"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Wednesday 12 June 2013

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 :)  
Posted by Dani at 11:30:00

12 comments:

  1. Unknown12 June 2013 at 13:08

    Great post Dani! Do you have any information for people interested in buying one of your Sun Cook Solar Ovens?

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    Replies
    1. Dani12 June 2013 at 15:42

      Thanks Tanya.

      Unforuntately, I am only authorised to sell solar ovens in Southern Africa. For people elsewhere in the world I suggest they go to http://www.sunok.eu/Welcome/how to find their nearest stockist.

      My "Introduction to solar cooking" is free to download from either

      http://www.scribd.com/doc/64154482/Introduction-to-Solar-Cooking
      or
      http://www.ecofootprint.co.za/Introduction%20to%20solar%20cooking.pdf

      That will give them information on it's use.

      Delete
    2. Unknown12 June 2013 at 16:33

      What about for people in SA? I'd like to recommend one for my mother-in-law :)

      Delete
    3. Dani13 June 2013 at 12:30

      Tanya - I'll drop you an e-mail with the info.

      Delete
  2. Ben Hardy12 June 2013 at 14:57

    This was a really interesting post - thank you. Living in a large city, I envy you the ability to lose the 'white noise'. And what a beautiful place to live.

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    1. Dani12 June 2013 at 15:43

      Ben - Thank you - for visiting and for taking the time to comment.

      Yes - the lack of white noise is a major plus, and one we didn't even consider when we purchased the property :)

      Delete
  3. Unknown12 June 2013 at 23:29

    Thank you for sharing your story, its inspiring to see what you have achieved. We thought about solar for our new property, but my husband is a welder by trade and we would have had a generator running every time he wanted to weld, or use his wood lathe and bandsaw. We also want to have a cool room for home kills, and weren't sure about running our large freezers either. Its good to see that you made it work for you. We have a woodstove too and love cooking with it. The solar oven really interests me, I think we will get one eventually, we certainly have the sun for it here in Queensland!

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    Replies
    1. Dani13 June 2013 at 12:29

      Liz - Thanks for taking the time to read it :)

      Yeah, can see that welding could put a (huge) spoke in the solar power wheel LOL Queensland - perfect for solar cooking - go for it :)

      Delete
  4. Lindsey at NW Backyard Veggies12 June 2013 at 23:45

    Okay you've now totally inspired me to get going on the solar dehydrator I've been wanting to build for, hmmmm, 3 years now? Yeah. And then on the heels of that, I feel a solar oven is in my future...

    I love new projects.

    Great post, lady! Your land is beautiful!

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    1. Dani13 June 2013 at 12:32

      Lidsey - Thanks :)

      Me, too - I have the plans, but not the woodworking skills - so need RMan to do the groundwork. Whenever the urge hits him...

      ... I could wait a while... LOL

      Delete
  5. elaine 14 June 2013 at 13:59

    I found this post fascinating - I have heard of living off-grid but didn't realise just what was involved. The solar oven sounds wonderful. I admire your dedication to what you are trying to achieve.

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    1. Dani14 June 2013 at 14:36

      Elaine - Welcome. And thank youo for taking the time to leave a comment.

      It's not that difficult to live off grid - it takes some give and take, but once one is accustomed to it, live carries on as normal :)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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