Wake up, Freak Out

I came across this fantastic short film at Wake Up, Freak Out - Then Get a Grip.

It is an animated clip about climate change that describes tipping points, which I was trying to explain in my post about Brightest before the Dark. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the film, because it has a lot to say.

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray.

I hope the message came through loud and clear. We need to consume less. It is the unfortunate reality that many of us will just not be able to face.

Green Transport Makes Me Smile

Sorry for yesterday's big dose of cynicism, and I promise I will up the mood today!

Why is it that every time I see another Hybrid car on the road, I smile and have this overwhelming urge to wave at the other driver? Maybe it is because I think the other Hybrid driver represents an individual who cares about their driving needs and behaves like I do. I associate the mere fact that this other car exists and that someone made a conscious decision to purchase it with a warm fuzzy feeling. This observation fills me with hope.

Sure, some of these cars are purchased by large companies as fleet vehicles to enhance their green credibility, however some may buy them because they actually care. But for an individual acting of their own accord and making the investment in a low emissions vehicle, this speaks volumes to me in the way of sound choice and hope for the future.

I also read that the city of Melbourne will be getting some Hybrid Buses to introduce into the public transport system which is a big step in the right direction. You can read about it here.

Also, I have observed when walking around the city at lunch time, that there are quite a few trams with signs all over them telling the general public that it is powered by 100% wind power. I expect that Yarra Trams, the consortium who operates the tram system on behalf of the state government, purchases certified GreenPower for the year that equates to the average daily electricity usage of that tram. Pretty cool, but I think this may end up sending a false message to the users of the public transport system. This is mainly because the rest of Melbourne's public transport system runs on electricity generated by coal fired power plants in the Latrobe Valley. This needs to green up substantially. I bet if I questioned fellow passengers as to whether they thought the transport was non-polluting and good for the environment, I would get so many different answers but the majority would probably most would say yes. This is because they don't actually see the emissions from the tram or train, because the emissions spewed out over 200km from the city. So until we clean up our act, we are stuck in this situation of a false reality.

Thankfully, the two cleanest ways of getting around that delight me are walking and cycling. I love to have an 45 minute walk at lunch time, mainly because it is probably the most exercise I get each day except when gardening on weekends. One certainly does not perform very many strenuous tasks as a knowledge worker in an office. I love to stroll through the city's many gardens and observe the people around me. I smile often at people who are just enjoying their lunch time break with the simple joy of taking a walk to help prepare for the second half of their day.

I also smile every time a cyclist rides past me as I walk the 15 minutes to and from the car park each day. I have observed so many more people riding to work over the last few months, that it is genuinely encouraging to see this increasing trend. However, one thing I can't figure out is why most cyclists consider it necessary to wear a dedicated set of very expensive cycling clothing to get from A to B. I remember when I was in my mid 20's and visited the Netherlands, everyone there rode bikes and wore just their normal street cloths. Expensive cycling gear was only to be seen worn by athletes and Tour d'France riders. I know when I go for a ride some weekends, that I just wear decent footwear, normal clothes and a helmet. Nothing fancy, and until more people ride in normal clothing instead of driving the car for short trips, the elite, fancy dressed cyclists will rule the road. Just food for thought, that's all.

How do you get around? Do you think it will make me smile?

Brightest before the Dark

Whilst watching a video over at Cluttercut about James Lovelock and his latest book, The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning, one of the phrases he used struck a strong chord with me.

"Gaia is shining brightest before the dark". Now usually the saying is "It is always darkest before dawn", but the modification works for me. He went on to explain that the planetary systems were presenting massive extreames of hot and cold across the globe and this was a sign of a system ready to collapse. Let me demonstrate by expanding upon this and showing some example from the press today.

We (humans) are currently the most populous mammal on the planet Earth, and we use more planetary resources than any other living creature. We generate the most pollution on land, sea and air. We are also destroying habitat for all other species (except maybe pigeons and cockroaches) and causing their mass extrinction. We are shining as a race and can live in the most inhospitable places on the planet. Hell, we even live in space and have visited the Moon a few times. No other species has achieved what we have, and by the sounds of James Lovelock's latest book, no-one will again. He has already written off our ability to bring climate change under control and reverse the effect, and is predicting a mass extinction, not of other species, but of mankind. We are talking about billions of people in the next 90 years. He predicts that only about 500 million of us will survive by clinging to the near polar regions. So much for a story of hope, but then James has only ever been a realist and calls it how it is.

I am not saying that I subscribe to his way of thinking, because I believe there is always hope and that strong action, at least locally will help communities to survive. However, when I picked a few random articles from the newspaper today to try and counter argue James Lovelocks theory of mass extinction, and that we can make the necessary changes to present human behaviours for the betterment of Gaia, I couldn't find any. This is why.

Subterranean bugs that break down coal could change mining
This story describes a discovery that ancient bacteria could be used to change coal deposits into methane for human use. I have a fear that if we unleash this technology, it could start a runaway process that would release climate killing amounts of methane into the atmosphere and push us past the point of no return. Just a thought.

This is not the climate for selfishness
Ed Miliband, British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change talks about national sacrifice at the Copenhagen Climate talks in December. Why do I think this will not solve the climate crisis? The talk should have ended long ago. We knew about global warming in the 1950's and have chosen to ignore the issue. Also, in all of human history, we have never, ever gained binding agreement and taken action against a comon threat this big. What makes us think we will succeed this time around, with all the vested interests opposing real climate action for the sake of short term profits.

Hall's career over?
This has been massive news here in Victoria. A footballer who likes to have a fight on the field. Who cares! It reminds me of the bread and circuses the Emperor used to throw daily just before the downfall of the Roman Empire. Keep the punters distracted and they will never learn nor care about the truth. Same goes for this story, but in a modern setting.

Solar power faces early sunset in Australia
Support for the solar industry from the Federal government has been sending mixed messages to industry and the general public, with two early terminations of solar rebates, both replaced with a dud scheme funded by industry that will distort the next renewable energy target. Other countries are screaming ahead of the country with the most sunshine. One would think we would make clean energy our number one priority, especially that our climate is heating up and we eagerly rush out and buy another airconditioner to cool ourselves down with coal fired electricity. The ultimate irony if I ever saw it.

