We finally invested in Solar Panels but what a Pain

We finally made the move to install solar panels hoping that it would be a simple process which didn't require us to spend days/weeks becoming familiar with the technology in order to make a decision.

Well it turned out to be a long drawn out saga and we did in fact have to learn all the details about solar panels and their installation.

Thinking it would be easy we selected three suppliers for quotations. We chose the three big electricity companies thinking that they would know what to do and be reputable. But not so. Only two responded. Neither was willing to attend the site without payment to perform the pricing. It was all done over the telephone. One supplier did this from a call centre in India. The other did it within the country but didn't respond to any follow up questions. They also turned out to have the poorest record of service with only 63% of customers NOT experiencing problems.

We then broadened the search criteria and invited another half a dozen or more companies to tender including a local electrician who came recommended. Three of these visited. As quotes came to hand we became further immersed in detail and potential issues. Rural installations have more limitations than suburban installations.

We found companies quoted on all manner of possible systems. And offerings were based on either our usage or the largest permissible system. Only three companies were concerned with the limitations of cable length and voltage rise which dictated the size of the final system. Most companies left it up to us to organise the new meter installation.

Some companies said we needed angling brackets others said we didn't. Some said 3KW was all we needed and said 5KW. As a general rule almost no one was concerned with optimisation.

We read all about panels and inverters and at least knew which were the best and most reliable brands.

The local electrician who visited spent 2 hours with us measuring and answering questions. He only dealt with the best quality materials. Over the ensuing couple of weeks we saw he and his crew in action on another site repairing water damaged pumping equipment and were impressed. Mentally we had chosen him and were hoping his pricing wouldn't be over the top.

His final proposed system was 3KW. Limited by the rather high voltage we have on this site. The pricing by our electrician was 10% below the nearest contender. He also included surge protection because of the voltage. And to assist us in measuring both our usage and our generation a pair of wireless monitors are included along with access to an web based analysis tool.

After many weeks of research, talking and comparing we were lucky enough to be hit by a rainbow. A local supplier/installer, prepared to visit, talk and build a relationship, be a one stop shop, came with a personal recommendation, demonstrated skills, designed a system for this site and nailed the whole deal home with an attractive quote.

Preparedness Tested Part 3

Water.

If you don't have easy access to water:

•  it is impossible to flush the toilet. And it isn't much easier using buckets.
• When your face is covered with sawdust from hours of chainsaw work (even with protective gear) you want to wash it off
• Chain sawing is thirsty work you need to drink a lot to keep functioning for the long term.
• At night you are crusty, wet and tired and desperately need a hot shower.

The house pressure system is the first appliance we connect to the generator.

Power

We have had our 7.5 KW generator for over 20 years. It has paid for itself many times over both in making blackouts comfortable and also in saving the contents of refrigerators and freezers. Apart from major storm damage even short period blackouts are annoying as they seem to happen just on dusk.

Not everyone can justify owning a model this large but even a small unit can provide some essential services.

Fuel

We keep 8 x 20 litre drums of fuel for our various engines. Petrol is 20 kilometres away if the road isn't blocked. Complacency lead us to only have just under three drums remaining full. Luck was with us and we were able to survive easily for 3 days without external power.

We now refill any empty containers as soon as possible. It is also a lot easier to carry two containers in the car rather than 6 or 8.

Fuel also means the accruements i.e.Chain and bar oil, 2 stroke oil and engine oil.

Telephone

Most people have replaced their Telstra issued handset with a cordless multi handset model. These require electricity to function. We couldn't contact some of our neighbours because they didn't have the old handset. We keep both connected. The batteries at the exchange kept the service functioning for about 30 hours.

Lighting

When Aldi had a special on LED wand torches we bought several. They are incredible. The battery life on LED is many hours and reading by them is like reading in daylight. Having them distributed in key locations for quick access. They come with a folding hook for hanging and a magnetic plate to stick on the refrigerator in the kitchen for night meal preparation. We also keep a standard lamp with two led globes for general night lighting.

Cooking

When we renovated the kitchen more than 10 years ago we opted for a gas stove. But if you have a BBQ it works also. Just make sure you always keep a spare gas bottle.

Our coffee is made with a small espresso machine from freshly ground beans. Well made coffee makes a good start to the day. As a backup we keep a small amount of ground coffee frozen and also we have kept our old plunger and a stove top infuser as backup. Luckily we had plenty of milk on hand. These small things just make life a little more normal and pleasant.

Heating

A fireplace or slow combustion heater can't be beaten.

Maintenance

Our bitumen driveway has a badly damaged section which needs major rework. The cause was a blocked drain. The drain was blocked because we had become lazy and didn't complete our annual clean up of this vital drain.

Emergency Exit

It just so happens we are in the process of replacing our aging front boundary fence. The new addition will be another gate into the neighbours property for yet another exit.

Summary

Overall we survived very well. Ran a little low on fuel and couldn't run away for two days but we had plenty of food, water and warmth. Being able to take care of ourselves without calling on emergency services allowed others in need to be taken care of sooner.

We have learnt to be more disciplined about adhering to preparedness plans.

Most of all we found that it didn't take much to make life comfortable in that period. Because we were not in crisis we were able to check with neighbours to make sure they were unhurt and not in need. Life went on pretty much as normal but with a few changed priorities.

