Being Climate Smart

In my attempt to reduce our carbon footprint, save electricity and generally help the planet we signed up for the state government (Queensland Australia) ClimateSmart initiative. Its pretty good. For fifty dollars an electrician comes out to your home installs up to 15 energy efficient light bulbs and a water saving shower head. The best part is you get this cool little device that lets you know how much electricity you are using at any one time. The end result is you can see which devices are the big energy guzzlers (like the kettle!)

The electrician is also supposed to compile and send out a plan for you to help you use in the future looking at your current habits. As we rent, I found this to be a little pointless as "install solar panels" is not really under our control, nor was any of the other suggestions. I wonder if anyone else found the plan a bit of a waste of time? Otherwise I highly recommend it!!

I want chickens

I really really want some chickens! We had chickens when I was a kid. Without my parents permission (when I was about 8 yrs) I bought 4 "cosmic" chickens from the school fete. Cosmic meant they had been dyed different colours. Of course they all turned out to be roosters and they were the meanest group of chickens you would ever come across. They were leghorns- I think the breed is a bit like that.

Well not to be discouraged, I want to try again. I think it would be just magic for my kids to see where their food comes from, help with the care and egg collection and all the other good things that come from chickens.

We rent here in the suburbs, so I had to check with the local council restrictions and luckily the block is big enough, and the real estate agent gave us the all clear so time to choose which type of chickens to get.

Worms

I thought I better do a post about worms. Yes I have joined the worm farm bandwagon. I actually have had a worm farm for a while now; I inherited it from my parents. Mum liked it for a while until the ants got into it. I bought a box of worms from Bunnings, grated them up some carrot and of we went. Or so I thought...

I to then had problems with ants. There is nothing more horrible then seeing your captive worms, squirming and wriggling as the ants move in. Of course I discovered the invasion when I had toddlers hungry for breakfast and I was supposed to have left the house in 15 min. I had heard that ants don't like water so throwing away all worries about water restrictions I flooded my worm farm with the hose. And I mean really flooded it. Then I had to separate the levels to help get rid of the left over ants. It was a big job!! I have had this problem a couple of times but not lately. Has anyone else suffered from a ant invasion? Any ideas what set them off? Right now though the worm (and I) are at peace, happily eating up the grated (yes they are a little precious) carrot and potato.