Gunns finds partner for controversial mill
Letting corporations like Gunns all over the world cut down our old growth forests just so that the human race can wipe their arses with soft toilet paper. This is the strongest evidence of why James Lovelock may be right! We are cutting off our noses to spite our faces.

I see the truth before us, do you? What do you think of his rationale?

Home Made Camembert

I once thought that making Camembert would be very difficult.  I didn't know how they got that soft, almost fuzzy rind around the cheese, and would not have imagined in my wildest dreams that one day I would make one.  Camembert cheese originate in the French village of the same name.  It was discovered in 1791 by Marie Fontaine who got the recipe from a monk, and has become one of the most prized cheeses in the world.  Penicillium candidum growns on the surface during curing, and the mould develops the sharp taste of the cheese and aids in creating its runny consistency at room temperature.

Well, guess what. I didn't make one, I made 4 rounds of Camembert!

First of all I had to make the hoops or moulds that the Camembert would form in.  I took a big piece of food grade plastic pipe and cut it into four 3" lengths and gave the ends a sand with a sanding block to smooth them all down.  While I was at it, I made a Stilton mould as well and drilled holes all around the mould.  Here is a picture of my efforts;

So once I had finished the hoops, I washed them in hot soapy water to get rid of any plastic powder, and then I sterilised them in boiling water.  Unfortunately the hot water warped them somewhat, so I had to reshape them when I took them out.  There was a lesson learnt, don't boil the hoops.  So instead I sprayed them all over with white vinegar to kill any mould or bacteria that might be lurking.

I then followed the recipie in the "Home Cheese Making" by Ricki Carrol, which I won't describe in details here.  You will just have to borrow the book from your local library!

Anyway, normal process, heat the milk, add the starter, then the penicillium and ripen for 90 minutes.  This is the longest ripening period I have found for any cheese so far.  Then add the rennet and rest for an hour.  Cut curd into 1.25 cm cubes, gently stir.  Dorothey from the cheese making course suggested the lift and separate method, just like the bra add.  The book goes into some detail about cheese boards and mats and moulds, but I found a simpler way that I learnt by observation of other students at the course.  Use good old chux and two trays for the hoop process. 

 
This is about half way through the turning process.  When I filled the hoops they were over full and I just managed to get all of the curd into them with a bit of persiverance.  As you can see, the curd shrinks as it expells whey.  You can just see in the photo a second tray.  To turn the hoops, place the second blue chux over the hoops, put the tray on top, squeeze the trays together, drain whatever whey there is, and quickly flip them over.  A little bit of skill involved, but not too hard. 

Now after 5 hours of doing this every hour your camembert will look something like this;

As you can see, they shrink quite a bit.  They shrank from about 7.5cm to about 3cm once all the tray fliping was over.  You then salt the cheese by sprinkling with non-iondised salt and rub all over.  They are mostly firm, but I had to be gentle.

Now the tricky bit.  As the mould was introduced at the start of the process, I shouldn't have to spray them to get the white rind to form.  However, I must keep the cheese separate from all the other cheeses in my cheese cave.  So to do that, I have a nifty two layer box.  In the bottom layer, I put a sushi mat and a little bowl of water to increase humidity.  The four cheeses fit in it like this;

This picture was taken this morning after the cheese had been in the cave all night.  The water works well, and it was quite humit when I lifted the lid.  Two on the bottom and two on top of the shelf.  It was like the box was designed for it!

All I have to do now is wait for about 5 days for the furry whiskers of the mould to form, turn in another 7 days, and then wrap in cheese wrap (haven't figured out what that is yet) and let age for 4 - 6 weeks.  Then I will have 4 lovely wheels of camembert!  Pretty cool I reckon.  I will let you know what they taste like in a month.

Oh, also at the same time as I made the camembert, I made a proper Stilton.  Why spend 6 hours making one type of cheese when you can make two.  But that is another story.....

For a more comprehensive post, including a video tutorial, have a look at my full article about making Camembert over on my cheese blog, Little Green Cheese.  It is worth a visit.

Chicken Hygiene

A recent reader (Margaret from Canada) asked how to keep her chicken run from getting yikky!  Thanks Margaret for the prompt to write this long overdue chicken post.  The below tips are things I have learnt in since we have had our own hens and are only learnings from September 2008 until now.

I find the chicken hygiene is quite simple.  All you have to do is ensure that their run and house don't get very messy and that you use a bit of preventative medicine to help them along.  It only take a little of your time to make sure your girls remain healthy and strong.

I subscribe to a deep litter methodology in my chook run.  Every 3 weeks to a month, and more often if it has been raining heavily, I clean out the litter and either compost it, bag it up for later, or throw it into a resting garden bed to improve the soil.  This takes me about 45 - 60 minutes simply because there is a lot of it.  Then I spread a few handfuls of dolomite lime on the ground to stop acid build up and to sweeten the soil.  I find this necessary to stop the build up of earth borne pests from getting hold in their permanently fixed run.  Then I get a bale of straw (not hay, too many moulds/pollen that may make them sick) and spread about half of it all over the bottom of the run.  Now because they only have a small run this makes the depth of the straw about 30cm (1ft) deep.  The chickens are very funny when they go back into their run after you have cleaned it out.  Because the new straw is so spongy, they tread very lightly until they get used to is again.  Here are a couple of views of the run showing the depth of the straw which I changed out last weekend.

The other half bale in the corner is used during the month to replace the bedding in their house every week.  Because they defecate quite a bit when roosting at night, I find that a weekly clean out keeps their house from getting smelly and deters mites and lice from setting up camp.

Don't forget to make sure there is clean water available each day.  This is essential in their digestion and helps them to break up their food.  They are just like us, water is a necessity.  If they don't have enough available, you many find they develop digestion problems and food will begin to get stuck in their crop (first stomach).  Also don't forget to give them some shell grit.  This also helps them break up their food in the crop and adds necessary calcium for egg shell development.  If they do not have enough calcium in their diet, their bodies draw it from their bones, which may lead to other problems later on.

The other things I do is let them free range each day for most of the day.  They have an area of grass that they mow for me under the clothesline, and a couple of garden beds that they like to dust bath in.  By dust bathing daily the chickens manage well in keeping any mites or lice at bay.  I also add a teaspoon of crushed garlic to their water once a fortnight, which is also a bug deterrent.  Another thing that helps with intestinal worms is nasturtiums.  I offer them some of the leaves, sometimes they eat a bit, some times they don't.  I leave the choice up to them. 

