Christina Matson

We have started work on the outdoor kitchen.  When I say we,  it is really my hubby Glenn who is doing all the hard work.  We are converting an old gazebo that has a concrete base.  At the moment just the bottom panels are in, but already it is becoming more of a roomy feel.

I am starting work on cleaning and re-sealing the little Dover wood oven.  The first time I fired it up, there was smoke everywhere. Eye watering smoke. However, once the wood starts to burn hot, the smoke disappears. Thank goodness.

Until next time.

Time to take stock of what I have achieved for 2015.

My second book ‘The One’ was released in December. I am currently, almost finished the sequel to this. My first book ‘Rachel’ was re-release in a 3 part ebook.

Our gardens now have boxing around them, making it easier for mowing. I have bought by flour mill, distiller, butter churn, fruit press, wood burning stove, and solar generator, all for my outdoor kitchen.  Solar power is now powering our house (we just need to get the batteries to extend the power into night time). I learnt how to cook using a solar oven that I made myself. I made an outdoor refrigerator using two flower pots and sand. Amazingly it worked a treat.

Went to a Dolly Parton Concert and Sound of Music show with my friend and totally loved it.

My second grandchild Elijah was born, and granddaughter Grace turned two.

All in all a very satisfying year.

Plans for 2016? – well that is for another post.

 

Christmas is over for another year. Now the work really begins. The garden is exploding with life. Summer is here in full force. Today is jam making day. As I am sugar free, I am going to try making jam using stevia and chia seeds.

I now have twenty stevia plants, which will be my mother plants. They will produce cuttings for my future plants. I am going to take some cuttings today and start some new plants.

My Moringa trees are ready for transplanting. These are trees that would sustain you when the food runs out. They are known as one of the superfoods of food. They are fast growing and you can eat the seeds, pods and leaves. A must have for any preppers/survivalist.

We start on our outdoor kitchen this week.  I bought a 100 year old wood burning Dover stove.  It needs to be  scrubbed and repainted. Will post photo’s in another post. Bye for now.

It really does not matter what the season is, there are always things to do. Make sure your emergency bugout bags are fully stocked and any perishables are within their use by dates. There is nothing worse than needing something, only to find it is over a year past its use by date. This applies to more than food: Medication, antiseptics, first aid kits and batteries. During the winter months dampness can be a destroyer of anything that is not packed away correctly. Every season has its own unique needs for electricity. We try to spend one night a week without using anything electrical.  That way we can see any areas we need to improve on, if there is a prolonged power cut.

To all my readers, may your Christmas bring you joy and happiness with your loved ones and your New Year be all you wished for. May God’s blessings be with you.

Christina

Well the book ‘The One’ is finally in the shops before Christmas. Just like Sarah Book Publishers said it would be. Writing this book made me think about my own life and how dependent we are on electricity. What a journey of discovery it has been. I have now proved to myself that I can survive without being on the grid for electricity. I will share my discoveries in future blogs. I will show how I used what I had learned to form the characters in my book.

The funniest thing is when I tell my Indian friends that I have just discovered how to make a fridge using just 2 flower pots, sand and water, they say “Oh we have used them for centuries”.

My character Jo, learns a lot from Jock. She learns to hand milk a cow and how to cook on a wood burning stove.

Until next time.