Video Diary - Our Trip to Sydney

I wrote in a previous post about Amy and my trip to Sydney early this month as part of the delegation to the Keep Australia Beautiful - Sustainable Cities 2010 awards.  However, as I have only just got my video software to work again, I have managed to put together a video of our little trip.  We had a lot of fun, as you will learn as you watch it.

I hope you don't mind me sharing with you all.  Enjoy the sights of scenic Sydney!






Indulge me please.  It is not often that I get to travel interstate with my lovely daughter, let alone attend an awards ceremony!

Gav

Feta Cheese Tutorial

Enough with the whet appetite?  Well, wait no longer.  After much ado, and technical issues, I give you the next video tutorial in the cheese making series.

Feta (Greek: φέτα) is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads (e.g the Greek salad), pastries and in baking. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as part of a sandwich or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.





Quote of the day:

I have never met a cow that I didn't like!
    - Gavin Webber

Now what are you waiting for?  Get some milk and get cracking!

Edit:  I am so sorry, because I forgot to add in the recipe.  Obviously the method is presented in the video, so here is what is required, ingredient wise.

Feta:
4 litres full cream milk (1 gallon)

1/4 teaspoon of lipase diluted in 60ml (quarter of a cup) of non-chlorinate water
2.5 gm direct set mesophilic culture
2.5 ml rennet diluted in 60ml of non-chlorinated water
2.5 ml calcium chloride diluted in 60ml of non chlorinate water (if milk is homogenised)

Brine:
2 litres water (boiled)
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 drops calcium chloride
Boil brine for 5 minutes then cool to room temperature before adding finished cheese.

Gav

Why Just Make One Cheese....

..... when you can make two at the same time!  Not wanting to brag, but when you are on a roll, go for it I reckon.

Feta on the left and Caerphilly on the right.  I have two 8 litre pots, so it all works out well.

I am glad that I went ahead and bought a second thermometer.  I needed a C/F dual scale one so that I didn't have to convert all of the recipes out of the Home Cheese Making book by Ricki Carroll, which only features temperatures in Fahrenheit.  

With both cheese books on the go, I had to remember which recipe was for which batch on the stove!  I had to stop myself a few times just to make sure I didn't stuff up.

In addition to the Feta and Caerphilly, today I am still in the process of making Wensleydale.  It would have to be the longest cheese making session out of all of my recipes.  I started at 1300 and still have about an hour to go at 1945.  However, time period aside, it is one of the best cheeses in my repertoire. 

As I am still working on the two tutorials that I filmed, there are no pictures of the actual finished product.  So this short post was just to whet your appetite, so to speak.  A three cheese weekend!

Not So Weekly Podcast - Chickens by Ben

Today we talk to Ben about our chickens and what he likes about them.

Powered by Podbean.com

I hope to make these a regular event again, now that things are slowing down for the year.  If you have any podcast suggestions, please leave a comment below.

Enjoy!

Cheese Weekend Ahoy!

I have a free weekend coming up, which around here are far and few between.  I will dedicate the entire weekend to cheese making.

Yesterday, my order of annual cheese goodies arrived in the post from Green Living Australia.  Here is what I ordered.

125ml Vegetable Rennet (I just ran out of my first bottle)
24 doses of Mesophilic Culture (Used the last in October)
Mini measuring spoons (sick of using spoons too big for the task)
Penicillium Candidum PC-A1 (mild white mould)
Creme Fraiche culture
Microperforated Cheese Wrap
Cheese basket follower
4 x 100mm Cheese hoops (to replace the warped one I made)
2 x square Feta Baskets (coz round feta just doesn't look right)

I am going to make a favourite, Caerphilly, for a work lunch we have coming up in mid December.  Everyone is bringing a dish they made at home.  I took along some Pepper Jack last year with a jar of home made Branston Pickles, and it was a great hit.  It was devoured in 15 minutes flat.

It has been so long since I made Feta, and am hoping that a different recipe and the square baskets will help me perfect this wonderfully simple cheese.  Fantastic for all the Greek Salads that I can grow greens for!

The cheese hoops, Penicillium Candidum and cheese wrap will be used to make Camembert.  I chose a milder mould than the one I already have.  Hopefully it will result in a milder cheese that doesn't get extremely pungent after 4 weeks of age.  The cheese wrap should help mature it slowly.

