Reduce fossil fuel use

Post date: Aug 29, 2015

Looking back at last post, 17 days have passed. Gosh time can fly along. We were inspired at the grafting workshop, so spent quite a bit more time grafting every possible wild peach that we have growing. Quite a few actually. Perhaps 8? We even grafted onto a wild cherry (without properly thinking about it or researching whether it's compatible). Turns out probably won't be, but some might grow... So, it's a wait and see. Tom has been back to check the grafts we did at the workshop and has pointed out many that are looking good and showing signs of growth. He also kindly brought us a couple of bits of cherry and put them on the wild cherry to ensure at least some future production! yay

An example of another wild peach tree we grafted - 4 grafts and the centre will be cut out once they grow (left to ensure sap flow starts with the coming Spring) to leave vase shaped tree:

Couldn't resist another example because Jag was sitting next to it today:

As the guinea pig family expanded, we built a lightweight cage that is much easier to move around for them to mow new areas. It's made of all second hand materials:

This week saw the completion of the woodstove renovation and installation in our quest to use less and less fossil fuels. It has gone into the kitchen and is next to the shower. This made it easier to pipe the water through the wall to a hot water cylinder that fits in the space next to the shower. I told you in a previous page it would be BLACK:

This is the repurposed hot water cylinder. Cold waters in at bottom, one pushes hot water out (when tapped turned on), one goes into wood stove water tank. Pipe going to top is hot water and one at top left is hot out to shower head (it's an open system, and safe):

Functional plumbing. Use taps on right if wood stove has been going, use left if not (using gas instant hot water):

Made a massive compost heap several days ago after responding to a lady's offer of cheap pony poo! This will hot compost two barrels of humanure along with leaves, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, hay, rotten wood, roadkill, and undressed sheep and chicken (from today's BLOG event on small animal butchering):

After some much needed rain this week (first in August), we decided to try out the pump I bought recently at an auction ($60). It works! Another reduction in fossil fuel use. Pump only when the sun is shining. We can either irrigate directly or store it uphill and then gravity feed it down when needed. Win win.

Pump carried out to pond and connected to existing pipeline:

As promised, native plantings happened as well in an effort to further increase the biodiversity and beauty of our site. And feed more bees and birds and life... :