They are very clean girls, and usually preen themselves after their dust bath.  They take the oils from around their tail feather area with their beaks and rub it on the base of their other feathers.  It is very interesting to watch their behaviours, and it is a relaxing pass time. 

The main thing is to keep the area that they live in clean.  This will minimise any potential health problems right from the start.  An ounce of prevention is always worth more than a pound of cure. 

The above tips are things I have learnt in since we have had our own hens and are only learnings from September 2008 until now.  If you have any poultry hygiene tips of your own, I would love to here from you via a comment.  The more the merrier.  Anything to help keep these wonderful additions to a permaculture garden fit and healthy! 

Good Feed-In Tariff News

There are a couple of good news items today on the renewable energy front.

Firstly, the Feed-in Tariff Petition for a national gross tariff of 17,000+ signatures was tabled in the Senate yesterday by Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne.

Here is an extract from a press release I received from the petition organisers.

Independent MP for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott, will also announce he will introduce Senator Milne's Private Member's Bill for a feed-in tariff into the House of Representatives.

"I'm thrilled to be tabling this petition today which shows the extraordinary level of public support for renewable energy and the best policy to bring it on." said Senator Milne.

"It is time the Commonwealth stepped in to introduce a real scheme that will pay a premium rate for all energy generated from all renewable sources and technologies."

"The Government is bending over backwards to provide certainty to coal, but seems determined to undermine any certainty for renewable energy."

The petition signatures were gathered at FeedInTariff.com.au, a community initiative provided by Australian renewable energy company, Energy Matters.

The petition was initiated in response to increasing calls from Energy Matters customers for a national gross feed in tariff scheme and the slow progress on the part of the Australian Federal Government in rolling out such a program.

According to Energy Matters spokesperson Andrew Scarlett, "Climate change caused by carbon emissions is a serious threat. The government needs to reduce its reliance on destructive fossil fuels and encourage uptake of renewable energy.

"We know gross feed-in tariffs boost renewable power and create lasting jobs. They are a tremendous opportunity, both environmentally and economically. Instead, we're committing public resources to antiquated coal technology that makes us the worst per capita polluters in the planet. Australians have a right to expect leadership from their government on this critical issue."

I am proud to be one of the supporter of this great initiative, and wrote about it earlier in the year in a post titled "Gross Feed-in Tariff Petition". Well done everyone who signed the petition.

The second good news story is that the Victorian Parliament has finally passed the states net feed-in Solar PV tariff though its upper house. It is now up to the lower house to approve the small changes and then onward for signature by the Governor. Below is the email I personally received from the Hon. Peter Batchelor;

Good afternoon Gavin,

This afternoon the Brumby Labor Government's Premium Feed-In Tariff bill passed through the Legislative Council.

Once the amended bill is approved by the Legislative Assembly and the Governor, it will be law in Victoria.

Victorians will be able to access the fairest and best Feed-In Tariff in Australia.

It is important to note that in response to responsible environment groups and community feedback the final bill includes the following changes including an increase in the size of system that is eligible under the scheme (now 5kw up from 3.2kw) as well as the inclusion of community organisations and small businesses with energy consumption less than 100 MWh a year.

It is also the only scheme in Australia that has built in safeguards to ensure the scheme’s cost to Victorian electricity consumers will not exceed $10.

Please find the attached media release that announces the legislation.

I have also attached two letters which confirm that AGL and Origin Energy will pay customers for any credit they accrue.

Kind regards,

Peter Batchelor
Minister for Energy and Resources

Wasn't that nice of him (not). I am glad that I added preasure to the Legislative Council, asking them to include small business and community groups, and to raise the eligibility to a higher rating. It is only the saving grace and sense of fair play from the two mentioned energy retailers that will make the scheme effective at all. I am glad I am already with Origin, and will be taking up the deal when the legislation passes. I am even willing to pay for a bi-directional electricity meter, which should pay itself off in a few months.

About bloody time we had some good news on the renewable energy front! This may just start to make a difference to averting climate change.

World's Not Warming?

To set the scene, I will explain a little politics 101. 

In Australia, we have a Federal Government that comprises of a Lower house of Parliament (House of Representatives) and an Upper house (Senate).  The Labor Party has the majority in the House of Reps and are currently in power.  However in the Senate, neither major party (Labor or Liberal) have the balance of power and rely on the vote of the Australian Greens, 1 Independent, and 1 Family First Senator to get legislation passed in the Senate.  It is this Family First Senator who will be the subject of my post today.

Senator Steve Fielding has just made up his mind that man made climate change is not real and that the planet is not warming.  He suggests that solar activity or sun cycles could be driving climate change instead.  He confirmed this by attending a climate sceptic's conference in the US, held by the Heartland Institute.  Now, it is well know that the Heartland Institute has in the past been partially funded by ........ you guessed it.... ExxonMobil, to the tune of US$676,500 since 1998.  This Institute has been lobbying Washington hard to delay action on climate change since the start of the Bush Era.  It looks like they have taken on an international interest in distorting the truth in other countries as well.

Senator Fielding appears to be nothing but a stooge for right wing conservative politics and vested heavy polluting industries. So much for the kids of the future from the families he allegedly supports with is Family First party. The greater proportion of the world scientists are convinced that global warming is real, but of course Senator Fielding, who has no qualification in science whatsoever, knows better. I bet he is also good mates with Professor Ian Plimer!

So Steve, just so you get your facts right, here is a little primer from a layman who can grasp the simple science.  Of course it is energy from the sun that causes global warming. That much is not debated.  The energy from the Sun is trapped on Earth by greenhouse gases, and is called the Greenhouse Effect, which have increased since man began burning fossil fuels.  The higher their level, the more energy is trapped, causing higher temperatures before the Earth gains equilibrium again.

Even Al Gore knows that much!

Methane

Hot off the tail of my Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome review, I have been giving the methane issue a lot of thought since the weekend.  As I have probably mentioned before, Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 25.  That means that it is 25 times more potent than Carbon dioxide (CO2) and is a massive contributor to climate change.

Now, we humans use methane all the time, although it is not labelled as such.  Natural gas is mainly methane, and this fossil fuel is used in most capital cities in Australia and indeed throughout the world.  We cook with it, heat our homes, manufacture fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint, fertiliser, and other products out of it.  Methane is also off gassed from sewage, swamps, manure, compost, worm farms, rotting vegetable matter, and decomposing animals.  It is all around us naturally as well.