Finally, the creme fraiche culture will be used to turn cream in to a smooth and creamy cheese that is often used in deserts in Europe.  Kim tells me that she just loves this stuff, so we will see how it turns out.

All this in two days?  What do you reckon my chances are?  Three cheeses and filming for video tutorials as well?  Well lets just give it a go and see what happens.

Sounds like a fun weekend coming my way!

One Wet Year

Our normal average rainfall in the town of Melton is 467.1mm (18.38 inches).

Our rainfall this year has been 466mm (18.34 inches) of rain to the end of October.  This is what it looks like in a graph, and you know how much I love a good graph!  Click to enlarge, and you will see that our rainfall has been above average for most of the year.

So what sort of impact would this have on our district, seeing last month was the wettest October since 1983?

Well, here is a good example.  My good friend Daryl O'Rourke took these following photos of Melton Reservoir, where the rainfall is measured.

The above photo was taken in 2009.  It shows how low the water was against the dam wall.  Look how dry it was!  13 years of drought will do that to the landscape.  Even native flora was struggling.   To the left of the picture is the spillway, which is not even close to being reached.

Just to get some perspective, you can see the normal level of the against the landscape.  Also taken in 2009.

So fast forward to November 2010.

This is the same reservoir, and water going over the spillway.

Note the high water mark now.  Even the trees that had crept down the banks over the years to reach the receding water level are now underwater.

On the other side of the dam wall, the water rushes down the Werribee River.  An amazing sight indeed.  Green native grass springing up all over the place.  In fact so much grass the this has been the worst year for hay fever that I have ever experienced since living in Melton.  I hate these itchy eyes, sinus headache, and runny nose!

Another example is that our tanks are full, as is the swimming pool, and now I am just dumping water onto the ground instead to store the water.  However every time it rains, the water just turns into a river and floods my beer shed.

So will this cold and wet trend continue?  Well according to the Met Bureau the Summer Seasonal Outlook goes something like this;

"The pattern of seasonal temperature odds across Australia is a result of warm conditions in the Indian Ocean, as well as cool conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean associated with the current La Niña.
The chance that the daytime temperatures will be warmer than the long-term median maximum temperature for the December to February period is greater than 60% over southern New South Wales and in the south of the South Australian pastoral areas, with the odds strengthening to greater than 75% over all of Victoria and South Australian agricultural areas. This means that out of every ten years with ocean patterns like the current, six to eight years would be expected to be warmer than average for this summer."

So it is going to be a warm one this summer.  With all this incredible growth of native grasses throughout the SE of Australia, which will soon dry out when the heat hits, I dare say we are in for one hell of a bushfire season.  At least we have more water than we usually do, however I fear that this year is just a one off, and the warm dry climate that we have grown accustomed to over the last 13 years will continue.

Better get another rainwater tank or I won't be growing any food in the longer term me thinks.  This rain won't last.

I Enjoy Gardening Workshops

And who wouldn't really.  Not only do you get to meet new and interesting people, but you learn lots useful stuff as well. 

On Saturday, I attended two workshops for free no less.  The first one was about Wicking garden beds and was presented by Karen Sutherland from Sustainable Gardening Australia.  The second was at my friend and fellow member of the Melton Sustainable Living Group, Michael Howard's extensive food garden and was about Summer vegetables and irrigation.  It was last years workshop at Michael's place that inspired me to install drip irrigation in most of my veggie beds.

The first workshop was sponsored by Melton Shire Council as part of National Recycling week, and was held at the Men's Shed.  It was the first time I had visited the Men's Shed, and it was really cool.  It is massive with lots of blokey type activities.  Anyway, there were about 30 people in attendance, with more ladies than men, which I was surprised with.  I thought that this was a good construction job that blokes would really get involved in.  No matter, so here are some photos, and I will explain how it was put together.

This was one big bed.  I was kind of shocked to see how tall it was compared to the wicking bed that I had made.  My bed only came up to the bottom sleeper, and for this bed, that was the size of the reservoir.   It was 60cm wide, 150cm high and 240cm long.  It was already made prior to the demonstration by the fellows at the Men's Shed, which was nice of them.

If you click on the photo above you can see that they used coach bolts to fasten it all together, similar to some of my main raised garden beds.   

