WOW October 19^th was the last time I posted on word press.

No point in apologizing life has been insane to say the least 🙂 It is interesting so many of the blogs I follow are not posting much. It seems to be the way at the moment.

So what has happened since the last blog post

Buy Nothing new October

Worked a treat and we ended up half way into November before we bought anything other than a few blades for some tools. We are currently clearing out stuff so we are not buying much anyway.

We have asked the family to avoid non practical presents for Christmas such as clothes for the kids and nothing for us please.

We have small, house a medium sized yard, a ton of projects unfinished we do not require any more stuff. We need to finish projects and get rid of stuff. The amount of stuff is certainly not enhancing our lives. (Post on small is better and gift economy latter)

Solar on the roof.

Yep 2.5KW of Solar. Balanced out by the split system we have put in admittedly but definitely a game changer for us. The fire reduced our fossil gas use by 80% over winter and we are hoping to reduce our power by the same with the solar systems.

We have also signed up for Powershop who support the RET

(post on this latter as well)

Low Carb Diet

Both A. and I are on a low carb diet, which is really a low processed food diet as once you take out the carbs it gets hard to buy any processed food.

Plan is to get weight down then look at where the weight is going on and manage it through a balanced by lower calorific diet.

Biggest change no processed foods! Second biggest change the lack of rubbish and recycling.

(Blog on this and why reducing everyone’s diet to 2000 calories might be the answer to come)

Wicking and garden beds everywhere

Hot house going gang buster, had a huge sale of rhubarb (first sales for the house) garden beds in, wicking beds working and being developed all over the garden.

(several posts on this to come)

Bumper crop of cherries and Fruit this Year.

Thought wow so many cherries this year. Must be doing the right things. Then discovered best cherry season for years… still taking credit.

Back part of the food forest is going gang busters as well plums and berries. No apricots or greengage this year.

Apples and pears going well. Pomegranate is going well. Peaches going well. Strawberry Guava first flower.

Good crop of citrus (still our weakest area) and figs are doing well

Lots of flowers and lots of predators and prey. parasitic wasps, dragon fly, lady birds and skinks everywhere.

Grafting worked about 40% which I am happy with but can improve on (first year)

(Yep, more posts)

New Swarm on site

Got a new swarm after we were forced to move our old one. It came in a big old pot and can stay there a while till it settles in. We have put it in a spot no one can see it from outside our property and are keeping quiet re it.

Amazing what this little swarm has done as we really noticed the drop off in pollinators when the other hives where moved. Even walking back from the station at night I see so few bees. I think we underestimated how much work our hive was doing.

We plan to move another hive back soon but they are doing well up at my parents place so for the moment all is good . We did have to buy honey for the first time in a long while so we need to do a raid 🙂

(posts on bees to come)

I am sure there is a lot more happened but that will do for the moment. More post to come I hope …

🙂