So I got the keys for the new house last Wednesday and we have been somewhat settled in since Monday when the large furniture was moved in. We couldn't contain ourselves once we got the keys we took out the ol' blow up beds and camped :-)

The to do list is mounting up already with the light globes all needing to be changed to energy efficient light globes and all the washers also needing to be changed. The front of the house has a large pergola and it is certainly helping with the cooling of the house as the afternoon sun sets on the front (the orientation of the house is something that I will just have to live with).

I can't wait to start getting into the garden and have started planning the veggie patch. My son and I have moved the cupboards into the tool shed and I will get one maybe two mushroom farms started and then purchase the others pay by pay. By spacing them out it may help with continual supply and I am not 100% sure if they will cope in the South Australian summer. I have started doing a little research on mushroom kits and already surprised with the range you can purchase.

Well this is just a short post today as I must get back to the grindstone. I will take some photos in the next couple of days and post them up.

Moving day is fast approaching....

Well this week I get the keys finally for my home. We are eager to get moved in and my son and I have already begun discussing what we are going to do when we are moved in. We are still in that excited phase so we want everything and we want it done yesterday but I have slowly come to terms that there are only so many hours in the day and money does not grow on trees.

To give myself a little time out during the move out process I have started to do a little bit of research. Today I did the "Footprint" Calculator and was somewhat disappointed with the result. According to the calculator it would take 3.2 planet Earths to provide enough resources to live like me. So I am really hoping that this project will see at least a reduction in my footprint in the next year.

I have begun reading a book called (funnily enough) "Living the Good Life" by Linda Cockburn (Hardie Grant Publishing ISBN 1-74066-312-8). This book is essentially a journal of a family who take the sustainability experiment to the extreme by undertaking 6 months of living of the land in suburbia on approximately 2200m squared. So far I am finding it an interesting read keeping in context that a) I am going to live on a smaller allotment, b) I do not have the luxury to leave my job to live off the land and c) the idea of my project is to reduce where possible and still do things that yes may have an impact but I have done so by making a well informed decision.

I have had some ideas about growing vegetables, given that I am restricted with space. After having a chat with my best friend who has a lot of land in comparison that I will undertake growing herbs and smaller vegetables while she has the space to grow the larger spreading vegetables (eg pumpkin). My son and I will also be growing mushrooms. He is very excited about that as he has been nagging me for a long time to get another farm going. We are going to utilise some luvered cupboards in the toolshed and have about 4 farms on the go.

Well that is my update for the time being. Hope everyone is well :-)

The Good Life

My blog is inspired by a program that was a family favourite when I was a child, The Good Life. The program was one of the typical British comedies going around at the time but there was something special about this one.

I have always been referred to as the tree hugger, greenie and hippie chick by family and friends as far back as I can remember. Always wanting a vegie patch in the garden, making sure the deposits were being collected for the bottles (my brother and I always enjoyed the extra pocket money) and not understanding why they changed from string bags, paper bags and cardboard boxes to plastic bags (only to realise within 25 - 30 years that it was a bad thing).

I look back to my childhood and realise my parents actually somewhat encouraged sustainability although it wasn't called that then. Now we have a word to use (some would say over used) that describes reducing, recyling, reusing, talking to the neighbours and generally caring for our environment (including socially and economically) - sustainability.

The reason for this blog is to demonstrate (hopefully) that it is possible to live the good life. Perhaps on a smaller scale but where perhaps I cannot have chickens look at a sustainable alternative to purchasing or bartering for eggs. The house I have purchased is a challenging 400m squared but I am sure I can make a difference even on that scale. Once I have moved in I will do a general audit of what improvements can be made and start researching good green choices to make those changes.

I have an eleven year old son who is eager to come along on this ride. In fact I call him my little eco-warrior and he even suggested when we move we should ensure that where possible we buy organic. I will ask my son from time to time to add his comments as I am sure there will be times where his thoughts on Mum's crazy "experiment" will sure amuse you. I also invite people to comment on my blogs and to add their ideas that others can share and learn from.

Well stay safe and if you are in Adelaide stay cool :-)