As the bed was on gravel, we had to protect the liner with some geotextile fabric.  You can also use old carpet if you have some.  Not the overflow pipe at the far end.  Karen said that it was too low and needed to come up another 10 cm.

The we laid in the liner which was builders black plastic.  The type they use to separate the main concrete slab on a house and the first course of bricks.  It was quite thick but became plyable in the sun.  Then we put in 90mm slotted aggie pipe with two elbow joints.  This was to deliver the water to the bottom of the bed.

Then we connected the 90mm riser pipes which had caps applied to ensure that no snails or mozzies decided to call it home.  You remove the caps to water the bed.  Then we dumped in enough scoria up to the level of the pipe.  This is the reservoir which stores all the water.

This is me listening attentively to instructions from Karen as the rest of the group were.

Another layer of geotextile fabric is laid over the top of the gravel to create a barrier so that soil doesn't mingle with the water reservoir.

We were then directed to a large mound of garden soil and shown some shovels.  It was a bit of a bucket brigade with everyone helping out to fill this huge bed.  After about 10 minutes it was all done and levelled out.  A garden hose was found and we filled up the reservoir.  The only thing we didn't finish off was securing the plastic and fabric to the side of the bed.  A staple gun was suggested to perform this task, and from experience, you go through lots of staples.

So that was the first workshop.  The second irrigation workshop, I didn't take any pictures of because you can see Michael's garden here at Vasili's garden.  It was taken last year, still basically the same but with quite a few improvements and extra drip irrigation devices.

I was so inspired by both these workshops that I spent all of Sunday afternoon in my own patch, planting, weeding, trimming, and fertilising.  By the end of the day, there was enough time to go for a bike ride with Ben a couple of laps around the block and back home to make two delicious curries for dinner with all the kids (except Adam, we miss you Son!), and Renata from next door. 

A great end to a wonderful weekend of workshop magic!

The Rise of Shonky Solar

The expansion of the Solar Photovoltaic industry has boomed over the last few years due to a few factors like generous feed-in tariffs, government subsidies, and rising electricity prices.

I can understand the desire to make a bit of cash by installing a PV system, (although it does take quite a few years after your initial investment to turn a profit), and I can understand that media sensationalism regarding electricity prices has promoted a sense of fear amongst home owners (even though under-investment by energy providers is the real reason prices are going up).

Put all these factors together and what do you get?  Well, from my experience and observations over the past 6 months two main consequences have played out.  Firstly, some sub-optimal solar installations, and secondly, the rise of unethical sales and marketing tactics by fly-by-night  or Johnny-come-lately solar installers.

By sub-optimal I mean installations that don't face North towards maximum solar exposure, or do face north but are obviously heavily shaded for at least 6 months of the year, or installed with sub standard components with a minimal factory guarantee.  From experience, Ethical and professional installers visit their potential clients sites, perform an inspection, and give the customer the best advice possible and a no obligation quote with detailed quality goods if requested.  However it seems that this is not always the case.  As it has been reported directly to me that unethical installers are cropping up all over the country, conning the punter by promising the world and then slapping as many solar panels on top of the customers roof any which way they can, so to cut their costs and maximise profits.

Now this is not just speculation.  In my varied travels, I take keen interest into looking at installations, and talking to the owners to see if they are as satisfied as I was with my solar PV investment.  I have talked to a good many folk and while the majority were very satisfied, it has been brought to my attention that shoddy installers do exist.  I have seen the following types of installation; panels on the West or East roof, panels split between East and West and even a row of panels on a south facing roof!  South facing is fine if you live in the Northern hemisphere but very crappy if you reside Down-Under!

Look, I shouldn't entirely point the finger at the installer.  The customer is sometimes at fault, either through vanity or insanity.  Try telling a determined customer who doesn't want to spoil their homes so called 'street appeal' that a non-northerly facing installation is not in their best interest, they will either a) find another installer, or b) ignore your advice and tell you to put on any part of the roof they desire.  A little education would not go amiss either, but keeping up with the 'solar Joneses' may just outweigh common sense.  A shoddy installer could gain a lot from this lack of education by playing on this ignorance to flog off more product.  You pay for what you get (no pun intended) and ignorance is not an excuse for lack of research or common sense.