There is always an upside to every disaster. The local economy is thriving with the hardware stores and produce stores selling out of everything from fencing materials to chainsaws. People are restocking freezers and pantries. Tradesman are inundated with work. Best if the storm hadn't happened but always accept the positives.

All we need to do now after securing all the boundaries is to commence clearing away the 40 odd trees lying horizontally. No need to worry about firewood for some time.

Preparedness Tested Part 2

On Tuesday morning we woke up to no power. The rain had eased and so had the wind. Jean went to let out the chickens and I went about setting up the generator with extension cords to the house - it takes about 20 minutes at most. She came back to let me know a number of Eucalypt trees in The Nuttery had toppled over the fox exclusion fence.

Rather than do a full evaluation of the property I had some coffee and set about clearing the Nuttery fence to make sure the chickens were protected. It only took a few hours to cut away the foliage and trunks and re-erect the fence.

The following day and just by chance we found the chickens were not secure at all. Down in the gulley of The Nuttery there had been a wash out through the boundary. Come on in predators. Another couple of hours work to repair.

Rule: Make a complete inspection of the property before you start.

How fortunate that on the previous Friday we succumbed to a special on chainsaws at the produce store and purchased a light weight quality saw to use beside our big boy saw. We would need the big boy for the large trunks but wielding it at shoulder height to trim foliage is a real muscle killer.

Rule: Always have the appropriate sized tools.

Now with the chickens secure I wandered on down our driveway to inspect the damage. Of the four trees down over the driveway only one presented a serious problem. It was the second largest tree on the property with a metre thick trunk dead centre across the driveway. The huge canopy would have to be trimmed gradually to prevent the trunk from swivelling. It took two days to cut a path for a vehicle.

We had an alternative route out but it was 4WD access only and had more than 6 trees across it. There was also another 4WD access point through next door's property but it was impassable with 4 massive trees blocking the gateway.

Rule: Have multiple points of access to the property but don't assume they won't all fail. There needs to be a backup plan for that failure.

Preparedness Tested Part 1

The Williams River had flood warnings issued well in advance of the rainfall but a strange thing happened many if not most farmers were caught out including ourselves. We all recalled the 2007 East Coast Low and the river peaking at it's highest level. And then moved cattle and horses accordingly.

Well that didn't work because the river rose an additional 3 metres higher than before. All those ridges that remained above the 2007 water level now sat 2 metres below the water line. And it all happened very quickly i.e. no second chances.

On Monday night I moved the cattle on our work place farm off the river into what was deemed a secure paddock. On Tuesday morning we could no longer access that property. Being a cautious worrier about these things and watching the river spread I contacted the neighbour to that property and was able to get the cattle released into the highest ground. I found out later it was only with an hour to spare.

Some farmers were lucky and their animals floated down stream and survived but most others were not.

So what happened here. We all suffered the same bias. We did not allow for the event to be any worse than our existing memories. We also believed the rate of rise would be the same.

New rule for preparedness. Assume the very worst.

When we finally made it across the river to the work property we could see this silage had floated from beneath the tree line in the distance to higher ground with no damage.

Two days after the flood
 

Preparedness - Espoused Theories and Theories in Action

Some time ago I said that when something of value popped up it would be the subject of a blog entry. Well we finally had our Preparedness Status tested.

We are all more likely to lose our jobs, be flooded or burnt or have an accident than to be invaded by Zombies or aliens or even another country, experience a Mass Coronal Ejection or have the country enter a decade long severe economic depression resulting in starvation and rioting.

A couple of weeks ago we were hit by the East Coast Low. The wind gusted in great long bursts all night waking us at regular intervals. Rain didn't fall it arrived horizontally. Between Monday morning and Tuesday morning 233 mm fell and then half as much again in the following 24 hours. Others received even more.

We live on a ridge above the valley and neither expected nor received flooding other than the wine cellar going under as usual and some water in the workshop. Water blew in under the doors and was stopped with a towel or two.

The roof stayed connected (thanks to much work on it 10 years ago) and nothing fell on us. The power failed in the early morning and stayed out for three days. The outage was so widespread and complete that even the telephone exchanges dropped out after 30 hours when their backup systems failed. We didn't know at the time and it didn't effect us but even the town water in our village failed when a 50 metre section of the gravity feed delivery pipe from Chichester Dam was washed out.

We usually look out over the Williams valley and see glimpses of the river in one or two spots as it meanders past. On Tuesday we commenced seeing more and more of the river until we could see the entire river in our view.

Over a few posts I'll go into:

• How well we were prepared and talk about things that worked and things that didn't.

• How historical bias created so much grief for so many people in our area.

• How our processes had to be corrected.

• How the local economy picked up as a result.

Here is a smelly problem.

Assume you have is no water pressure. You get one flush of the toilet then the second person has a problem and especially so when there are solids. Fill a bucket with water and flush manually? Try it. It isn't that easy. Toilets are designed to swirl and mix and flush. A bucket doesn't do the job anywhere near as well. Several buckets give a mediocre result.