When burnt it converts to CO2, and water vapour therefore reducing its greenhouse potential and serving a useful purpose.  However, by extracting the fossil fuel type natural gas, we are adding million year old stored carbon into the atmosphere and upsetting the normal carbon cycle, not to mention that we are quickly running out of natural gas in some parts of the world.  Peak Natural gas, one might say.  Certainly North America is very close, and Europe (except Russia) peaked years ago.

What if there was a better and greener way of getting our energy needs, one that was available to most of us, right under our noses and did not upset the carbon cycle?  Well, I reckon that there is.  It is Natural Biogas, and it is very easy to make at home.  All you have to build is a Methane digester.  So what is a Methane digester?  A Methane digester is a device used to capture methane from an organic slurry that is processed anaerobically (without oxygen), and could be used for everything that we use natural gas for today.  Have a look at the picture below to see how it works. 

I certainly have plenty of chicken manure and vegetable matter around the place, in fact I have so much chook poo that I have no room left in the compost bins, and have had to bag it up for future use in the garden.  India, some African and South American nations are using this technology in a big way to make biogas for villages.  This reduces the villagers dependence on wood for cooking and heating, and therefore preventing deforestation.  Yet another win for the environment!

So, hypothetically speaking (you can see where this is going by now), if I were to build a Methane digester, and produce a decent supply of methane, what could I use it for?  I could, if I chose to build one, convert a petrol generator and make electricity to run my pool pump.  I could use it to cook on my BBQ and never have to buy Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) ever again which would save me about $80 a year in LPG.  I could buy a compressor and store the methane into LPG bottles for future use.  If I was really good, I could buy an old LPG converted car and run it off of methane.  I could use it to heat our hot water when the sun is not shining.  The practical uses are endless.  Wherever you use natural gas and LPG today, you could substitute this all with natural biogas.

Check this guy out.  He made a simple digester out of two plastic barrels, for next to nothing.

The design could be as simple as this;

Or as complex as this;

Sounds like a very cool next project.  How good would it be to be independent of the natural gas grid.  Just think, no more gas bills!  Let me mull over it for a while and attempt to convince Kim that it is a good idea, and we will see what comes of it.  What do you think?

Who would like to come to my place for a biogas BBQ this summer?

Weekend Roundup

As always, a full weekend has just been experienced on TGOG's suburban farm!

Friday night is becoming well entrenched as Cheese making night, and I find that this regular routine not only helps me wind down after a long week at work, but is essential to building up the cheese stocks.  It is a very soothing therapy, and one that I look forward to by about Wednesday!  This Friday I made another wheel of Parmesan, which is a lot less intensive than making other hard cheeses.  The only thing that is difficult Parmesan is the long wait of 6 months before the initial sampling of it.  It will fully mature in 12 months!  So, here is a photo of the two wheels of Parmesan that I now have in the "Cheese Cave".

Saturday morning, I collected Adam from his mates place and he helped me put another 3 fruit trees into the ground.  We planted a Satsuma and a Rosa Plum, and a Stella Cherry.  Isn't it nice that someone gave each tree a name!  So in total I now have 8 fruit trees in the front yard with only two more to plant out.  I have a nectarine and a apricot and one large bed left.  How many people do you know that have a fruit orchard in their front yard?

Plum Santa Rosa

Cherry Stella



Plum Satsuma (blood)

In the afternoon we had meeting #6 of the Melton Sustainable Living Group at my house.  The theme was supposed to be about renewable energy, but because I couldn't secure a guest speaker for the day, we just had general business and watched an episode of "It's not easy being green".  Very civilised with a herb and cheese scone made by Kim in one hand, and a glass of local red wine in the other.  All meetings should be this relaxed!

During the course of the evening, after the wonderful Chickpea and Potato Curry that I whipped up, I suggested to Kim that we could watch "Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome".  It has been many years since I have seen this post-apocalyptic classic and it was time for a refresh.  For those who have not seen it here is a brief synopsis;

The oil has run dry, and apparently there has been a nuclear war over the remaining resources.  Many years after the collapsed of civilisation, and the remnants of mankind had fought it out, smatterings of a low energy lifestyle have begun to form.  Anyway, Max (the hero of the tale played by Mel Gibson), stumbles upon BarterTown, which is a ram shackled gathering of survivors with apparent abundant energy, and is run by Aunty (Tina Turner).  The story goes on from there.

My biggest beef with the movie is that the towns electricity and gas comes from methane produced by a pig manure digester-generator.  Now with the town being in the middle of a desert, and not much plant life being present, my question is, where does the food or energy come from to feed the pigs.  The simple law of energy is that it is not created, but mealy transformed from another source, and in this case food turned into manure, which is turned into methane and sludge.  A big mistake in the plot if you ask me and one that many people make when thinking about alternate energy sources.

Sunday was Mold-ripened cheese course day, which I have described in the post "Stilton or I got the stinky blues".  It was a great course, and when I arrived home, I decided to do a bit of work around the 'farm'.  I weeded the veggie patch, fertilised it all with Powerfeed, and planted some Elephant leek seedlings that were now the right size.  I cleaned out the chicken house (did the run last week) and put all the manure into the compost bin.  I then harvested some spring onions, bok choy, capsicums (red & green), swiss chard, a couple of lemons, and a few herbs for dinner.  I then proceeded to whip up a chicken and black bean stir fry with all the greens I picked.  Then the entire family sat down at the dinner table and talked about our day.  It was a great way to wind down.

I am looking forward to next weekend, because I am sure that I can find somewhere else in the garden to plant some more snow peas, garlic, and purple podded peas!  Oh, and I still have the two fruit trees to put in.  And of course Cheese making Friday.  That should keep me busy.

Stilton or I Got The Stinky Blues!

Today I attended my second cheese making course.  This one was for mould ripened cheeses.  I was very excited, and didn't sleep very much last night.

The course was held at our local community house, and started at 10am.  A most civilised start time for a Sunday, I thought.  There were 8 people on the course, and I knew one gent called Kasper who I met during my first course.  He also has made many different types of cheese as I have since the first course in February, and we both have the cheese making bug.