This brings me to my second point.  Last week, Kim and I were host to a very concerned local couple who were pointed in my direction by the local council.  Apparently, I have been labelled as the 'solar guru' in their words, so I helped this desperate couple unravel the plethora of lies and deception told to them by an unprofessional solar salesman.

This couple contacted, what they thought to be, a reputable solar installer just for information about solar PV and possible installations.  No sooner had they said this, they were booked into a meeting at home with someone from the company within the same week.  They told me that the guy who turned up was one of those very pushy salesman types.  You know the type.  The one who would sell a lemon of a car to their own grandmother just to get the commission!

From what I understood from their encounter, this guy lied through his teeth to get them onside and a potential sale under his belt.  He stated the following untruths;

a.  A west facing roof will generate just as much electricity as a north facing one (you would be luck to generate half of the normal output)
b.  They would receive cheques in the mail from the government within 2 months of installation for excess energy they produce. (the retailer pays, and only if you put excess into the grid.  They were recommended a 2kW system, but their energy usage would have outweighed any credit on their electricity bill)
c.  The system would generate just as much electricity when it was cloudy, as apparently it all has to do with ultraviolet rays, not sunlight (bullshit detector should be active by now)
d.  The proposed system was sized so that they would receive maximum payback (dubious claim)
e.  That the system was top of the range and the installer was the only stockist of these quality components in Australia.  (had never heard of the brand of panels or inverter)
f.  The couple were mandated to sell the company the Renewable Energy Certificates (REC's) for a very discounted price. (never had this been mandated by law, sound like profiteering)

This salesman managed to cajole this couple into signing a contract for a 2kW system with a 3kW inverter, which promised a 10 day cooling off period (sounds familiar if you have ever bought a used car).  To push home the sale he used tactics like 'I have to call my manager to confirm the discount', and 'I can't keep the deal at this price long', and 'You won't get a better deal than this'.   Just as they were trying to show him the door, he asked for a glass of water, which like nice hosts they provided him, and he was back at it again.  After 3 long hours of badgering and hard sell tactics, they unfortunately signed the dotted line in an effort to get rid of him.  No obligation free quote, no installation inspection, and definitely no morals!  They were also told not to show anyone the contract or it would be null and void.  Alarm bells rang out loud and clear at this stage of the conversation.

So after hearing this story, I told them what I believed to be the facts, showed them my solar PV installation including the graphs of energy usage I had produced, and gave them the names of a few reputable installers who would give them a no obligation quote that they could compare to this contract they signed and provide these to the shoddy salesman.  This is where I left them, because you can only lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink from the well.  I hope they were not too discouraged by this clowns antics, (not me, the salesman) and I also suggested that they contact Consumer Affairs on this matter if they get opposition to exercising their supposed right to the cooling off period.

I suppose my point is, that no matter what intentions these good people started off with regarding solar PV, they would have definitely be left with a bitter taste in their mouths after being subjected to this kind of behaviour.  It makes me sick to the core that these companies exist now, profiting heavily from the average Joe's desire to do the right thing by their children's future or their fear of rising electricity prices.  I hope they all get caught out and hung up to dry.  I dare not mention the company name for fear of litigation.  If anyone wants to know in my local area, send me an email.

Shameful, isn't it?

Spinach Pesto

Another home grown recipe today, this time a meal that Popeye would love. 

Firstly, grow some English Spinach!

 Then pick the spinach.  Simple so far.

 

I mean lots of spinach.  Pick a handful of curly parsley as well.

Then find an energetic child to wash the leaves with the salad spinner.  Look at those muscles.  Ben was so fast it blurred the photo!

In your food processor, add all the spinach, parsley, a glop of olive oil, handful of unsalted cashews, four tablespoons of grated, home made Parmesan cheese, and a clove of garlic.  Whiz until it becomes a paste like consistency like the picture below.  Add more olive oil if necessary.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Noice!

Cook up your favourite pasta, in this case it was organic spaghetti, and toss through the pesto.  Serve topped with grated parmesan and freshly cracked pepper.

Simple, quick, and absolutely delicious!  Ben is not normally a spinach fan, but he scoffed down the lot.  A great way to get the boy to eat his greens.

Late in Spring..

...the garden grows quickly.