Part 2 Food Shopping: Value & Quality, Preparedness, Diversity, Nutrition & Health

Value and Quality
We don't automatically purchase the cheapest item in a category. Quality also forms a significant part of the equation when choosing food. How much sugar, how much salt and what other additions are made to place the product on the shelf. Anchovies in Extra Virgin Olive Oil are more expensive but better for you than those in Cotton Seed Oil. The most expensive brand is not always the best quality, often the price includes their marketing costs.

Country of origin plays a significant part in our decision making. Does that country have a reliable mechanism to prevent adulteration? What farming practices and reputation does a country maintain. Some countries are immediately suspect.

With seafood products we not only look at country of origin but also fishing method and sustainability of that species. Fresh seafood can be very expensive while frozen seafood can be quite cheap.

We also try to buy organic or Bio Dynamic wherever possible.

Preparedness
We keep an extensive pantry for a few reasons.

• Preparedness means having sufficient stocks of food in the event of a disaster such as bushfires and floods.
• Shopping on a monthly basis also means we need to stock extra. Some places like the wholesaler we only visit every few months.
• Sometimes a store will carry an item we like or a new item we try and find terrific and then they don't have it again either at all or for months. For items that we frequently find out of stock we always stock a few extra.

Diversity
Our cooking is reasonably diverse, Asian, Indian, Italian,Greek, Spanish, French, Japanese and so on. Hence we keep a lot of herbs and spices and items which feature in specific countries cuisine.

We keep a number of frozen products such as Mussel Meat which comes in one kilogram packs at only $10. Frozen Whole Sardines are $10 in one kilo packs. Frozen Hoki fillets are less than $7/KG in 6.8 KG shatter packs. Smoked Salmon is a marvellous treat which is inexpensive if you buy the Trimmings. The dogs don't miss out as often you can pick up a few packs of Lamb offcuts for $4/KG.

At the wholesaler we buy most herbs and spices that we can't grow in large 400 gram containers. Coconut milk by the carton. Olive oil in 3 litre tins. Coffee beans by the kilogram.

The same applies in the garden. we try to grow as many different vegetables and fruits as possible. Each have their own special advantage.

Nutrition & Health 
I read one blog that someone wrote where they only purchased items in the shops that were marked down thus saving bucket loads of money. The concept seemed fine on the surface until you saw what was being consumed. Packets of custard, sugared flavoured yogurt, pre packaged meals and the list goes on. An opportunity to save money now, ruin your health and spend bucket loads repairing the damaged body at a later stage in life.

We don't keep or eat any of those breakfast cereals such as Corn Flakes, All Bran, Special K etc. They carry far too much sugar and are expensive processed material when compared to the raw ingredients.

Food is medicine.

Variety and freshness are key to good health.

Remember Michael Pollan's advice "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants"

Probably the first two words are most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains including fish and meat. Avoid what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."

 

Pollan's Guidelines are: 

• Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. Those neat little packaged products that espouse healthy credentials yet have 15 unpronounceable  ingredients listed are not health providing.

• Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.

• Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.

•  Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. There are exceptions such as Honey

• It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," 

•  Enjoy meals with the people you love at regular meal times .

• Don't buy food where you buy your fuel.

Part 1 Food Shopping - Planning, Budgeting, Frequency

I was listening to Gavin and Kim Webber's podcast on budgeting and saving money and thought about our own experiences in Food shopping. Hence a few tips from our own experiences.

Planning is simple, in a kitchen drawer there is a piece of paper for each shop. When we use or open the last item of something we write it on the appropriate list. Everything is then ready to go. Not flying by the seat of our pants and no rushing about compiling a list as we try to race out the door. Those lists cover everything so that a shopping trip involvs everything including fuel collection, groceries, vehicle servicing, the lot. Less trips less fuel.

 

Deciding where to shop was not a haphazard exercise. We established which suppliers sold which products at the lowest price. We calculated everything at a per kilogram price (simple spread sheet). This then gave us the optimum size to buy as well as which supplier and brand. Once this price list is built it is easy to maintain as suppliers seem to stay consistent with the exception of the occasional special.

Budgeting was based on historical fact. We kept all our grocery shopping dockets for a few months and compiled a summary of each category - month by month. We then knew what we had spent and that became the maximum allowance. If we could spend less we did so as often as possible. In the following year's budget (we prepared a budget annually) we took the actuals of the prior year as the new budget. If grocery shopping was down the allowance was lowered accordingly.

 

We made allowances in the budget for all sorts of things, personal items, maintenance jobs and white goods replacement. But that didn't mean we spent the money. If it wasn't absolutely needed it wasn't spent.

 

Because our sole focus was on clearing the mortgage we were careful with every purchase. We made our own espresso coffee and took it with us on a day out finding a quiet park to enjoy the coffee and some home made cake.

 

Any money saved went towards mortgage reduction. Some of the most satisfying moments were seeing how much we hadn't spent at the end of each month.

 

When we finally paid off the mortgage there was this large amount of money appearing in our bank account that once used to go to the bank to pay off the debt. Now it sat there for us.

Frequency plays a significant part in saving money. We gradually, through circumstance initially and then by design went from weekly shopping to fortnightly to every three weeks and then monthly. We settled on monthly and continued that regime because we discovered we were spending less on groceries when we shopped monthly than when we shopped at any other interval. This saving remained consistent over the 5 years we maintained a detailed budget.