I chose to make Stilton, which is a English Blue vein cheese.  You can read how they make it commercially at the Official Stilton Cheese Makers Assoc page.  Here is a little history of the cheese.  It has an uncanny link to my town of Melton.

Stilton was first made in the early 18th century in the midlands of England - specifically in and around the Melton Mowbray area. Stilton takes its name from the village of Stilton (though no Stilton was ever made there) located about 80 miles north of London on the Great North Road. It is here that the coaches travelling from London to Scotland and other northern cities made their first stop for fresh horses and overnight stays. Convenient to Melton Mowbray and the surrounding area, the village became the central market place for the cheese with thousands being sold every week. Thus the blue cheese one would buy in Stilton became known as Stilton cheese.

Well there you go.  Stilton was never made in the town of Stilton!

Anyway, history lesson over.  It was a fairly simple recipe, and started off the same as making most hard cheeses, bringing up the temp to 32°C, add the Calcium Chloride, add the Mesophilic culture, and then the Penicillin Roquefort (the smelly stuff) to the milk.  After 30 minutes I added the rennet and let set for about 45 minutes.

After cutting the curd with a whisk into about 4-6mm squares, it was rested again and then the whey was drained off to the level of the curds. 

That is when it all went to custard and down hill from there.  After another 30 minutes of resting, I drained it through a cheese cloth and it was still very moist.  I had to leave it in the cheese cloth and press it with a pot filled with water to get more whey out of it.  I then took it out of the cheese cloth, broke it up into smaller pieces and sprinkled 2 teaspoons of salt over the top and mixed it through.  I thought it was still quite moist, but because we couldn't really follow the recipe properly because of the time limitation we attempted to press it in the hoop.  It did not like it very much and oozed out of the sides of the follower.  Still too much whey in the curd.  I had to return it back to the bain marie and heat the curd until more whey was released.  Normally you would just leave the curds to drain a few hours in the hoop and add more when it shrank by itself. 

The heating process released a lot of whey and the curd became very rubbery.  Hopefully I didn't kill the cultures.  The cheese itself looks a bit abnormal, lopsided and rough.  It didn't press very cleanly.  We all cleaned up our gear and were finished by about 2pm.  Here is the finished product at home, which looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

I bought a special container that has a rack in it to mature the cheese in, because we were told not to leave mould-ripened cheese in a fridge with normal cheese unless we wanted strange moulds all over our nice cheese!  The phillips head screw driver is to make holes in the cheese so that oxygen can given to the p.roquefort and give those wonderful blue-green mould lines that you find in this type of cheese.  It has been sterilised, and is relatively brand new. 

I rubbed salt liberaly over the cheese, and tomorrow morning I will turn the rack upside down, put a bit of water in the bottom of the container (to raise the humidity to 85%), and pierce the cheese with about 30-40 holes top to bottom and bung it into the cheese fridge.  Fingers crossed it should develop mould in a few days and be ready to eat in a few months. 

I also saw how to make camenbert and brie, and just need a length of 100mm stormwater pipe to make the hoops out of.  The hoops are about 7.5 cm tall and you just ladle the curds into it and using two trays top and bottom, invert the cheeses every 15 minutes for 2 hours and drain off the whey.  It looked fairly simple, and the cheese retains its shape when removed from the hoops.  Then they get sprayed with white mould mixed with sterilized water from a trigger bottle.  This forms the white rind that is typical of camenbert and brie cheeses.

It was a great day, and gave Dorothy my phone number and details, as about 8 people from the Sustainable Living Group are interested in attending the Basic Cheese course.  She will call back in a few days with some weekend dates.  I bought some P.Candidium and P.Roquefort from Dorothy as well.  All in all the extra ingredients and the plastic containers (I bought 2, one for blue and one for white moulds) set me back $50.  Money well spent I believe, and they will get used well into the future.  I can just see me snacking on home made blue brie with crackers in a few months time.  Now if I can just find some stormwater pipe for the hoops!  Freecycle here I come.

Sustainably Living it Large

Of late there has been lots of action at TGOG’s house.  Over the last week we have;

• Planted 4 dwarf fruit trees (2 apple, 2 pear) in the front orchard with ag-pipe buried in each hole to prepare for summer,
• Made Parmesan for the first time last Friday night,
• Made Yoghurt Cheese on Saturday,
• Made Goats milk Feta on Sunday (got the milk for $1.80 a litre, bargain!),
• Made 5 Jars of Orange & Lime Marmalade,
• Cleaned out the Chicken Run,
• Put the muck from the chicken run into a garden bed, and
• Inspected each chicken for mites/lice (that was fun).

And my solar panels were on TV again last night on Today Tonight (no video unfortunately).  Another pretty good feature on Climate Change and the Green Mafia (heavy polluters) and how they have the power and money to lobby the government for as long as they like.  After all it is in their best interest.

But best of all, we had the last of the first Wensleydale wheel with a nice Pinot Noir and homemade wholemeal bread.  Lovely!

Never a dull moment around here.

Kev’s Patch Update

If you remember back a week you would have remembered that I mentioned that I joined the campaign to encourage the Prime Minister of Australia to plant an organic vegetable patch in the grounds of the lodge.  I called upon fellow citizens to send a message to the PM via his website asking him to give it a go.

Well since then, things have gathered a bit of steam.  Another concerned blogger, Julie @ Go Greener Australia, has whipped up a dedicated website called (you guessed it), Kev’s Patch.  As she is a web designer by trade, it looks very professional and has managed to get the graphic done for free!  Have a look at this new site at this address; http://kevspatch.wordpress.com  Pretty flash, and well done Julie and thanks for joining the campaign.

Also, Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth has also joined in the fun.  She has re-established a veggie patch in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.  You can have a look at the article from the Guardian titled, “Queen turns corner of palace backyard into an allotment”.

And have a video tour of the Queen’s allotment by watching this video.  I know that she has a team of gardeners to work the plot for her, but it is the simple act of her requesting it is what counts.  I hope she enjoys her first batch of tomatoes from her own backyard just like I did!

I suppose the next step for our little band of eco-gardeners is to promote the campaign via the media and get others interested.  Should be a fun journey!

If any one else is interested in getting involved with Kev’s Patch, let us know via the site.

