Bees first, honey second...

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When this arrived I was excited - not because I keep bees - but because for once the focus was on the bees, not on what we can obtain directly from them in the form of their honey.

Photo source:
http://milkwood.net/2013/03/05/the-sun-hive -experiments-in-natural-beekeeping/

We all know where we would be without the bees...

Photo source:
http://milkwood.net/2013/03/05/the-sun-hive-experiments-in-natural- beekeeping/

... and to make a hive that is so beautiful...

Photo source:
http://milkwood.net/2013/03/05/the-sun-hive- experiments-in-natural-beekeeping/

... and so similar to a natural bee hive, is brilliant, I reckon :)

And I just love the fact that the hives are woven.  Naturally, they'd need to be protected somewhat from the damp, otherwise I could forsee their falling apart pretty quickly.

But - going more natural - in all things.  Perfect, I reckon :)

And all it took was some lateral thought LOL

Once bitten, twice shy...

We experienced a break in our water supply at the end of December, at the hottest time of the year.

The mains pipe, from Overberg Water, our water supplier, got damaged by a farmer's tractor, which resulted in our being without water for 5 l-o-n-g, h-o-t days.

So - extra rain water barrels were ordered with a dash of speed LOL

And RMan, and John, our local labourer, threw two slabs to house the tanks - one in the front, and one at the back side.

I wasn't sure about cutting it into the ground,
but it does make sense.  If ever the tank is
empty, the "walls" will prevent it blowing over.

The slab before the rainwater tank was installed

As the front tank is right at our entrance / patio, we sunk it into the ground slightly - to prevent it being "in your face" when you arrive.

On the right is the rain water tank connected
to our drainpipe.  The one on the left is
connected to our mains water supply.

We placed another one at the back of the house, next to an existing rain barrel.  However, this extra one is connected to our mains water...

The pump is dual purpose.  RMan has installed
it in such a way that it can pump the rainwater
up to a higher storage tank, or, at the flick of a
lever, it will supply fresh water to the house.

And RMan has installed a small 35lt / minute, 350 watt water pump so that if the water is ever cut off again, we don't have to schlep heavy black plastic boxes of water into the house in order to do the washing up / have a wash, etc.  We can now just pump it in and carry on with our lives as normal.  And the wattage of the pump is perfect for use with our solar system.

Our 5000 lt rainwater and freshwater storage
tanks - almost a pigeon pair LOL  What
you can't see is the pipe from the tap to
the top of the freshwater tank to create
the circulation"

Finally, clever RMan - the water pump is a "flooded" type of in-line pump, which means that it has to be filled with water in order to work, and not burn out.  RMan has linked another pipe directly from an outside tap to the top of the tank, so that when the pump is on, the tap will be turned on, and if no water is currently being used inside the house, water will be fed back to the tank via this open tap, thereby causing the required flooding / circulation, and not wasting a precious drop through just having a tap running for no reason.

The picture explains what RMan constructed

Now, I would never have thought of that!  My sole contribution to it all is...

My rainwater filter

... a rain water filter, which consists of a scrap piece of 80% shadecloth, which   has been inserted inside the lid, between the downpipe and the tank.  I wondered how effective it would be...

The proof is in the pudding, or should that be
the debris?

... as you can see, it had already caught loads of bird crud and debris which obviously collected in the gutters - and we haven't hit the rainy season yet.  That doesn't make it drinkable, but it certainly should help with the quality of water which we're storing.

Yipeeeeeeee!  We now have 20 000 ltrs of rain water, and 5 000 ltrs of fresh water - on call - for whenever we need it. 

Storage and working space

Time for another peek at the inside of our little farmhouse :)

When we originally started building on our farm, it was going to be a weekend place.  An escape from the rat race for a couple of days every so often.

Then the eco-friendly, self-sustainable bug hit me.  And RMan.  And the farm became a lifestyle choice.

So, my kitchen was planned to handle short visits.  With very limited storage.

