FW: Autumn off grid

So I am finally somewhere with internet viable enough to post a blog. I wrote this post last week. Bit out of date now but here goes anyway

I caught this rainbow as I drove down the drive way into the farm.
 

K has been away in Newcastle and with the Crookwell lot both not able to drive (complications from surgery and a horse squashed foot) it has fallen to me to be onsite dog feeder, and keep the water up to the rams. Being on my own has tested how easy our off -grid set up is for me to manage. K does all of the heavy lifting normally so I admit to being a bit apprehensive about how I would go.

Don't tell K but I forgot I had set the pump up to transfer water from the shed rainwater tank to the caravan tanks and went down the hill to feed the dogs. Good thing the caravan storage was empty and the 12volt pump slow cos there was water running out and under the annex when I made it back up. Not sure how much I wasted. I pride myself on being careful with the water so I was I bit red faced!

(As I post this it has rained recently so the rainwater tank will be topped up again but still....)

Woke up one morning to find water all over the floor, a sure sign that the gas bottle that runs our  caravan fridge and the water heater was empty and the frdge had defrosted all over my floor..  So I popped outside to the caravan front boot and carefully switched the gas over to the reserve bottle. Sprayed the connection with detergent to check for leaks and swanned back in to relight the fridge. Press the button, click the lighter. Not working. There is a little gauge that tells you the thing has lit and it didn't even flicker. Our fridge is getting on in years and has a habit of  the pilot light not relighting. Goes for weeks without a problem and chooses to play up when there is no Mr Fix It in sight. Typical. I wonder if it is related to the ute, whose door locks only ever refuse to open for me.

Now Mr fix It does some mysterious banging when this happens. (The fridge not lighting I mean. Banging in the ute could you yelled at.)  It entails taking off the outside cover of the fridge and doing 'stuff". So I thumped out of the van and around the back to the vent with my trusty butter knife in hand (just the correct size to flick open the catch) pulled off the cover to find a maze of pipes and wires. A flick here and a tap there and a few Mr Fix It like huffs. Tromped back inside. Held down the gas button and press the lighter and up she came. The pretty little indicator bar flew up into the "well lit" section of the gauge. Now truthfully I have no idea what magical thing I did but the fridge liked my spell weaving so who am I to complain.

There are two gas bottles in the front of the van  and we have two spares that are supposed to be kept full. In the mad dash to get back up to Newcastle K didn't get to fill the two empties and I just "knew" that the reserve bottle was not very full.

The nice man at the service station fills them so I dragged two empties out and stashed them in the car. Left them in his tender care and came back the next day to resume custody. They were too heavy when full for me to lift into the back of the ute. I caused a few grins when I tenderly belted them into the back seat next to the granddaughters booster seat for the trip home. Unsealed road you know.

Given my luck you will not be surprised to read that the gas ran out again at night.... Picture me with a torch in my mouth, spanner in one hand, a gas connection in the other, trying not to cross thread the thing as I did it up.  Darn thing kept leaking gas. So turn off the gas, transfer fridge goods to the 12volt travel fridge and tackle it all in the morning.  After a couple of goes and lots of detergent spraying in daylight I got a sealed connection and reenacted my fridge lighting routine.  And lit the water heater for a well earned shower.

 

The rain must be on the way. This little echidna was crossing the road.

 All joking aside I have been pleased to find that the setup is quite manageable for me. Some things are hard work and heavy. True. But ok. The solar panels and batteries performed really well. Once or twice I thought I might need the generator. And I guess if there had been a few days running of really grey skies I might have had to work out how to start it. Not a job I have done before. That would make a really good blog post!  The autumn weather was kind to me, batteries charged, lights, pump, freezer and coffee machine all ran perfectly..

K has worked cleverly to make this possible and it is gratifying to find that the free camping set up is really stable.

We are hoping to take the whole lot on the road this year again. And try out a few outback camping spots along the way.

 



 

All along the side of the roads here are "wild" fruit tress.

 

Cheers Sue

 

A Ferg on the Move

 

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