Life in the South

While traveling around Australia, who edits Wikipedia and Google places?

2012-01-02T21:42:00.000+13:00

My family have been driving through the Victorian and New South Wales alps the past few days, and I've noticed fantastic historical information is often held in unexpected places. Like in pubs, usually hanging all manor of historical artifacts, most notably early settler photographs, but equally as interesting, the trophies and symbols of the sport and industry in the area. I sat in a few, eating my angus steak, and feeding little Eve the chips, and sometimes asking the publican what the background to the images were.

"Oh!" she'd say, "that's the big snow of 52" or "thats the 1902 VFL team, yeah I don't know what the name was of the black fella in the front, no one wrote his name down!"

In these towns there was nearly always an individual, association or information centre who was the local authority, and almost never was it a library or out-of-towner.

This had me thinking about who Wikimedia Chapters target when they run workshops. It seems to me that galaries, libraries, archives and museums have a limited amount of motivation beyond cataloging certain forms of information, and not much in the way of the forms of information I saw on walls. Pubs, historical societies, tourism information centers, and the like, have something more in the way of motivation, esspecially to inform their visitors about their towns. And slowly, more and more of them are becoming reluctantly aware that Wikipedia (and it's information reformatted into Google Maps, Facebook, and personally printed travel guide books) serves that motivation well. With their smart phones updating their locations, navigating roads and discovrring back country, reviewing what they see, eat, do, and where they stay, tourists are using new forms of information to find their way.

I might be running a Wikipedia and Commons training session in Hobart in a few weeks, and if I can, I think I'll try and target these people more. If such work ever was a paid gig, it would be a lovely way to travel around Australia, teaching towns folk about editing the big wikis, and helping them to improve articles about their towns and significant sites, then moving on to the next town.

Maybe Australian towns will be more open to this in a couple of years. We are after al, expecting to see a stronger internet culture developing off the back of nation-wide broadband connectivity.

Skiing urban back country

2011-12-26T00:23:00.001+13:00

Watch "JP Auclair Street Segment" on YouTube

In search of land to rent

2011-12-21T10:19:00.000+13:00

We're heading out today, with our newly created leaflet, in the hope of finding someone ready and willing to rent us land, to place our container house on... wish us luck!

Here's the leaflet on Scribd:

our house

Inspiring woman, living in elegant poverty

2011-12-21T09:58:00.001+13:00

Watch "California DIY, shipping container tiny home and a cargo trailer bedroom" on YouTube

As found on: Fair Companies

Container at Thor's Hammer

2011-12-21T09:55:00.002+13:00

The container and all it's contents arrived safely at Thor's Hammer today. It's a strategic placement actually, because I hope to use Thor's amazing selections of recycled timbers to modify the container and build the house - saving a little on transport and time.

Packing up, moving on

2011-12-16T19:34:00.003+13:00

I lost my job, ending 23 December (thanks UC). So, we bought a shipping container and filled it with our stuff. We'll store it and hit the road until we know where we are.

20 foot high cube empty

Amazing that it all fit!

Visiting Blenheim Beach

2011-12-09T23:56:00.001+13:00

I spent many happy days on this beach when I was a kid. From age 5 I'd go visit my Nannies and Pa, catching the train to Nowra with my sister, where we'd get picked up and taken to Vincentia. My Pa would wake us up at 6 every morning, to patrol the little beach for litter. We'd get back to the house by 7 or 8, where Nannies would be preparing a breakfast of muesli, toast and cut oranges. Yum, we loved these breakies. Then Pa would take us back to the beach where we'd swim and play cricket nearly all day. When I was a little older, Nannies taught me how to paint with oils.

So many more happy memories of this place, I'd almost forgotten them to a life of silly busy-ness.

Now, 30 years later, with baby Eve in tow, there's no more breakfasts by Nannies, and Pa rarely leaves the house. We get back there far too rarely, how did I let life get so busy? Now I'm missing this special place.

I realized on this trip, this place is the closest thing I have to a sense of home, a place with our history in it, with our early life memories, and happy ones too.. I so wish I could spend more time there, playing with Eve in the same place I played when I was a kid.

Eve's paintings

2011-12-09T23:54:00.000+13:00

Sunshine has been working with Eve, creating Christmas gifts. Here are a couple of acrylics on canvas.

Handball after the BBQ

2011-12-09T23:28:00.000+13:00

Ice cream after a swim

2011-12-04T12:29:00.003+13:00

Shaggy and shag bay

2011-12-04T10:52:00.002+13:00

Mount Townsend

2011-10-24T10:39:00.002+13:00

A few weeks ago, Robbie, Thor and I camped out on Watson's Crags, and admired the view and long steep runs coming down off Mount Townsend to Albina Lake and Lady Northcoat Canyon. Yesterday, Thor and I walked and skinned out to Townsend, and easily found the long line down. A fantastic line it was too! And we're talking late October here! People are sweating it out on the beach, just 3 hours drive from here!

The night before we drove up the Charlottes Pass, and camped under the veranda of the chalet. Next morning we walked to Seamam's Hut, dropped down to the Snowy, climbed up to Townsend, Dropped down below Lake Albina, climbed into Little Austria, Dropped down next to Club Lake and back to the Snowy River up to Charlottes, and home by 730pm.

MAP

View Australian Back Country Skiing in a larger map

FOOTAGE

Outback Watsons

2011-09-19T22:15:00.000+12:00

Thor, Robbie and I camped at Island Bend on Friday night, so we could get an early start from Guthega, up Mount Twynam. The walk to the suspension bridge over the Snowy River was almost completely without snow. Reliably the snow was all the way to the river on the other side though, and our climb to Twynam and then onto Watsons Crags was straight forward.

The winds on Saturday were to be very strong through the night, so we dug in up a north arm of Strzelecki Creek. With an outstanding view across Carruthers Peak to Mount Townsend, we sat drinking miso soup, discussing our next trip all the way to Townsend.

The skiing was beautiful spring corn, delivering us far down steep valleys, for punishingly hot climbs back out. A great weekend.

Here's a video I made of it.

Here's the map

View Australian Back Country Skiing in a larger map

And the photos start here (click right).

Outback Old Matt

2011-08-22T12:42:00.000+12:00

Old mate Matt Jones, down from the Northern Territory, or more recently - Queensland, came with me into another type of Australian Outback, up Guthega Trig for a little walk, and a look, and a try at skiing. Can't say he enjoyed the skiing part, but I think he appreciated the views.

More photos

Here's his first turn on video:

And a frozen traverse back:

And, the map with route marked, and media embedded:

View Matt Jones Outback in a larger map

Guthega, Farm Creek, The Paralyser, back to Guthega

2011-08-14T14:52:00.002+12:00

Thor and I headed out expecting powder, but were disapointed to find rain washed snow, breakable crust, and an all over ice sheet. Climbing up Farm Creek to the saddle and then around to The Paralyser was lovey though, easy going, through beautiful snow gums. Taking our time allowed the sun to soften the snow in time for a great fun cruise back down through the trees. We spotted some nice looking intermediate and accessible terrain for when the snow is good.

View Guthega, Farm Creek. Mount Paralyser, Guthega in a larger map

Guthega Trig, Consett Stephen Pass, Mount Tate

2011-07-30T21:14:00.004+12:00

I got up at 5 this morning, and rode to Thor's, from where we drove to Thor's mate Billy, and we all headed up to Guthega for a windy day on the Trig to Consett Stephen Pass, and onto Mount Tate. I was on some borrowed leathers and skinnies, and had a bit of a bad time on them, wishing for my solid fatties and plastics, with trusty skins to get me up there. Billy was impressive though, his skills in leather ankle boots and skinnies, better than most new-school skiers I've seen. Check out the reo he pulls on the cornice, first time without the camera was even better. Finding these perfect snow slopes off Gill's Nob made the day. Video was shot and edited all on the phone!

View Guthega Trig, Consett Stephen Pass, Mount Tate, in a larger map

Eve goes ice skating

2011-07-23T15:26:00.000+12:00

Canberra City Centre has an ice skating rink set up. Sunshine had free tickets, so we took Eve. She barely fit into the strap ons, but loved it all the same. She's very attached to mum these days. Won't let her out of her sight!

Baybay, Leyte. Philippines

2011-04-26T21:49:00.007+12:00

Sunshine, Fem, Eve and I just finished a last minute trip to Baybay in Leyte, Philippines to see Lola - Fem's mum, and all the family. We had to take a bank loan to get there, but it was a great trip thanks to the wonderful hospitality of Mary and Titing, helped tirelessly by Celia and Tintin, and made fun and easier by all the family.

Lola was very old, and restricted to a bed, unable to move, mostly sleeping. It was very sad for Fem and Sunshine to see their Lola this way, knowing that death was not far away, but at least they were able to be with her, if only for a few days. While we were there she had managed to open her eyes and smile at them. Lola died the night we arrived back in Australia, leaving her 7 daughters and 1 son.

Eve the monster

The journey from Sydney to Baybay was a nightmare, and the whole time in Leyte was dreading the return trip. Thankfully the return trip was overnight, so Eve slept at least half of it. Once awake however, she became the monster, very restless in the confined space.

At 14 months, Eve seems to be entering a hyperactive and unsettled phase, coupled with clinginess to her mum. Sunshine endured a total 30 hours of Eve's restlessness going to Baybay, starting from Canberra and a 4 hour drive to Sydney, then a 9 hour flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. Connecting to a 2.5 hour flight to Cebu City where we were met and helped by Santos, Mary, and Fely (Sunshine's uncle and aunties). We all taxi'd to Cebu port where we boarded a ship for the 5 hour night cruise to Ormoc, then a 1 hour bus to Baybay, and finally a putput (cycle rickshaw) to Mary and Titing's house - arriving at 4am local time (6am our time).

We slept the first day away - except for Eve, who went wild playing with all the other kids. It was great to not have to worry for her any longer, and just trust all the family to pass her around. Apart from the journeying, Eve was great to have around, and the family really helped make it much easier.

Mary and Titing's house

Mary and Titing's house was packed wall to wall with family all week, and while Sunshine, Eve and I were given a comfortable room with a bathroom, everyone else slept on all other available floor and couch space. The joyful, family spirit was just awesome to be around, something I think many Australian families have lost...

Baybay
Baybay is a charming little town in Leyte Province, with its own port, market, shops, schools and a nearby university. Flanked by mountains to the East, and relatively far from Cebu City, tourism does not appear to be adversely affecting Baybay.

A new shopping mall has been established, and while it's footprint is large, it seems to cater mainly for the more wealthy, and doesn't appear to be having too much of an impact on the older, more complex trading areas.

Homes
In the Baybay central area buildings appear to be influenced by old Chinese terrace house designs with ground story shop fronts and second story living. Larger 2 story concrete, brick and timber warehouses exist on larger properties. Outside the central areas, formed and reinforced concrete (prepared onsite) post and beam, infilled by brick, is the preferred building material and method. A large number of interesting and intricate timber, bamboo and thatch buildings still exist, but appear to have slowed in use. Termites trouble unprotected timber where it is used at ground level.

Services
Low pressure water is piped to permitted buildings, but is not potable before boiling. Water heating is not common and though it is not used, simple solar heating could save time and fuel for boiling and washing. Low voltage electricity is also wired, but again, simple photovoltaic could be used to supplement the generally low power usage. Gas is bottled and delivered for those who can afford it, otherwise solid fuel such as wood is used for fuel. Rocket stoves would greatly improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and improve health for those using solid fuels. I didn't see any use of biogas, and while I heard that pig farming was too costly, I saw no evidence of methane gas generation from pig farms. Sewage is piped, and grey water is allowed to drain into normal water ways. Again, composting toilets and grey water treatment could help I think. Land line telephones and internet is available, but it seems most prefer to go without. Mobile telephone use is common.

Villa
On Wednesday afternoon, Uncle Boy picked us up in his 4WD Suzuki mini ute (now on my Christmas wishlist) for a beautiful drive up the Makinhas River Valley, to Fem's home town, Villa (pronounced Vilya). We ate the most delicious feast at Manang Soring and Manoy Badoy's house, again with all the family, and then we walked up to see the progress on Boy and Naty's house (one of Fem's 7 sisters).

Boy (64yo) then challenged me to a mountain walk, and we were both outdone by the Leyson sisters, who led us to survey their 6 acres of coconut farm in a steep mountain re entrant just over Villa.