I thought it was a good time to give you all a veggie patch update, as a lot has changed since you saw it on Vasili's Garden.  You would have seen me harvest all the broad bean, but have not seen what I replaced them with and all the other stuff I have planted.  A big kiss to Kim who took all the photos whilst I was at work.

So let me take you all on another journey.

Loganberries, getting fat and juicy.  I will have to net them soon.  Did you know that this is the first crop I have had out of this bush.  It didn't fruit last year, so hence I have never tasted Loganberries.  Looking forward to the day we pick them.  There must be about 200 on the bush.

Kim keeps promising me apple and rhubarb crumble.  Well honey, here is the rhubarb!

The garlic is just beginning to yellow.  This time last year, I had harvested the garlic and had it drying in a basket. Lots of rain, so I hope that this means big fat bulbs.

Nasturtiums and Strawberries.  I have found by chance that the slugs are staying away from the strawberries this year, because of the close proximity of the peppery nasturtiums.  Obviously a good companion pair.

Lots and lots of Strawberries in both pots.

This was the broad bean patch.  It now contains Tomatillos,  Tommy Toe tomatoes, Amish paste tomatoes and Basil.

A better shot of the Basil.  Funny story, I bought the basil in the supermarket in the herb section.  It still had the roots attached, so I took a chance and repotted two thirds of it, put it in the greenhouse, and low and behold, it took off.  I put it in the bed last week and it is doing fine.

The onions are massive.  My best crop ever.  I am going to have to knock them over to get them to die off.  I already pinched out all the flower heads.

The onion forest.

A bed of zucchini, cucumbers and spinach. It also has 3 beetroot that I waiting for the seed to set.

The old cabbage patch, which is now the pumpkin patch again. It is the perfect place for it because there is so much room to sprawl.  I added two big buckets of sheep poo to this bed and dug it all in a week before I planted. 

The iron snail pellets are working a treat, with only a loss of 2 plants out of 20 so far.  I put in Australian Butter, Queensland Blue, Turks Turban, and Butternut. 

The wicking bed is still going strong after two months harvesting.  We are now eating every plant including the celery.  None of the lettuces have gone bitter, and I only water this bed via the tube once a week.

The repurposed frame is working wonders.  The Lazy Housewife beans have really taken off.  This bed has had a mountain of chook poo mixed in over the last year.  A very convenient place to dump it.

 A bean stalk close up.

Still harvesting the winter rainbow chard, and giving the occasional leaf to the chooks as greens.

Zucchinis already!  I could not believe it that we have to think about eating these so soon.  We love them so much we have 3 plants in this side of the garden, and 3 more on the west side.  I know some neighbours who will soon grow tired of them!

Zucchini abundance and goodness! I love those flowers.

Last but not least, the entire chook side veggie bed.  The earwig traps sure did work in this bed.  Even the sunflowers are going tall and strong.

I still have lots of tomato seedlings in the green house to plant out when the garlic and onions are finished, and will even pop in some baby corn which I will let grow into pop corn.  A few more sunflowers will fill up the beds as well.

"There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling." ~Mirabel Osler 

Kim's Anglesey Eggs

After watching an episode of The Hairy Bikers last night who were visiting Wales, Kim had a fantastic idea for dinner.  Being a welsh recipe, it contained two of my most favourite ingredients, being Caerphilly cheese, and leeks both of which are home grown/made. 


 Kim modified the recipe slightly, so here it is.  It is definitely less fattening than the version used on the show.  It doesn't look any different than a normal gratin type meal, but trust me, looks can be deceiving.

Kim's Angelsey Eggs

Ingredients

6 free-range eggs

For the mashed potatoes and leek;
500g/1lb 2oz potatoes, peeled, chopped
knob of butter, plus extra for greasing
quarter cup full cream milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 leeks, trimmed, sliced

For the sauce
50g/2oz unsalted butter
50g/2oz plain flour
300ml/half pint milk
1 tsp french mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
75g/3oz Cheddar cheese, grated
75g/3oz Caerphilly cheese, grated