The Fog of Future Events

This morning was unusually foggy in Melton, and as I set off in my hybrid car to work, a chill shivered down my spine. It was a cold 4°C, and the fog was as thick as homemade pea soup. Visibility was down to 50 metres, so I knew that the 50 km drive was going to be a slow one. So I turned on my fog and headlights and proceeded off on my trip, albeit at a much reduced pace.

As I made my way onto the Western Freeway towards Melbourne, and as I could only see one to two car lengths in front of me, I thought it would be prudent to only go at 90 kph, in the 110 kph zone. Stupidly, I also thought that the other drivers around me would also slow down for their own safety. This was not to be so. They raced past into the void that was the fog cloud at speeds of between 110 -130 kph, some with only driving lights on. I even spotted one imbecile in a 4WD with no lights on at all. It was at this stage that I began to picture images of a 50 car pile up a few kilometres ahead. I slowed to 85 kph, and increased my vigilance.

It was about now as visibility began to increase to about 500 metres that I had a revelation. The behaviour that I was witnessing on the road in the fog was exactly how most people view the future of our existence. The majority of them were racing headlong into the void, without any idea or fear of the pending events of climate change and peak oil that are approaching us all. It really scared me to witness people behaving without regard to their own safety, and without thought of the ramifications and emotional impact upon their families, if, heaven forbid, a accident of their own making came upon them from their own stupidity. But alas, who was I, travelling at 85 kph in a 100 kph zone, to change their minds. I was looking after my own skin, and in a small way, trying to set an example for other drivers.

Then a funny thing happened. Other drivers began to slow down and line up behind me. I thought this very strange, because there was ample room for them to pass me as before. By the time we got closer to the city and the visibility increased to about 2 kilometres, there was a line of about 10 safety conscious drivers lined up behind my car. All had their lights on, and all making the choice to follow a leader. Yes friends, I was that leader. By setting an example for others, I gave them the perceived choice or excuse to follow me at a safe speed to get to work alive, but possibly late, or zoom past into the abyss to the potential 50 car pile up ahead. Thankfully, there were no massive accidents on the way into work this morning, however as I have described, there was a real danger of it eventuating. This may also be so with climate change and peak oil, and the effects may be mild and easy to adapt to, but I would rather take the necessary action now to avoid these two things in the first place rather than racing off headlong into the void. It is basic risk management 101, and simple common sense.

It also then dawned on me that this is exactly how I behave normally in every day life. I lead by example. I don’t set out to do this consciously, as I think it was drummed/brainwashed into me whilst serving in the Navy; however I make no apologies for who I am. So if that makes me a leader in everyday life and all things sustainable living like, then great. So be it. I reckon that the world needs a few more people willing to stand up for what is right, and not meander through life like the sheeple (baa!) that most of humanity has become.

So, I will continue to do what I do, on the journey towards a sustainable lifestyle, never knowing quite where this trip will take me or my family who are following, however I feel safe in the knowledge that we are well prepared physically and mentally for whatever lays in front of us.

A man said to me a long time ago, “Gav, make up your mind. Lead, follow, or get out of the bloody way!” I can’t to this day remember who said it, but they were very wise words indeed. I try to live by them each and every day.

Terraforming Planet Earth

I got the thread of this idea from a permablitz newsletter, and have expanded on it somewhat.  Just go with the flow, and no plagerism is intended.

Wikipedia describes it as follows:

Terraforming (literally, "Earth-shaping") of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth to make it habitable by humans.

Not quite possible yet, however many sci-fi books have been written about the subject.  Also quite a few Star Trek episodes have covered off the process of terraforming (Search for Spock comes to mind on planet Genesis). 

You may think that terraforming is out there in sci-fi land, but have a think about it.  On a global scale we are reverse-terraforming our one and only planet as I write this post.  I think that this is all very strange that humanity is trying is darnedest to stuff up this planet and making it uninhabitable to humans.  Ever increasing volumes of greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere, the polluting of our oceans and decimation of fish species by overfishing, the mass extinction of nearly every mammal on the planet (except our own), and overpopulation by humans.  All of these events have begun to erode the habitat for the very species who began the process.  That would be you and I for those who haven't figured it out yet!

So here is a question to all of you.  Do you think we can begin to terraform our own planet back into a habitable environment?  Well, famous sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson, of the Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars trilogy, says we should start thinking about terraforming planet Earth.  He says that permaculture is a way to terraform for the better. 

He goes on to say;

"It would be really good if ecological and permaculture principles were taught in schools as a basic part of the science curriculum and one's general education. I think to an extent this is happening, it's getting more common to learn ecology and earth sciences by studying where your food and water come from, and the energy and carbon and water cycles, and so on. These educational basics are needed to make sense of the oncoming problems of this century. It would help also if this education led to a more realistic economics, in which there wasn't so much false pricing based on theft from the future generations. This would take legislation and run into opposition from "free enterprise" (read free to steal from the future).

Making things cost what they really cost; this would be part of any real solution."

You can read the full interview with Kim Stanley Robinson here.

I also believe that by learning the principles of permaculture we can change the way we look at the environment around us. 

So instead of dreaming of changing distant planets to become the new haven for humans, why don't we focus on saving our existing planet and learn as much as we can about living on the land sustainably.  This is the very essence of permaculture, creating a sustainble place to live that can feed and nurture its enhabitance. 

What are you waiting for?  Lets get to it.  We certainly don't need Khan or the Genesis device to start this big bang!

P.S.  Did I ever tell you that I like Star Trek? :-)

Wensleydale Recipe and Method

Over the last few weeks I have had four requests for the cheese recipe I use for Wensleydale. So here it is. Just make sure you have at least 9 hours up your sleeve and don't start making it at 7pm and end up finishing at 3am like I did a few weeks ago!

Wensleydale Cheese.

Makes about 850 gm (2 pounds)

8 litres (2 gallons) whole milk
1 quarter teaspoon Direct set Mesophylic culture
2.5 ml Rennet mixed with 25 ml non-chlorinated water
3 ml Calcium Chloride if using homogenised milk
3 teaspoons non-ionised salt

Sterilise all equipment. I put a litre of water into the pot, put all utensils in it, cover and boil for 15 minutes. Anything that may melt, I wipe down with vinegar and a boiled cloth. If I handle the milk/curds or finished cheese, I spray vinegar on my hands from a spray bottle and rub together until dry. That way the milk will not get infected by any wild yeasts or molds that maybe on my hands.