Hot, sweaty and itchy, we climbed down to Domingo's house (son of Uncle Santos, Fem's only brother) who generously refreshed us with coconut wine, cola and bread. Domingo keeps a spectacular pet bird, native to the Philippines, called a Kalaw.

Land

When the Japanese were repelled from Leyte, people living in provincial towns such as Villa squatted and farmed coconut, banana, yams and bamboo. At some stage after the war, the Philippines government issued titles for the land to the squatters, charging an annual tax from then on. Today that tax is about 2000 Philippine Peso (PhP) per year for 5 acres of land (Au$47).

Today, land central to Baybay township is of highest value and seems to sell at around PhP1000 per square metre with 1000m2 being a large section. A designed and quality building seems to cost about 20 000PhP per square metre.

Governance
Politically, Leyte seems stable and content, with provincial towns governed and administered by committees called Barangays. I did hear of one remote southern provincial mountain town called Monterico, that defends an autonomy from central governance however. Police and security were visible in Baybay, but low key. Their primary role seemed to be in the town central, defending businesses, and the port.

Socio economics

An extreme difference in income exists side by side in Baybay. A general labourer's income sits at around PhP120 per day, and a teacher around PhP500. A common meal costs PhP40. Poverty seems to affect at least two thirds of Baybay's population, but food such as yams, coconut, banana's and of course rice grow everywhere, and building materials such as bamboo and coconut seem readily available. Access to these foods and resources is negotiated with land owners, who usually expect a share of the harvest. The skills and techniques for using these resources seem to be commonly held by the poor. Coconut oil seems to be a significant secondary industry. Coconut that is roasted ready for oil production, fetches around PhP35 per Kg, and fibre for rope about PhP45 per Kg. Bananas, about PhP1 per banana.

Dentist
On Wednesday, Sunshine and I had some basic dental work done by a lady easily as skilled and resourced as any Australian dentist I've visited, but affordable, gentle and pleasant! Sunshine had a back tooth seen to, that had chipped away during her pregnancy. I had a clean, and general check up with surprisingly nothing found that I need to worry about. My Australian dentist injected fear and lifelong worry about a toothless old age plagued with deformity, so mine was a PhP1500 well spent!

Cebu
We caught the fast cat back to Cebu on Thursday, as there were no boats on Good Friday. On Friday we saw a small passion play of Christ's trail and parade, and decided to take a taxi tour south to the St Catherine Church of Alexandra in Carcar City, where devotional crucifixions take place every Easter. Unfortunately this year, they couldn't secure a sponsor for the event! No matter, the tour out to the church and back was worth a look.

Final thoughts

After seeing the quality of in-home nursing care that Lola received from Celia and the family, thanks in part to Fem sending money each month; and thinking about the many problems with the Australian aged care sector, not least that most Australian never really see death as part of life, I've been thinking a lot about the comparison in our ways of life.

Also, the opportunities that our two country's dollar value disparity presents. It is common in many countries in Asia - Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan for examples, to hire Filipinos into care roles. I wouldn't hesitate hiring someone like Celia to assist with our family's care needs and preferences, if it were permissible in Australia.

But I also get to wondering if more and more Australians might consider retirement in places like Baybay - where Au$s can go so much further, and the quality and extent of services being so much more...

An inspiring visit, staying with an extremely welcoming and hospitable family, gave us such valuable incite into the life and culture of people living in and around Baybay, and pause to reflect on our own conditions for living in Australia. For one, our family units are relatively broken down compared to what I saw in Baybay and Villa. We don't have the level of interdependence in our families that people in the Philippines seem to have, and I think we are poorer for it. There's more to this than meets the eye of course, and I'm looking at things through the eyes of Illich as usual, where he would say of Australia, all industrialised societies, and as a warning to regions undergoing industrialisation:

[e]lite professional groups . . . have come to exert a 'radical monopoly' on such basic human activities as health, agriculture, home-building, and learning, leading to a 'war on subsistence' that robs peasant societies of their vital skills and know-how. The result of much economic development is very often not human flourishing but 'modernized poverty,' dependency, and an out-of-control system in which the humans become worn-down mechanical parts.

The rest of our photos are here, and videos here.

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Eve turns 1

2011-02-07T10:59:00.001+13:00

Eve had her first birthday party yesterday. About 30 people came baring gifts for her "time capsule" - a box of gifts and symbolics for her to open on her 18th birthday. Sunshine weaved her usual magic with nibbles, sweats and decorations. We cooked hamburgers on the BBQ.

Photos start here...

Chris breaks his foot rock jumping, waits 27hrs in emergency.

2011-01-18T13:26:00.011+13:00

Waiting to be transfered to Canberra Hospital

Very strange. Chris has jumped here before, and there were 8 people jumping the afternoon we arrived. Chris jumped holding a camera on his head, which might have meant he went deeper, and it might have been he didn't jump out, either way he clipped a rock, compound fracture in the foot.

The video

I carried him out of there (100m climb over 1km) - he was in a lot of pain. Here's a video of the carry and a look an early look at his foot.

The carry

View Canberra places of interest in a larger map

Took him to emergency (7:30pm), then took Sunshine and Eve home. I uploaded all the photos and videos and fell asleep. Woke at 1:30am and went in to find him sitting in the waiting room, wound not cleaned, needing stitches, still in pain, with a basic bandage compressing on his swelling (no ice), foot not elevated.

I hit the roof! In no time he was in getting xrayed, given stronger pain killers, and the whole waiting room (about 15 people) were put through in the 30 minutes Chris was being seen to. Someone there at reception had completely fucked up. Everyone was very apologetic, explaining that their triage system wasn't working... I will get to the bottom of that story.

Chris arriving at Calvary

Because he'd gone 7 hours with an uncleaned wound over a fracture, they checked him in on an antibiotic drip for the risk of infection. Next morning we went in to see him at 7:30. They had just decided to transfer him to another hospital because they couldn't deal with compound fractures. He waited until 11:30 before being transfered to Canberra Hospital, and waited there until 2:30pm before being wheeled into a room... he still awaits specialist consultation, his wound is not stitched or cleaned.

Update: 6pm, almost 24hrs since checking in at Calvary, 8 hours since being transfered to Canberra, and Chris has still not been seen by a specialist at Canberra. I have spoken to the manager of Emergency Department Canberra Hospital who seemed to be initially unaware of Chris' ordeal at Calvary the night before. He assured me that a specialist would see Chris tonight and that he would go into surgery to clean and stitch the wound. Unfortunately this means another 48hrs stay over at Canberra, after surgery. He made no offer to keep me updated.

I also spoke to the Coordinator at Calvary, June Mo and made her aware of the saga, and to see if there was anything she could do to make Canberra more aware of Chris' history at Calvary, and to speed up the consultation. All June could do is look into the Calvary notes, and shared concern at the 7 hour wait before xray or adequate primary care. She couldn't comment on the 8 hour wait so far at Canberra, or why Chris was transfered to Canberra so late.

Update: 11:30am, Wednesday 19 January. Chris is out of surgery, wound has been cleaned but he will be held for at least 48hours while they test swabs for bacteria and infection.

After the operation

Update: 9:20am, Saturday 22 January. Chris came home last night, with a bag of antibiotics and pain killers. Got a call last night however, to go back to the hospital and get a different set of antibiotics of something.

Eve gets lost looking for Gorilla Mountain

2011-01-17T17:33:00.002+13:00

James and I took Eve looking for Gorilla Mountain yesterday afternoon. Off track walking and difficulties with magnetic rock affecting our compass saw us all climb the wrong spur, putting us 1km short of reaching the mountain. Our little climb was hard and thick, resulting is obscured views, mozzies and scratches. I could be dreaming, but I heard a new cry for Eve.. one that seemed to be apprehensive, nervous, even a little scared. She came good when we found our way off our mistake, and was back to her gurgling self when we found the track again.

On the way back we saw a snake. Not sure if its a Red Belly or a Copperhead...?

We did get to see Gorilla Mountain at a distance, and saw where we went wrong. The GPS tracker on the phone reveals exactly where we lost it.

View Gorillas In The Missed. in a larger map

Eve visits Booroomba Rocks

2011-01-05T12:44:00.005+13:00

Sunshine works very hard at mothering, and does a great job. But it leaves her tired most of the time. I've taken a back seat in the parenting so far, helping any way I can. Now Eve is a little older, she can go 4 hours or more without her mum. This means adventures with daddy start. 2011 is the year we get out and about more. Yesterday, I packed little one in the car, drove an hour south to Namadgi National Park, to walk up to Booroomba Rocks. Its a place I've wanted to see since arriving in Canberra, a can't believe it took me so long to get there! Eve was a champ, so happy and well behaved. Thanks Eve. Photos

View Canberra places of interest in a larger map

Eve and Sunshine come back for a spot of snow camping

2010-10-03T12:29:00.005+13:00

Despite Eve showing some signs of a cold brewing, we headed off for an over night on the snow. I packed and humped a serious load of bedding, and we made it through a pretty warm but sleepless night as Eve's cold set in. We hiked a little way up the Trig Ridge from Guthega, and camped on the second knoll looking South West over the Guthega River, and the dam with the Snowy feeding it. It was lovely to be out there with all the little family, and I even got some late afternoon and early morning turns in. Lovely spring conditions all over with plenty of snow around.

Photos start from here.

Watsons Crag

2010-09-25T12:31:00.001+12:00

Thor and I took a trip out to Guthega for an afternoon climb of Twynam, sunset ski on Watsons Crag, and full moon ski down through Blue Lake and back to Guthega. The spring corn was a delight to ski, and the weather was perfect. The white out right twilight was a worry, but the moon came out just as we skied down to Blue Lake. On the traverse back along the Snowy, one small but persistent cloud obscured the moon almost all the way back. Finding our way back on snow was a challenge in the bush, ending in us humping our gear on foot. It was an exhausting but great day/night out.

Photos start from here

A day on Earth

2010-09-13T09:31:00.002+12:00

Powder Day

2010-08-16T22:51:00.000+12:00

Robbie and Clint drove up to Guthega last week, camped at Island Bend, and sent me a picture text the next morning of perfect looking powder! Thor and I arrived the next day and we all enjoyed turns down off Tate East Ridge, down the more Southerly aspects, especially the slopes down to the dam. What a great day!

Mount Twynam

2010-08-05T14:37:00.002+12:00

Robbie, Thor and I head out to Guthega together to climb Mount Twynam, and ski down to Blue Lake. We were expecting fresh powder from the days before, but found nasty ice sheets and variable wind blow. It wasn't until we were half way down the fantastic Blue Lake Creek above Blue Lake itself, that we finally found our powder.

After the mammoth traverse back, and having climbed a total of 800m, and skied and traversed some 20km, we were all totally shagged. It was another wonderful day in the backcountry though.. :)

Photos

Map with embedded panoramas

View Track 5 in a larger map

Leather Barrel

2010-07-26T00:10:00.000+12:00

Another day trip for back country. This time meeting Richard at Thredbo for a day out past Ram's Head, down into Leather Barrel, across Swampy Plains River and up Mt Kosciusco and back over Ram's Head and home through Thredbo.

Photos

Map

View leather barrel in a larger map

Out back Guthega

2010-07-19T00:15:00.004+12:00

I had the most outstanding day in the back country skiing yesterday. Thanks to Sunshine for letting me escape baby duty for the day :)

Here's the video on Youtube (and on Blip)

The video is pretty long and indulgent on my part sorry (8.46min). It captures a memory for me, so I don't mind so much... a had-to-be-there thing. Hope you all get through at least one sitting. The music should see you through at least, 2 tracks from CCMixter:

"Just so Picky" by Speck
"Through the Edge" by PorchCat

I watched the weather all week, with a large low pressure front chock full of moisture coming down to dump a bunch of snow on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a dry high pressure Southerly to keep the conditions cold and dry, but letting the sun shine through to soften off any crust. I was skinning my way out back bright and early on Saturday morning :)

Here's the photos on Picasa (and Flickr).

Eve woke at 5am - quick nappy change and pass to mummy in bed, and I was out the door for a 3 hour drive to Guthega. Skipped Cooma for a more reasonably priced breakfast at Berridale, then on past Jindabyne and up the range. Was on skis and crossing the Guthega dam wall at 9am.

Here's the map.