We couldn't put our finger on why exactly but the suspicion was that a number of factors came into play:

• Firstly, the obvious one is there were 75% fewer opportunities to buy something on impulse.

• Secondly, if we ran out of a much loved item in week 3 we did without and ate something else that was in the pantry.

• Thirdly, we took advantage of bulk buying to cover the monthly interval and sometimes covering more than one month. Bulk buying not only means going to a wholesaler and buying a carton it also means taking advantage of the "buy 10 and get them at a discount" type offers that you often see with cat food (which we fed to the cats).

• Fourthly, when shopping monthly there is less attraction in buying easily perishable products such as bread and instead buying flour and making your own. Baking your own bread is much cheaper. So in this we also mean getting back to the basics i.e. cooking using the basic ingredients rather than pre-processed products such as sauces.

• Fifthly, we grew as much of our own food as possible. Vegetables, fruits and herbs. And avoided buying anything if we had a substitute product in the garden. Especially important was not to buy out of season items in the supermarket. This forced us to cook according to what was in season in our garden and to become creative. Taking the easy way out encourages laziness. After a while it really does become easy to walk through the garden collecting what is available and create a meal. It broadens the imagination and the palate and reduces the costs.

• Finally, we never bought pre-cooked meals. No matter how hard we worked, how late we got home, how tired we felt. We always cooked our own food. And this is not hard to do. How often don't you know you will have a long day at least the day before. We just planned ahead and made extra of the meal that day before and had it ready to warm up. Sometimes we even had a meal in the freezer ready to warm and serve. Often we would remember to get it out of the freezer in the morning to defrost.

Next: Part 2 Food Shopping: Value & Quality, Preparedness, Diversity, Nutrition & Health

 

Repairing a Piston Pump

We have two Piston Pumps on our dam which are driven by small petrol engines. Two? you might say Why two?

Simple "Two is one, one is none". In the heat of Summer when everything is wilting and the crop of food is about to be lost the addition of a little water is useful. But the pump is broken! No problem use the backup pump.

The point of this blog is that one of the pumps, the oldest wasn't performing very well. Only a small amount of water was entering the holding tank at the top of the hill.

Piston pumps are a joy to work with as they have very few moving parts and as a result very little can go wrong that can't be fixed easily.

First up I checked the leather cups attached to the piston in the pumping chamber. Four bolts exposed the leathers and showed them to be in perfect condition.

The next assessment is a two stage, one bolt per stage examination. These are the two valves that allow water to enter the system but not return. One for the foot valve in the dam and one for the pipe running up the hill to the holding tank. Sometimes a pebble can be sucked in and hold one of the valve covers open. Both as clean as a whistle.

A mystery at this stage. Both pumps are started and while sitting there contemplating what to do I observe both pumps and see a problem. The faulty pump's piston arm does not move in and out anywhere near as far as the functioning pump. Workshop job.

Once at the workshop a little solvent and water is used to remove most of the oily debris before setting about dismantling. It doesn't take long to break it down into individual pieces. There are no rusted on bolts or other debilitating problems. Every bolt and nut is attached to cast iron or brass. Nothing rusted tight. You see why I love piston pumps.

Finally into the innards the problem is uncovered. A worn Gudgeon pin has finally come loose. We have a spare in stock. The two components that are held by the Gudgeon pin are also worn but the unit can be patched and put back in service until the other two parts can be ordered.

Now that the source of the problem is known the new parts can be installed while the pump is down at the dam. No need for a second disconnection and trip to the workshop.

It is good to do perform repairs in the workshop when they are major or the problem is unknown as all the tools are handy and there is the relaxation of a comfortable environment which encourages a thorough servicing.

Finished Projects

Just so everyone knows that life isn't just hanging about water pump retailers awaiting repairs.

Jean filled in for me at our work property moving cows, providing guidance to the contract fencer who turned up, transporting the man who delivered a large tractor for use unloading silage next week and even doing the practical work of harrowing a few paddocks. The 80 HP tractor has a set of bale handlers. The property tractor is too small and doesn't have the suitable handlers that won't damage bales. Mind you this is the third time the tractor has been delivered in three weeks. The Delivery truck has failed to arrive on each occasion. The current promise is Monday.

Yesterday the cement mixer was finally assembled and dry tested. Shame to have to dirty it and mix concrete.

The black bowl will show up cement for cleaning off easier

The generator had a few additions. Two waterproof capsules for joining extension cords. A second Residual Current Device to prevent accidental electrocution and the Surge Protection Power Board. This kit of extras will be kept with the generator for quick access and so we don't forget to use them.

Finally the outdoor umbrella has been sitting in the workshop waiting to have its cord replaced. Just one of those jobs that didn't get done for 9 months. But now it is finished and erected in a sunny warm spot for Autumn afternoon teas.

So Much for Being Ready

Spoke too soon. We found a hole in our preparedness. An obvious one at that. What happens when the pressure pump for the house water stops working?

Well it just stopped with no explanation. At first I thought someone had kicked out the extension cord to the generator. But no, it was fine. Pressed the Reset Button on the pump. No change and no lights on the control panel. Checked that power was available - fine.

Disconnected the pump from the system and brought it into the workshop and took off the cover to the electronic controller. The lovely scent of burnt plastic was the first observation. A close examination of the circuit board showed one of the capacitors had a swollen molten side.

