Belinda's Back to Basics Challenge

Sowing seed or Planting

The girls planted some miniature sweet pea seeds. We harvested some of the jam melons. There is a large one still out there. The girls have been picking more raspberries.




We tied up our bay tree.

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

We have been ringing different people to pump out our septic tank. There are lots of different towns to try. The one we think we are using has to drive 1 1/2 hours. If we do move this weekend I hope it is OK for awhile. Our phone is not working at our old house and we can't leave a message for them to ring there. The phone company has a guarantee, but they are applying for a waiver for our area. Apparently it was affected by lightening strike. We have been using a Telecard that is charged to our home phone at the phonebox down the street.

I had to cancel three dancing classes for my girls so we can move here. We have decided one day a week to have tea/dinner at our current or old house so one daughter can go to gym and the other hospitality classes. We will light the heater in the morning, I will travel with them, and stay there during the day. I could visit the library and tidy our remaining posessions etc. or just shop or whatever.

Everyday I have been reviewing the plans for managing how we are living. I am roughly following a model we used in 2003 when we lived in a rental and had our own home. We had two sets of things in the kitchen for example.

My ILs visited for the Easter break. They gave our middle daughter a dress that can be used for the reenactment sometimes drama students take part in. If she is doing drama in the early part of next year she will have a dress for the community event.

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

We put some wood at both houses for heating that we cut ourselves. We borrowed a bigger trailer but it was a struggle for the car to go up a very steep hill after the near cooking the motor last summer, we need to get the radiator flushed. This is some of the wood, the rest is in the shed nearby.


Weeding and mulching using free mulch that would have gone to waste on the side of the road. It is not easy to buy straw here, so very thankful for it.



My husband bought the screws for the kitchen drawers and some catches as well. We have a mouse, and I don't want the cupboards flapping if I get brave and move soon. Even though the cupboard fronts themselves need resealing, we are finding we could be here forever fine tuning things. It would be nice though.

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

Have donated a bag of clothes, still lots to do with trying on clothes on our youngest.

Learn a new Skill

My husband revisited blind hemming on our machine. This time it turned out differently to last time! However, I think it is right now. I gave him a worn out pair of similar school pants to practice on. So instead of the skirt I was to hand sew, our daughter will be wearing the pants.



This meme comes from Belinda's blog.