View Mount Tate and Mount Anderson in a larger map

From Guthega Village (the lift station) drop down the road to the Dam. Cross the Dam and follow the track to the upper reaches of the North arm about 1km until you see a foot bridge crossing the Guthega River. Either continue on the east bank of the river to access the pass, or cross the bridge and continue on the river bank up to access Mount Tate. Others seem to head straight up the East face of Tate East Ridge and follow the ridge line from there.

Down to Earth

2010-07-12T00:05:00.000+12:00

Back in 1996, I tried my hand at designing and making tents and packs and things. I had access to an industrial sewing machine then, and with a little help from my dad, I managed to make 3 packs, and a few accessories. I designed a hell of a lot more though, some day I'd love to make this tent for example.. I just need to meet the right people with the right motivation.

I made this pack for my Dad 14 years ago! 12 ounce canvas, YKK spiral zips, 1 inch webbing, internal frame.. all double stitched, seam sealed, and designed for simplicity, to last, and be easily repaired.

The over sized shoulder straps and lumber pad where requested by my Dad.. the ultra delux padded version :) He's taken it all sorts of places over the years.

I hadn't seen this pack for some time. Seeing it today was like opening an old diary. Discovering old ideas that were new and not on the market at the time. Made me want to start making more, and use all those ideas I've drawn since, that are still yet to go to market mind you.

I like the modest tones and simplicity compared to the glow in the dark, lunar landing gear in the shops today. I'd refine this design a little, but over all I think its a good solid bag, that functions well.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

First ski Australian slopes

2010-07-08T23:29:00.000+12:00

Pretty disappointing first ski in Australia. Love the backcountry atmosphere, hate the massive fees and over done resorts.

Got up early, easy driving to Cooma for breakfast and take away lunch (will stop at Berridale next time), lovely sunrise coming into Jindabyne. Stopped at Paddy Palin's for a map, then onto the Park gates for the nasty surprise of a $27 fee for a 1 day pass! Then a few ks up the road, a random chains check!!!? No warning signs back at Jindabyne, no snow anywhere near the road, no forecast of snow for days, if not weeks. They wouldn't hear it, and turned me back to Jindabyne to get chains! Another $25 hire, so I bought a set for $160. There went my early start, budget well blown.

Finally arrived at Perisher to find the road to Charlottes Pass closed with no snow on it! $48 for a 15min bus ride.. forget it! Perisher was crowded out with only man made snow runs open, yet they were charging full fee lift passes at $110 for a day! I just wanted to get out back, but their $28 single lift pass is not available for people with skis!

So skinned up Back Perisher Mountain for good views out to Main Range. Looked like good cover out over Carruthers Peak and Blue Lake, probably a strong crust on it though, and having not gone through to Charlottes, the walk was huge! Very patchy cover on the ridges Mnt Perisher to Blue Cow - fun for cross country. I dropped down to Blue Calf, and up Blue Cow for one run down a crowded Kamikaze.

Tired and broke, I walked back to the car and drove home. Studying the map for less expensive access alternatives. Fuel from Canberra return is about $60, park entry is $24 per day. This cost would be less if the Snowpool website works out, leaving a little for a lift pass, or a bus to Charlottes to access the backcountry for a day trip.. otherwise it's a long walk and a sleep out.. but then the park fees build up!

I hear Victorian parks are all free entry...

Some photos of this trip.. forecast says a dump to come late next week!

Saigon/HCMC

2010-06-21T23:41:00.001+12:00

Our container house

2010-06-11T13:43:00.005+12:00

For a few years now, Sunshine and I have been researching shipping container houses as an alternative means to affordable housing. The key to a container based house is the portability. Our 60m2 free standing design retains that portability, with all external elements such as roofing, doors and walls, fitting inside a container ready for transport, quick setup and quick break down.

The reason we want a portable house is so we can move it temporarily onto rented land, save up for our own land, and relocate it to settle and extend. Our plan is a two stage approach to home and land ownership, attempting to keep our weekly payments as low as possible while we go.

If you have a small section of land you could rent us, we can offer you between $50-100 rent per week. We'd then secure a loan of $40 000 for the prefabrication, additions and delivery of our container house. The weekly repayments on such a loan would be $250 over 5 years. The land rent and house repayments together would total $350 per week. We think we could save between $100-200 per week, or $5-10,000 per year, $15-30,000 over 3. That's a deposit for our own land, and once we had our own land, we'd move off yours, leaving behind a little fruit orchard, a herb garden, and a small rammed earth pad, where we once stayed.

Here's a set of photos of inspirational projects and our design in a cardboard model.

Here's a video playlist explaining the design.

Costing breakdown - new, recycled and 2nd hand materials:

2 modified 20foot high cube containers delivered: $10000
Roof and trusses: $7000
Insulation and linings: $3000
4x (1.2x3m) sliding, timber framed, double glase walls: $5000
1x (4.8x3m) back wall with window and door: $3000
6x5m rammed earth floor: $3000
Kitchen: $2000
Waterless toilet: $2000
Shower: $1000
Plumbing, storage, pump, outlets: $3000
Power generator, storage, cable, points, lights: $5000
Rocket fire, thermal mass heater: $500
2x doors: $1200

________

$45900 for stage one

If you think you can offer us a small section of land, let's talk.

The local paper heats my water

2010-06-06T14:44:00.001+12:00

The Canberra Times ran a story on our compost hot water system today, after a local radio station rang up for a quick live interview a few days ago.

Patrick Blampied is doing a great job with the media and PR for the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, and sent out a press release about me after we met through Youtube. I'm more than happy to help build their profile in Canberra, although between the journalist, Pat's press release, and me seeing the story in print, some minor corrections and clarifications are needed:

I don't start each day with a warm feeling about environmental sustainability. I get that feeling working towards conviviality.
The correct order for being inspired to try this started with a Youtube video by Permascience, leading to information about Jean Pain, eventually seeing a video by Patrick that the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia were using the method too.
My pile (version 3 that is) is made of horse manure, straw and woodchip, not paper. Paper is a good suggestion - but slightly harder to come by around here.
I don't think or imply this system is for everyone, and I don't think it would reasonably replace existing systems.. not before a bit more research and development was done. I have concerns about the HDPE pipe possibly putting a chemical into the water for a start, and I think the biomass needs to be semi sealed to keep flies away. Patrick and I reckon something like a wheelie bin would probably be good, hooked up to a storage tank, with a replacement bin at the ready each week or so. Either that, or use the V3 system for room heating instead of shower water.

Apart from those minor points, it was great to get some interest from the local paper, and I hope it helps lead me to good local connections for progressing this and other projects. Thanks Patrick.

Starting a rocket stove thermal mass heater

2010-05-22T19:31:00.004+12:00

Its getting cold in Canberra. The fire place in our house is smokey and cold. The gas heating is too easy and expensive. Its time we learned how to build a rocket fire!

I discovered rocket fires last year when Permaculture Keith blogged about them. That lead to a couple of Youtube videos, which lead to meeting Erica and Ernie in Portland Oregon to see one in action.

Since that visit, Sunshine and I have been busy selling our house in NZ, moving to Australia, and having a baby. Now in a rental, its difficult to commit to a full build, but I've found a bit of time to study the method.

Basically, a rocket stove thermal mass heater is a super efficient wood fuel heater that can be built by just about anyone, using waste and/or easily collectible materials. To give you an idea, in Dunedin we used an efficient and certified wood burner that used about 4-6 cubic metres of wood per year. Erica and Ernie told us they use about 1-2 cubic metres in their rocket heater, and their house was less insulated than ours!

If you want to get a sense of what a full rocket stove thermal mass heater is, this is a great introductory video:

Here's the book that the video refers to.

And here's a really good illustration by Erica, of the critical design of the rocket stove. At that link are a series of photos documenting a full build, including the thermal mass heater.

Here's another photo documented installation with some adaptations to the standard design, by Michael Blaha.

And I started the Wikipedia article to see where it might go.

My attempts so far
So begins my attempts to study and learn this technique for heating. After the usual terrible time trying to source materials in Canberra, here's a series of videos of my first mock up.

Canberra is an incredibly difficult find out about anything online. The websites are crappy and the search results are worse. As a result, sourcing materials is frustrating. All we needed was some short lengths of steal pipe at varying diameters, a few steal drums of varying sizes, about 10 fire bricks, and 10 normal bricks. So I baled the family into the care and drove around looking for word of mouth. The main waste recycle facility was useless. We found private waste recycle yards that looked promising, but were all locked up with no one around. Everyone we spoke to directed us out to Fyshwick, the industrial hub of Canberra. There we found some materials, but all set at exorbitant prices :( It seems what useful materials is recycled, is pretty well stitched up by business. But we did manage to scrape together a few bricks and some guttering just to get this first mock up made.

The hunt for better materials continues...

Our compost hot water system

2010-05-22T12:20:00.001+12:00

Here's a video playlist outlining my compost hot water system so far:

This all stems from a Frenchman named Jean Pain. I discovered Jean Pain's composting method back in 2008 while browsing for info on composting toilet systems. All that existed then was a single article in the Readers Digest from 1982. So I started a Wikipedia article, defended the notability challenges, negotiated copyrights for images of Jean Pain, and watched it grow from there. A few months later, Youtube user TaranikiFarm copied and uploaded the 1980s documentary, The Power of Compost, focusing on Jean Pain's method, made back in the early 80s as well. Jean Pain drew 18 months of energy from his large compost pile. Heating and gas, 100% of his energy needs, including his truck and machines!

Now, clearly such a method is not for everyone, but it is for me. Energy rates in parts of Australia are expected to rise over 60% in the next 3 years, and I don't intend to be left out in the cold as energy poor either. My outspokeness and impatience with work always gives me a sense of precarity in regards to income, so I think its a good idea to skill up on alternative living. Besides that, its just good fun :)

Next step, getting methane gas from it for cooking...

Australian backcountry skiing

2010-05-02T12:22:00.001+12:00

Sunshine, Eve and I took a drive up to Guthega on the weekend, to scope out a ski trip for when the snow falls. Inspired!

Lots of people scoff at the idea of Australian skiing. Personally I like it more than anywhere.

Wikipedia has a great article on skiing in Australia, and check out my little map with videos:

View Australian Back Country Skiing in a larger map

Born

2010-02-10T00:48:00.001+13:00

Sunshine's waters broke at the local movie rental. I was called from work at 1230. We arrived at the hospital at 2. Eve Leyson Blackall (working title) was born at 4:39pm 8 Feb 2010! 3.2kg, 50cm long. Dark hair, eyes wide open, feeding and sleeping well.
Sunshine, "6th fastest baby deliverer in Australia", is well but under observation after some complications delivering the placenta, expected home on the 10th.

Video
Photos

On this day the world has come closer. enemies are now friends, friends are now family, family is now one.

Sold

2009-10-13T00:06:00.001+13:00

100 Somerville sold to investors in October, who are renting it out. Last we heard they had paved and painted it, and we know they loved the gardens and renovations we had done. Hopefully the tenants will keep the food trees growing.. sad to let it go. Bye bye 100. Bye bye Dunedin.

Canberra

2009-10-13T00:01:00.002+13:00

We moved to Canberra on 1st October. Renting a nice old house in Turner, have a vege garden in already, living round the corner from old friends. Canberra is easy living if you can afford it.

Ultrasound

2009-09-22T09:25:00.003+12:00

We're having a baby. Here's a video of an ultrasound view 19 weeks in.

100 Somerville is up for sale

2009-09-10T14:43:00.001+12:00

Do you fancy buying a sunny, warm, fully fenced house on a large section with edible gardens?

Then maybe you'd be interested in buying 100 Somerville.

A character filled two story ex-state home with modern touches including a new kitchen, open plan living, large deck for outdoor entertaining, dark floorboards and French doors.

Situated in the suburb of Andersons Bay and perched ontop of the hill, the house gets plenty of all day sun (including winter) to keep you cosy.

The main open plan living and kitchen area has excellent sun, a wood burner (which can be used for cooking) and a scope electric heater.

Featuring:

- Large 876m2 section
- New modern kitchen
- Open plan kitchen/dining/lounge area
- 3 bedrooms
- Fireplace
- Scope heater
- Large deck with french doors into kitchen
- L shaped deck size 9 by 3.5 meters, and 4 by 3 meters
- 2 Awnings (both roughly 10m2 each)
- 1 bathroom
- Instant gas hot water
- Good water pressure
- Full all day sun
- Insulated ceiling and floor
- Native and food gardens
- Laundry off deck
- Fully fenced and secure for pets and children
- Backyard facing bush strip
- Offers over $195,000

This property has room for improvement and your personal touch - a new exterior coat of paint will have this place finished nicely.

