along the lines of "Well, yes,
that would be handy." or perhaps to let you know what you might
need if you go down the particular paths we have chosen.I am trying
to give you the benefit of my experience, my common sense (which is
oft-times a laughable phrase) and the scourings of years of reading,
listening and watching. Trust me when I say, if you don't have
it in place, you'll need it in a crisis. Or all the time.
And both matter.
Shelter
Now this may sound idiotic, but a
surprising number of people fall in love with a property and the
envisaged lifestyle and don't think about the practical part of
where they will live. Treehouses are generally frowned upon by
local government, and shed and caravan accomodation also meets with
a resounding "NO", for a variety of reasons, usually to do
with health and safety.
Sometimes, the bureaucracy will turn a
blind eye in the interim, so long as "interim" has a
particular date, close by, attached.
If you do have basic digs, try and make
sure that they are all weather, or at least there is a substantial
bucket underneath the leaks and that said leaks don't do a Chinese
water torture on you whilst you are attempting to get your hard-spent
energy back in focus at the end of a long day. In other words,
catch the leak, don't sleep underneath it.
A GOOD FIRST AID KIT. CHECK IT
REGULARLY. TAKE A FIRST AID COURSE.
Store your food in a way that is pest
proof, and make sure that perishables are kept at the appropriate
temperature for the appropriate time.
Try desperately to have some sort of
refrigeration. There is nothing more mind-bogglingly irritating
(unless it's relatives come to stay at this time!) than to have to
drive into town for the bit of the recipe you forgot to buy in the
shopping and its original packaging is smelling higher than a pig's
socks.
A sink. Better by far than a
bucket or even a large bowl. If you want a multi-pupose job, buy
a plastic baby's bath. You can also hang these up easily.
They are good for washing fowl, too! Or small dogs, produce and
hand-washing laundry and those fiddly bits from your vehicle. In
a pinch, you can use them for washing the baby, although some die-hard
self-sufficiency types might find this a bit radical or even extreme.
Lots of towels, in various states of
decrepitude. Nothing worse than having to reach for a good towel
instead of an old one, and when the in-laws show up, the stains on
said towel would shock the Old Bailey.
At least two good knives, preferably
boomerang brand. That's the type that will always come back, as
your other half is well aware, if he knows what's good for him.
A medium to small one for close in jobs, and another larger one for
assaulting menacing vegetables like pumpkin with thicker skin than a
politician in election mode. Also good for chopping chooks,
beating beef, filleting fish and paring pork.
Spoons, of various sizes, especially
slotted, large and solid, large. A soup ladle is an absolute
boon, and can be used for pancake batter, chook pellets and jam
making.
A chopping board. I have taken the
time to describe the ultimate in chopping boards in a previous
Article, but basically mine has two long legs, a gutter around its
rim, and a semi-circle cut in one of the shorter ends of the rectangle
to enable me to put a bowl underneath.
Various bowls, lunch boxes, measuring
cups and a good pair of scissors. Add to this a scourer sponge,
excellent steel wool and a place to put everything, and Bob's your
Uncle, as the saying goes.
Keep a list handy as to what you will
need the next time you go into town. Keep it where it is visible
and tie a pencil to it. Budget carefully. Sirloin is
sweet, but pasta is faster. ALWAYS check your staples before
going shopping. Keep powdered milk, just in case. Same
with the staple of your choice, whether it be the aforementioned
pasta, rice, potatoes (not always recommended, unless your garden is
overproducing, as they go off being very much alive) or your starch of
choice.
Now, that's the basics of the kitchen.
If the stomach ain't happy, ain't nothin' gonna be happy. And it
keeps the boss happy, too.
Oh, make sure that whatever staples you
have are clearly labelled. One type of flour is easily confused
for another in the heat of kitchen battle. Also, bung on the
use-by dates of same. If you are in that sort of climate, or
have had experiences with such things as weevils in the past, it may
pay you to either only stock a small amount or to freeze, because the
little festers can get into containers that have a seal so tight you
would need three husbands and a diamond point jackhammer to open.
