2012 In Retrospect

What a year it was!  Around this time of year, I review the goals that I set way back on January 1st, 2012.

So what were the goals?  Here are the three that I talked about at start of the year;

1. Reduce our meat intake by 80%.  PASS!

Well, I am pleased to say that we met this goal easily.  In fact, vegetarian meals are now our default setting and roughly 90% of our meals are meat-free.  I still have bacon every second weekend, and we occasionally have MSC certified fish on the odd occasion, but the vast majority of our meals are veg.  

I am so proud that we have managed to commit and succeed with this goal, because when we set it at the beginning of the year, we didn't think that we would stay the distance.  Yay!  

As for the health benefits, well they have been good, but not fantastic.  My bad cholesterol has reduced slightly, which is just enough for my GP to stop giving me the evil eye at my six monthly medical examination, which was one of the main aims.  

It was certainly worthwhile and opened our eyes up to a whole new world of gastronomic delights.

2. Increase vertical growing space.  FAIL!

This goal, however, was not achieved.  The only additional vertical space as been when I plant climbing beans a month after sweet corn so that it grows up the corn stalks.  Lets put this goal in the 'must do better' category.

3. Less projects, more maintenance.  PASS!

Projects.  I can't seem to stay away from them.  If it is not teaching a workshop at least once a month, or presenting about sustainable living as a guest speaker to a community group somewhere, it is the media attention that one gets when winning the Renew Sustainable Blogger of 2012!  If that wasn't enough, I built a small solar power system in March/April, and then got a bee in my bonnet about being a real author and wrote three eBooks which I self-published via Smashwords and Amazon.  A fourth is currently in editing mode.

However, I did manage to fit in more garden maintenance at the right times during the year due to the simple fact of having an extra day off once a fortnight.  My downshift day really paid off during 2012, and will continue to do so in 2013.  Because of this extra time, I harvested things when they needed to be harvested.  Planted seeds and seedlings when they needed to be planted, and fixed things at least a month before Kim had to remind me (except for the front door).  

4.  Ad Hoc stuff.  Massive Pass!

This is some of the other stuff that I achieved during the year that is noteworthy.

• Downshift day started in early January.  Took a pay cut to enable this action.
• The blog reached its 4th birthday in February!
• Awarded ReNew Magazine Blog of the Year 2012 in March.  Ecstatic.  
• Built a small solar power system in April.  
• Published a Mozzarella video tutorial in May.
• Added more capacity to the small solar power system.
• Published the first of three sustainable living eBooks in June.
• Three of the most popular posts of the year were written in July - The Earth IS Full Of Our Stuff, How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites, and The Seven Stages Of Change.  If this blog is anything, it is diverse in topics.
• Published second sustainable living eBook - The Way Of The Chicken.
• Visited Waubra Wind Farm in August.  It was simply majestic to see this source of renewable energy in action.
• Celebrated One Million Page Views for the blog in September.
• Hosted Sustainable House Day for the third year running.
• Participated in Buy Nothing New Month during October.
• Published third sustainable living eBook - Build Your Own Small Solar Power System in November.
• Harvested the best bloody crop of Potatoes and Onions ever!  Very pleased.

When I look back at this list, I am amazed by all the things that I have actually completed in a short twelve month period.  My family have really enjoyed this year and all the pleasures that it brought.

I also found that I love writing books, which is really just one very long blog post in a different format.  More to follow on that, with the Clay Oven eBook to be released early in the new year.  Here is the cover that I designed for it.  I would love your opinion about the design.

Anyway, I would like to thank all of my readers for continuing to support me and this blog throughout 2012.  I still find it hard to believe that my musings have such a large following.  

After all, I am just an ordinary Aussie bloke, who chooses to write about things I do in my life, albeit, green and sustainable stuff.  Thanks so much for all the comments and emails, and I try to reply to each one.

On that note, the next post will be about my 2013 goals on New Years Day.      

Until next year dear reader.....