This is what my kitchen storage
consisted of:
undercounter open shelves,
the island on wheels, and a
couple of wall mounted shelves.
Now who could store what in that?

I, therefore, had to make a plan.

And, in explaining my plan to RMan, I was assisted by this photo...

http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/08/
nice-office-out-of-wasted-space.html

Oh, doesn't that look nice!  It makes the orderly person inside me glow with delight.

In our situation it translates into...

Wasted space under the stairs, just crying out
to be used...

As you all know, we installed a staircase, to gain access to the upstairs bedrooms.  So, naturally, I'm using the space under the stairs as part of my bulk dry goods larder :)

Cramped, but better than nothing

It not as fancy as the first sample picture from 'homesteadsurvival' as we didn't have the floor space to have a long(er) staircase, and thus deeper understair cupboard (at a much sharper angle), but, well, we are on a farm.  And, with a bit of wood work, I think it's acceptable.

TaaDaa!  The staircase (with cupboard
area inside) as it looks today.
And our antique cupboard looks
perfect in front of it :)

I'm not complaining - at all :)

What a Whopper!

I obviously boasted too much last year about my tomatoes in the shadecloth veggie patch, and so this year I've been brought back to earth.  The mice, and whitefly, put paid to my tomato harvest this year with a resultant pretty poor harvest.  But there have been other rewards.

I tried to warn you with this pic...

Earlier this month I showed you a pic of an onion I had growing in my shadecloth veggie patch.  Well, the time came to harvest it.

I have never seen a 2.6kg onion before!

I was surprised - I thought my re-occurring tennis elbow (and I've never played tennis in my life) would prevent my "plucking" it from it's obviously beloved home in the earth, but it came out surprisingly easily.

Now, my greatest problem is going to be using all of it before the balance of it dries out / rots in my fridge.  Unfortunately, onion soup is not an option - it creates too much gas... LOL

Tyres in the background...

Then, you recall that RMan scored some used tyres when he went to auction a while back.  I had them ear marked for potatoes, so as soon as I had some which were sprouting, I shoved them in the tyres, covered them with soil, and made sure they got enough water - they were not on the irrigation system.  The flowers had all died, and on Monday this week I also harvested them.

This is what I uncovered...

Not the greatest harvest, but I'm chuffed none
the less :)  RMan couldn't believe it LOL

Bearing in mind that they were potatoes which were sprouting, and some of them were not "nice" - I reckon that's not a bad reward for a first effort.  Any potato growing tips will be greatly appreciated.

At least I'm getting to know now what does, and does not, grow here...  And how vital crop rotation is for controlling "undesirables"...

Really dumb...

Firstly, won't you join me in welcoming Orange Jeep Dad to our friendly circle.

OJD lives in Arizona, USA, and is the father of "6 beautiful girls"!  Very nice blog, OJD - hope you find that "ideal" job you're seeking really soon.

I always answer comments, OJD, but due to (solar) power restraints, and our differing time zones, it may not appear on the same day as you make them.  Hang in there, though... :)

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

Now, I'd like to share with you all an e-mail I received from a long time buddy, Labrat.

It is entitled "God and Grass" and records a conversation between God and St. Francis:

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is
going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

St.FRANCIS:It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing
there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow.
And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: 'Dumb and Dumber',  Lord. It's a story about....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

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

It is so simple, and makes perfect sense, doesn't it?  And it makes me wonder how much I really think I know...

Fruits of our labour

I thought I'd give all of those in the northern hemisphere, who are wishing their lives away and pining for Spring, a glimpse of what lies ahead in their (growing) year.

For the first time ever we have, literally, eaten the fruits of our labour.

They may have been sparsely situated on the different plants, but a small reward is better than none at all.  I like to think of it as a teaser of what lies in store.

It wasn't easy putting these strawberries into the
freezer, but the thought of making strawberry
jam with homegrown strawberries was just too
good to miss.  Jam, though, maybe next season.

