Category Archives: sustainable

Jan 03

Gone to Seed

Posted on by

parsnips-gone-to-seed

Coming home after being away for several weeks I expected to find the garden a bit overgrown. But even so, I was very surprised to see how much everything had overgrown. I had also left some veggies to go to seed but I certainly didn’t expect to see this!

When I first saw them I thought, parsley? No, parsley self seeds all over the back yard as do the carrots, but it wasn’t parsley. AHA! Carrots! Giant carrots? Nope!  I had a closer look at where they were in the garden bed and then realised… PARSNIPS!   😯

I could hardly believe it, but there they were. I’m not sure if I have ever seen parsnips go to seed before but I didn’t think they would get this big !

Hopefully those seeds produce a bumper crop YUM! 😀

 

 

What do you think of this post?
  • Awesome (5)
  • Interesting (7)
  • Useful (4)
Jan 02

A simple 12V Camping Supply

Posted on by

We needed a quick and simple 12V supply for a camping trip, so I whipped up this basic system.

Nothing special, just a lighter socket connector with fuse connected to an existing 38Ah battery. A small 20W amorphous panel can be used short term without a regulator to top up the battery. Note, a regulator should be normally be used but the current is low enough (around 1A) for that battery not to be damaged short term.

With the addition of my little 150W inverter, together with a light and provision for some music we have  small system that’s perfect for a few days away.

The parts for the minimal 12V supply

The parts for the minimal 12V supply. A battery and box, fused lighter socket and alligator clip

The lighter socket screwed to the battery box (there is small piece of wood on the other side for bracing)

The lighter socket screwed to the battery box (with some  wood inside as bracing)

With the inverter plugged into the one socket

Showing the inverter plugged into the one socket. The other socket could be used for another device.

A closer view of the socket

A closer view of the double socket

Inside the box showing the alligator clips connecting the socket to the battery The foam packing stops the battery sliding around

Inside the box showing the alligator clips connecting the socket to the battery. Note the foam packing

The complete setup (but without the panel)

The complete setup showing the inverter and light connected to the battery (but without the panel)

We have light - and a power point for the small music system

We have light – and a power point for the small music system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The system will supply around 15 hours of light and music before the battery needs recharging. With the addition of the 20W panel the system with provide power for the whole trip in summer.

What do you think of this post?
  • Awesome (7)
  • Interesting (8)
  • Useful (7)
Dec 24

The Boneless Christmas Tree

Posted on by

living-christmas-treeFor the last fifteen years, or so, we have had a live Christmas tree. It sits in the garden most of the time happily soaking up the sunshine in its little pot. Every year we bring it inside, decorate it for the festive season and stress it out for three to four weeks then return it to the comfort of the garden to recover and grow for the next 11 months.

Last year, it didn’t seem to recover as well as usual but eventually seemed to perk up. However, later in the year it suddenly died back and that was that. No more Christmas tree 🙁

 

As Christmas approached and I was in Timor Leste working,  the family wondered what to do about Christmas decorations without a tree. A fake plastic tree was out of the question as was buying a chopped down tree, but buying another live tree was not considered an option either until I returned and we could choose one together. What to do? Then Terri had an inspiration! Let’s make one from Christmas decorations.

Rummaging through the Christmas decoration accumulated over the years, she found a number of Christmas streamers and tinsel strings etc. that she could drape from the the light fitting above the dining table. By strategically pinning the ends of the streamers on the table she created the basic Christmas tree shape using nothing but tinsel and streamers nor tree, no branches and no other support. Brilliant! 🙂

boneless-christmas-tree

So there you have it, our boneless Christmas Tree, made from Christmas decorations. Thanks Terri 🙂

What do you think?

 

 

 

What do you think of this post?
  • Awesome (4)
  • Interesting (6)
  • Useful (3)
Dec 06

Greetings From the Land of the Crocodile

Posted on by

Well here I am back in Timor Leste doing another round of training related to Solar Power.

PV systems are really starting to take off here with the Government and many NGO’s rolling out systems at an increasing rate. The Government, in particular, has recognised the need for power systems like PV Solar to fill in the gaps in the national grid. This is important, as many people (around 20%) will never have reliable access to the national grid due to topology and geographic issues.

suco pv system and satellite dish

With the increase in installed systems there is an increased need for quality installers, effective handover and training to communities after installation, and an ongoing maintenance program, particularly for community based systems.

I am extremely fortunate to be able to play a part in this amazing development through my association with the ATA (Alternative Technology Association), Mercy Corps, local vocational training organisations such as CNEFP (National Centre for Training and Employment) in Tibar just outside Dili together with a number of Government staff responsible for the roll-out of technologies, including PV system in the districts.

Last week we held some training sessions with CNEFP and Government staff and followed up the training with a site visit to put in practice all that we had learned. It was a fabulous trip as the following photo gallery shows

.classroom

The location is “Leodato” Aldeia (village)
“Leimia Sorin Balun” Suco (sub-sub-district)
“Hatulia” Sub-District
“Ermera” District

Lat, Lon:  -8.855806,125.372275

IF you enter this into Google maps you will see exactly where the village is.

This is the precise location of the meals table in the guest house at the chapel shown in one of the images below 🙂

a viewmarket at GlenoFilling up with Diesel while the storm clouds roll in

Into the storm cloudsbeing turned back because the road is out

makeshift bridgefixing a hole in the road

chapelvillageview from the chapel 3

view from the chapel 2Panorama Village lores

 

view from the chapelview from the chapel 4

Panorama Church lores

Panorama 3 - lights lores

 

made to measure bamboo ladderthe project manager and a trainer having a short break

 

bamboo conduit to guest house and kitchenbamboo conduit closeup lores

assembling control boardattaching the control board

breakfast - cassava peanuts prawn crackers and sweet coffeePanorama kitchen lores

another road hazardshrine at Lete Foho

 

 

What do you think of this post?
  • Awesome (7)
  • Interesting (5)
  • Useful (1)
Nov 05

A Taste of Honey

Posted on by

Well, after all the madness with the Swarms over the last few weeks it was a relief to settle down and extract some honey this weekend. I collected four swarms and apparently missed two more over the last five weeks and managed to sell one to a friend of a friend. That leaves me with five to manage which is more than I had planned but it is still do-able. If it seems to be too much effort I can always combine a couple to reduce the total number.

Using a friend’s two frame extractor I extracted 14kg from 9 frames, I was expecting a bit more but quite a few frames were not yet full or had brood in them. But that’s OK I wasn’t after a huge yield and I’m not currently using queen excluders.

I like to get a hive done in one hit and then return the extracted frames (stickies) to the hive for cleanup and refilling. It also helps me to keep the frames in the same hive as much as possible to minimise the spread of disease. Because I only have a few hives to manage it’s pretty easy. With a lot more hives I imagine it would be more difficult to keep track of the frames and hives.

Of course, while doing all this, I have been listening to a lot of honey related music including this old favourite.

What’s your favourite track with the word Honey?

 

What do you think of this post?
  • Awesome (2)
  • Interesting (4)
  • Useful (2)