This home has so much to offer, selling with regret as it is much loved. Don't miss out on this opportunity :) Please feel free to ask any questions.

Open home any time. Please contact Blair to make an appointment on 03 4728296.

Side awnings finished

2009-09-10T14:00:00.001+12:00

Before we went to the US for a month, Sunshine and I finished one of the side awnings. After we got back, we finished the other. Now we have great outdoor space on the deck to use when its raining - like drying cloths, or potting plants, or some minor building work. The awning down below offers us huge storage for building materials, or a green house in the future.

We used new H5 treated 100x100 posts, with recycled H3 and 4 100x50s. We saved a tonne of money with the recycled wood and they were nice and straight and very dry. We used the top of the line polycarbonate sheeting that comes with a 15year guarantee and cuts out UV rays. The guttering dilivers the water away from all footings. Will dig a gravel trench for over flow and put a small tank for garden watering.

Already we can feel a difference in warmth. Our original plan was to close them in with second hand windows. We still could, but have been surprised by the warmth offered as they are now! It would be amazing if the awning was continued around the front of the house, offering extended indoor/outdoor space below, and helping to heat up downstairs. Going this large (over 15m2) however would require a permit. Perhaps 2 separate awnings would get around that.

More photos

Last ski in the NZ back country

2009-09-07T20:34:00.003+12:00

Even though we have no money, 2 days of dumping snow followed by perfectly still and sunny days was too much to resist. Avalanche warning went down from high to considerable, so we packed our probes and shovels and went in search of powder.

Sure enough, dropping into Cardrona's back bowl, we found some lovely fresh, with only a slight wind effect to keep us alert. We climbed the West Ridge back up, looked for the loaded pow and dropped down 800m vert of uninterrupted bliss.

Nothing can over state the sensation of floating in air as you fall down a mountain you have spent hours climbing.

USA and Canada

2009-09-07T20:23:00.005+12:00

Video shot with my phone and uploaded on teh spot to Youtube. Later edited using teh web based video editor Kaltura.

An attempt to ski Mount Pisa

2009-06-21T10:21:00.005+12:00

View Pisa in a larger map

Robin has had this place scoped for a while, so the weekend after the big snow day Shelagh, Robin, Sunshine, the dogs and I all head off for a look see. We stayed the night in a really nice little holiday house in Bannockburn, getting up long before the sun so we could start our way up a long steep route to the Pisa range.

I must admit, when I saw the maps, I had my doubts that Sunshine and I would make it up to a snow line, ski it and get back in one day, but Shelagh and Robin had packed for an over night stay in a hut up over the range on the Cardrona Cromwell Pack Track. That was a better plan as the climb to the snow line was too big for Sunshine and I in a day, seeing us turn back :(

It was a little disappointing to see the snow line wasn't anywhere near the 900m we had hoped, and the car pack was at 400m. Had we bought a 4WD along, we could have driven all the way to the snow line and into it! But the road was boggy in patches after the sun had melted the frost over it - the driving should be done early morning only I'd say...

The view we did get of the range and the bowls and valleys coming off it was enough to inspire a return.. but it is definitely a committing trip, and not one for less than 2 days.

A snow day

2009-06-17T15:26:00.004+12:00

It snowed all day across Dunedin yesterday. The town services closed down including the Polytech, so we could all go out and play.

And play we did! Skiing around the Peninsula! That's less than 200 metres above sea level!

It kept snowing all day. In the afternoon Mike and I skied from Larnach Castle down to Broad Bay!

View Dunedin Ski in a larger map

Awakino

2009-05-25T13:40:00.004+12:00

After the dump, we drove to Awakino, a small ski field up near Kurow up the Waitaki River North West of Oamaru. Its a really nice spot, forgotten it seems by most skiers in New Zealand. It doesn't seem to get as much snow as some of the more popular areas, but it would be a great access point for some pretty special touring after good snow.

A night at Dansey's Pass

2009-05-22T10:16:00.004+12:00

Sunshine and I drove out through Palmerston and along the Pig Route to Dansey's Pass. We took the skis with high hopes, but as always they closed the road to the Pass way below the snow line :(

The hotel is a lovely quiet place to stay with good tastey food, a bar and a big open fire. The drive along the Pig Route is one of our favourites. And Palmerstone was a lovely place to stop and look around the second hand shops and antique stores.

Sunshine's surprise trip for Leigh's birthday

2009-05-03T10:59:00.005+12:00

Sunshine's an angel. She researched and organised a road trip for my birthday. Taking us down to Bluff and Invercargill, and back up through the amazing Catlins, stopping in on some really nice walks along the way. I had a lovely time Sunshine, inspired and refreshed. Thanks so much.

Photos

Video

Map (click this link for better detail on road routes)

View Dunedin to Bluff and back via the Catlins in a larger map

Rhubarb

2009-04-09T20:22:00.001+12:00

Stuart and Gabrielle give a good tip for growing rhubarb and making cocktails from a rhubarb cordial!

Rocket stove mass heaters!

2009-04-09T19:46:00.001+12:00

Another very inspiring idea I knew nothing about, until Keith blogged it that is! Rocket stoves with mass heating.

I'm seriously considering building one of these downstairs. We have a log burner upstairs, and we need to install some thermal mass around it to make it more efficient, but downstairs has no heating! On the one hand we could extend the log burner downstairs, but I think I'd rather build the rocket down there for my learning's benefit, try and make it so it effectively heats down and upstairs, then consider uninstalling the log burner and selling it to recover costs... permits will be an issue :(

Here's a great video Keith found:

Here's the book that the video refers to, but I'm gutted to find my local library doesn't have a copy :(

And here's a really good illustration of the functional design from Erica, along with many other photos she took during a build in the US. Thanks Erica!

Here's another photo documented installation with some adaptations by Michael Blaha.

Update:
I started a Wikipedia article to see where it might take me information wise. Also, an Appropedia page to document our progress and hopefully meet experienced people.

Rugby games or design and innovation.. what are our priorities?

2009-03-19T12:29:00.004+13:00

In Dunedin and the Otago region there is a controversial issue with a fight brewing, to build another rugby stadium instead of an Institute of Design.

StopTheStadium has documented an amazing break down in process regarding the stadium idea, to the point that most people here must think there is corruption in our local, regional and national government processes. I suspect it is more like shrewed business people taking advantage of public, media and administration blind spots while initiating the project, and using that to build up and create unstoppable momentum for their short sighted aims. In short, its a classic case of lobbying for a project where the gains are private and the risks are public.

I can't for the life of me see the worth of building an international grade rugby stadium down here, but I can certainly see the sense in developing the Institute of Design. It will certainly cost more to build the stadium than their spokespeople have publicly announced, and considering we can't fill the stadium that already exists, I don't see any evidence that another one will suddenly boost interest and sustain it long enough so as to fill the seats until the debt is paid off.. I might see the sense in an upgrade of the famous "Brook" though. Even if Dunedin did turn into the capital of the South with a population big enough and cashed up enough to be able to pay off the thing, I honestly can't see what improvement it will bring to Otago industry, business, education, imagination and over-all sustainability.

Another, far less controversial proposal is on the table at the same time. The Otago Institute of Design, but the public funding pegged for that is being pulled!? Even without knowing any more about the Institute than its name, it is far more obvious how such a thing would contribute to Otago's economic, industrial, business, educational and sustainable development.

Otago Polytechnic and Otago University are bringing their design departments together to form a new Otago Institute of Design. By pooling their expertise and resources they are creating a centre of excellence for design right here in Dunedin. This initiative will also take collaboration between design educators across NZ and the design industry to a new level, for instance, with their high-tech prototype and modeling facility that will be the most comprehensive currently available in Australasia.

But wouldn't you know it, the Federal Government looks set to withdraw their 12.5 million dollar loan to develop the Institute, instead directing their funds to the rugby stadium to the tune of 15 million!

I can't work this out. Rugby stadium / Institute of Design which one will have more bang for its buck when factoring in all bottom lines? When our local economy starts to feel the pinch of international trade and resource depletion, and we are in need of fresh and new innovation, what will help us? A game of rugby or a few thousand designers developing new technology and testing new ideas?

The only good thing I can think of about the stadium is that with its huge glass cover, it will make a great biosphere to grow the food in that we can longer import because the ships, trucks and trains needed new parts and different fuel.

This letter is sent to:
The Minister of Finance Hon. Bill English b.english@ministers.govt.nz
and Prime Minister, Hon John Key j.key@ministers.govt.nz
cc. Hon Anne Tolley, Minister for Education a.tolley@ministers.govt.nz

Quailburn Rd to Ohau Peak

2009-03-17T17:09:00.004+13:00

Heike, Mike, Shelagh, the dogs and I went exploring over the weekend. Last winter I couldn't help noticing the great ski terrain on the southern end of the range that the Ohau Ski field is on. Our question was if access was possible.

Not only was access possible, turns out it is managed by the Department of Conservation and there is a well maintained track heading up through the bush from the end of Quailburn Rd. This road is the same road that runs to the tourist attraction signed "Clay Cliffs" and you pass it on the left on your way out of Omarama to Lake Ohau. It is only about 5 km out of Omarama.

Follow Quailburn Rd onto gravel, and continue through until you reach a old red house with a bridge on its North. Cross the bridge and drive through to park at the old shearing shed museum, where the track begins.

Map

View Larger Map

Photos

New Zealand Polytechnics

2009-02-23T19:39:00.002+13:00

Click to Play

After seeing Roger Stack's tour of Tasmanian Polytechnics, I thought to myself, "man! I know more about Tasmanian Polytechnic geography then I do New Zealand". So I set to work mking my owb version of Roger's Google Earth video just to study up on where NZ Polytechnic's are situated. Oh, and I learned a thing or two about Google Earth while I was at it.

First music track is some way old country by Ernst Thompson care of the Archive.

I stuffed up the credits in the video for the second track. It is called Thinking of New Zealand, but is by Adam Wojtanek - care of the Archive again.

I'll load up a new version with the correct credits tomorrow.

Thanks for the inspiration Roger.

Hmm.. DIY Aquaculture

2009-02-21T21:05:00.001+13:00

Thanks for the pointer Punk Rock Permaculture eZine

DIY: Urban Aquaculture Manual

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-To Guides & DIY urban aquaculture urban aquaculture ma

my 20 minute ride to work

2009-02-20T10:52:00.001+13:00

Click to Play

Just thought I'd try out the edupov.com video camera glasses to record the ride to work

my 20 minute ride to work

2009-02-20T10:47:00.002+13:00

Click to Play

Just thought I'd try out the edupov.com video camera glasses to record the ride to work

Year of the Ox

2009-01-25T23:03:00.002+13:00

The neighbors suggested we go down to the Chinese Gardens and see the fireworks show. It was a great evening, and the fireworks were awesome!

New door and a gate

2009-01-25T22:39:00.002+13:00

Put a gate in the fence between the neighbour's and us. We visit each other often, trade food, and generally help each other out and a gate has been talked about for a long time. We plan to combine energy and produce a lot of food this year I think.

I also put a new door in the back of the house. We picked it up for $40 from Hall Bros (really cheap!). It has a big reinforced window in it so the entry hall gets light now. Even at night, the outside light gives good light through the window.

Lighting is an interesting design challenge in the house. Obviously we have replaced all globes with pearl energy savers at the lowest wattage we could get (11 Watts, still looking for less), and now its a matter of positioning the lights so that they give the maximum amount of useful light. Right now for example, we have 1 light on. It lights the lounge room and the kitchen slightly, as well as our bedroom through the glass doors. I've already mentioned that the outside light lights the hall, and the kitchen light lights the deck through the windows. I don't think there is ever a time we have more than 3 lights on. Thats 33W per hour as apposed to 180W per hour if we had normal light bulbs, or 360W or more if we used twice as many lights. This, combined with fire heating (and cooking), gas, a very small fridge, and no entertainment system is probably why our energy bill averages $45-$50 per month right through the year.