Now, what facilities you have for
cooking are up to you to a great extent. You will have to be
guided by: Local Government laws (again and always! They are
there to protect us, but sometimes they seem a hassle. Work with
them, and then you won't have to stress), seasonal factors, weather,
fire prevention (if you decide to camp fire, barbecue (cookout), or
even have a wood burning stove, and I suggest a purpose built shed for
this for Summer, to keep things a bit cooler in the living area, and
also for space reasons), electricity hook-up, and possible alternative
power generation, or mains or LPG gas, or even a white spirit stove,
which can be expensive to run, and dangerous due to the hugely
flammable nature of the fuel. Work on your siting: wind factors,
sun in the eyes, proximity to fuel or power sources, ease of use and,
believe it or not, a smooth path from the cooking area to the eating
area. Tripping over something, whether it be one's belongings or
firewood, stones or the family pet, means that the hard-won food, your
energy to keep going, has just become compost.
Have a good source of potable water
nearby, or at least water purification tablets. It's no good
telling yourself you love the idea of going back to pioneer days, and
then hating to go to the pump/river/dam/other water source at some
atrocious hour in the morning just so that you can have a cuppa when
you really wake up. You will be constantly going back and
forth for water for: drinking, dishes, cooking, cleaning and personal
hygiene. I'd imagine that the afore-mentioned Local Government
won't be too chuffed as their job is to keep you alive (someone
has to pay taxes and vote them into office!), and if you promptly die
because of water contamination, or even, idiotically, dehydration
(yes, it does still happen), then you may leave a beautiful corpse,
but that's really not the point of the matter, now, is it?
Investing in a pump if you don't
have mains water supply would be a good idea. Make sure you have
backup, in case the little darling dies just when you need it.
Even if it's just a couple of trustworthy buckets. Check with
your local supplier as to what maintenance is needed and what
operating conditions exist, because it's a Murphy's Law of
Self-Sufficiency that just when the bushfire is racing towards your
place, the pump will fail due to heat or soot or something.
Again, you will probably be better off if it has a shed of its own.
Be aware that most of these little creatures are not quiet. Be
aware that you need somewhere safe to store fuel. Be aware that
you need to have fuel in reserve, but that many fuels cannot be
stockpiled without a serious lapse in quality.
Dining Room - sit. You must
be able to sit and sit comfortably. Also, try and have a couple
of extra chairs for guests. Even a card table (so long as the
legs aren't too wonky) will do, and it would be preferable to have a
separate table to use for food processing, otherwise you will be
juggling between meal prep. and meal serve.
Bedroom - if you commute, always
bring your own pillow from home. You will sleep far better.
Also, pillows and pillow slips are brilliant for storage, particularly
delicate items. Hey, if it will protect your head from viscious
nightmares what will it do for a vase or photoframe? And you can
use it to store linen, so that all of the pillowslips, sheets etc. can
be in the one place at all times. as for the actual bedding - if
you can handle flour sacks on dirt floor, more power to you.
Choose your sleep furniture according to budget, space and need.
Camp beds, mattress on floor (liable to bugs and mildew unless you air
each day as the Japanese do, which can be time consuming, and time is
a precious commodity when you are setting up, everything seems to be
needing to be done last week, and never mind yesterday!), or perhaps
on wooden pallets, right up to actual beds.
Get mosquito nets because they don't
just keep out mosquitoes. Even the deserts have life, even the
Atacama. One of my pet peeves is being awoken at some disgusting
hour by an early-rising, adventure-seeking, opportunistic, Kamikaze,
noisome fly. You can tell I don't like them, can't you?
Mosquito nets save on chemical usage, as you are not frustratedly
spraying or throwing the empty can of spray at the little festers.
Have a place for storage of clothes.
Camping wardrobes are cheap. Put in some wormwood or bay leaves
or some such. Then you won't need to worry about moths.
If yours is a damp area, get a damp collector, they're
available at supermarkets. It's better than mould on your best
pair of shoes, which you usually only find out when you have been
elected Mayor and you want to make a great acceptance speech.
If you have more than just you, or a
family, make sure that your shelter has privacy for each member or
couple. It is not just a matter of decency (that's your
prerogative, of course) but sometimes you just need
to switch off, to be by yourself, to have some quiet time, far from
the madding crowd determined to get fed or get the pump fixed.
Toilet and shower facilities are a nice
luxury. If it is sunny enough, hang up a black bag solar shower
available at camping and discount shops. ALWAYS pack toilet
paper. It is so useful - packaging, hand wipes, gloves, fire
starter... Make sure that when you do pack it, it's in a
leak-proof resealable bag.
You will need clothes washing
facilities, unless you intend to NEVER have visitors. Our
society puts great moment on being clean, and one can pay a great
price for a pong. Again, unless you have heaps of time on your
hands, a washing machine, even if it is a camp one, will save you a
lot of time and trouble. As Kaz Cooke, one of our media gurus
over here, says, "Keep yourself nice."
