work

Well, I got through that shift more or less intact. This is definitely not my favorite thing but needs must and all that. The boys are out at grandma's farm until tomorrow so it is quiet round here and I will hopefully get their rooms a bit better set up by the time they get back.

We have finally moved William out of the old bathroom and into what we hope will become a nice private bedroom in a few days. At present it is still half passage between the kitchen and the rest of the house. At least we can now take a shower when we want (solar water allowing) instead of waiting for William to not be in bed or something (there was a curtain between him and the shower/hand basin). His old space is now the hall cupboard and already packed with stuff...sigh!

Sometimes it gets a bit hard to be poor and have unfinished bits of house but we know that eventually it will be a good space to be in. Especially the new bathroom and the revamped kitchen. We eventually hope to add a conservatory/dining room to the kitchen with a connecting door to the front of the house. That will increase the floor to about 1500 sq feet. We will move into James bedroom eventually when he leaves home and that will give us back our living room/work room which has our bed in the middle at present. In the mean time we hope to install one of those beds that transform into a book case by day :) We have some time to go as James is just coming up 13. A spare bed in the computer workshop (Matt works from home) should solve the problem of an extra bed for emergencies.

Then we get to improve the outside. We need to make raised beds at the low end of the grass and do some sort of drain as it is like a swamp at the moment. So is the hen run. Matt and a friend are going to work on that tomorrow.

There is always something to do.

viv

Time

I had a little time
I used a little time
I'd like a little time
To take a little time
Just to live!

I have now completed my food safety certificate so I am free to serve the public their pies at the local dairy. Now I need to complete their course on weekly gambling and I can work shifts on my own. The pay is minimal and irregular but heaps better than nothing. I keep wishing Matts work was a bit more regular too. That way we might have a finished, winter proof house.

Anyhow we are trying to get Williams bedroom done because everyone is fed up with him being in the cubby hole in the bathroom. It means extending the outside entry way at the back so that we can get to the kitchen/toilet without going through what will be his room. We will close up that door completely then. It means a somewhat colder trek to the toilet as the outside passage won't be insulated but that is just tough! The kitchen is always icy in winter anyhow (and baking hot in summer) so that won't change....unfortunately.

Plastic usage took a bit of a hit this week because I did a massive sort out. At least I can say it was mostly old plastic!

viv in nz

plastic for a week

I did this for the Fake Plastic fish. It covers the whole family (4 of us).


Monday - lolly wrapper (behind child 2 bed) trash
- milk bottle (they only come in plastic here unfortunately) recycle
- cheese wrapper ( only plastic here too) trash
- bread bag (I wish someone would do paper at a reasonable price!) trash
Tuesday - 2 muesli wrappers (kids lunches) trash
- 2 lemsip packets (bad cold) trash
- sardine tin cover (why???) trash
- 2 pie bags trash
- bag from salt trash
- plastic shopping bag from butcher (this will change!!) trash
Wednesday - 5 wraps off peanut slabs (boys) trash
- pastry bag (freezer and old) trash
- frozen peas bag trash
- mince bag trash
- jam top (must look into alternatives here) trash
- cake wrap (indulgence) trash
Thursday - bottle top trash
- milk bottle recycle
- organic bacon bag trash
- polystyrene tray and wrap (no excuse really) trash
Friday - tetrapak trash
- bread bag trash
- tag trash
- biscuit bag trash
- meat bag
- old shopping bag trash
Saturday - bread bag trash
- piece of tape trash
- cake container
Sunday - 4 pie bags trash
- milk bottle recycle

weight minus recycle 1.2 oz

There was some paper which I didn't count but not a huge amount. There was a cardboard box too which got missed for weighing. That got recycled too. The recycle truck caught me out :)
Looks like I need that new oven to bake goodies in. I only have a bench top one at present and it only does bread buns and cheese on toast really. I think I can cut out the meat bags at the butcher. The hens get all the scraps. This was a fairly typical week on the whole except for the trip to the bakery which seems to have delivered most of the excess plastic.

viv in nz

not much

Everyone has mostly got over the cold bugs. The weather has improved to cold but clear and sunny (if you can penetrate the pollution from all the fireplaces out there! And a kitten has turned up. Its too young to be out so some kind teens picked it up and knocked on doors up and down the street unsuccessfully. So we took it for overnight and will give it to the SPCA tomorrow. It isn't wild so hopefully somebody will claim it. I'd take it myself but our older cats are not at all willing.

viv in nz

Snow,ice etc

Its winter again and I have a cold. The heater is on and I still need a blanket (better slippers would be a help.) The cat (Chainsaw) has buried his nose in his tail and James is in the bed also with a cold and off school for 2 days. The washing is dripping rain and ice on the line and the items I did bring in needed a spin to remove the excess water from the extra rinse cycle outside.

Its supposed to improve tomorrow.

viv in nz

school again

The kids are back to school this week. yay! I love them heaps but they are noisy in a small house even though they spend heaps of time outside. The weather is packing up somewhat after a really hot autumn patch which ripened a lot of my tomatoes. I think these late, hot times are getting hotter and later every year along with drier periods. Not a good look.

I've been making trading cards after a class of arty fartyness. They are a great way to try out new techniques. I have some 'interesting' results and will make more as it really is fun.

viv in nz

School holidays

we now have the usual two weeks of mayhem whilst the boys are home. I do the juggling act of trying to keep them off the computer/tv when its nice outside and try to keep them fed and watered. I think I need a maid around now.

They did go away with Grandma for three beautiful days which was absolutely marvelous. They had a ball apparently. Lots of tramping and beaches and waterfalls and caves.

Matt cut the last of the hedge which was blocking all the light to no real purpose. We are going to plant some fruit trees along there instead as there are no near neighbors on that side. That way we get some return on it. Probably apples and plums I think with some lower growing gooseberries, cranberries etc.

There was a bit of drama when he hit a wasps nest. Fortunately no-one was stung and we applied some poison to it overnight. We now have to decide how to cope with a driveway full of old hedge plants. There are too many to compost - would take about 6 years I think. A friend will take the big stuff for her wood stove but that still leaves heaps!!

viv in nz