Strawberries - I harvested roughly 40 - 60 - small ones.  Not enough to make jam with, so, apart from some that immediately went into a strawberry fool, I popped those that hadn't been eaten straight off the plant by MKid in December, into the freezer.  I was hoping to gather enough over the season to make the aforementioned jam, but, alas, t'was not to be.  Never mind, they'll be delicious whizzed up and added to a glass of bubbly when we're sitting in front of the fireplace in winter :)  It's a Bucks Fizz with a difference, and one I can highly recommend.

Also, we harvested about a dozen Youngberries.  No photo's of them - they went straight into RMan's mouth - his favourite ever berry,, and one which reminds him of (as his memory serves him) a youngberry drink from his childhood called "Himbo" (Himbeern) .  Next year, hopefully, the plants will be more established and will share more of their bounty.

But - what was the the rest of the fruit?

Without further ado, here is what we were privileged to harvest...

These were not the grapes of wrath LOL

Four bunches of grapes from our grape vines.  Thankfully the baboons which invaded our neighbours plot in January, didn't get a scent of these of they would've been gone in a flash...

I will never be able to explain how sweet
grapes are that have been allowed to
completely ripen on a homegrown vine,
and not harvested just that touch
too soon, in order to give them a
slightly longer shelf life in the fridge of
your local supermarket.

Pomegranates - we only have four specimens, but the taste of those juicy segments is again a tease of the future.  We can wait - we're not in a  rush :)

One of four pomegranates on our 9 trees

And finally, I can completely understand the temptation in the Garden of Eden.  This is the first time we have ever eaten an apple straight off the tree, and it is completely addictive.  Crisp, juicy and delicious.

In two years time, we'll have plums and apricots to add to our harvest.  So, I better ensure that they get all the TLC they need until then.

Waste not, want not

You remember I did a posting on using mayonnaise to try and eradicate a water mark on our coffee table which had been caused by an overflowing pot plant.

The water marks on our coffee table were still
very visible

Well, although the mayonnaise did help, it was still very visible.  But there was nothing else wrong with the table (apart from a couple of puppy teeth marks in one of the legs) so it seriously didn't need replacing.  All it needed was recycling a sort out.

So RMan purchased a cheap electric sander, and some lots of sand paper, and, after I had cut the all paper to size, he went to work one h-o-t afternoon.

Sandy work this...

It took about 3/4 hour to sand off the table.  Then it got wiped down with a vinegar rinsed cloth, allowed to dry, and then wiped with a very dry cloth to remove any fine particles of sanding that remained.

Sanding complete

RMan had experimented applying the sealer to a piece of wood.  First he brushed it on.  Nope - he didn't like the "streaky" appearance.  So he purchased a small cheap sponge roller.  That worked a treat :)

The wood sealer goes on with the small roller...

He did four layers of wood sealer in total - applying one vertically, allowing it to dry, applying it horizontally, allowing it to dry, and so on, and so on.

The finished product

RMan was so pleased with the finished product that he decided to do our scruffy old dining room table too.  He had sanded the table years ago, and had only finished it with a laxer of wax.  It didn't work.  The table had a terribly dirty, scruffy look, and a horrible "touch" to it, so that had to come off...

Before and after

Whilst sanding the dining room table the sandpaper kept getting clogged up with gunk, so RMan grabbed a wire brush and gently scraped off the build-up, thereby extending the life of the sandpaper - vital when you're running out of it LOL

Before sanding at the bottom, and after
at the top.  Note the wire brush to
clean off the sandpaper

RMan, unlike the builders, was even considerate enough to sand both the tables outside under our shadecloth awning.  Are we thankful for that awning - the heat would be unbearable otherwise.

Dusty work gets done outside RMan :)

Thankfully, there was a bit of a breeze so the fine dust was immediately dissipated.

The sealer application begins

So - what does the finished table look like?

Beautiful, RMan.  Well done

Want a close up?

Stunning, stunning, stunning!

We LOVE it!!!

By the way, the sander was very economical on our power supply...

