Home at last.

Seven years of saving. Two years of searching. Ten years lie ahead of me of hard graft. But my dream is finally coming true!

A place of my very own.

I went unconditional and paid the deposit today. In four more weeks it will be mine.
It's not a gypsy caravan, it's not a secluded scrap of land on which to park a trailer. It's not totally off-grid. Surprisingly, I've ended up with a much larger place than I ever expected. A two bedroom cottage at 101 square meters, and a third of an acre of land, on the edge of a small village just over an hour south of Auckland. Two sides of the property look out over farmland, and the back of it slopes upwards to a lovely spot to sit and catch the breeze under the trees. It needs work, but that's why I could afford it. :-)

Now the question is.... will my friends come to visit me?

Wardrobe 2012

Ok, I admit, I have been dreading making this post. But it must be done, as I threatened myself with it at the start of last year. If you know that you will have to justify your purchases to the world at large, it makes you think harder about making them.
Remember my anti-fashion consumer minimalism post back in February? Well, here we have it, my clothing purchases for all of 2012. It's going to take 2 photos to get it all in.

photo 1 = The "new" stuff.

1. Cotton dress from Max. $39, March.

2. Sheepskin and wool slippers from Craftworld. $35. October.

3. Brogue style leather boots from a sample sale. $85. June?

4. Red leather knee-high boots from Overland. $349.95. September. *Ok, yes. This IS rediculous. I lusted after these for ages, tried to find them discounted at Dressmart, failed, finally put them on lay-by. Took me 6 weeks to pay off, by which time it was no longer winter. I've worn them a few times, but time will tell if this was an idiot purchase I guess.

5. Green and white polka-dot togs from K-mart. $25. November.

6. 2x black singlets from K-mart. $8 each = $16.November and December.

7. Black "skinny" levis from Dressmart. $59.95. May.

8. Berlei T-shirt bra from Farmers. $59.95. December.*purchased because underwire snapped in my only good bra, same model, making me think I had some awful lung problem because it hurt to breathe when lying down! I've since found that you can replace the underwire. I used ones from an old bra I was going to throw out. Now I have 2 good bras.

9. Socks from a dollar shop. $3. February. *featured in the original post.

10. 5 pack of black undies from Farmers. $19.99. July.

11. Missing Teeth T-shirt, purchased at concert. $25. February. *featured in the original post.

12. Blue levis (dyed black/indigo) from Dressmart. $39.50. May?

13. Heavy duty black leather belt from The Warehouse. $25. April.

14. Green leopard print scarf from Max. $39. March. *a truly stupid amount of money to pay for a commercially produced scarf. But I love it and wear it lots. :)

TOTAL: $821.34

....and now for photo 2:

The "not new" stuff.
These are mostly op-shop purchases, or home-sewn.

1. Black cashmere and wool Max coat. $8. Salvation army. April. *featured in THIS post.

2. Charcoal cashmere and wool Max coat. Trademe. $40. October. *I know, stupid right? I bought the same coat twice, and paid a lot more for it the second time. I just loved the first one so much that I put a saved-search on Trademe, for one in a larger size. Finally 6 months later one turned up. The bad news? A size 12 is still a bit too small. :(

3. Green merino singlet. Salvation Army. $6. August.

4. Black Velvet skirt. Salvation army. $12. April. *also featured in THIS post.

5. Modified mens shirt. Salvation army. $8. December. *inspired by number 6.

6 & 7. Modified mens shirt, and black pants. Salvation Army. $6 each = $12. December. *These were purchased for an end of year work function, which was "dress up as someone/thing from the Movies. I went as Mrs Mia Wallace - Pulp Fiction. The shirt took a lot of tailoring, and then some safety pins ripped holes near the armpits during the course of the evening. :( I've darned them but I'm not sure if I'll wear it again. Also, the pants are a bit too tight. I was going to leave these off the list entirely, since they were for a one off dress up party, except for the fact that they are still IN MY WARDROBE. So, no cheating!

8. Black linen short sleeved jacket. Salvation Army. $10. December. *Why did I buy this? Seriously. I haven't worn it yet.

9. Green merino hoodie. Salvation Army. $8. November.

10 & 11. Top and Skirt. Sewn by me. Fabric from Geoffs Emporium. $16. October. *top is based on my favourite top, and it actually worked out well! A surprise for a pattern I made myself. The skirt is based on a style my friend makes. A - line, with no fastenings. Just slip it on over your head.