Produce garden coming along

2009-01-15T11:27:00.001+13:00

This is a great time of year for gardening. Our produce garden is getting better, with more of a focus on perennials this year, as well as fruits and berries. Next year, maybe livestock! Here's some photos:

Byron, Singapore and Malaysia

2009-01-13T12:37:00.006+13:00

Sunshine and I spent 3 weeks visiting some of our family over Christmas/New Year. This took us to Byron and Brisbane to see my Mum's side, then onto Singapore to see Sunshine's Dad and her Brother and Sister. Amazing sky scraping architecture, museums and shops, parks, and organic farms. From Singapore we all went into Malaysia for a little look see, stopping at the amazing Malacca to soak up the blends of 16C Portuguese, 17C Dutch, 18C English colonial building mixed with the foreverness of Malay, Hindi and Hokkien Chinese. We drove straight through Kuala Lumpar to the impressive Batu Caves where Hindu shrines have been built, and monkey clans hangout and snub tourists. After that we breathed some 1500m + mountain air up Fraser Hill and videoed Sunshine's brother riding a wave board down the mountain road.

View Larger Map

Photos
map of our Singapore tour

Suva - waiting for Tuvalu

2008-11-23T12:40:00.004+13:00

I'm in Suva, Fiji... waiting for a connecting flight to Tuvalu. The flight keeps getting canceled and I've been waiting for 3 days now with about 12 others. Air Pacific has put us up in a nice hotel and pays for our meals. Each day I try and find something new to do, but that will not take too many hours in case I miss the call for the flight.

On the first day I walked a few kms to the local yacht club to see if I could borrow an outrigger canoe. A few phone calls and the generous people in the canoe club had me set up with a single and paddle. It was a long haul out through the oil slicked harbor, but I eventually made it to a reserve call Mosquito Island. It was a really nice place where locals go for swimming and picnics. It is also close to my hotel, so I paddled across for lunch. The head winds were strong on the return and it must have taken me well over an hour to get back to the yacht club. I was pretty tired on the walk home so grabbed a taxi.

The next day a Mirja, a German journalist in the group and I went for a walk in a local water fall park up on Princess Road. I saw this park on the way in from the airport. It was a $10 taxi ride, and $5 to get in to the park. About a 5km walk and the little falls and swimming holes in what appeared to be native forest was really nice. The swimming holes were set up with little dam walls with seating and picnic shelters. We didn't swim at all but it was just a nice place to escape the heat and see the forest. On the way back we picked up some kava drink.. I still need to learn how to mix it, and plan to try it out with the rest of the group tonight. Wikipedia cites research that found Kava to be effective in killing some cancer cells.

Today I'm catching up on email and work stuff... avoiding the work stuff with this post instead.

When I get through to Tuvalu, my job is to run a workshop on the use of MediaWikis for the Commonwealth of Learning. I'm really looking forward to meeting the people at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and if they half as friendly s the Tuvaluans I have met already, it will be a great experience. Hopefully the flight will confirm before Tuesday.

Last tracks at Ohau

2008-11-12T12:18:00.003+13:00

The die hard ski team went on the hunt for pow on a hot, near summer day out back of Ohau this time. It was a hike, but we found some! Another great day skiing! Check out those turns!

Heike took the photos this day.

Ski Touring Brewster Glacier

2008-11-06T07:29:00.004+13:00

Click to Play

Heike, Ian and I hiked up to the Brewster Hut and ski toured around the Brewster Glacier on the weekend. It's way late in the season, but just as I upload this video it is snowing down to sea level again! Its nearly mid November!!

View Larger Map

Cutting fire wood

2008-10-20T20:57:00.001+13:00

The power line fellas came around and dropped a tree in the front section a few months ago. I went down there and put my tarp over it all as a kind of claim to ownership, because the front section doesn't appear to be ours. People might get to thinking the wood was up for grabs.

I eventually found a chainsaw to loan and cut it all up. We probably got about 2 months worth of wood out of it. The next few days I cut up the vine covered trees out the back. At least another month of wood in that pile too. I quite enjoyed using the saw :)

Remarkables

2008-10-14T22:04:00.005+13:00

Click to Play

Heike and I head off for a Sunday ski over the back of the Remarkables.

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Out the back of Cardrona on a very windy spring day

2008-10-04T16:09:00.002+13:00

Click to Play

Sunshine and I took the dogs out for a walk on Thursday. Turned out to be a bit of an epic. Was very windy, cold, wind formed crust over a lot of teh snow, and an exhausting walk out to the car. You wouldn't really know at all from this happy little video though :)

Audio track by DJ Lang: There's Something Wrong- The Dirty Water Remix CC By NC

Mount Cardrona - South Catchment

2008-09-21T19:15:00.004+12:00

Sunshine has gone with family to Bali for a week! :(

So I went skiing for 2 days.

I started on the field but it didn't take long to be bored and slightly annoyed by too many people. The urge to be alone and making fresh tracks out back was too much. They say never ski out back alone.. and doing last year's Avalanche 1 course makes me hyper aware of this danger... but it really is a beautiful thing... just me and my dog Mira, running around in the silent beauty of soft spring snow.

Ohau - DumBell - Freehold Creek ski tour

2008-09-06T19:55:00.002+12:00

View Larger Map

Ohau tour

2008-08-24T20:14:00.001+12:00

Sunshine hurt her knee on this trip.

Mount Pisgah

2008-08-22T00:12:00.006+12:00

Mike and I took Thursday off, took the dogs and went on the hunt for snow within 1 1/2 hours from Dunedin. We found Mount Pisgah and skied a delightful run from 1600 down to 900 masl. According to the farmer who confronted us on our way out, he'd never seen skiers up there before, and he looked like he'd been around a while. I got his number and plan to go back, especially if it snows again.

Another trip to Fox Peak

2008-08-10T00:14:00.002+12:00

Nicky took me to Fox Peak and introduced me to her ski touring buddies. We all had a lovely 2 days hanging out at Fox. First day was pretty tough skiing crusty snow. Second day was better, helped the locals dig out the top rope tow on our way skinning up towards the Peak for a great run down.

firelogs

2008-07-05T13:11:00.001+12:00

Well, the wind, rain, snow and cold is driving in on Dunedin today, and we're all thinking about heating. Here's my story so far...

Last week I ordered $100 of "dry, eucalyptus firewood". The fella came and tipped it on the lane in front of my house and served me the bill plus delivery fee. (I'm still getting used to the quality of service in these parts). As I was shifting the pile to a better place I couldn't help wondering how heavy and wet it felt. The delivery fella was long gone and anyway, I'm sure he would've palmed me off with some remark like "sweet as mate" or "nah, its as good as gold". On the first day we tried to use it we were bitterly disappointed. Hard to start, a log actually kills the fire if its not hot enough! This stuff is still wet and green!

So we went and picked up a few old packing pallets from the hardware stores that give them away. Pallets come in pine, oregon, and even eucalypt! After breaking them up we have good heat. I'm very reluctant to waste the expensive load of firewood on the flame if it is not properly seasoned, and there's no way in hell I'm going to drive our power bill up from a nice $40 per month to well over $250 per month just through electric heating! (our neighbours hit $420 last month!!!)

Enter the firelogs we found down at the warehouse. We discovered these things for the first time this week and we're liking them! Made from compressed sawdust and although the box says nothing added, I suspect they have paraffin wax in them. These things burn hot and long! I estimate that one firelog burns for about 1 hour. A box of 8 costs $6, and you could make a box go one night in a good firebox. So by my estimates it would cost $180 a month to burn firelogs. It costs about $120 a month on delivered firewood.

For $60 extra what do we get?

Ready to burn, cleaner to burn, better heat, excellent cooking coals, very tidy, no chop chop, easy storage, easy portability, feel good for using a waste product...

If we could find dry seasoned wood, we'd probably go for the cost savings over the firelog - unless we find a cheaper supplier. We really like having a fire, it is miles better heat and more reliable than our neighbour's air conditioner. And our firebox seems to cost about the same to run as an airconditioner. I think we'll be planting a few eucs down the front section this winter - they might come in handy a few years from now...

Winter crops

2008-04-26T08:38:00.001+12:00

I put Broad Beans (seed), silver beet and celery (seedlings), in my zone 2 yesterday. I should perhaps put more BB in as I only planted about 20 along a trellis.

I planted seeds for baby carrots and onions in tires up in my zone 3. The potato tires worked well through summer. I got a pretty good yield considering the condition of the soil and my lateness (again) but must of all I have noticeably better soil after the potatoes. I'm hoping for great carrots and onions now, and have a theory that the tires will help keep the soil a little warmer (if that a good thing for carrots and onions?)

I put seeds for spring onions and chinese broccoli in my zone 1. I'm still looking for miners lettuce and sorrel. I also put in a range of herb seedlings (Thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, oregano, russian (tarramond?).

After all this, I'd really like for people to come around and check it out! I am totally in love with this whole process, and the fact that at the age of 32 I am finally getting to know where food comes from. As well as feeding my wife and I (hopefully) the whole process has been very therapeutic.

Deck and doors just about done

2008-03-26T13:46:00.001+13:00

It took a while, but we finally have the deck and doors in and boy has it made a difference! We can now hang outside in comfort with plenty of space to spread out, and plenty of sun to soak up. We have planter boxes all the way around for our herbs and perennial salads and the like, and over them we will plant fruit. The sun is now bouncing in off the North deck and straight in through the glass doors which has noticeably improved the passive heating inside. We've had 1 week of wintery weather already with outside temps down to 6, but inside was comfortable and warm without heaters. Of course when the sun goes down we need to start the fire, but the warmth inside lasts through the twilight well into dark. We are both very pleased with it.

Structurally it is solid as! We have 2 x 300mm round 3.6m posts that are sunk into very clay ground around 800mm (basically on bed rock each). They are held there by 8 bags of 30kPa concrete (4 in each).

The 2 150x50 beams attached to their tops span 1500mm to the next 2 posts which are 100x100's sunk in over 600mm and held again by 30Kpa. The beams span another 1500 to 3 anchor posts that hold a beam coming off from the house.

The joists cross the beams at 400mm intervals, and also span 1500mm with 400mm over hang. I put noggins through the centres of the joists for a bit of bracing. The 40x100 decking is finished with decking nails, with facing around the joists.

Around the back there are 150x50 and 100x100 bearers on posts and an old concrete retaining wall. The 150x50 joists are spaced 400 and span the 1200 space between the bearers. Then the ground steps up under the deck, requiring posts, 100x100 beams, and 50x100 joists. The posts span 1500 in both directions so that the bearers span 1500, and the joists do as well. These joists are also spaced at 400.

The doors are second hand Rimu timbers from Shaw's Yard and were framed by Shaw with treated pine. They sit in what was a window space.

The windows needed replacing, as did a number of weather boards due to significant rot.

I have used Aluband sealing tape to seal up all around the door frame, under the foot, and across the top flashing. There is now pink batts in the walls all around the door. The doors themselves swing clean and easy.

Now I need to plaster and paint the new gib inside, and build a railing around the high points of the deck. We plan for 150x50 posts standing 1500 high with a dressed cap for a railing across the top. We'll use Suntough panels on the outside of these posts with at least 1 shelf running low so we can use the cavity in the railing for plants. The 1500 should retain some of the privacy for next door without us losing sun through the doors.

Three Passes with Aaron

2008-03-16T19:08:00.003+13:00

View Larger Map

Flickr slideshow

Base Map

2008-03-02T19:57:00.001+13:00

Our first assignment for the permaculture design course has been to draw a base map.

A base map is a drawing that captures everything that is in place already on a property or space. It includes buildings, fences, trees, hedges, pathways and driveways, power lines and pipes... things that are in place.

Here's my Base Map:

Google maps does a pretty good job at capturing it too...

View Larger Map

so, we're on a steep NNW facing block that is reasonably sheltered from all winds, although the cold Southerlies can touch our front pretty hard... but now I'm starting to get Sector Analysis about it, which is what I should be focusing on this week:

A sector analysis map is a drawing that depicts what is happening in that base. What is the sun's path, what are the wind and rain directions, where are the main areas of people activity, where are the shade areas.

Permaculture course progress

2008-03-02T18:41:00.001+13:00

So I've been going along to the Sunday sessions for the Permaculture Design course, where we have been focusing a lot of time on the principles and ethics of permaculture. I agree that these need a lot of time and they are quite inspiring ideas that could be applied to just about everything we do (even organisationally), but I get a sense that the face to face participants might be feeling that the course is moving too slowly and that they would like to start getting into more tangible activities.