The call to the retailer uncovered a couple of relevant pieces of information. Most electronic controllers don't like power fluctuations especially those that come from generators. But they just happen to have a spare new style controller that is designed to cope with brown power. And if I was to make the 1 hour journey they could fit and test same immediately. And so it transpired.

I also took with me the current pumps predecessor for evaluation. It works but not well and possibly with some maintenance it may be suitable as a backup in an emergency. Never a truer  statement:

"Two is one. One is none".

 The repair work went quickly and leaving the proposed backup for their service team to evaluate I took the repaired system home. Total cost $220. Amazingly inexpensive. I was expecting more.

On the way home a quick stop at Bunnings to collect a Surge protection plug to use on the pump - just in case as added protection. And a surge protection power board to use in the house when connecting any other devices to the generator in future.

Being Ready

Origin Energy sent out a notification last week advising of a planned blackout from 6 am to 9 am for the following Friday. As usual being well organised it was noted in the kitchen planning calendar. And we promptly allowed the matter to lapse in our memories. If we'd been smart we would have risen at 5 am to make teas and coffees and not been affected. But no we forgot.

I looked at the clock beside the bed and thought "Just on 6, may as well get up and into it". Stumbled to the kitchen and flicked on the light to find there was none. "Jean, there's no power". "that's right John. There's a planned outage this morning. Not to worry we can use the gas stove to boil water and you can have plunger coffee".

I'm thinking "Three hours of outage, 15 minutes to setup extension cords to the generator" And that was that. Espresso coffee is so much nicer that it is worth the effort.

And the bonus is that an extension cord can be run into the office to power the computer and broadband connection over coffee.

The plan works. Generator set up in the workshop with ventilation and several extension cords hanging nearby. 15 minutes to run a cable over to the pressure pump and another over to the house. No need to bucket flush the toilet, morning wash of the face with cold water to wake up, coffee machine running, computer online. The day starts almost as normal.

Fuel Container Repair

Some time ago we picked up a 20 litre Jerry Can from the Dungog Dump Shop for next to nothing. These 20 litre containers cost up to $50 new. After a good clean and a couple of coats of paint it went into use as one of our fuel storage containers. Unfortunately the rubber gasket in the cap was damaged and it had a tendency to leak if not fully upright. Not a useful container to have in the boot of the car after visiting the petrol station.

Refurbished

Another thing to remember is that petrol contains highly volatile additives which are needed to ignite the fuel in the engine for optimum performance. If the container is not airtight these volatiles evaporate and you are left with fuel which is not ideally configured for its purpose. The fuel will work but not as efficiently as it should. Hence we keep our containers well sealed and rotate the stored fuel to ensure everything is as fresh as possible.

Just backing up a bit. We try to keep some spare fuel at home as the nearest source is at least 20 kilometres away. The tractor uses diesel and we keep it topped up and a couple of containers of diesel on hand which is plenty for its light work. Our car is petrol as are our mowers, generator and the water pumps on the dam. In the dry spells we pump water up to the 20, 000 litre garden water storage tank to be distributed to the fruit trees and vegetables. Having sufficient fuel on hand for these water pumps is critical.

The generator is efficient but we try to keep enough fuel on hand to run it for a few days should there be a power outage. It also makes sense to only collect fuel when there are other tasks to be performed as part of the fuel collection journey. Fuel prices vary from week to week and it also makes good sense to purchase (restock) at the optimum time and not be forced to top up in peak periods.

Rather than toss away (recycle) the faulty fuel container we checked to see if new seals were available. And to our surprise they are a standard stock item at camping and auto parts stores. For an investment of $10 a set of three was acquired. And with only a few minutes work a refurbished fuel container joined our collection.

Repair kit

Camembert, Mushrooms, LED and lots of other things

Gradually we have been reducing the volume of Camembert made at any one sitting to making it more often in order to maintain a reasonably steady supply. This involves less than 10 litres of milk which translates to about 10 small rounds. The other modification to our processing is to make some thin rounds and some thick. This serves to spread out the maturity time. We still end up giving a few cheeses away to friends but now it is in a more manageable quantity.

Large

Small

We now have the coffee grounds needed to start the mushrooms but couldn't get any Oyster mushrooms to start the process. In the interim we will use the standard button mushrooms as a trial.

Aldi had another pile of specials which included LED light globes with a decent number of Lumens. We collected a couple more to replace an outside spotlight which is undercover and doesn't need to be waterproof and one in the workshop we use for short term lighting when making a quick visit which negates turning on a bank of fluorescent tubes.

Cobwebs not included

We have been slowly replacing various types of globes with LED. The trick is to use up the ones we already have rather than turn them into landfill unused but at the same time be economical with power usage.

In preparation for the next fire season we've acquired a fire proof storage box (again from Aldi). It's just large enough to hold various critical documents such as Wills, identification documents and financial papers. The shortfall in our fire plan had been what happens if there is a fire and we are not there to take away bag holding these documents.

Fire and waterproof case

A small fire extinguisher and smoke alarm were purchased for the Cave.

Rather than try and do every thing at once we are slowly addressing small parts of our preparedness plan. This spreads out the cost and makes it all manageable (affordable).