12. Skirt. Sewn by me. Fabric from Geoffs Emporium. $12. * As above but in black so I can wear it to work.

TOTAL: $132

GRAND TOTAL FOR 2012 = $953.34

Almost half of which was spent on shoes! I am quite surprised at having spent so much. I had thought I was doing well!

Also on the purchasing front, my major purchase for the year! At long last I have a latex mattress! I wished I had gotten on to it earlier. The lovely people at FUTONZ helped me find the right comfort level. It was well worth the money. I don't have to stretch and crack my spine when I wake up in the morning! The bed is also much lower than the old innersprung mattress, and easier to climb into! Latex is an eco choice because it is a renewable product, can be organically farmed, is long lasting (up to 30 years or more, compared to only 5 to 10 years for an inner sprung mattress), has no issues with electromagnetic fields, and is naturally resistant to bugs and mold (great for asthmatics like me!). In fact, I'm off to climb into it now.

Happy 2013 everyone!

Plum Wine Recipe

It's almost 2 years since my attempt at feijoa wine. I have to say, I was not pleased with the results! It came out far too dry and thin. It smelled lovely, but I have continued to sample it at different stages of aging, and it has not improved. Perhaps I was too impatient with it? The more recent plum wine is a different story all together.

Today I bottled the Black Doris Plum wine that I started in March 2012. I had more or less left it to it's own devices in the hot water cupboard, occasionally checking up on it. But I must have done something right. Today I decided it had been doing nothing for long enough. I got the equipment sterilized and removed the airlock and had a taste.
WOW
It tastes like real wine! Like a slightly thin and slightly sweet pinot noir! Kind of sad now that I only made 5 bottles (and I'm 2/3 through the first one already!). I will definitely be giving this one another go come plum season! Here is the basic recipe, you will need to read between the lines, or read other fruit wine recipes to get the gist of what you need for sterilizing, making a yeast starter, racking, all that jazz.

Black Doris Plum Wine
Started mid-March, bottled end of November. Auckland temperatures!
1.7kg black doris plums, de-stoned and frozen for a few weeks (might have been 2kg to start with?) Thawed, weighed and put into sterilized primary fermenter bucket with 1 litre of water and 1 teaspoon of pectinase. Leave overnight, covered but not sealed. Also prepare 1 kg sugar dissolved in 1 litre water (hot) for mixing in tomorrow.
Next day; Add sugar syrup and 2 crushed campden tablets. Gravity reading = 1.111 (14% potential alcohol?) Wait 24 hours before adding yeast.
Yeast used; Vinters Harvest VR21 (asked for a yeast for a plum wine at the brew shop!)
Next day; Add yeast, or yeast starter (1tsp yeast, 1tsp sugar with lukewarm water, left in a warm place until frothy). My yeast was slow to start, probably due to temperature being low. Cover but don't seal (keep bugs out but allow gas to escape).
3 or 4 days after signs of activity (ie, crust forming and bubbly); Sieve through sterilized cheesecloth and funnel, into 1 gallon demijohn. Fit airlock (or cover with gladwrap and rubberbands) and put into hotwater cupboard or other slightly warm place.
2 months later, or when bubbling has slowed right down; Rack wine (transfer) into a new sterile demijohn, leaving sediment behind (use hose method). Add 4 tablespoons of sugar.
3 month later, or when bubbling slows again; rack again leaving sediment behind. Should taste fine, but young. Add more sugar if needed.
3 months later; Bubbling should have stopped, there should be no more sediment in the bottom of the demijohn, and wine should look clear. Tastes ready to drink! Sterilize 5 x 750ml bottles and bottle wine using sterilized funnel.
Drink within 6 months as not likely to improve with age! _________________________ I'm feeling quite drunk now. I estimate this one at between 13 and 14 percent. *Hic*

Kitchen Gadgetry

Kitchen Gadgets. Those things you think are a great idea. And then you buy them, use them a couple of times, and shelve them. Well, I haven't made one of those purchases in a long time. My kitchen gadgets have mostly been second-hand purchases, from the Salvation Army usually. These are my top 3.