I'm really glad though that the online group is there with us. Their emails and blogs have given me a lot of motivation to research and maintain the course wiki and related resources, which in turn has kept me feeling as though the course is very active. However, because the face to face participants seem to be not participating online, they may be feeling that the Sunday sessions aren't moving along quickly enough. Today Kim and I spent a few minutes showing the face to face groups around the online work being done, so I hope some of them will come on and start putting more into the course so that they may get more out of it, but I suspect that that is not what they expected when they enrolled in the course.

So far we have the course wiki that includes the course schedule and links to any media recordings we capture throughout the course, as well as a discussion page that captures the latest from the online participant blogs (we're still waiting on 3 more). We have also started a Permaculture Design textbook over at Wikibooks that would at first appear to be all by me, but I've simply been copy and pasting the handouts, and some of the notes from the participant blogs as a process of my own study in the course. The text will hopefully evolve into a self sustaining resource for many others to use once it reaches that critical wiki point. And there's an email forum running for people to keep in close contact if they struggle with anything other than email.

What has surprised me is the level of interest that was quickly expressed by people from Portugal to Vermont, and how web savvy they all are :) It turns out that international interest in permaculture is quite high, which is easily verified by the extensive network of websites and media over the Net for it. With the the online participants helping us to use this pilot course to develop online communication channels and information, we will hopefully have a certificate level course soon, with an online study option, that will help enhance and sustain the face to face course.

Enrolled in a Permaculture Design course

2008-02-26T10:41:00.001+13:00

Just a quick note to say that I've enrolled in a Permaculture Design course. I intend to use it to design a plan for our house, as well as my place of work. The course is doable online too. I am helping with the development of that, drawing content from the face to face course as it goes along. We already have a great group of online participants from all around.. it has a good feeling about it :)

Harmony Farm visit

2008-02-24T20:08:00.001+13:00

Here are some video's I captured from the Permaculture Design course field trip to Harmony Farm.

peta hudson - harmony farm and where to find information

Harmony Farm

Field trip to Harmony Farm - microclimates

Peta Hudson - Permaculture teacher

Participant intros - Permaculture Design Course

Concrete steps

2008-01-12T11:49:00.001+13:00

Our front steps have now been tidied up so that we have better access to the front yard. We still have to render the concrete now, but here's a little update and how we did it:

We bought about 20 metres of 150x20 mil rough sawn pine for the step form. (150 is a perfect step height).

Because steps want to be at least 300 mil deep, and we needed a side wall, we also bought about 6metres of 250x20 board to make up the diagonal side walls.

If you look closely, you might be able to see that I notched out the diagonal to hold the step form. I prolly would do this again, as it made screeding difficult, and removing the form difficult. The little square boards you can see on the side wall and the batten brace were easily anough to hold the step form.

It was a last minute decision to pour yesterday. We hired a 6x4 trailer ($30), and lined it with plastic ($14) to pick up 0.6 cubic meters of ready mix ($130). It was a hot and windy day, so we have to be quick with it. Mike from next door brought over some buckets and we chain carried it into the form.

We moved quickly with this, placing rocks to fill out some space and ensuring that the rocks were placed well away from the sides. We had the pour done in just over 30 minutes.

Estimating an hour for the mix to start hardedning in these conditions, we wasted no time leveling off the pour using straight timber to start and a trowl to smooth. About then Sarna and Chico arrived, surprised to see that we had already done the pour, but in time for the leveling.

It was a little fiddley doing this actually, and it turned out that we didn't quite have enough (short by 1 bucket load). So we skimped on the side wall to make sure the steps were full.

About 30 minutes later we had the basic leveling done. Sunshine went and made sausages and drinks while everyone else finished the smoothing of. We didn't mess around with it too much towards to end, basically just getting it to the right level.

Then we let it go a bit hard (finger hard, another 1 hour) so I could use a scrubbing brush to take out any ridges and bumps. I finally finished the surface off with a paint brush, and rounded the edges a little with the trowel.

Next morning I pulled off the form to reveal a mostly good result. The air pockets are not too serious and the rendering will finish it off nicely. The steps are all a good height and level and are strong. I need to research rendering a bit and will do that in the next week...

Pretty happy with our first attempt at concreting, and feel confident about the rest of the job around the back. Well have to get around 4 cubic meters pumped around the back ($800 + $280 for the pump :( Its very expensive, almost as much to cover the area in timber. 2nd hand pavers would be cheaper and use less in terms of non renwable material, but a lot more work... still thinking about it.

new shoots, but new pests

2008-01-08T20:53:00.001+13:00

Took out the two broccoli today. They looked ready, but taste a little sour :( I wonder if their taste has anything to do with the soil they were in. They where in very clay soil, their leaves had been chopped by slugs, but a used no sprays... they certainly look healthy, but taste sour. Perhaps I picked them too soon or too late?

The cauliflower and brussel sprouts have a little bug all over them. The damage appears to be minimal, but I don't know what they are and so have no idea how to get rid of them.. I've done a brief search for cauli pests, but can't find anything that looks like what I have here... They could be mealybug but I'm not so sure. The mealybugs I know are more white than this grey colour, and are flatter and harder to see as bugs. These are easy to see as bugs.. note: the Internet needs a user generated image index where I can just scan images of pests categorized by their colour and size perhaps... or upload my own image for others to help identify...

Finally, we have some fruit buds on the tomatoes, and new shoots on the potato tires :)

A hole will be a slab will be a deck with an awning

2007-12-27T20:01:00.001+13:00

So, I've started digging out for the slab. The rain has come in and halted progress. The water has highlighted the levels I have and the drainage I'll need to put in. Am planning on digging a trench along the left side (viewers left) with fall towards the viewer and so water draining away from the house. Sunshine has saved enough to buy some timber for retaining the walls. The dirt I have bee taking away and depositing down the front in an effort to level off the new front yard. The rest of the dirt will be used to level the lawn section above the scrape. I'm wanting to build a couple of no dig garden boxes there, following the idea captured in this photo:
In the picture you can see pvc pipe being used as a frame for a plastic sheet to make a greenhouse. There is a timber spine for the pipe to pass through. I suppose this must add strength. It looks like an easy and cheap way to make a greenhouse. Not sure how to seal in the ends though...
Below is the plan drawing for the deck less the awning at this stage. I like using Google Sketchup for these drawings. Its free and easy to use, building a 3D drawing.

This rain is a reminder of the need for an awning over at least some of the outdoor area we are trying to build.

native strips

2007-12-21T19:54:00.001+13:00

As for the native garden, well I'm very happy with that. The grasses have really taken hold, and I'm kicking myself for planting so many different types. My personal favourite are the red tussock and the rainbow tussocks. Pictured here is a bunch of tussocks I can't even remember the name of. I've been pulling clumps and transplanting to other areas in the native beds, and I'm looking forward to a dense cover of these grasses everywhere!

The south side is doing very well with hebes, three and five fingers, ferns, manukas and kanukas, and a range of grasses. But the battle is keeping the weeds back given the steep ground makes mulching difficult. The trees have started over the fence line, and we even have a bit of an understory happening. I reckon it will look well established in about another 2 years.

The front is looking good, but still very young. Its another steep section so mulching was difficult. We layed boxing board over the lawn that was there, and covered it with woodchip. The woodchip has bonded well, covering the steep ground and generally holding on top of the cardboard nicely. We are putting medium to large trees in this part for privacy, and as they aren't expected to grow much higher than 3 - 6 metres, they won't shadow the house, thanks to the steepness and distance from the house.

Holidays at last. Vege garden to replenish the soul

2007-12-21T18:27:00.001+13:00

First day of my Christmas holidays so I thought I'd build up a row of potato tyres. I'm told that its best to plant potatoes right at the end of winter.. well, its apparently summer, but I reckon its only just starting so to hell with it, in with potatoes.. lets see how they go.

The sunniest spot is up the back. I leveled off about 8 meters and lay some cardboard, then old tyres on top. We are on such a depressingly tight budget that I couldn't afford a bail of straw, and I need to terrace the back anyway. So I dug a lower step terrace and shovelled the soil from that up into the tyres. Needless to say I'll have to battle weeds :(

I think I put in about 30 seed potatoes in the end. About 3 in each tyre. The plan is to add another tyre on top when/if they shoot through and cover them with another heap of soil. That way the terracing gradually gets done, and the potatoes give a better yield. Hopefully.

As for the rest of the garden, well its doing OK. I wouldn't say it's been as good as last year though. We planted much earlier for a start, so growth up until now has been slow. Because of the slow growth, the snails have really damaged the seedlings and we lost quite a lot. I reckon it is better to plant later in the season, say about now so that the growth is fast and the environment is dryer so that snails and the like have less of an impact.

As usual the spinach has done really well. This year we bought a variety that has brightly coloured stalks. It all tastes the same, but the colour does help bring some life to my very average cooking abilities. The spinach was not touched by the snails, and it is almost finished in terms of going to seed. So it is easily possible to get two crops of spinach in a season here. Think I will put another bunch in. I like eating spinach, but it might be better to plant a few weeks apart so that yields don't come all at the same time...

Our strawberries are doing well and have just started to put runners and berries out for the season. This is the second season for the strawberries. We have started a second patch down the side of the house which is already doing very well. As usual the birds are having their go, but so far there's enough to go around. I've since been told that strawberries to better in a greenhouse. Actually, I suppose everything does better in a greenhouse, if only we had one :( Not only would it obviously be a better climate for growing, but it would keep the birds off the strawberries and other fruits. I'm not yet a sophisticated gardener though, but I imagine the greenhouse would also keep important bees off the flowers. I'm not sure what plants need bee help to pollinate, but at this stage I buy new seedlings and have not experimented with propagating and pollinating...

We dug up and potted our parsley, oregano and mint through the winter on the advice from Andrew, another garden blogger in Dunedin who informed us that these herbs can run away and become a bit of a weed problem. So we're keeping them under control in pots. The parsley went to seed and I tried to keep it cut back, but it kept doing it. Now we are left with 2 very manky parsley bushes that I hope will recover to their former glory.. The mint has not really recovered from the potting insult, but the oregano is doing very well.

This season we also planted quite a few Brussel sprouts. They haven't budded yet, and I'm not sure how they do. Hopefully they won't be like Broccoli or Cauliflowers and bud one per stem. That would be a bit disappointing given all the foliage they put out! I'm pretty bumed by broc and cauli, and hardly think they are worth it with all the space they take up.

Last year's yams are having another go despite me being sure we combed every yam out of there. I like a hardy and easy to grow food like yams, and they roast up quite nicely. I suspect this yield will be very small not in numbers but in size. Last year's were smaller than their parents (from the grocer), so I suspect its one of those things that keep degenerating. I hope they are not engineered to do that!?

We also have onions going everywhere and they seem to be doing quite well. But same again, a lot of foliage for only one bulb... but at least their foliage doesn't take up too much room and seem to cope quite well in the crowded bed we have.

The tomatoes also went in early and we lost about half to a late frost. The survivors are doing well now though but have become crowded with potato sprouts from some old compost under them. I'm leaving it for now as the potatoes seem to be doing a good job supporting the tomatoes and not over crowding them.. I'm watching though. Tomatoes are another one that I've been told only ripen in a greenhouse. But they are also one that needs pollinating.. so it will be interesting to see if we get a yield from them and if their fruit resists pests...

Another newbie to the veggie beds are these beans. They really took off and again we planted them early. They have put out a good yield already, and continue to put out to date. They have not been bothered by any pests apart from me, and I've had quite a few nice dishes mixed with the spinach. Like the spinach, these might be worth staggering the planting and going for two crops in the one season given how fast they grow early on. Not sure how the seedlings would go with a late planting.. but will test it out.

The late frosts also took away a bunch of Bok Choy we had in. That's the last survivor already in flower amongst the onions. While this trial has put out quite a few leaves, the snails liked him and the others early on. That with the frosts, I'm amazed this one made it. I'm glad it did though, as I've discovered that the snails are now leaving him alone, and I've had enough to be able to cook him up. I prefer the taste of bok over spinach, so I think I'll have another go at it now that its later in the season. I'm hoping it will still grow quickly, and that my theory about the snails will hold...

One last report, this one for the green grape hybrid we have in. It is growing quite well through the summer, but no buds yet. Maybe we'll see no grapes this season. Its a romantic looking vine though and one I like to watch grow. Around it we have the strawberries, and a pretty sad attempt at a range of lettuce. I don't think I'll bother with lettuce again... Up the other end we have beetroot going very well! It was also planted early and has survived the frosts and the snails. I can see the bulbs starting to show, and have read that you can eat the leaves in a salad... quite a useful food crop that beetroot!