Setting Priorities

We will have visitors this coming weekend. This means things have to be done in preparation for their arrival. It's not just the house work or getting the spare bedrooms ready but it also means some work around the property getting the place looking respectable. You know, the lawns mowed and garden edges trimmed and a little weeding. But that work has to be fitted into the normal planned projects for week, one of which is the rectification work following the departure of our termite visitors.

The challenge here is that the weather report promises rain in the latter half of the week. This time of year sees a cloud cover and mist until very late morning and a heavy dew on the grass limiting the period that effective and productive work can be performed outside.

A perfect time to explore Setting Priorities.

Wet grass cannot be mown effectively leaving that task to mid to late afternoons. Installing a new overflow pipe in the concrete tank so the water doesn't pour into the ground around the Cave can be done any time - almost. The outlet will be on the west and drilling holes in concrete is not a pleasure in the afternoon sun so that becomes a morning task. But it needs cementing in place and getting it done before rain sets in it a priority. Housework can be done anytime as it is not dependant on weather and that is nibbled away at during the mornings. Just a little each day.

Cleaning up the lawn edges with the whipper snipper is an any time except during rain job. Wet grass is not a problem but getting the equipment wet is an issue. Making the beds for the visitors can be left until the last minute so it is clean, fresh and fluffy. Menu planning is completed early and any unique ingredients highlighted in case they are not in stock.

Any spare time is devoted to continuing to expose the concrete slab around the Cave as a termite barrier and early warning system.

And so Setting Priorities is not always about what is the most important task but about what can be done first within the limitations of weather and availability of raw materials as well as scheduling interim tasks to ensure completion on time. Items which have a long lead time such as setting concrete before rain need to be planned and even the Ciabatta to bake on Friday needs to have its biga started on Thursday.

Setting priorities is planning more than 24 hours to ensure the plans are workable.

Thinking ahead all the time is critical, especially when trying to be self sufficient. Can't be running to the shops every day.

Preparedness is a mindset that needs cultivation, feeding and exercise.

The Mini-Cyclone

This post was planned to be about HHF Sectors in Permaculture but the 100 km wind ruined our afternoon by knocking out the power and internet link for the next 24 hours.

So it seems appropriate to examine the preparedness of HHF in this mini disaster.

We were laying about reading but realised it was a pretty series storm by the horizontal water. Fortunately, it came from our west which meant the temporarily stored bags of chicken grain on the eastern side didn't get wet and because there is a tarpaulin stored in the carport for emergencies it only took a second to throw it over the bags.

The next problem was discouraging Jean from getting up on the roof to clear the gutters. It was a thunder storm and being a vegetarian I explained I couldn't eat fried Jean for dinner.

One large terracotta pot was blown over and broke into pieces. A shame but that was the sum of it.


Landfill

Kaffir Lime replanted

The wind breaks on the Western side reduced the intensity enough to leave us almost untouched.

Just over the hill there was carnage with the power lines but that had little effect on us as well. Being daylight saving there was plenty of light and we were planning a BBQ that evening anyway. There was a loaf of bread just ready to go in the oven but being gas that didn't stop proceedings.

When the Heat Pump Hot Water system was installed it wasn't hard wired as normally is the case. Instead it has a 15 amp plug enabling us to plug into the generator if needed.

We always keep plenty of water bottles about the house for drinking but decided to activate the generator and start the house water system so as to be able to wash the vegetables and take a shower. But rather than lay out leads for the house lighting and TV we made it a reading only night. There were two newly acquired LED torches for reading lamps and they were amazingly good.

Best lighting source ever

Not knowing the full extent of the damage to power infrastructure we assumed that it would be reconnected with 4-6 hours and decided to leave the fridges and freezers alone. But by 6am they went onto the generator for a couple of hours.

So no big deal and the generator received its monthly test  firing.

Survivalism, Preparedness or just Planning - Part 3

Wealth

A rarely considered subject until it hits you in the face. What happens if all the income earning members of your family lose their jobs. What is the backup plan? How long before your mortgage and credit card debt catch up with you. How will you pay the energy bill, the water bill, rates, fuel or buy essential foods.

Losing employment is more likely than losing power for two months and but it has the greater devastation and is the least thought about.

Stop spending money now. Reduce debt and put some money away for an emergency. You do not need to treat yourself by going out to dinner because you saved a $100 on food this month. This is plain silly. Every cent counts and you should resist rewarding yourself at every turn. You are an adult making sure your family is taken care of. Think about the longer term not the immediate gratification.

The smallest less visited treats are the most delicious. Treats are like Heroin. The more you take the more you need to take to get the same level feeling as the last time.

Saving money before you lose your income is easier than after. Don't buy that coffee each day make it at home and take it with you. Make your lunch at home and take it to work. Its not hard to reduce your telecommunications bill by calling fewer people and spending less time online, Cut your energy bill by keeping lights off, using more efficient lighting and making sure your refrigeration equipment is working correctly. Don't grocery shop without a pre-written shopping list. Grow your own food. Each day loose change goes into savings. Make a detailed budget and either stick to it or try to go lower. Pay off the credit card and leave it at home. Pay a little/lot more off your mortgage each month. Don't carry much cash or credit/debit cards with you. Don't buy anything without prior discussion with your partner. Leave acquisitions for a week before reviewing your need for them.

