm, we discovered that once we had removed the renosterbos manually (a tedious, arm and back-breaking job) it was fine for the grass that was left, but we discovered that the renosterbos is just too much for this little mower.  Far,far too tough.

So, we decided to try and find a cheap second hand tractor - that, together with a slasher attachment, should do the job :)

Gumtree to the rescue :) 

We found a Vaaljapie tractor in Port Elizabeth, 580 kms away.  No way we could collect it - our trailer wasn't big enough, nor was it strong enough, even though he is in the business of selling second hand vehicles, the agent "couldn't" find a truck that would schlep it across the two provinces to us.

So, back to Gumtree...

...there was another one in our price range - a Fiat 470DT tractor, and it came with a slasher!!.  This time the seller was located in Worcester - roughly 140kms away - and although it took the seller (another 2nd hand vehicle saleman) 22 days to "find" a trailer, and get it into the working order that the ad stated, it did eventually arrive.

Can you see what is driving up our driveway...?

A tense three weeks, where we feared that we had been ripped off, as the salesman had every excuse under the sun why it wasn't ready, and why he couldn't deliver what had been paid for in full.

Yesterday at 4.42p.m. we spotted the transport vehicle driving down our sand road. 

A red Fiat 470D tractor complete with slasher
attachment

To see that it was carrying a tractor - what a relief.  And it wasn't any tractor, it is a red Fiat tactor.  (S'funny - we have always had a red vehicle or some sort or the other LOL)

Once the tractor was offloaded RMan couldn't wait.  Even though the sun was setting he leapt onto the first tractor he has ever driven.

He couldn't wait - seriously, he couldn't

After a few tentative moves he decided to get to work...

The test drive turned into a mowing session until
the light faded

It works perfectly :)  I know not to stand anywhere near the slasher attachment, but Mandy - she just wanted to chase this foreign vehicle.

Just enough daylight left to inspect his new toy

When it got too dark to see what he was doing, RMan couldn't help himself - he started inspecting his latest toy...

Not even the slasher escaped inspection

... even to the point of checking out the slasher.  Having heard on the weather forecast that rain was expected - what to do with the new "baby"?!?

it even has working lights - not the brightest -
but at least they work :)

That's when RMan discovered that the tractor has lights - two in the front, and one at the back...

Is RMan ever coming inside - 10oC outside
and he's still bombing around... :)

Naturally, that meant a whole new trip round the property LOL

RMan finally has his toy.  He can't stop smiling :)

(Now, hopefully, he'll leave my toy, Rosie, alone.)

Happy days - now we can get shot of all that renosterbos (rhino bush) and create a good firebreak round the perimeter of the property.  And, after borrowing a plough, we'll be able to plant up the plot - we've got lots to grow... :)

(RMan went to bed with the biggest smile on his face last night...)

Welcome and G'day

Welcome to my newest follower, Fran.  Fran is from the UK - various places as a boat (ketch) is involved... :)

Fran, I see you have one blog which is no longer active, and the other http://timzim.blogspot.com/ where the entries are posted by Tim Zim.  Not too sure of the connection, but you have it as a link, so I'm using that :)

Secondly, welcome to John and Jean from Williams River Valley, in New South Wales, Australia.  Their blog Homehill Farm can be found here.

Their blog profile reads:

"We live on a small acreage. What soil is present is not great but over the years we have established an orchard and vegetable gardens. What is great are the views over our valley. Apart from growing almost all our fruits and vegetables we also make wine, cheese and many other things. We love food and the process of getting it to the table but we also realise that life requires an holistic approach. An holistic view includes paying attention to our impact on the environment, our health and wellbeing. Frugal living does not accurately describe our life as it conjures up images of misery and meanness. We enjoy the best of food, wine and entertainment with a wonderful collection of animals and some people. We're not spenders: we recycle, reuse, glean, build and save. Our lives are about having fun without negatively impacting on the world. The European peasant lifestyle of working hard and eating well, with our addition of fun and laughter, is a closer image."

I see you two make your own wine - hmmmm, wish you lived closer :)

And lastly, welcome to Elaine.  Elaine - apologies, but I can't see if you have a blog and I don't know where in the world you are :)

Fran, Elaine and John & Jean, thanks for hitting the followers button.  Our solar power (or lack thereof) dictates my response time to comments, but I always reply.  If I'm delayed, please be patient... :)

Guest posting on Lovely Greens

Tanya, from Lovely Greens, approached me to do my first ever guest post on her series of DIY Homesteading.  Tanya is an amazing lady who puts me to shame with what she accomplishes in a day.  From tending her allotment, to beekeeping and making and selling soap, to name but a few, she is always busy.  Browse through her blog - she is a really interesting person who lives on an amazing and tiny island, the Isle of Mann, which is situated in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland.

She tasked me with sharing information on our solar power setup - both the off-grid power and my SunCook solar oven.  I am passionate about my solar oven - it is so easy to use and releases me from the tedium of being tied to a stove watching a pot boil, whilst also reducing the outflow of fithly lucre from our wallet / purse on unnecessary LPG.

