Finding alternative fuel sources

Today the King of Avalon managed to buy a bottle of gas for the stove after running out over the weekend. He was one of the last customers to be so lucky, and this was the last supplier in the whole of East London to still have gas. Stutt has none. Apparently there is a gas shortage and the suppliers don't know when to expect stock. Yesterday I had to be rather resourceful at meal times as both gas and electiricity were low but it also got me thinking about self-sufficiency again.Why not consider a wood stove (Aga) and geaser (Donkie) as a viable solution? Problem is where would one find them and at what price? Why aren't clever young (green) entrepreneurs making new ones? Also started considering the sustainability of our "wood source". Right now it would be the millions of unwanted, invading Black Wattle in the commonage across the road, but just how long would they be considered "invaders" and "unwanted" if they became a major fuel source? Suddenly the fact that they grow so easily, mature so quickly and even add nitrogen to the soil wasn't such a bad thing after all. Who knows in a year or two we might be farming Black Wattle in the paddock totally unaffected by the gas and electricity crisis (how does one spell the plural?) of the world!?

What we've achieved already...

Compost - beautiful "black gold" at last!!! We started compost heaps 4 years ago but it has felt like an incredibly slow process even though we seemed to be doing everything by the book. I've been most frustrated that I've had to continually buy bags whenever I've wanted to make a new bed but I believe we now have enough to get our new veggie garden off to a good start!

Making our grey-water work! The King of Avalon attached thick "black pipes" to all our bathroom outlets so that our shower water feeds our orchard of naartjies & oranges. He has bigger dreams for a dam of sorts but that still requires a bit of research (and capital outlay).

Harvesting rainwater! We have a system that collects a small portion of rainwater, enough I hope to keep our new veggie garden watered. It needs to be expanded and refined though but at least it's a start, once again thanks to The King's efforts!

Recycling bottles and plastic containers! I really battle to throw away plastic & glass. I save whatever is "the right size" (peppadew bottle size) for preserves & jams. Our lovely 500ml plastic cream containers, sold by the local dairy, have been hoarded to grow cuttings & transplant seedlings into much to some family member's frustration ;-)

Saving (a little bit) of electricity! We rarely use our tumble dryer (our washing is sun-dried) and we have a combination gas/electric stove that I adore!

Cooking from scratch! And I have finally perfected my bread recipes though we need to bake more regularly ;-)