Using a double boiler, heat the milk to 30C (86F). If using homogenised milk, add calcium chloride to 2 tablespoons water and mix to the milk gently. Add Mesophylic starter, mix well for a minute, cover and allow milk to ripen for 45 minutes.

Add rennet whilst stirring and stir bottom to top for 2 minutes. Cover and allow to stand for 45 minutes until the curd sets, maintaining the temperature. Test with your finger for a clean break in the curds, then cut the curd into 13 mm cubes and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Stir the curds and whey for 10 minutes, then let rest for 15 minutes. Stir the curd again as you raise the temperature to 32C (90F). Maintain this temperature, and stir the curd as often as necessary to stop the curd knitting together. Do this for 2 hours.

Drain the whey off and ladle the curd into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Tie in a bundle and for 2 hours, open every 15 minutes to break the curd into small pieces.

After the two hours break up the curd for one final time and apply the salt. Mix the curds and salt well.

Place half the curd into a cheesecloth lined 1 kg cheese basket and apply a layer of sterilised sage leaves (sterilise on clean oven tray at 120C (250F) for 10 minutes), pressing down well.

Fill with remainder of curd and press at 5kg (10 pounds) for 15 minutes. Carefully remove cheese from cloth, turn over and press at 25kg (50 pounds) for 12 hours.

Remove from press and cheesecloth. Place on a board and allow to dry for 2 days. Apply wax and store at 13-15C (55-59F) at 80-85% humidity. Can be eaten in 3 weeks or aged for up to 3 months.

This is a wonderful cheese, and I have never been able to find Wensleydale in the local grocery store. There is no equal as far as I am concerned and beats the store bought tasty cheddar any day. However my opinion may change when I try my Pepperjack when it matures!

Bread in the Co-op

I am over at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op today writing about home made bread rolls.

So go put the kettle on, make yourself a cuppa and enjoy the post.

Gav

No Love from Al.

Well, for the second year in a row, I do feel a little bit rejected. This is the email I received today from The Climate Project;

Hi Gavin,

We would like to thank you sincerely for your interest in the Asia - Pacific Summit with The Climate Project - Australia. Unfortunately you have not been selected to join the Melbourne session and we understand that this will be disappointing news. The Climate Project - Australia received an unprecedented response for applications for the training session with Al Gore. Over 2,000 committed people from 22 countries applied and we, together with our US colleagues, had the difficult task of choosing just 300 people to take part in the Summit. Please know that each application went through a rigorous evaluation process and while it was a challenging (given the high quality of applicants and our need to get a strong geographic and societal representation), the decision is final. Due to the sheer number of applicants and our limited resources we are not able to give you personal feedback on your application. We do however have a large job to do together to affect a result at Copenhagen that ensures us a safe and prosperous future.

So in other words, thanks but no thanks. Maybe next year.

Cheese Fridge

Up until now, I have not been able to make rind cheeses like Parmesan or Gruyere.  Nor have I even thought about making mould ripened cheeses like Camembert, Stilton or Gorgonzola. 

That is until now!  After a fair bit of discussion on my part, and much research on Kim's part, we are now the proud owners of a Cheese Fridge.  OK, I confess.  It is really a wine fridge with the racks replaced so that cheese will sit on it flat!  I believe that we paid $295, and unfortunately had to buy it new because we couldn't find a cheap, economical one on ebay or in the trading post.  Freecycle did have a normal fridge but it would have been too hard to change the thermostat to get it up to the temperatures required to ripen cheese.

That aside, it has the right temperature range, it is very economical using about 0.4 kWh per day (yet to measure a full day so this may be lower), and it has a nice light.  I have set it to 12C (nice cheese weather), and will check the energy statistics tomorrow night.  Being on Solar PV, I don't expect it to be much of a strain on our resources.  Kim found some powder coated racks that were laying in the cupboard which fit very well.  I had to bend the ends so that they fit, but at least I can lay sushi mats down for the rind ripened cheeses and plastic mats for mould-ripened cheese to rest on.

This will allow us to make and ripen cheese all year around, and to be able to make all types of cheese and not just waxed ones.  So far in the fridge we have two wheels of Pepper Jack, a Pyrenees with green peppercorns, a Wensleydale sage, half a wheel of Gouda, and a quarter of a wheel of the original Wensleydale.  As you can see I left in two bottle racks just in case I find some local Red Wine worth storing.  The image below is taken without the flash on.  You can see the temperature and the little LED light that you can turn on/off when necessary.  I placed a normal thermometer in the fridge just to see if it was reading accurately.  It is about 1 degree higher, but that could be my crappy thermometer as well.

Once the other types of cheese matures and I get a few friends to taste test, I will investigate what it will take to sell some at a local farmers market.  I know I have to get a food handling certificate, but other than that I am clueless about the procedure.  Of course I won't sell it all, but it might be a bit of extra pocket money in the future.  I have a mould-ripened cheese making course on the 21st June, so the fridge arrived just in time.

Who knows where this may lead?  Wallace and Gromit might come over for a visit and a nice piece of Wensleydale!

Solar Chaos

Today, our Federal Minister for Climate Change (Penny Wong) and Minister for the Environment (Peter Garrett) announced that the Solar Homes and Communities Plan would end at midnight tonight.

Yes folks, the deadline was supposed to be 30 June, but in their wisdom they decided to give the solar industry only 8 hours notice that the solar rebate of $8,000 was ending earlier than previously announced. Maybe they should give the coal industry 8 hours to stop burning coal. That would only be only fair, wouldn't it. The Solar industry must be up in arms given this remarkably stupid decision. I feel really sorry for them in these uncertain times.

So, anyone who has just ordered a very cheap system, you better have your paperwork for the rebate sent to the relevant authority in 4 hours or you will miss out. Maybe you will just have to wait for the new scheme (also a farce), but it is not available due to the Renewable Energy Target Scheme not yet passed through the Parliament, you haven't got a snowballs chance in hell to get a subsidised system. Sure, the new scheme is not means tested, but there is less incentive in less sunny places in this country. The scheme is based on how many 'peak sunlight hours' your system will receive.

This decision just shows that the government is not serious about fighting climate change. The CPRS is window dressing so PM Rudd looks good on the world stage. What a bunch of frauds!
Mr Garrett, you should be ashamed to sell out to the coal industry, because from where I am standing, that is exactly what it looks like! With people like you in charge of environmental policy, it make me want to run for the Greens! I might even get a few votes. It is a pity that I would have to compete with the lovely Ms Gillard, who represents my electorate! Not a chance, in this, the heart of Labor voters.