Today I went to the Sunday Markets and apples and carrots were on special. I LOVE carrot and apple juice, but the fresh stuff costs $5 or $6 for a glass (and the not-fresh stuff is rubbish). Good thing I bought a juicer a few years ago for $15. It has paid for itself several times over. If I had bought it new, I would never have gotten enough use out of it to justify it's purchase! And I only ever juice apples and carrots. :-) Sometimes with a little ginger.
My longest companion would have to be the Soda Stream Classic, complete with 2 glass bottles. I believe this was also a $15 purchase. I try to avoid drinking straight store-bought juice, (too much sugar), so I make a glass of soda and add about 1/3 juice. I use it several times a week, so it's probably been my best purchase.
Gadget number 3 is my mini Goldair food processor. I remember that a friend of mine had an "Oskar" mini processor, that she used all the time, and I saw how useful it would be. So I was on the look-out for a second hand one, because I knew I couldn't afford one as a penniless student back then. :-) And how could I make hummus without one?? The Goldair gets used a couple of times a year, so at $10, I think it was worth it.
Gadgets that didn't get the usage? A home espresso machine. One of those weak things that barely gets up enough steam to warm the milk, let alone froth it. Instead I use a plunger (french press) daily. If I want froth, I warm the milk, put it in a glass jar, and shake it. The effect is exactly the same as the machine produced! If I have a lazy day ahead, and it's just me, I can hand-grind some beans and use the stove-top espresso, which only makes enough for one cup. :-)
New-bought gadgets that receive lots of use? Mini-grater. For citrus zests, grating ginger, chocolate, and parmesan. Garlic press. Self explanatory. Pizza cutter wheel. It was a gift that I would never have bought for myself, but I find myself using it a lot. It saves my knives from being blunted on the metal cooking trays!
What got me thinking about the kitchen gadgets, was a bit of fanciful design for my little gypsy caravan. I might have to give up the gadgets if I can't fit them in! So i'm going over things and trying to figure out what is actually essential in my future kitchen....as well as what is actually essential in my bedroom, lounge, bathroom. What has to be housed in the "core"? The space that will be the only heated area in winter. I guess I won't really know until i try it!

Mucking about with hammers and twine.

When I'm bored I like to look at pretty pictures of stuff on the internet. And by stuff I mean design blogs. It can be inspiring. Today it inspired me to take some photos of my own stuff. Because we all need to appreciate the things we have, right? What's in the little emergency coolie bag???

"Box of Birds Mate!" Get it? They are Penguin classics! Emergency reading matter.


Do you know how hard it is to disassemble an ABC crate? The wood wants to break before the nails want to come out.

That's why instead of building a little set of shelves for a spice rack, I ended up with this. It's kind of a letter rack, with a compartment in the top. Maybe for pens and paper?
And for the grand finale....

Can you guess what it is??? (it's really hard to photograph it in a hallway)





Tiki Bar! Well, sort of. It's to go on the front of the DJ booth at a "Tropical Island" themed birthday party. I was lucky my Dad had some dried bamboo in the garage that he has been trimming off the neighbour's bamboo plant to keep it from taking over the section. It's all tied together with hemp twine! No nails! Easy to disassemble and recycle! (unlike ABC crates).

Gypsy Wagon Dreams

Winter is creeping in. Time to snuggle down, read books, daydream, and surf the net a lot more. My daydreams of home building are evolving. From tiny house on a trailer, to gypsy wagon on a trailer.

I somehow imagine a Gypsy Vardo (wagon) might be easier for me to build, than one of Jay Shaffer's little homes. Plus there's the cute factor! So, I did some drawings.

This first one supposes going to 13 feet in height, (about 4 meters). In New Zealand, maximum road height (without a permit) seems to be 4.25 meters. After looking at at loads of photos of wagons, I realized that they couldn't possibly be that tall, because none of them have room above the door for a window! So I drew one up 2 foot shorter.

Looks more like the proportions of the ones I've been looking at. But the lower roof height means no room under the bed platform for a "sitting room". Why don't people build them higher? Are they more difficult to tow? Is it because of the extra weight? Comparison:

Either height, the layout could be the same:

I assume it would be best to mount a pot belly stove over the axle, because of the weight. I have zero experience of towing trailers. I've never owned a car with a towbar. And I think I would need quite a powerful vehicle to tow one of these! (and to build it on a pretty heavy duty trailer, looking at upwards of $5000 NZD for a new one!) Looks like there is a place in the South Island that makes wood burning stoves for mobile homes, which is great. But expensive. Another $2000. Obviously I should be focusing on saving money to buy the land to park it on first! But i'm desperate for a project, some kind of hope to keep me going, something to chip away at. Something to come home from work to, and keep my mind occupied! For now, I will have to be satisfied with drawings.

Lime Hollandaise

Hollandaise! Except.... I didn't have any lemons. So i used a wrinkly old lime. And I didn't have any cream, so I used a little milk instead. Still... pretty good. The right texture and everything. (I used the Edmond's recipe) Very rich though. Also enjoying "african autumn" tea. Cranberry, orange, red bush. Mmmm. I had to bring my little teapot out of retirement, as 1 teabag makes 2 cups!