370 watts - that's the total consumption of the
sander and the MNet decoder and TV on standby
- well within our power capacity :)

... 370 watts - and that included the MNet decoder and TV on standby.

RMan loves doing repairs / renovations like this.  He has a lot more patience than I do LOL  And, with results like that, he's welcome to make a mess (outside) any time he fancies :)

Gently, gently... (part 2)

Again, I start this post by saying I am not trying to offend anyone - these are merely my thoughts and ramblings.  And my feedback on the have / have not lifestyle we have adopted.

My deep pondering of last week has led to thoughts on how else this planet came to be the position that it now finds itself.

Between the extreme temperatures, droughts / fires last year in America, and in Australia this year, as well as the blizzard which Boston, USA experienced at the end of last week and which it has not experience with such severity since the 1970's, I don't think that there are many out there who will deny that something is definitely screwy with our weather.  Global warming?  Extreme weather cycles?  Who knows.  But something is out of kilter.

Whilst writing my previous post I caught myself thinking what on Earth are we, the inhabitants of Earth, doing?  And doing in the so-called name of technology.  In the name of inventiveness.  In the name of saving time and effort?  In the name of economics?  In the name of self-indulgence? 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of new inventions.  But those inventions which actually benefit mankind, not the ones which are basically just trendy gadgets with a limited lifespan and which take up huge resources in their manufacture.

Take China for example.  They have no qualms in "copying" an item which carries European / USA patents - guess the logistics of patenting something in China is over the top?!  But, why do they need to copy the item, if it is already available? Because they can make it cheaper?  And then flood the market with their "Made in China" goods, which seldom match the quality of the original?

But, could this not be the result of the chaos which exists today?  The seemingly worldwide trend of "I must have the latest"?

For with all our mod-cons, all our time saving devices, all our fashion trends - are we any better off?  Are we cleverer - or lazier?  Are we able to save time - and what are we saving it for?  We're not doing more than we used to.  Are we?

Image source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangle_(machine)

What we are doing is saying, because I have a machine which can perform the task I need done, I can sit back and relax - "it's tiring putting washing into a machine, then shoving it in a tumble dryer or hanging it up and taking it down, ironing (well, some of you may do so - I don't LOL) it before putting it away".  Our parents (I'm showing my age here LOL) didn't have our modern gadgets to make their day easier, but they didn't do a whole lot less than we are doing now.  They had to fill the machine with water, allow it it agitate before draining it, and refilling it with fresh water to rinse the clothes.  Then they put the clothes through a mangle to squeeze them, before hanging them up on the line to dry.  No tumble dryers. 

But, even with all these wonder machines, we don't sit back and relax.  Why?  What are we filling our lives with busy-ness for?

Fracking - draining the very last reserves out of
Mother Earth

And, apart from our excessive consumption and hysterical mass production, are we not also polluting the ground and waterways with our chemical use - be they for :

 ~ pest prevention and fertilizing of crops;
 ~ for household "cleaning";
 ~ additives to foodstuffs to "make them last longer / stay fresher";
 ~ extracting, at great depth, the very last that the earth has to offer us;
 ~ or even the factories which are expelling them into the very air and water which makes our planet inhabitable by not only us homo sapiens (who are basically just advanced forms of animals, and in some cases not so advanced either LOL) but also by all the creatures who co-exist alongside us - or try to.

And as for fashion trends - is that not something which has been invented by manufacturers / tailors / clothing chain stores in order to sell more of their goods.  Why on God's planet, should it be important to have the latest cell phone / wear the latest fashion every season / year? What is wrong with last years cell phone / clothing.  Or the year before that?  Has it become the "thing" because if you don't keep up to date, you're not a successful business person?  And ditto for having the newest model vehicle or the most up-to-date appliances in your home / office.  Does it all boil down to "what do / will people think of me"?  It's crazy!

Why and when did we adopt consumer driven lifestyles - and, judging from reactions visible on the TV on far too many nights - allow that to dictate our feelings of happiness?  I mean, queuing up overnight outside a store in order to secure a "must-have" book or the latest electronic gadget as it's made available.  I wonder if those people have ever considered the implications of the importance they are attaching to those items, which will be so readily discarded when the next model makes its' appearance.

