Six months and more off grid. Small and cosy

Inside our little house on wheels is pretty cosy. The winter annex is up, with the hooded Bbq at one end and the folding bed from the shearing shed still in there from when our oldest son from Brisbane stayed to help with the shed.

It is cold so the bed is dressed for winter with K's favourite Wolf blanket. I am a very accommodating wife.  (Ok those of you who know me ....stop laughing) No flower patterns for us.

My camp twin tub fits next to the annex door in cold weather. Too cold to stand outside to do the wash. I confess to boiling the  kettle to take the chill off the water. My hands were very thankful. Now that the shed wood fire is going, drying winter jumpers and jackets is easy. I just peg the things to metal coat hangers and brave the scary step ladder to hang them from the metal roof beams. Clothes dry in the hottest part of the shed. We won't talk about how long it takes me to climb down again and recover my balance. I hate heights and slopes.  I have perfected the art of knocking the hangers down when its all dry and catching the stuff before it hits the ground thus avoiding the step ladder. Big things hang off the line in the open bit of the shed or on the pull out racks on the back of the caravan. The other minki blanket that I found in storage boxes is hanging on those racks waiting for the rain to rinse out the dust before I pack it away again. My twin tub is not up to that amount of wet blanket. In fact I think the blue minki, yes a blue wolf patterned minki, has only ever hung on the line and had soap and water sprayed on it and been hosed off. Even in a real house I never had a washing machine up to its bulk.

We are used to working half of the year, but the wait for K's medical treatment has us grounded in this delightful place. After living here off the grid I think returning to work life and having people close in a caravan park is going to take a bit of adjustment. Although electricity and water on tap might be worth it....maybe.

One of the byproducts of being on our own most days is taking pleasure in the daily tasks.  I realised just how far I have relaxed into semiretired life when I was telling our granddaughter what my day was like.  Make yoghurt, mix bread and rise it in the car window, bake it in the Bbq, wash clothes, light the fire, throw a ball for the dogs, read a book, slow cook dinner on the fire and crochet lots. All of this interspersed with trips to hold things for Mr Fix It and remind him that we live in a caravan so that whatever it is he has salvaged can go on the pile of things for the tip.

Talking of the tip we took a load there yesterday. This is always a hazardous expedition causing Mr Fix It great pain. You see people throw out things; sinks with fittings still attached, belts, pulleys, nuts bolts, tv's and such. He has to leave them there, unlike in Mataranka where the tip is the unofficial spare parts shop. Oh well life is not meant to be perfect.

Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move

What do we really need. Reflections on our simple life.

 

 

Sitting on the bed watching the tennis yesterday  I was inspired to comment to K about how comfortable we are in our tiny house. We are parked on the farm without town electricity, gas connection or running water. We were sitting on the bed, with a coffee from our coffee machine, home made bread sandwiches on a plate. The fan was going, dinner was ready to heat up later. Our setup works just about anywhere. However we are really grateful to our daughter and son-in-law for allowing us to set up here in the summer.


Like most people we had worked most of our lives to keep a roof over our heads and provide for our children while they were our responsibility. A joy most of the time. But now we are kid less and able to do what we want together. I guess I had envisaged a cottage by the sea, or a town house somewhere with amenities, new furniture at last. But here we are in a 20 foot long box......


Our box has gas bottles for heating, cooking and the fridge. It has battery power charged by solar panels or the generator, for lights, fan, coffee machine, microwave, washing machine and camp fridges. We can watch TV, listen to music, wash clothes, shower and cook.


Our tiny space has all the things two people need. We can even cram in visitors for a meal, even if someone has to sit on the bed if outside is too hot or cold.


And there are blackberries ripening in the bushes outside.






Cheers Sue


A Ferg on the Move.

Useful lessons from Mr Fix It and Mothers

Mr Fix It has just finished rebuilding a battery pack for his mother's battery powered carpet sweeper. A trip to Jaycar for batteries, some soldering and it is now sitting in the charger being juiced up. There are always a couple of fixing jobs to be found when we visit. I think maybe K's brother leaves a few things so Mr Fix It feels needed the few weeks a year we are here.

He is now watching a Cook and the Chef rerun. We were at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop watching a cooking demo last week. Got to see the lady herself as well....

Mother and I had a lesson this morning on how to use a screw driver to pop the lock release on lockable internal doors. This was prompted by having to run the long way down the corridor when one of us accidentally locked one of the doors to the two way bathroom. Inconvenient if you are in a hurry. This got Mum regaling us with the story of her and her sister-in-law poking a broom handle in the window from outside trying to pop the door lock after a similar but much more troubling accidental turning of the toilet door privacy lock. I think buckets, a mop and accidents were mentioned. After  we stopped laughing Mr. Fix It got into instructor mode. The trick works too. Who knew!

Mother has rearranged her living room furniture again. Back to the way it was .... And the layout I prefer. The highlight of this arrangement us that from one lounge chair you can see the trees and sunsets. They are not bad either. For city sunsets that is. Mum was so excited about the colours last night I had to get the camera. The three of us were out on the deck for 20 minutes oohing and aahing.

This got me thinking about the joy there is in the simple frugal things that our parents, especially mothers, still practice. A few pots together to make a garden, when you can no longer handle a large one. Home made meals in the freezer, for when you are too sick or tired to cook. Or visitors pop in. Water saved from boiled vegetables to make soup later. Old biscuits turned into peppermint balls to take to church for a friend. Jam or chutneys cooked up when friends donate fruit. (Both my mums are pretty good at making something from nothing. )

I reckon we have the independent, frugal, simple, small space living down pat. To live fulltime in a caravan, some of that off grid, we have put a bit of energy into it. However watching the mothers manage daily on little money and failing health is an education.

Tomorrow I am off to spend the day with my mother. Some alterations and repairs are on the agenda since her sewing room is set up. K is doing a doctor run with his mum. These are very precious times since we are so far away, and even more so as the years roll on.

Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move