For the topping
3 slices wholemeal bread made into breadcrumbs
25g/3oz Cheddar cheese, grated
25g/3oz Caerphilly cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 220C/400F/Gas 6. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter.
Boil the eggs for 8 minutes in a large pan of boiling water. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and run under cold water until cool enough to handle.
When cool, peel the eggs and slice into rings. Set aside.
For the mashed potatoes, cook the potatoes in a separate pan of boiling, salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
Mash potatoes add the butter and milk, mixing until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Meanwhile, lightly fry the leeks in a frying pan with a little butter. Stir the cooked leeks into the mashed potatoes until well combined.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is thick and well combined.
Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously, for 4-5 minutes, or until all of the milk has been incorporated into the mixture and the sauce is thick and smooth.
Add the mustard  and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir in the cheeses until melted.
For the topping, in a large bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
Spoon the mashed potatoes and leeks into the bottom of the prepared ovenproof dish, pressing down to form an even layer.
Arrange the slices of boiled egg on top in a circular pattern, overlapping them until all of the mashed potatoes are covered.
Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the topping.
Place the dish onto a baking tray to catch any drips. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and golden-brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Not only did it taste fantastic, it also contained the following local ingredients; Eggs (from my girls), Leeks (home grown), Caerphilly cheese (home made), Cheddar cheese, Potatoes, Butter, and Plain Flour (all from within local zone).  Why had I never heard of this dish before?  I was absolutely gob-smacked when I took the first mouthful.  The leeks combined with the mash and eggs was just a flavour burst that I have never experienced.  I am going to grow even more leeks for next year!

All I can say is that I know what I am having for lunch tomorrow!

Overwhelmed

Yes, that is what I feel at the moment.  Yesterday I found that there was another story about me, this time in the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper.  This article was totally unexpected.  Read the article titled "Taking the green path".  Here is the first paragraph;

"BEFORE Gavin and his family went green, they were like most people today, totally unaware of their actions upon the fragile planet, never giving a second thought about how much energy they used."

It is hard to describe how I am feeling at the moment.  All this attention, but do you know what?  I still find it hard to believe that from the humble beginnings of my journey, this is where I have ended up.  Newspaper, Television, Magazines, Speaking appearances, etc.  Where will it go from here?

Never in my wildest dreams that in 4 short years would people other than my blog readers, want to know more about sustainable living.  It seems like a big, green, ground swell is happening.  Where ever I turn, people want to know how to grow their own vegetables, cut their consumption, and live a bit more frugally. 

It certainly brings joy and hope to this ordinary Australian bloke's heart.

All I wish is that it continues to grow and that instead of being in the minority, that the way I live becomes part of the mainstream.  Here is to dreams coming true!  As I said about a year into my journey, 'if you build it, they will come".  Corny, I know, but that is exactly what has happened.

A Brief History of Industrialisation

Fossil fuels have powered human growth and ingenuity for just over 300 years. We have reached the end of cheap and abundant oil and coal supplies, so from now on in things will be different. While there is a real risk that we will end up with a train wreck, there's still time to control our transition to a post-carbon future.

I was shocked into the realisation that we have screwed it all up in such a small time-frame when they mention that from the beginning of the industrial revolution to now is only an amount of time equivalent to about 3 human lifetimes. Just 3 lifetimes!  However, this just goes to show that humanity can change quickly, but this time, I hope, for the better.


What the future will be is anyone's guess.  It may be a train wreck or it could be utopia, but all I know is that we are in for one hell of a bumpy ride.

 

 Great video, and thanks to the Post Carbon Institute for making it.

Vasili's Garden feat. Gavin - Part 2

As promised, here is part 2 of the episode.  Sorry it took so long, as it took ages to upload overnight.

You can watch part 1 in my previous post titled "Vasili's Garden feat. Gavin

 

Oh, and thanks for all the emails and wonderful comments regarding the appearance.  I really appreciate them.

Vasili's Garden feat. Gavin

Well, as predicted, last night was the big night.

We had a little BBQ with free range chicken snags provided by the neighbours, and a few home brew beers to wash it all down whilst we watched the show.

So with no further adieu, on with the show...... and hopefully not breaching copyright, as I am in the video?  I suppose that it is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.  Here is part 1.  I will post part 2 tonight

Cool Upcoming Events

A few things worth mentioning that is transpiring in my world.

On telly tomorrow night!  Woo hoo!  C31 in Melbourne at 7.30pm AEDST on Vasili's Garden.  For other Australian capitals, click here for the schedule.  For on-line viewing click here.

I received an email from the National Library of Australia today, who want permission to archive my blog in the PANDORA Archive.  Of course I said yes to this request.  My actions will be preserved in perpetuity.  This is the official reason why.