Starting to plant

2007-10-13T18:04:00.001+13:00

I've not tried the crops Andrew is putting in, but I had good yields after planting this time last year:

Yams
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach
Parsley
Mint
Oregano
Strawberries

I had very average yields of:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Broad beans
Onion

And failed with:

Pumpkin
Passion fruit

It was mainly the winter frosts that finished off the pumpkin and passion fruit. Every thing else survived through and is catching on again now. I'd really like to see the passion fruit work so I might relocate it to a more sheltered spot. Interestingly I put a second round of onions and spinach in half way through last summer and now they look as though they'll produce good yields early this summer. They didn't mature before last winter but survived through to now. As a result they are far more dense than the early summer crops I put it, so I'm looking forward to an early high yield on them.. but I seem to recall reading somewhere that onions mature when colder days start coming...

This time I'm trying tomatoes and capsicum but reckon its unlikely I'll get much there. I've put some seedlings in today so we'll see how they go.

What I ultimately want is a fairly self sustaining garden. Something I can dip into when I'm cashless or forget to do the shopping - so staple foods really. I don't really want to be constantly tending it and worrying about frosts and winds etc, so I'm looking for hardy crops like yams and potatoes.

I have a lemon, grape and fig tree in, but no movements there yet. Hopefully they'll make good progress this Summer.

My soil is pretty good and moist, with clayish areas and doc and clover growing generally all over - which signifies low nitrogen apparently.

I've started emailing a few permaculture people to see if there are people here with more local knowledge, or working bees etc. I'll blog what I find out.

Fireplace is in

2007-10-12T20:35:00.001+13:00

We successfully installed the fire place 2 days before the wedding.

Richard (pictured) through his weight into the project and spent 4 hours in the roof directing Marlow, Chris Aaron and I.

I purchased the flue kit from Valley Industries and it cost me a little over NZ$500. In all it is 5 metres of flu, with 3 metres of 200mm and 250mm liners, spacers and top 600mm over the apex of the roof. I also bought a lead flashing seal for $130. It was an expensive exercise, but its good to know that we now have a fire installed to Dunedin Council standard. The fire puts out 1.27 g/kg of particle per Kg of fuel and is 89% efficient - which meets Dunedin emission controls, and the heat is unbeatable!!

We now cook on the fire when ever we use it, so we expect to save a lot on electricity costs - at least while we have renovation timber waste to burn. The heat from this fire is outstanding! For the first time Sunshine and I are able to wear light clothing in our living room :)

Our wedding

2007-09-30T22:02:00.001+13:00

Leigh loves Sunshine - Sunshine loves Leigh

View Larger Map

New Fisher Cleanair fire box

2007-09-02T18:15:00.001+12:00

We scored a Fisher Blenheim Cleanair fire yesterday. It is approved by the Ministry for the Environment for use. Today we have built a harth to the specifications on the Fisher website. We used old studs for a frame, steel reinforcing rods from the old chimney, and 160kg of concrete exactly. We plan to build a brick back from the old bricks from the chimney. We still need to buy a flu kit. Taking photos as we go, will add them when all is done.

The new window is almost complete. Last layer of plaster is drying. Will sand and paint tomorrow.

New Kitchen

2007-09-02T14:21:00.001+12:00

Before

Plan

After

Wedding gifts?

2007-09-01T09:56:00.001+12:00

About a wedding gift.. We have added a little 'chip in' widget to our Life in the South blog. Its in the right hand column and is a money thing. We are trying to save up for building a deck, and thought this might be useful for us and those coming to the wedding. There is more information about our renovations over at 100 Somerville.

We feel very strange about preempting gifts and stuff, and simply can't bring ourselves to prepare any sort of gift list or anything (all respect to those who do). And even with this little 'chip in' thing, we would not be offended at all if anyone came to see us without a gift! Its a big enough gift just to have our friends, family and their loved ones travel all this way to be with us, so please don't look at this as any sign of expectation of a gift.

As a mate pointed out, as much as we might try and say please no gifts - everyone brings gifts to a wedding, so setting up a simple thing like this will help people out who are having to travel as well. We figured that this method would be easier than transporting or posting a gift.

Please note. The 'chip in' widget can take a little while to load - especially for those who are not on broadband (you poor souls :) so give it a little while, if it doesn't show - then refresh the browser. If it still doesn't show, then hop on down to an Internet cafe or local library and try there. Looking forward to seeing everyone!!

Renovations in time for the wedding

2007-08-29T20:54:00.001+12:00

Its a busy time of year, much busier than last year. On top of heavy workloads and planning for the wedding (Sunshine :), we've been trying to get some finishing touches on renovations done before our big day. We have the kitchen in, complete with our $60 dishwasher! :) man, its great to have a dishwasher. Mike helped us put in a window last weekend, now its just a little bit of plastering and painting before our open plan living space is complete. We're hoping to put in some glass doors onto a deck before the wedding. Richard is over here 2 weeks prior and has a lot of experience building such things... time to see the bank? More updates on the renovations here.

nice idea for hanging doors

2007-08-28T23:15:00.001+12:00

From Matts blog

ANd with it comes links to a whole range of handy vids on DIY. Thanks Matt

Window in

2007-08-28T22:51:00.002+12:00

Have been working on a new kitchen for a while - details coming, but have just installed a window over the sink. Was pretty straight forward actually.

Pulled the Gib away to expose the studs.
Cut half the studs away to install a lintel beam across the top so as to support the studs to be removed for the window
Drill out the corners of the window through the external wall
Cut the hole for the window in the external
Place another lintel across the top, chipping the outside of the studs (actually, Mike and I decided to just take out the studs and put the beams in - not need for chipping)
Cut out the studs allowing for a cross nog to support the base of the window
Insert window from outside, pack and check level
Flashing was as per original way (scribes etc) as this window sits under an eve and get now weather. Used treated H3 clear timber.
Sealed the scribes etc with exterior no-more-gaps
Gib up interior, ready for frame, sill and painting.

Something like that anyway. Thanks Mike for manual help and Dave for advice.

Sunshine gets a car

2007-08-15T21:04:00.001+12:00

We should have done this sooner. Its sad but true, we 2 need 2 cars!! Public transport in this town is a bit of a joke, and riding the bike can't be done most of the time (force winds, rain, snow, mad cars, cold, shopping, dog, all the excuses). So Sunshine bought herself a small car. (Actually, the bank owns most of it - interest free overdraft while she's a student). I don't drive the big van around anymore, so we save a lot of petrol there, and Sunshine has access to a car she can drive. Now, why do we have the van again?

Dunedin under snow

2007-07-11T18:48:00.001+12:00

Winter has come early this year and boy we have some could days!

We had a snow day a few weeks ago, it was amazing. People skiing and boarding in the parks and down the street. The old van managed to get around a bit so we could see Dunedin under this fresh snow. It was beautiful. I think I'd really like to see a big city under fresh snow.

Gas Water Heater

2007-03-31T08:46:00.001+12:00

This will be a longer than usual post as it not only logs the install of a new instant gas hot water system, but the ongoing difficulties I have had with the retailer who sold and arranged installation of the system.

After over 8 months of chasing up the retailer, communicating with different tradesmen and a finance company, and even making an offer to the retailer that I will do preliminary works myself just to get the job done, the retailer has not responded and as a result I am forced to write up this account and use it as a basis for further action with consumer rights advice and representation.

The issues as they stand:

Installation is unsatisfactory and incomplete
Unreliable performance of the hot water system
Extremely poor communication, followup and over all service from the retailer
Payments being made to a third party finance company (arranged through the retailer) while the above issues remain unresolved

Here are a few images of the system as it is at the moment.
Note:

the bottles are not level
the unit is powered via an extension lead through a window
The water pipes are overly exposed and run from a garden tap and drain outlet
The pipe cover (supplied and visible in its cardboard box) is not fitted

Following is an account of events that have lead to this situation:

