So this was how I started off today, 3 hours and 3 coffees ago...
12.11.14
Last month was really challenging financially. Fortunately the first donations have now been received in the bank and so we were able to go and stock up on cement and even buy a couple of tins of paint for inside.
I challenged myself to make a half litre of brick red cover what I needed...and it did, with a little left over for another place. When it says on the tin 'Do not dilute' what they mean is : there's just less than enough in this tin to cover an average size wall...which means you need two tins. However, having done rather a lot of decorating on a budget over the years I've come to understand that you can dilute the paint without losing the depth of colour and stretching it out just that bit further :) So, having already picked up a couple of mis-priced 10 litre pots of white paint for 7 Euro's each, plus the new paint at 40 Euros for 2 colours, I'll have managed to decorate an 80m2 space for less than 50 Euros (only half of one white paint used). Very happy! No photos yet as it's not quite done.
In between the drizzle we've had some more sunny but cool days and the grass verges on the lanes were cut by the municipality so I took advantage of some free biomass.
It took a bit of effort to rake it all and transport it by wheelbarrow but it's free so it's worth it.
I decided to earmark the next area for planting for spring and a la permaculture style I did a bit of sheet mulching. We already had lots of cardboard boxes hoarded away for this. However, it's surprising just how much material you need for even a small space, incredible really.
Needless to say I didn't have enough of either the cardboard or the biomass to finish off and the rain spoiled the collection of any additional mulching material. It's a great start though and anyway we know this is a long term project so one step at a time is ok.
The boys continued with the barn conversion and chicken house (it's become much nicer than a coop, lol) and they used over 70 old tyres to create a raised bed area for planting in the spring, along with swales all around them to capture and retain water underground.
It's coming along nicely and we're managing to get a lot done without having to spend any money. However, if we're to realise the dream of a hermetically sealed roof, solar power, a plumbed bathroom...oh and some chickens...and then our extension to include the cabins for other EMF sensitive folks to stay - we need money!
I had a little VO work last week and some content stuff lined up for this week...but it's really not much. Being EMF sensitive is a real handicap...we can't work in offices or schools, we can't sit in restaurants or coffee shops, public transport (especially trains and planes) is a no-no, we can't attend meetings or seminars or open a shop to sell things unless we can do it in our own safe environment where we can control our surroundings aka keep it EMF Free!
Every euro you donate will be put to good use, we won't waste a single cent...and it will all be received with gratitude. So here it is folks...the link:
http://www.gofundme.com/chezgratitude
Love & light and forever hopeful,
Louise (aka Mermie)
12.11.14
Last month was really challenging financially. Fortunately the first donations have now been received in the bank and so we were able to go and stock up on cement and even buy a couple of tins of paint for inside.
I challenged myself to make a half litre of brick red cover what I needed...and it did, with a little left over for another place. When it says on the tin 'Do not dilute' what they mean is : there's just less than enough in this tin to cover an average size wall...which means you need two tins. However, having done rather a lot of decorating on a budget over the years I've come to understand that you can dilute the paint without losing the depth of colour and stretching it out just that bit further :) So, having already picked up a couple of mis-priced 10 litre pots of white paint for 7 Euro's each, plus the new paint at 40 Euros for 2 colours, I'll have managed to decorate an 80m2 space for less than 50 Euros (only half of one white paint used). Very happy! No photos yet as it's not quite done.
In between the drizzle we've had some more sunny but cool days and the grass verges on the lanes were cut by the municipality so I took advantage of some free biomass.
 |
| Essential garden tools - wheelbarrow and rake! That's it! |
It took a bit of effort to rake it all and transport it by wheelbarrow but it's free so it's worth it.
 |
| First make the piles... |
 |
| ...all along the road :) |
I decided to earmark the next area for planting for spring and a la permaculture style I did a bit of sheet mulching. We already had lots of cardboard boxes hoarded away for this. However, it's surprising just how much material you need for even a small space, incredible really.
 |
| Sheet mulching to prepare the spots for the Cherry tree guild and pumpkin nursery |
Needless to say I didn't have enough of either the cardboard or the biomass to finish off and the rain spoiled the collection of any additional mulching material. It's a great start though and anyway we know this is a long term project so one step at a time is ok.
The boys continued with the barn conversion and chicken house (it's become much nicer than a coop, lol) and they used over 70 old tyres to create a raised bed area for planting in the spring, along with swales all around them to capture and retain water underground.
It's coming along nicely and we're managing to get a lot done without having to spend any money. However, if we're to realise the dream of a hermetically sealed roof, solar power, a plumbed bathroom...oh and some chickens...and then our extension to include the cabins for other EMF sensitive folks to stay - we need money!
I had a little VO work last week and some content stuff lined up for this week...but it's really not much. Being EMF sensitive is a real handicap...we can't work in offices or schools, we can't sit in restaurants or coffee shops, public transport (especially trains and planes) is a no-no, we can't attend meetings or seminars or open a shop to sell things unless we can do it in our own safe environment where we can control our surroundings aka keep it EMF Free!
Every euro you donate will be put to good use, we won't waste a single cent...and it will all be received with gratitude. So here it is folks...the link:
http://www.gofundme.com/chezgratitude
Love & light and forever hopeful,
Louise (aka Mermie)