Please - head over to Tanya's blog and read my post - if you'd like to leave a comment, please return and comment here - Tanya has disabled comments on the guest post in order for comments to be left on the blog of origin.

If there are any questions - please, ask away.  If I'm able to help, I'll be more than to share whatever information I can.  Our systems has been signed off by a qualified electrician, according to the laws of this country, but, please, bear in mind that we am not experts - and thus, if you're thinking of going off grid, please consult someone in the know :)  

The veggie patch in my kitchen LOL

I found Crystal Cun, FRESH the Movie blog and on it there was this information re: storing fresh produce.  Some of the idea's are excellent, so I thought I'd share them with you.


How to Store Produce Without Plastic

• Asparagus—Place the upright stalks loosely in an glass or bowl with water at room temperature. Will keep for a week outside the fridge.
• Basil—Difficult to store well. Basil does not like to be cold or wet. The best method here is an airtight container/jar loosely packed with a small damp piece of paper inside, left out on a cool counter.
• Beets—Cut the tops off to keep beets firm, and be sure to keep the greens! Leaving any top on root vegetables draws moisture from the root, making them loose flavor and firmness. Beets should be washed and kept in an open container with a wet towel on top.
• Beet greens—Place in an airtight container with a little moisture from a damp cloth.
• Berries—Don’t forget, they’re fragile. When storing, stack them in a single layer, if possible, in a paper bag. Wash right before you plan on eating them.
• Carrots—Cut the tops off to keep them fresh longer. Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days if they’re stored that long.
• Corn—Leave unhusked in an open container if you must, but corn really is best the day it’s picked.
• Greens—Remove any bands, twist ties, etc. Most greens must be kept in an air‐tight container with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out. Kale, collard greens, and chard do well in a cup of water on the counter or fridge.
• Melons—Keep uncut in a cool dry place, out of the sun for up to a couple weeks. Cut melons should be in the fridge; preferable in a closed container so that it doesn't taint (and turn) your milk.
• Peaches (and most stone fruit)—Refrigerate only when fully ripe. Firm fruit will ripen on the counter.
• Rhubarb—Wrap in a damp towel and place in an open container in the refrigerator.
• Strawberries—Don’t like to be wet. Do best in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. Check the bag for moisture every other day.
• Sweet Peppers—Only wash them right before you plan on eating them as wetness decreases storage time. Store in a cool room to use in a couple of days, place in the crisper if longer storage is needed.
• Tomatoes—Never refrigerate. Depending on ripeness, tomatoes can stay for up to two weeks on the counter. To hasten ripeness, place in a paper bag with an apple.
• Zucchini—Does fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut. Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.

I know about storing potatoes and carrots in a container filled with sand, too.  But, does anyone have any other hints and tips for making space in order to be able to chill RMan's liquid refreshment in my fridge? :)

And - following the posting I did here, and the comments that have inspired me, dontcha love the veggies growing in my kitchen?

Carrots, turnips and onions -
can you see the roots growing from the
carrot on the left and the onion on the
right?

RMan said if he'd known about this when he was a tiny tot and had his train set, he would've used these as trees instead of the fake things popular back then :)

Who would've thought that leaves
would grow from the end of
vegetables...

Sawubona

Sawubona to Keren, from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Keren, I know Zulu is probably not your home language, and your blog is in English not Afrikaans, so in keeping with my penchant of greeting newcomers to my blog in the language of their area, I chose to welcome you in Zulu :)

Kenen's description of herself is as follows:

"I live on a farm in a remote area of South Africa in Northern Natal.  Surrounded by nature, the natural bush, amazing bird life, my wonderful family (hubby and the most gorgeous little girl), our pets (horses, dogs and a cat!).  I am basically a farm girl, bush kid (if you will) and have a love of homegrown, home-cooked, home-made produce. Anything natural and organic really.

I grow my own herbs and vegetables in a lovely rambling vegggie garden.  I make my own compost, and also have a worm farm.  I try not to use chemicals of any kind. We try to be as self sufficient out here as possible.  We utilize the sun's energy for our geysers and our grey water for the garden.  My garden is strictly indigenous with beautiful plants from South Africa."

Keren blogs about natural ideas and concepts for a greener lifestyle, living a healthy lifestyle with as little impact on the environment as possible. Her blogs can be found here at  http://fabulous-farmliving.blogspot.com and here http://fabulous-food-recipes.blogspot.com

In addition, Keren's husband, Clive appears to be a gifted carpenter - and a sample of some of his works can be found here.

Keren, welcome.  I always reply to comments, but sometimes the lack of sun means the power available in our solar charged batteries must be restricted to keeping our fridge going, and therefore blogging has to wait until the batteries are charged again :)

Hairy, but not scary...

... I think - LOL (who am I kidding?)

I always giggle when RMan shows his feminine side, especially when that means he rushes round like a chicken with no head.

I know exactly what it means when he does so - well, he does give me extra clues, such as "Oh, no, not another one..." and "Oh, Dani, we've got another rain visitor.  What can I use to trap it?"  S'funny he always asks me exactly the same question, and always gets handed exactly the same things...

...a container and one of my thin flexible chopping mats.