When did we humans lose the ability to experience authentic happiness?  Happiness from our roots.  From the ground up?  Happiness that we feel within us on a daily basis?  And happiness which is due to something other than an item we've purchased which makes us "feel good"?  Was it when we sold ourselves to laud the growth of economics?  Are we guilty of encouraging economies to expand beyond our basic needs?  Or have the corporations instilled this "want" in us through their advertising campaigns or movies through their high-faluting set dressing?

The race to sell more / have more / earn more?  Has that caused the chaos, disgruntled "poor me" attitude which is prevalent in society today, and the disregard for the long term consequences of our thoughtless actions.

I am fortunate because RMan and I have been able to "step back".  In November this year we will have been married for 33 years.  And at this precise moment in time we own less electrical / electronic gadgets than we did on our wedding day.  The some total of our "must have" items are:

a TV and local pay-to-view transmitter - we very rarely ( once or twice year) eat out, and we never go to movies / theatre.
A fridge.
A washing machine - powered by the genny once or twice a week.
A couple of side lights.
A hairdryer which is briefly powered by the genny once or twice a week in winter.  Summer - the hair just drips dry LOL
A charger for our cell phones and a computer.
And RMan has a couple of vital handyman tools.

I certainly don't miss a microwave (a pot over boiling water does the job more than adequately), an electric kettle or toaster (our 2 plate caravan LPG stove performs both those functions), the hated iron, heaters, air conditioners, ceiling fans, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, tumble dryer, etc...  To be honest, the only "gadget" I do miss is a stand alone freezer - but our current solar set-up does not make provision for that 365 24-hours-a-day energy guzzler, and the contents of it will not understand a couple of overcast days ( = losing all power in the middle of the night when our battery storage falls too low).  Would be nice to freeze our excess garden produce though...

Simple non-electric kitchen implements -
they actually give me time - for myself :)

I revel in using my eco-friendly kitchen implements - a handheld beater / whisk, an egg timer which uses sand to tick by the seconds / minutes, a manual coffee plunger, a wooden orange / lemon squeezer, hand operated grinders, my ice trays which fit in the purpose designed section of my freezer, my precious solar oven and even my hand operated kitchen food processor, to name but a few - because they all actually give me more time!  And they reduce my use and demand of electricity.

My manual food processor - it works a treat :)

They give me time to dream, think, plan - to give of myself in order to create.

And these hand operated items are a damned sight easier to clean than similar modern time saving gadgets for which one sometimes almost needs a degree in order to dismantle.

Sure, those other appliances I could not run on our current limited solar power, but I don't miss them.  Not a single one on a single day.  And I wouldn't go back to "normal" in order to do so either.  I love the simplicity of our lifestyle, and can't comprehend why it took us so long to adopt it / revert back.  I feel somehow free-er.  Does that make sense? :)

A home grown salad - there is nothing to beat the taste

Similarly growing our own vegetables gives both Rman and I the assurance that what we are eating does not contain anything other than the water it took to encourage them to grow.  Even if they have a nibble out here, and a munch out there...  Becoming more and more self-sufficient can only make us wiser, more contented people.  However that self-sufficiency has a limitation for we both have a problem with killing animals - even if they are reared for consumption.  We're too soft LOL

Local knowledge is priceless, and ancient local knowledge even more so.  As the San people today keep their heritage alive through their story telling whilst living by choice in their harsh desert environment, so, too, should we be aware that future generations will be lost without our safeguarding the knowledge of their roots, their beginnings and their indebtedness to this planet.  Do we take the time to remember and to consider how to preserve all that knowledge in our hurly-burly days? 

We need to be aware of the consequences - our eco-footprint - which we are leaving behind for future generations to handle.  And we need to relearn how to treat ourselves, and our Earthly Home, in a gentler way.

After all, what is the rush?