"The National Library has selected your publication for archiving because we have judged it to be an important component of the national documentary heritage. We want it to be available to researchers now and in the future. So that researchers can discover that your publication exists and where it is located, the National Library catalogues it and adds the record to its own online catalogue and to the National Bibliographic Database."

Apparently, I am a national treasure! ;-), but hey, Kim already tells me that I am her national treasure every single day.

I also contacted by Julia at 60 minutes again today, saying that I was not forgotten, and that the story will be delayed until the UK spring.  Happy to be onboard still.

Also, I have a guest spot on Ricki Carrols Cheese Making blog on Thursday!  Jeri, who writes the blog, contacted me a few weeks ago for permission to reposted my Wensleydale recipe with credit of course.  Thanks Jeri.

Well that is about it for tonight.  Lots of things going on, and still lots to write about in the world of sustainable living.  Never a dull moment around here.

Gav

Land Efficiency at the Co-op

My main post for today is over at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op, where I talk about being more efficient with the land we have, specifically around your home.

Whether you own or rent, I believe that everyone has a little space to grow or green something. 

On TV This Week

Great news, and a big shot in the arm for sustainable living.

I am appearing on community television this week featuring on Vasili's Garden.  Vasili visited my garden a couple of weeks back.  You can read about it at this post titled, "A Day With Vasili and the ABC".

Here are the airing times in most major Australian Cities.  I believe Wednesday is the first airing day.

Television	Time
C31 Melbourne	Wed, 7.30pm Fri, 4.00pm
C31 Adelaide	Mon, 8.30pm Tues, 4.30pm Thur, 10.00pm
TVS Sydney	Wed, 7.30pm Thur, 1.00pm Sat, 5.00pm
WTV Perth	Mon 10.00am Thurs 6.30pm
QCTV Brisbane	Thur, 7.30pm Sat, 6.00pm

Not having seen the show yet, I am a little nervous, but it should be fun to watch.  I did have a great time on the day.

I hope those of you who can receive the broadcast will tune in.  For those international and other Australian readers, I will get a copy of the show soon and post it on the blog.

Enjoy!

Djerrawarrah Festival 2010

The Melton Sustainable Living Group had a stall yesterday at the Djerrawarrah Festival, which is the main event of the year in our town.  Our stall had display boards, educational pamphlets, drought tolerant succulents, vegetable seedlings, and buckets and buckets of sheep poo.   We had everything!

Everyone who volunteered had a great time telling people about the sort of things they can do at home to grow their own food, save energy and money, and to green up their lifestyles.  We even had about 6 people express interest in joining the group, which is a fantastic outcome.  Hopefully they will join our merry band of environmentally aware citizens.

Here are some photos and commentary from throughout the day.  Click any picture to enlarge.

David, Jonathan, Caroline, and Amy

David and Renata,

The growing section of the stall.  Hundreds of plants and our world famous sheep poo.

The undercover educational display boards and pamphlets.

Gavin holding up the tent, looking friendly in an attempt to entice the crowds in to the display.

Jake manning the displays trying to look cool.

Jake, Gavin, Rick and David late in the day.

The raffle prize.  We sold 160 tickets and a local lady from Melton West won the prize.  I know she will have fun setting up the mini vegetable patch!

The sheep poo.  We even met the guy who donated it.  We thought they would be a hit.  They were not.  People did not want to carry the bucket around the festival.  We should have thought it through a bit better.

Jiffy pellets that we thought would sell.  They did not.

Herbs and succulents.

Tommy Toe tomatoes.

More succulents.  They were a big selling item as were the vegetable seedlings.

Gavin showing a local all of the things members do around their homes.

All getting tired by now.

Waiting for the final bell to go home.  There was no-one around by this stage.

The pack up crew.  David, Jake, Megan and Gavin.  Rick is taking the picture.

I would like to thank all volunteers who helped out on the day, but a special thanks goes to our Secretary, Kim, who has worked tirelessly for the last two weeks organising everything and keeping the event on track.  Well done to all and thanks for a great day!

I really enjoyed myself and all we met so many passionate people who wanted to know how to start greening their lives and saving money.  We had lots of queries about solar PV and how to grow your own veg.  A lot more interest this year than last.  Maybe this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius  :-)