My Off-grid and need to be frugal diary

AnimalTribe

Four_Seasons I haven't had much up on Etsy so I'm not suprised things have been slow for me. I've been concentrating on making things, ready to post with a vengeance next year

I had some family visiting today. They were just passing through the area so it wasn’t a long visit, just four hours, but it was nice to see them. That’s probably the last family get together this year as we all do our own thing for Christmas and New Year. DH and I were both gifted a hand-made scarf and they are beautiful, just what we need for the freezing weather we get here.

I think I have everything in for Christmas now but I will probably be tempted by the cheap Christmas veg. I’ll turn them into pickles, chutney and freeze some.

AnimalTribe

It's been very windy again today so there's been lots of electricity generated. The batteries and powerpacks are full.

DH and I have been into town today. We did a trawl of the charity shops, had a nice lunch and I bought Morrisons 5p veg: parsnips, sprouts, carrots & swede. So, I’m now all set for Christmas. At such a cheap price I hope it is a loss leader and that the farmers got a decent price. I also bought some other veg but that was full price.

In the charity shops DH bought some winter hats, and I bought some mini cross-stitch kits, a book on edible plants and a couple of craft magazines. All in all, it’s been a good day.

AnimalTribe

I had trouble logging in tonight, but I finally managed to change my password and get access.

As well as being off-grid I used to have a small holding. I even had a DEFRA licence since I had goats and sheep. However, all of my animals were pets.

I had a trio of goats. One day I came home from work, it was the middle of winter and snowing. I found one of the goats had escaped its pen and had managed to get itself stuck in a water barrel. It only had its head above water because it was holding onto the edge of the barrel with its knees over the edge.

As it was winter the tap had frozen so I couldn’t let the water out that way. I couldn’t tip the barrel over as it would probably have broken the goat’s legs and it was too heavy. So, I piled up some breeze blocks so that I could tip the barrel at 45 degrees thus keeping the goat’s legs free of the ground. However, I still had to bail out water. I couldn’t fit a bucket in past the goat so I had to use a small pan. After what seemed like hours of numbing cold, I finally managed to bail enough water to be able to tip the barrel. The goat got a good rub down with towels and then spent a couple of hours in the living room in front of a roaring fire. DH wasn’t phased when he found the goat in the living room. When you have a small holding you expect the bizarre.

AnimalTribe

It’s been another lazy Sunday. Even walks outside have been short as the fog has been so thick all day that it was hard to see more than an arm’s length in front of me.

I meant to say about goats that they can be the loveliest and gentlest of creatures. Mine loved being petted, but I had them from kids. I’ve seen some goats that were just demonic. Of course, all goats are hyper-curious and great escape artists, and it is true that they will eat anything. When I put hay in the hayrack, I had to turn my back on them and they would stand on two legs and try to eat my hair. They aren’t as much work as sheep as they don’t have to be shorn, but one of my goats had long hair and did need to be brushed (which she thoroughly enjoyed). The birds were always appreciative of the wool too. They also need their hooves trimmed at least annually and this was always a 2-person job. Depending on the breed of goat they can live up to age 18. My trio were the breed that live to age 10, so they are sadly no longer around.

Rhyddid2026

When I was a child my dad had a goat called Honey that liked to eat my hair ☺️

AnimalTribe

Rhyddid2026 it wasn't just my hair then. Why my hair was better than the hay I had in my hands I don't know.

I managed to catch the binman and the postwoman today to give them a Christmas tip. So that’s the last of my holiday ‘duties’ done.

It’s still incredibly foggy here and very still so the generator has been on today. Reading my book, threading some beads, and eating chocolate are all I’ve achieved today, but that’s what the holidays are for. Tonight, it will be an Indian curry for dinner with a glass of home-made lilac wine and DH and I will just watch something on DVD.