That reaction can only mean one thing.

A rain spider.

This is what RMan came across the other night
when he went into the bedroom to get a jersey -
shown here to give you an indication of it's size -
that is RMan's track suit top below on the
clothes valet.

They are about the size of the palm of my hand.  And hairy-ish.

And they seem to prefer making their presence known once it is dark outside.

Thankfully, this one decided to take a rest break on a background which made it clearly visible.  They're not always that thoughtful.

 Palystes - looks nasty doesn't it

RMan quickly and carefully traps the spider beneath the container, and then slowly and carefully slides the flexible chopping mat beneath.

Caught in the glare of my flash - the Palystes
in all it's glory

Holding that "parcel" carefully, and well away from his body, and with me being an excellent helper (who has given directions from a safe distance) and who opens the outside door for him well before it is required, he toddles outside, and, bracing himself, hurls everything - the spider, container and flexible mat as far as he can, before scampering inside again.

Naturally, the container and mat are only retrieved the following day when we can see that there is nothing clinging to the inside...

No, the bite of the rain / huntsman spider is not deadly, but it can cause a reaction in some, so better safe than sorry :)

"dobro došli" (pronounced dough-bro-DOUGH-shlee)

Dobro došli (welcome) to my newest follower Leanan, from Croatia

This is what Leanan has to say on her blog, Lost between the weeds:

She is from Zaprešić, Zagrebačka županija, Croatia

Ever since a stork dropped me down the chimney(and missed) I enjoyed gardening and crafting. Started working in my garden when I was a few months old (chewing roots and plants) and continued with it for 20 years. I love flowers,vegetables,trees and fruits. When I don't "play" with plants I lose my time playing games :)

Leanan, thanks for hitting the followers button - I always reply to comments - but sometimes the weather delays that action through not charging our batteries quick enough :) 

Little thing...

I took the dogs for their evening constitutional the other day, before the latest cold snap.

Whenever we walk here we always do it with our eyes wide open - on the lookout for snakes.  But this time I spotted someting else on the driveway.  And I immediately reacted.

"RMaaaaaaaaaaaan.  Heeeeeeeeeelp" I screamed.

And simultaneously, "Mandy / Scallywag, heeeeeeeeeeeeel".  Mandy doesn't listen though.  So RMan was indeed urgently needed.

Thankfully, he came running, and whilst I held the dogs back, he rescued the poor little thing I had found and which was being eaten alive by the ants.

Lepus Capensis leveret - or baby hare

A baby Lepus Capensis hare - a "leveret".  Just the cutest little creature I've seen in a long time.

Warm, protective hands

 RMan had an immediate memory jolt - he kept rabbits when he was a tiny tot.

Just too cute

Once he had cleaned off the biting ants - and the poor little thing was literally crawling with them - we tried giving it some water, and then some very watery milk.  Not interested.

Weak - but still very active

Even though it was breathing fast and in a very weakened state, it still tried to jump out of RMan's gentle hands.  Thanfully, he caught it in time.

I immediately Googled hares in the Western Cape and discovered that the mother leaves them during the day in shallow hollows or "forms"- normally covered by brush.  This one obviously didn't listen, and went walk about...

Snug in a box whilst we Google how to help it

Whilst I was Googling, RMan found a shoe box, and giving the leveret some grass clippings and a bit of a lettuce leaf (neither of which it touched), he placed it in the warmth and security of the footwell of my car.

I was worried about the little thing - it was so young, and I knew it would need it's mother, and it's mother's milk.  So, as it was getting dark and chilly, I managed to convince RMan to replace the baby hare where he had found it - making sure it was in as ant free an area as possible.  We hoped that the mother would find it again.

Sadly, she didn't - and the little thing didn't make it through the night.  Such a pity - it was such a sweet little thing.

And, I am always amazed at how strong, rough male hands can, in the wink of an eye, become such tender, caring appendages :)

Rosie days

I have been severely restricted with my blogging this weekend due to 4 cold fronts which passed over us and which effected our solar power generation.  Solar power battery storage is first, and foremost, for the fridge, then charging cell phones, then the lights, and then, lastly, TV / blogging.

Click on the pic to enlarge to see the white topped
mountains

I have to share the beauty that the cold left behind...

The view from our bedroom - having our first cup of
rooibos tea or coffee, whilst lying in bed, with
Rosie lit in the kitchen - heaven. We are blessed.

My Nordica Rosa has been named - Rosie :)  Well, it's only fitting to name a very good friend.  Why is she such a good friend - well, the resulting cold and snow has meant that Rosie has been lit from 7.30a.m. in the morning, until we go to bed at 9.30 - 10p.m. giving us a perfectly toasty house to pad around in, whilst gale force winds, a small (17mm) amount of rain, and snow fell without.

What a treasure she is turning out to be... :)

Now, can anyone help me with RMan?  He is permanently hovering over the stove - checking that it has enough wood or that the draught vent isn't too open, or too closed.  Not easy to cook under those circumstances, and he's driving me crazy.

Reckon he needs a toy too - but, you'll have to wait a bit longer for info on that... :)