My Off-grid and need to be frugal diary

beckstar1975

They’re gorgeous

AnimalTribe

Foxgloves & Beckstar1975 thank you. I’m making boats, whales, shells, seahorses, octopi, and fish at the moment for sea themed bunting.

DH went to a car boot sale yesterday. There’s no entrance fee and he came back with one item for £1. DH loves car boot sales – he is a regular and usually spends more than this, but his buys are usually DIY related. He did a bit of grocery shopping while he was there – supposed to be milk and cheese, but he spotted some reduced price cheese pasties and meat pasties, so we had those tonight with baked beans, and then get back to eating from the freezer and the garden.

The generator engineer has been and a new part is required. It will take a week to arrive and we've scheduled the engineer to come back in a fortnight. Having to balance the electricity so carefully, and swapping cables, charging power packs, running the mini backup generator is time consuming and a bit of a headache, but DH is doing all that – he is a star.

I’ve received the seeds that I ordered on special offer – a couple of different types of onion I’ve never tried before, some chillies, nasturtiums a few herbs that I don’t have and oyster leaf (which just looked interesting). I’m still waiting for some clematis and nursery man’s choice of perennial flowers. It will be pot luck what flowers I get but that makes it more exciting – I know it’s a bit sad to be so excited at the surprise, but I am.

The lettuce seeds I planted are all doing well (I’m surprised given how cold it is here). There were a lot of the seedlings bunched up in the corner of the raised bed so I’ve transplanted them – whether they’ll grow on or not I don’t know.

AnimalTribe

Lunch the usual followed by a half day out walking around the countryside with DH.

It's been overcast and still here so the mini generator has been on most of the day. I decided that I really needed a takeaway so DH collected a couple of pizzas from the village 30 minutes drive away. He double layers it in freezer bags so it was still fairly hot when he got home. It's nice to let someone else do the cooking now and again, although DH does his share.

AnimalTribe

Today DH has been chopping wood and I've been stacking it. That's about it as we are both now tired out. 
Dinner was sandwiches as it's been a very tiring day.

AnimalTribe

There's not been much happening today. DH changed the old battery bank for new batteries. It's a job that's been on hold for a long time so it's excellent he's finally managed to do it. The generator has still to be repaired and DH is still carefully managing the electricity supply, swapping between portable power packs and a mini generator. It will be great when things are back to normal.

I've been washing down paintwork, and packing up some other seeds that I've been drying. Other than that I've just done a bit of craft room organising. 

AnimalTribe

I hope the high winds don't cause too much damage around the country. It is terrible here, but I am used to fairly high winds being in such an exposed location. It's rained all day too.

Dinner was pizza. I just used some coriander and garlic naans as a base, so there is a tiny bit more room in the freezer.

DH has been putting up some shelves today using wood bits and pieces he's had for ages, and I've been finishing off a patchwork throw. It isn't anything fancy, just squares of cotton machine sewn together. I try to use all the scraps of material that are left over from other projects. Patchwork isn't a quick activity but it is very satisfying.

AnimalTribe

Fortunately, nothing has been damaged by yesterday's high winds. It's been windy again today, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. DH swapped out the old batteries for new ones a few days ago and the difference is very noticeable. They are charging much more quickly and holding the charge for longer. It's a job that's been on the to do list for months. Of course, the generator still needs to be repaired for those days when there's no sun or wind, but it's a step closer to having a stable power supply again. 

I've been cleaning windows as it's been so drab outside I want to gain the maximum light possible through the glass. Other than that I've just been doing some beadwork.

AnimalTribe

Today the weather has been fairly good, so I've managed to finish cleaning the outside of the windows (I did the insides a few days ago). Tonight, it's back to a raging storm, but at least the wind is blowing in the right direction for the turbine.

I've saved some fig seeds and some prickly pear seeds, and they are slowly drying in a warm place. I don't know how successful I'll be in growing them next year, but I like to try growing different things. The prickly pears live up to their name though, as I had to pull some spines out of my fingers (a good use for duct tape).

Tonight, I’m going through my jewellery making stuff to see what I can use. I’ve found some anchor charms which will be perfect for the felt ships I’ve been making. I have so many beads and findings that going through everything will take me a while. 

dawnybabes

We’re quite high up and we had a man in the next village get killed by a branch falling on him.  Tragic.  

AnimalTribe

dawnybabes I'm sorry to hear that, it is absolutely tragic. I've sympathy for those who lost power too - no heating or cooking for some. It's one of the reasons I read the preppers thread, as being so remote preparedness is all.

I don't know what happened to my internet yesterday - I couldn't connect at all, but it's fine now. 

It's been a busy day. DH had to go to the doctors as he'd cut his leg a fortnight ago and it was infected. Antibiotics have sorted it out, and today was just a follow up - he needs no further treatment. I just sat in the car and read while he was in the surgery. Then we went shopping, as I'm hosting my brother's birthday party tomorrow. DH also managed to fill up on cheaper petrol and post an eBay sale. Then it was back home to do some tidying and cooking. We're all ready for tomorrow now and I'm looking forward to it.