Make sure that you carry a spare garbage
bag for your dirty clothing. It will stink out anything else, so
you might as well. For basic stain removal, either wear what we
call "gunge" clothing and don't bother, or take some old
laundry soap and start scrubbing. I use a nail brush wiped over
the wetted part of the victim. It makes it easier than hand
rubbing. Better on the hands, too.
Buckets are so useful, from the honey
ones to the wallpaper paste ones. Make sure you KNOW what has
been in them, and rinse out thoroughly, just in case. Make sure
that you get a lid with each one, regardless of its former use.
Grab as many as you can. Ask at building sites, check your
relatives, annoy your friends. SCAVENGE. It's what makes a
successful homesteader, who can put his feet up at the end of the day
and contemplate his treasures, as opposed to one who is constantly
scraping, sacrificing and searching. Learn to make do and make
out of nothing. If you go back a few issues, you'll see our
chook pen. The feathers are happy with it, but it will never
appear in Home Beautiful. That wasn't the intention.
Grab what you can whenever you have the storage space. Process
immediately for several reasons: if you have nails sticking out of
timber, guaranteed when you are in a hurry or when your arms are full,
you'll snag yourself on said nails or worse still, step on one.
People still die of tetanus. Have your shots, just to be sure.
Tetanus is also called "lockjaw" and is painful in the
extreme, or so I have heard. Most infections are. And
don't pick at your scabs, you'll just get blood poisoning. Not
good. I am for having a twice yearly checkup with doctor
and dentist. You don't need the hassle of suddenly finding out
you have diabetes by way of a string tied around your big toe the way
they do in the most fashionable morgues. Also, an aching tooth
is not fun, and can lead to more serious nasties. If you want to
go feral, that's up to you, but bear in mind that morning breath at
dinner time leads to a very short Christmas card list. Sad, but
true.
Also, stacking and sorting will mean
that stuff that needs to be out of the weather, is. And it looks
tidier, with less complaints from the neighbours if you are in an
urban or near-urban environment. So less trouble with
bureaucracy. You know what you have and what is usable.
The rest is either firewood, saleable, scrap metal or tip material.
Try not to burn, unless you need to get rid of rampant blackberries or
some such, because smoke is toxic, and modern materials are very nasty
indeed. Tip fees need to be calculated in to your budget, but
try and do a whole lot at once, saves your fuel bill. With
chemicals, check with your Local Government, many have schemes in
place where you can offload such nasties.
Well, I have just taken the German
Shepherds for a drag (they dragged me, out in the large paddock,
thankfully, Brian took over the leash of one of them (no, I have not
sorted out who goes with what name, yet)), and they are so anxious not
to be separated, it's woeful. More reinforcement needed in
training, more persistence and reassurance that they will be together
into old age here. God willing.
Next week, I will go into what I believe
to be the basics around your acreage. I started with the home,
because if that is not settled, neither will you be, no matter how
minimalist your comfort level.
Aussie Translations
"Kitting up"
is getting something ready, to "kit yourself up"
means to have all the supplies you need.
"Bob's your uncle"
- everything's okay.
- "Damp Collector"
- is a moisture absorber that you put into wardrobes and
cupboards to collect excess damp, in our case we have one in our
wardrobe because the Heavenly Hovel is so chokka with termites
(white ants) and very wet.
- "Tip material" -
the refuse dump where one takes old bicycles, dead bits of
everything. "Tip fee" is the extortion they
charge to dump there. Funnily enough, I thought our rates
and taxes would have taken care of something so basic. And
gone are the days when you could pick through at your leisure.
Brian and his Father used to go there and Betty would expect
them to come back with more than they dumped. Always.
Mosquitoes (mozzies) here are
a biiiiggg problem. We have Murray River virus, and just as
nasty, although few have died of it.
The
chopping board was made by a friend of mine within the Corps
who does woodworking. He copied the design from an old one I
had bought TWENTY YEARS EARLIER in Adelaide at our best department
store - John Martin's, which has long ago been taken over by David
Jones', another department store chain, but a little more exclusive
than K-Mart.
Journey
A cessation of pain
and an end to tears
Warmth, comfort and Home
these are the things which oft spur me
on
Father, I long for Your Presence
and to revel in Your Personal Love
to drink at the River which winds
through Heaven
like liquid silver trailing through gold
I desire the Joy that knows no bounds
All frustration, all longing, all gone
Peace, perfect Peace,
and You
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