Belinda's Back To Basics Challenge

Sowing seed or Planting

We have decided to start taking the two soaker hoses to use while we are at the new house working on the house. The raspberries looked bad, but Mum assures me it is a seasonal thing.

Planning for The Future - meal planning, the next seasons garden plan, working out storage plans or more long term goals and projects like plans for digging root cellars

I finally got my fortnightly menu plan finished. I found taco salad was great for a hot day.

Working for the Future - storing food, managing stores, preserving, building that home made cob or solar oven, adding house insulation, saving for manual grain mills etc

I read in the newspaper about the government giving out money for insulation. From memory the insulation here is old, there are modern standards of insulation. I haven't had a house (all were built before 1966) that didn't need something done to the insulation. We have owned four houses. Our newest house, we have got part of the way to insulating it. But it also needs the tin taking off the roof and the sisalation putting there as well. At the very least you should have the paper as they used to call it in the old days under the tin, if you have a tin roof. With different heights of the ceilings it can be tricky as the heat comes into the higher ceiling parts, we think we will use some insulation on the wall bit in between. We noticed this house in the lounge has some vents that are still open. I don't think in modern times you still need vents in the walls (in Australia). But anyway, do you research.

You may remember from last week we were using frozen water in cordial bottles to drink during the day. They were melting too quickly so we now sit a group of them in the Eski. Also that means no one is opening the freezer door, which is all good for the freezer.

After my alergic reaction to cordial, I have switched to Ribena. The cordial, good name brands, one that has juice in it, a good Australian company, so I am disappointed. In particular I think I am alergic to the additive 211. I have already given up soft drink or soda, I have reactions just after I go to sleep. Swelling behind the knee, sometimes nightmares. This additive is a benzoate. If wish I could articilate exactly what it feels like. I tend to try to forget things and don't dwell on them, but it doesn't help when you want to recall things.

On Saturday, I don't usually swear at my computer, but something mild came out. The forecast for Sunday was as bad as the days before it, 41 or 42oC. We had planned to make jam on Sunday, plum jam. It was to be a few degrees cooler which makes a bit of difference, especially if the overnight is cooler too. I decided we would have to make it early in the morning. We have had the fruit for a few days and we will be busy next week. I weighed the container and the plums at 17 1/2lbs. Took all the fruit out of it and weighed the container which was 2lbs. Have organised for hubby to buy at least 6kg of sugar while he is out. I checked with an old Department of Agriculture book for ideas about plum jam.

I found out our heat was much milder than other places. Poor things.

Building Community - volunteering, donations, joining an existing community group, forming your own community group, taking a cake to a friend having a hard time, calling someone you just let drift out of your life, etc

This has been a challenge. I was nearly hysterical, well on a minor scale, over a business publishing a distinction about which customers they were providing a certain service for. I am going to think positive that the community will survive and still blossom despite this set back.

Learn a new Skill

Living without air-conditioning has been challenging. The past two days have been nicer in the mornings, but I think the extreme weather is upon us for another couple of days. It is all I think about. I have heat rash everywhere, but thankfully I am not scratching much. I tried Blackmores Ezcema Balm this morning, as usually it is very soothing. I am constantly washing out my baggy shorts as they are more airy. Despite me being thankful for the two cooler days, I needed them to be able to cope. They were still hot in the afternoons.

On Wednesday we had a birthday, and we baked the cakes before school. My daughter actually did the baking, or part of it. We did try ordering a cake from the bakery one year (we have been here five years and used to buy Coles cakes before this), but now we make our own, this year we used packet cake. We knew we wouldn't want to use the oven in the afternoon.



Here is a video of a wood stove, and the alternatives that can be used in summer. My Nana had a plan B for her woodstove.



The guy who made the video is a Victorian and living his self-sufficiency dream. He has put his recipes on the lifestyle food website. Here they are. He is also publishing his experiences and they will be available on a new website soon.

We are using one car, and this means hubby is picking up my little girl from school each day.

She is going to be learning to play the piano, as is her sister which has been my dream for them for years. I am so pleased there is a music teacher and she has been willing to take them on as students.

The fishing was a success. Our daughter enjoyed it. She has since bought some new sinkers. Apparently the ones her Dad had were homemade. Can you believe that!

Belinda's blog.