In late July/Early August of 2006 we called an independent plumber to assess a leaking shower rose. He advised that our hot water cylinder was due to be replaced and that instant gas was a good alternative. He suggested that we look into such a system and consider replacing the shower rose in the same job. He recommended the retailer and explained that he also did fire box installations for the retailer. We then talked about heating and the benefits of fire boxes and air conditioners. The plumber was with us for over an hour and advised that if we made an enquiry with the retailer, that he would be able to quote for both the installation of an instant gas hot water system and a fire box.
In the first week of August 2006 we approached the retailer and explained what the plumber had told us. The retail assistant agreed to prepare a quote for a 26L Paloma gas hot water system and a Logaire Minos fire box including installation based on the advise he would get from the plumber that advised us.
On 8 August 2006 a quote was presented. We decided to go ahead with the hot water system but not the fire box. Before agreeing I questioned the retail assistant on the installation quotes. For the hot water system there was a a note saying "site uninspected" while the fire box did not have such a note. I asked the retail assistant if he had consulted the original plumber and if it would be him that was doing the work, to which he confirmed that he had. I agreed to go ahead with the quote so long as the installation of the hot water system did not go above the quoted $900, feeling assured that the estimate was based on advise from the plumber, the retailers experience, and my own judgement that there was nothing difficult about this installation. (As you can see from the photos, the installation is straight forward. The house is weatherboard, the gas bottle sit right along side the system, and the existing water lines are directly behind the install site).
The next day I returned to the retailer and entered into a finance agreement that was being promoted by the retailer. I drew the credited finance to pay for the quote for the hot water system that included the installation and the gas bottles.
On 8 November I received a letter from the finance company confirming the purchase and that the monthly payments would begin 30 November. I had not heard back from the retailer and nothing had been installed.
On 23rd November I approached the retailer to question the status of the job. I was told that the plumber had broken his arm and had not been able to do any work. I asked why I was not contacted sooner and if other arrangements had been made. No alternative arrangements or any attempt to contact me had been made in the month and a half since entering into the agreement. I asked to use the retailers telephone to call the finance company and ask that payments not proceed. The finance company assistant explained that a new contract would have to be drawn up to delay the first payment. She expressed concern that the goods had not been installed and asked to speak to the manager of the retail outlet. In the end we agreed that if the retailer could arrange to have the unit installed before 30 November then everything would be OK.
Sometime in that week another tradesman came to our house, not to install but to measure up and prepare a new quote! He measured up at what must be the furthest possible distance to water outlets in the house. Of course I was concerned by this, considering the original tradesman measured up in a position that was far more efficient and easy to install. But I just put it down to the fact that the retailer was trying to find someone else to do the install and that another tradesmen would be around. No other tradesmen did come around and a few days later I received that tradesman's quote. From my perspective it should have been the retailer that received the quotes because I had already agreed to a figure for install, based on the original quote. This new quote was over 100% more than the original quote and would not include electrical connection! By now I was very concerned as to the progress of the installation, and the integrity of the contract I had with the finance company
I called the retailer on numerous occasions at this point, each time having to explain the situation to different sales assistants. The original sales assistant that prepared the original quote now no longer worked at the store, and so nobody had the background to my custom. Each time I explained the situation to each of the sales assistants I was told that the manager would have to look into the matter and call me back. If he did call me, he would leave a brief message for me to call him back, which I would do but he was never available. I have never received a call from the manager to date.
I rejected the new quote and asked one of the sales assistants to arrange for another quote. By now the first installment of finance payments had begun and I was becoming very frustrated by the situation.
About 2 weeks later I was told by a new sales assistant that the original tradesman I had been speaking to had recovered from his broken arm and would be around to measure and quote the job. This alarmed me even further, as the original agreement that I had with the x-employee to the retailer included an assurance that the original installation quote was based on a consultation with this original tradesman. I wasn't sure why he needed to measure and quote again, but I did not object as I didn't want to obstruct any seeming progress in the situation.
The original tradesman came around, measured up the original location with assurances that the system did not need to be anywhere else. This reassured me and so I expected that the original quote for installation would remain the same.
I did not hear back from that tradesman, and after about a week I contacted the retailer to inquire on the status of the job, and to ask that they no longer wait for me to call them, but to keep me in daily updates considering that the payments had begun and I had nothing to show for it. The sales assistant did not know the status of the job and told me that the manager would call back. As usual, this did not happen and I was forced to visit the store again and apply pressure. It just so happened that the manager was in the store when I did visit, and this was the first and only time we were to speak in person. He told me that the original tradesman was too busy catching up on work after his time away, and that another tradesman would have to be sent! I left the store frustrated, but feeling as though progress was happening again.
The next week I met with a new tradesman, who measured up the original location with assurances that the system did not need to be anywhere else. He explained that he would not be able to install the system before Christmas as it was by now late November. I asked him if he could do the installation at the original figure that was quoted by the store, and he did not think that would be difficult. I asked him to send his quote to the retailer so as to avoid any delays and so that I would only have to communicate with the retailer.
On 11 January 2007, 4 months after calling the original tradesman regarding a leaking shower rose, 4 months after then entering into a financial contract with a finance company and the retailer, and after a Christmas with friends and relatives from Australia not able to use our shower due to the failing system waiting to be replaced - the third tradesman arrived with a colleague and began installing the system.
The tradesmen arrived at just after 8am on 11 January. The gas fitter lay down a small prefabricated concrete slab without any attempt to make it level. He removed the water heater from its carton and accidentally dropped it on the path causing significant damage to the face of the unit. He proceeded to mount the unit however, and assured me that he would arrange for a replacement face. I asked him if the drop was likely to have damaged any internal mechanism and he said it would not have. I did not feel assured as the drop had significant impact. The plumber connected a poly pipe line from the garden tap into the system, and another poly pipe from the hot water outlet down to the drain outlets through which he connected to the existing system. The gas delivery arrived with the two bottles and the gas fitter connected the regulator and system to the bottles. He asked me to run an extension lead to the system, at which point I became aware that no electrical connection was going to take place. I queried this and the tradesman explained that he had not quoted the retailer for any electrical work. The plumber replaced the O-rings on the shower rose and tested the system and it worked. By now it was 8:50 am and I needed to go to work. Before I left I took a few minutes to look at the installation - it all happened so quickly that between getting ready for work and helping the tradesmen where I could, I had not had a chance to check the work myself. I queried the plumber about the length of polly pipe and how the cover that was supplied would not be able to fit over the pipes. I was concerned by the amount of exposed poly pipe and the fact that it would likely freeze in the winter. The gas fitter advised me to cash in the supplied cover and have a larger one fabricated.
At this point I realised that the system that had been installed was a 24L Paloma when I had ordered a 26L. I took this up with the gas fitter who was not surprised as he recalled the confusion at the retailer the day before when he went to pick it up. He said that he would take the damaged 24L system back and replace it all with the correct 26L. I was happy that at least the system was in place and working, and would take up any outstanding issues with the retailer once I was the 26L was in place and I had time to inspect and test the unit.
About 2 days later the gas fitter returned with the 26L and replaced the damaged 24L unit. I once again queried him about the electrical connection and the exposed poly pipe. He said he would return with some insulation for the pipes and that electrical connection was between me and the retailer. I also queried him about water fluctuations when other valves were opened while the system was in use. He explained that fluctuations had to do with the pressure throughout the plumbing.
That afternoon I first called the Ministry for Consumer Affairs and was advised that I should do everything possible to resolve the matter with the retailer and if I could not come to a satisfactory outcome, that I should finish the installation at my own cost and relay the costs onto the retailer with legal representation if necessary.
Directly after that phone conversation with the Ministry for Consumer Affairs, I visited the retailer. The manager was not available so I spoke with the new sales assistant. I told him about the outstanding electrical work, the fluctuating pressure, and the exposed poly pipes that were a concern to me come winter. He said that only the manager could deal with the matter and that he was in hospital undergoing eye surgery. I expressed frustration at the sales assistant and the fact that the manager was the only person who could help and that I thought responsibility should have been delegated.
At this point the sales assistant started to question my version of events and my expectations. I was angered by this because on the one hand the sales assistant was saying that only the manager knew the full history and that only he could help me, yet the sales assistant seemed to think he knew enough about the history to question my complaints. A second sales assistant (who seemed to be also new in the store) stepped in to mediate. The first sales assistant left to attend to another customer. I explained the whole story to the second sales assistant and reiterated my disbelief at the service and handling of my situation to date. The assistant seemed genuinely sympathetic to my situation and assured me that the manager would contact me as soon as he was out of hospital.
The manager did not call. I telephoned the finance company and explained that I did not think I should be paying installments as I had not received all that I had paid for - which included NZ$900 for installation based on the original quote from the retailer. The finance company agreed to reset the interest free period to account for the delays, and to contact the retailer on my behalf.
Seeing as both telephone and face to face communication were unreliable ways to communicate with the retail manager, I decided to start putting things in writing and send him email outlining my concerns, complaints and expectations and included the finance company's email address as a CC. I received a reply to my initial email the next day explaining his version of events and and a general reluctance to meet with my expectations. As I was able to prove corrections to his version of events I sent a second and more extended email to which I received a brief reply saying he was busy and would read it more fully when he had time.
In this time the hot water system has failed on two occasions, giving an error reading of 11 - C2. I have referred to the owner's manual and the Paloma website which explains that code 11 means no gas and neither explain what C2 mean. Both cylinders have gas and all valves are open.
On the morning of the first failure I called the retailer and explained the situation. The same sales assistant answered that questioned my account several weeks earlier. After I explained the fault I also inquired on the progress of arranging the electrical connection, he again questioned my version of events, and even accused me of knowing that the installation was more than an average and simple installation. After some heated and emotional words on my part, it eventually become clear that the sales assistant did not have a correct understanding of the course of events, and I could see why he may have wanted to question me. However I think I made it clear to him that he was misinformed on a number of points and even asked him and the manager to pay a visit to the site which would make it very clear that the installation was very simple and should be easily achievable within the $900 that was originally quoted. I pointed out that the installation thus far had taken no longer than 60 minutes for a plumber and a gas fitter, that minimal materials were used, and that so far it would seem that $900 worth of installation service and materials had not been spent. The telephone call came to calm end with the sales assistant saying he had a customer to serve and that he "felt sorry for me".
A few days later I received a call from the gas fitter saying that he had been contacted by the retailer to check the system for any fault. He found no fault and was not able to tell me what the code C2 meant. We both knew what code 11 meant and he was able to confirm that nothing was wrong with either the quantities of gas or the flow from the bottles to the system. I also asked him to send the plumber back to look at refitting the poly pipes so I could install the supplied cover. The gas fitter made a claim that on the day of the installation I expressed a preference that the poly pipes be installed the way they were. I recall no such thing and explained to the gas fitter that I would have never been OK with the use of a rusty garden tap and drain outlets to connect the system through, and that the long lengths of exposed poly pipe had always been a concern to me. I offered to remove all internal wall surfaces around the shower so as to make it very easy for the plumber to refit the system directly to the shower pipes instead of the garden tap. The gas fitter seemed to think that a reasonable offer and agreed to contact the plumber and ask him to visit. He advised that he would call back with the meaning of code C2 and a time when the plumber was available.
In that phone conversation with the gas fitter, he disclosed to me that the retailer had not yet paid him for the original installation done over 2 months ago. I have not heard back from the gas fitter or the plumber and am concerned that they are not willing to return to the job until the retailer pays them for their services thus far.
I have recently sent another email to the retail manager alerting him to the fault and code mystery and to make it known my willingness to prepare the space and electrical cable ready for the tradesmen to come in and connect. I have advised that with the prep work both tradesmen should not need to be here more than 1 hour each. I have not received a reply to that email, nor have I heard from any tradesmen.
I have also made 3 attempts to contact the NZ General Manager for the retail franchise but 2 weeks later he has not returned those calls
I have attempted to contact the manufacturer of the Paloma water heaters to find out what error code C2 means, but the only contact (which is an online email form on their website) is not working and returning an error message. See screen grab

It has been 8 months since purchasing the unit and its installation, and both remain unsatisfactory. At this point I believe that I have made a considerable effort to resolve my issue with the retailer, the product and the services they have sold me, as well as the third parties involved. I intend to seek further advice from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs based on this write up, arrange to have the job finished myself, and to hold the retailer liable for all further expenses I incure in the process. I also intend to contact the finance company and withdraw from the contract based on it not being honored with delivery and satisfactory performance of goods and services. I will agree to recommence payments when the system is properly installed, functioning reliably, and I have had my expenses paid for by the retailer.

McPherson - Talbot

2007-03-29T21:04:00.001+12:00

At long last I have tried my hand at mountaineering. Michael took me up the McPherson - Talbot traverse which starts at the Homer Tunnel (on the way to Milford Sound) and climbs up and over the big snow cap that hangs over the large water fall North of the Tunnel. Map.

The climb up from Homer Tunnel to the Saddle was nice and straight forward (so long as you don't try a direct line, but instead walk to the water fall and then up). But the ridge up to McPherson, with 900 metre drops either side scared me a bit.

The traverse across the snow up to Talbot Pass was very relaxing with spectacular views. I really enjoyed this intro to crampons and axes.

Getting of the snow cap and onto the Talbot Traverse was a bit tricky. The traverse is quite taxing so the further you can get on the snow the better. Scrambling the boulders on the traverse was a little technical and took some time, but the views remained stunning. Getting off the traverse becomes obvious where the snow on the other side (Gertrude Valley side) comes up to meet the Traverse Pass.

Again, a little tricky getting onto the snow. The easy snow walking didn't last long as it continued to get steeper and steeper. We ended up front pointing down, digging toes and axes in and stepping down at a very slow rate. I was quite nervous on the icey sections, and slipped once requiring a self arrest with my axe! Quite a heart starter that is. Without the axe it would be 100s of metres down to the valley rocks!

Eventually we made it onto the spurs that deliver down into Gertrude Valley. Finding a route down these spurs would have been a challenge if the clouds were thicker and the cairn rocks piles where any more sparse... very beautiful rock slabs with abundant alpine flowers.

We made it down to the Black Lake where quite a few others arrived from different trips in the Darren Mountains. Two guys had just returned from 5 days setting up alpine sport routes! They placed 50 bolts with a petrol drill, laying multi pitch routs of grade 16, 18 and 20.

From there it was a very straight forward walk down the Gertrude Valley back to the road and up to the car at Homer Tunnel, ending a 12 hour trip and starting a 4.5 hour drive home.

What an amazing excursion! many thanks Mike for leading me through it! Our combined photos here.

Life in the South

While traveling around Australia, who edits Wikipedia and Google places?

Skiing urban back country

In search of land to rent

Inspiring woman, living in elegant poverty

Container at Thor's Hammer

Packing up, moving on

Visiting Blenheim Beach

Eve's paintings

Handball after the BBQ

Ice cream after a swim

Shaggy and shag bay

Mount Townsend

Outback Watsons

Outback Old Matt

Guthega, Farm Creek, The Paralyser, back to Guthega

Guthega Trig, Consett Stephen Pass, Mount Tate

Eve goes ice skating

Baybay, Leyte. Philippines

Eve turns 1

Chris breaks his foot rock jumping, waits 27hrs in emergency.

Eve gets lost looking for Gorilla Mountain

Eve visits Booroomba Rocks

Eve and Sunshine come back for a spot of snow camping

Watsons Crag

A day on Earth

Powder Day

Mount Twynam

Leather Barrel

Out back Guthega

Down to Earth

First ski Australian slopes

Saigon/HCMC

Our container house

The local paper heats my water

Starting a rocket stove thermal mass heater

Our compost hot water system

Australian backcountry skiing

Born

Sold

Canberra

Ultrasound

100 Somerville is up for sale

Side awnings finished

Last ski in the NZ back country

USA and Canada

An attempt to ski Mount Pisa

A snow day

Awakino

A night at Dansey's Pass

Sunshine's surprise trip for Leigh's birthday

Rhubarb

Rocket stove mass heaters!

Rugby games or design and innovation.. what are our priorities?

Quailburn Rd to Ohau Peak

New Zealand Polytechnics

Hmm.. DIY Aquaculture

my 20 minute ride to work

my 20 minute ride to work

Year of the Ox

New door and a gate

Produce garden coming along

Byron, Singapore and Malaysia

Suva - waiting for Tuvalu

Last tracks at Ohau

Ski Touring Brewster Glacier

Sponsored Ian's Mo!

Cutting fire wood

Remarkables

Out the back of Cardrona on a very windy spring day

Mount Cardrona - South Catchment

Ohau - DumBell - Freehold Creek ski tour

Ohau tour

Mount Pisgah

Another trip to Fox Peak

firelogs

Winter crops

Deck and doors just about done

Three Passes with Aaron

Base Map