When you are debt free and have a pile of money in the bank then by all means celebrate your success - in moderation.

Evaluation

List down the things that might happen and the then the probability they will happen. You will see that nuclear war, Zombies, invasion by a foreign power are all pretty well down the list. Some things will happen but not for decades so push them down the list and work on your most immediate issues first. Focus on the obvious. Lost my job, storm blew the roof off, no power, I got run over by a bus on the way to work.

Everyone will have particular circumstances. Think about yours a bit more than 5 minutes. Reading a blog and saying "Yeah I should be ok" doesn't really work. Don't become a victim through inaction.

Having a plan is the cheapest and best insurance you will ever take out.

Resources

A lot of web sites exist for the survivalist, the prepper and the self sufficientist (just made up that word).

People like Jack Spirko in his TSP podcasts cover every angle of preparedness. There are aspects in some of his programs which don't appeal to me but that doesn't stop me listening to him and gleaning some comprehensive and well thought out information on all matters of self sufficiency. Be it financial, Permaculture, gardening, food preparation, health, livestock etc. The topics seem endless as do the variety of people that come on the show.

His program has led to finding out about people like:

Darby Simpson – Livestock and Farm Management/ Homestead Consulting

Chef Keith Snow – Cooking

Stephen Harris – All things Energy

Paul Wheaton – Permaculture

Ben Falk - Permaculture

And these are just the expert council that answer listeners questions or speak about their subject matter. There are dozens of other interviews with very interesting people practising self sufficiency.

Survivalism, Preparedness or just Planning - Part 2

Health

What are we doing about staying healthy and out of the doctors surgery. Are we controlling our weight, eating the right food. It doesn't matter which diet you go on as long as it helps keeping your weight respectable, your body healthy AND can you stick to it for the rest of your life. There are plenty of options: Paleo, Atkins, CSIRO, 5:2, Mediterranean, Weston A Price etc. Each one offers something different. Their common denominator is getting you off eating rubbish.

Pre-packaged, pre-processed foods with a list of ingredients so long it has to be in a font size of 4 are definitely a mistake to take orally.
Remember that if you stick too much food in your gob some of it will stay with you. A little restraint is needed.

The best food is the stuff you grow yourself, pick fresh and prepare into a meal - all the time. Healthy eating is having a garden no matter how small. The more you cook from scratch the better at it you become, the easier it is and the more enjoyable.

Don't make excuses. If you can find time to breath you can find time to grow and prepare meals. What is more important, a healthy life or something else you had in mind to do rather than grow and prepare food. Get off Twitter, stop checking your email more than once each day, stop texting, get off Google and don't look at Facebook every 30 minutes. Your time will be consumed by the most inane comments or searches rather than focusing on health. The internet is a great tool. Exercise moderation.

The mobile phone must be one of the greatest productivity killers for the average person. Constantly checking for messages, taking calls in the middle of doing something else and phoning home from the supermarket to see if someone wanted the Frosties or the Coco Pops. Write a list or do without and don't buy sugared breakfast cereals which is pretty much all of them. And turn the bloody thing off when you're working.

I won't even mention television.

And staying slim by keeping your calorie intake low does not guarantee you immunity.

Exercise is mandatory. You need strong bones, muscle tone and a functioning mind is aided by exercise. A variety of exercise to cover muscle building and aerobic activity is necessary. And it gets worse here. You have to keep increasing the exercise as you get fitter. Yep, sorry about that but its your choice, make an effort or not you only get back what you put into it. That 30 minutes a day for three days each week they try and sell is not the end point. It is the starting point because they don't know how unfit you are can't have you doing a fetlock or dropping dead. Heavy breathing and perspiration are good signs.

While on the subject of health there is the matter of medical prescriptions. How many people never question what they are prescribed. Asking why and what are the alternatives and where is the evidence and seek a second opinion. It is so easy to take a pill and not examine the underlying cause. And with pill taking it is so so easy not to make any life style changes. Once you start on the pills it is a hard road back.

Being healthy gives you a chance to cope with life's adversities be they physical, mental or emotional.

Part 3 the final part will cover Wealth,  Evaluation and Resources

Survivalism, Preparedness or just Planning - Part 1

There was an ABC TV program some time ago about the resilience of primitive cultures. Maybe because they have so little they don't have much to lose? No it turns out because they don't have a dependence on anyone other than themselves, they just get on with it. Recover, rebuild and survive.

There are no SES volunteers to put a tarp on the roof or Red Cross, Salvos and others to bring food parcels, clothing and shelter. There is no free hospital and medical care. There is no government to accuse of a slow response or not doing enough. It's a hard life and full one and surprisingly they are happier on average than we are.

In one way we live in a fortunate society where there is a support mechanism. But how many of us then become complacent, lazy, not interested, soft and prepared to leave it to someone else. Taking no responsibility for own actions? Setting out to be a victim?

Gavin Webster in Greening of Gavin and Farmer Liz in Eight Acres recently touched on the preparedness issue. This blog from time to time mentions an item of preparedness. The subject is much more complex than the first thoughts of food, water and power.

When we think about being prepared it is most usually about the short term i.e. can you survive for a few days while the power is out, the taps don't work and the shops inaccessible.

