Grandma duty.

Home made yogurt, stewed apples from a tree somewhere up the back of the farm and the first ripe wild blackberries for the season. I make a good breakfast.

I have been off air for a week or two. Family things filling our time. Both of the Crookwell farmers are out of action so Grandma is on school run and dog feeding duty. K is working elsewhere so I am solo in the caravan for a week or two.
Miss Nearly Five has just started school and the drive to school each morning is very exciting. Every truck, bike and animal on the way is commented on. Today the white horse was closer to the fence. The yellow truck was on the road in front of us and two boys were riding bikes. She waves at the dog walkers and stops to pick up leaves and things on the pathway into school.




Yesterday I was given a tiny yellow flower and told that I was her favourite grandma, which made me very proud. (To put that in perspective...Nanna is her favourite nanna, Mummy is her favourite mummy, Poppy is her favourite poppy.... you get the idea. )
The favourite day of the week is Tuesday. After school gymnastics in a local hall.

The school entered an art work of Miss Nearly Five's in the Crookwell show. She came first in her age. Very proud relatives indeed. It was apparently a rainbow in the car mirror!

Master One Year Old learned to walk while we were away after Christmas. He is now confidently getting around. He has also worked out how to open things and most importantly to insist on being lifted up for a cuddle. Melt your heart it does. He is a constant source of amusement. And boy can he move fast! And empty a plastics cupboard at lightening speed. His favourite thing, while we are on the subject, is to walk around with a sachet of his favourite baby custard in each hand.







So solo caravan off grid...... The power is good. Solar panels doing well in the sunlight. So morning coffee under control. Hot water for shower ok. I had to have a refresher in how-to switch the gas bottles over when they run out. Will have to empty the toilet cassette and pump water in from the rain water tank sometime soon. Ok with the second task not so happy about the first.




Cheers Sue










 

Solar power, nature deficit disorder and other interesting reading.

The weather has been kind to us this last week. Lots of sun and a light breeze. Not ideal for farmers here who need good soaking rains to get the winter grasses started. A lot of locals are supplement feeding their lambs and there is a bloke who has his cattle out on road edges every afternoon. We have to keep  bovine afternoon tea time in mind as we drive into town.

Cattle out for an afternoon tea munch on the road side

But the sun has kept our batteries charged and I have taken advantage of that to do some crock pot cooking in the middle of the day and to charge computers and spare batteries while the sun shines.

Solar Panels on the right of our camp.

It has become second nature to check the battery voltage every morning before staring the coffee machine. This doubles as a weather check as well. This morning the reading was low..... so without even popping my head out the door I knew it was cloudy.  Put the kettle on and made a plunger pot instead.


We  are always on the lookout for information about solar power and off-grid living just in case we can find ideas to improve our electrical independence, so I was interested in this article in the Caravan World Magazine on solar power systems for your caravan. 


This issue also had an article with this very cute title. Do your kids have nature deficit disorder? The  teacher in me was quite taken with this concept. I'm not quite sure how the science of the idea stacks up but today's children (not my grandchildren of course) do seem to spend more time indoors than I remember allowing.

Talking of interesting reading, here is a gem we found in our favourite Crookwell coffee shop. Coffee Mash Potatoes.

 Now .......... I know a day is not right without coffee but maybe this is taking things a bit too far.



Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move