Working for the Man

Instead of rambling on about what I did this long weekend, I thought I would take a few snaps and make a short collage of photos.  I hope you enjoy it.  All sustainable living stuff, and lots of fun.

Yes, I was very busy, and no, I still haven't planted my fruit trees!  I managed to get everything else done though.  Maybe next weekend.

When Zombies Attack!

We will be right as rain.  We have new fences!

Over the last week, we had two boundary fences replaced.  The old ones were rotting, falling apart, and the dog kept escaping, so we bit the bullet and approached our neighbours with a plan.  The plan was that we would pay for the entire amount up front, and they could pay us back in monthly instalments.

Both neighbours agreed, which was fantastic, so it was full steam ahead.  We chose a wooden fence and the slats and cross beams were plantation pine (FSC), however the support posts were made from red gum, source unknown.  I was a bit disappointed that the fence man could not tell us where the wood came from, however it was a more eco friendly choice compared to concrete.

The fence is 6' 4" in the old money, and 1.94 metres in metric.  We were lucky that we got to keep all the trees along the pool fence, and only had to trim the plum tree a tad.  It also gave me an excused to pull out the jasmine that was going feral, and in its place will go some espaliered stone fruit trees.  I will drill holes in the existing posts I have and string up some strong wire at about 60 cm apart to grow the lateral branches on.  I believe it is a good reuse of an existing structure.

As reported last week, Amy and I ripped down the old fernery where my compost bins are.  It has let in so much light that I am contemplating building a couple of garden beds because the light will stream through all day late spring to early autumn.  Because they will be near the compost bins, there will be a lot of nutrients in the soil, so I think I will plant the pumpkin patch there.  I still have a bit of cleaning up to do, but that is a job for tomorrow.

My friend Phil (aka Wombat064) gave me his mulching machine, so I will put it to good use and mulch up all the branches that I cut off of the trees that I had to trim last weekend. 

So, with the cross posts on our side on both fences, that should keep all of the zombies out of the yard.  I haven't seen any yet, so it must be working!

Kev's Patch

If Barack Obama can have a veggie patch, why can't Kevin Rudd! It took a lot of campaigning by many concerned citizens who voiced their opinion at EatTheView.org. They made such an impact that Michelle Obama actually turned over the first sod in the garden herself. Many American families are following suit and have begun to plant 'Recession Gardens'. The First Lady even appeared on Oprah to tout the benefits of growing your own organic vegetables. Now that the President of the USA and family has an organic supply of yummy vegetables in the Whitehouse's yard, there should be no reason why our Kev can't rip up some of the lawn at the Lodge (the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia), and put in a veggie patch just like the one that Peter Cundall made at the Royal Botanical Garden in Hobart. After all, the upkeep of the Lodge is paid for by Australian taxpayers dollars, so technically it belongs to all Australians. Just look at all that potential veggie patch space in the photo below!

In fact it was Peter, whilst visiting the Lodge as a finalist for 2009 Australian of the year, who actually suggested it to Kevin and Teresa over a cuppa. They were apparently interested, as our PM was raised on a farm in Queensland. Apparently Peter and his mate Mike Plane have been on the campaign trail for over a year, but they haven't had much luck.

Here is where we proud Australians and any International visitors come into the picture. My fellow green blogger, Darren over at Green-Change.com suggested that other bloggers and I get busy promoting this campaign. Have a look at his Kev's Patch page. I believe it will be the start of something really big. So this is what I ask of you, if you are game. Send the PM a little message at his official web site, just like Darren and I have. If you really want to, you can mention our blogs! Now that reminds me of a dream I once had.

I am going to promote it as much as I can, and believe that if we get enough media attention, then we may just see a veggie patch at the Lodge. I am going to call our local paper tomorrow and see if they are interested in a story. Check back at Kev's Patch on Green-Change.com regularly for updates. Darren is investigating blog buttons, a petition, and a few other things. He has even had his first write up in the Christian Science Monitor, much to his amazement.

Here is my letter to our Prime Minister. I hope you have a go as well. You can use mine as a basic template if you like. I don't mind at all.

Organic Veggie Garden at the Lodge - Kev's Patch

Dear Mr Prime Minister Rudd,

My friend Darren Collins and I are very impressed with the way that Barack Obama and his family planted an organic vegetable garden in the Whitehouse grounds, and were wondering if you would consider planting a similar garden at the Lodge.

We believe that by setting an example, other Australians would follow your example and begin to grow their own wholesome veggies, and therefore begin to learn how to provide for themselves in a small way. I have also read that Peter Cundall has offered to help you in this endeavour and has even persuaded some organic veggie gardeners to maintain it for you. I believe that this is an offer too good to refuse!

Please consider this proposal, as I believe it will give hope and offer inspiration to many ordinary Australians.

Regards,

Gavin
greeningofgavin.blogspot.com

So what do you think? Are Darren and I crazy, or do you think it is a worthwhile campaign. Let us both know via a comment. While you are writing your comment, have a look at this you tube video from the US campaign to fire you up!

This Lawn is Your Lawn

Happy Birthday Kim!

Today is my beloved's birthday, and she tells me that she had a fantastic day.

But then who wouldn't when your husband brings home a big gift box of chocolates from the Chocolate Box.  Not very green I know, but that is what the girl wanted. 

Sometimes, you just have to bend the rules.  Not too often, but once in a while.   

Point Of No Return?

Are we at the point of no return?  Have we passed a tipping point, and have changed the climate of the planet irreversibly?

I hope not, but I think it is about time that we all remind ourselves what is really at stake here.  It is OURSELVES, and life on Earth as we know it.

This is not a new message, however it is one that needs to be reinforced once in a while.

Enjoy, and remember that by doing one little thing to help lower your carbon emissions, is one step closer to keep the planet habitable for future generations to come.

Waxing the Wensleydale

I was having lunch with my son Adam today, and he asked, "Dad, what are you doing tonight?"

I replied, "I am waxing the Wensleydale".

He retorted, "So that's what the kids call it these days!"

I just could not stop laughing. He is a funny lad, and a chip of the old block. Cheese block that is!