But the subject is much broader. It is not just about the immediate what to eat, how to cook it and where to find the next glass of water. We don't always think about that tree outside the kitchen window being in the house or getting that surprise redundancy notice.

It is about Knowledge, Society Health and Wealth.

Knowledge

What skills do you have? When the roof comes off can you nail together a shelter or tie the knots to hold down a tarpaulin? Can you cook simple meals from basics? How up to date is your first aid? Do you know CPR? Do you even know what to do in the event of a disaster?

Rather than that racy novel how about making every second book you read something practical or a DVD/youtube of some basic skill.

Remember there are only a small number of emergency service volunteers. There is not one for every household. The more we do for ourselves the more these people can attend to the really serious cases sooner. You will appreciate this when you are one of the serious cases.

Society

How well do you know your neighbours? In the event of any adverse scenario being able to work with your neighbours is something you will need to do. Make sure you know your neighbours and their skills and that they can rely on you. Be familiar enough to know who may have what. You can't afford a chainsaw but they may have one ready to cut that tree off your car.

The best way to understand your neighbours is to give them a hand with something. Pitch in and help them next time they have some onerous task. Got any surplus produce? Take them a sample. When they taste how good it is they may want to buys some? Say “Look whenever I've got some surplus you are welcome to it”.

Some people build their neighbourhood spirit by holding street parties others hold a harvest BBQ. Getting to know people means you won't be a stranger in trouble.

Part 2 covering Health will be out tomorrow.

Feel free to chip in with ideas and comments.

It's not just the the daily routine but there is the maintenance

After there heavy rain at the beginning of the week we went around and inspected the property for damage. Not a lot of issues but enough to add several items to the project plan.

One gutter on the hay shed had a pronounced bow in the centre. Being a distance from the nearest stored ladder it wasn't just a 5 minute job. Not just leaves weighing it down but a broken gutter bracket. Back to the workshop for a made up bracket and a power tool. All fixed but there's 30 minutes out of the day.

The wine cellar eventually drained. The solution is to slow down the ingress of water to enable the pump to keep up. This is a bit more than 30 minutes and requires mixing some cement. That will be next weeks job.

There was a small pool of water in the cave. This was tracked down to the water tank outside. the overflow volume was so severe that the water on the ground rose above the slab height and a little seeped in. A little filler will fix that.

The bitumen driveway is 300 metres long. Most of the neighbours have similar length driveways but they are gravel. Their driveways now have deep ruts and the main road is covered in gravel deposits. But ours is an aging bitumen covering and one particular area is in a wet spot and requires regular patching and keeping the gutter clear. The torrent of water had gouged out a few potholes which need attending to before they worsen. Regular maintenance keeps this task down to an hour or two at most rather than an all day job.

And that is the sum total of more than 250 mm of rain in a short period. It seems that by reviewing the outcomes every time there is an event and listing down the weak spots and then attending to those issues promptly you reduce the impact of future events. It is so easy to put off doing something and then the next time the impact is more severe. We always keep a list of repair jobs and their priorities to ensure that eventually we address any shortcomings.

It's not just about the regular mowing or weeding it is also about the ongoing maintenance of infrastructure and modifications to weak spots.

Mentioned in an earlier blog is the annual "what annoys me" list. These are all the things that are irritating and time consuming that would be great if they weren't there. We used to have a number of chook pens scattered about the orchard making evening lockup a long exercise. Now we have one pen and keep it to a 5 minute job. Some things on the list can't be addressed easily but we have reduced the list gradually and made life a little simpler and easier. It is a worthwhile task to sit over coffee and list the inefficiencies of your life and then apply some lateral thinking. What seems to be un-addressable can sometimes have a simple solution when two heads are put together.

Getting back to normal for now

The day was windy but at least it was a cool wind most of the day. Fortunately we were up before it started blowing and got the gardens watered with the overhead sprinklers. Still Jean spent most of the day on the end of the hose doing pots and younger plants. We also started watering the individual trees in the orchard.

We had ordered another 60 bales of Lucerne hay as a precaution. Weather is unpredictable as far as we are concerned and if the dry spell lasts until after December there won't be a blade of grass on our 25 acres. The additional bales will now drought proof our three cattle until well into next year and if we don't use it will keep.

We received a call yesterday to say the Lucerne was baled and we could pick it up. I arrived there at 7 am this morning to get the loading done in the cool of the day. First I sounded out the farmer who we have known for a long time if it was possible to purchase the hay but store in his hay shed so that our eggs were not all in the same basket i.e. if our hayshed burnt down at least we would still have half the hay intact.

Yes he had done this in the past but the problem was people. They would come to buy hay and if unsupervised would help themselves to whatever stack was in reach despite the stack being labelled as "SOLD". Worse still if the property was unattended some people had helped themselves and not paid. His only solution was to lock the gate which he will do once he has finished baling.

So I took our hay home. May as well have it burn as stolen.

So much for the old good neighbours and community. This is not the first story about the inability of locals to use an honesty box. The local hardware store doesn't allow customers to enter their back storage sheds unsupervised and the store itself has CCTV cameras everywhere. They just got sick of losing stock. A local roadside vegetable stall used CCTV to catch a local stocking up on vegetables and not paying. So the few dishonest people set the tone for behaviours.

Is the world changing or has it always been like this? Or are there just too many of us and these little incidents become more frequent?