Two months in and going strong

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I'm pleased to say we got the dryer fixed. It wasn't the door mechanism as I thought - it was the sneaky (flux) capacitor! I am pleased to say I now have a working dryer and I saved all sorts of resources by not buying a new one. The next step is to find a second-hand clothes horse so I can reduce the amount of energy wasted on using the dryer.

I had a lovely time at my niece Isla's ninth birthday party. Her gift was a hooded scarf that I knitted. I downloaded the pattern from the internet, used beautiful Icelandic wool Eliza had brought back for me and made do with the wrong sized needles. I finished the scarf off with buttons from an unused vest. I was very happy with the result as was Isla!

This week I headed off to the ACAud Congress in Adelaide. It was a great few days learning lots about new hearing device technology and all things in the land of ears. I had some spare time and had a wander down Rundle Mall. It was quite liberating knowing I wasn't going to be succumbed into buying anything unnecessary.

One third of the way through my 'six months to freedom' adventure and so far all challenges met! I've bought nothing new and I'm learning lots about myself and how I can continue to help the environment. Forward on to the half way mark ☺

Can I fix it?

Week 6
It turns out no I can't, but it was fun trying...

We moved in to an apartment over four months ago and our lifestyle has changed a fair bit. Apart from being occasional empty nesters we also find ourselves with time on our hands due to less cleaning and less gardening. It's quite liberating!

A dryer came with the unit (wall mounted) but we didn't check it before moving day so it was probably no surprise it didn't work the first time we tried it. No matter - we had a good working dryer from the old house. However it could not be wall mounted so it sits in the kitchen, taking up valuable space, and quiet time (it's a noisy bastard).

So I had a few options:

1. Put up with the noise
2. Buy a second hand dryer
3. Get someone to fix it
4. Fix it myself

I decided on option 4.

 

I found this great site on how to fix household appliances and I happily pulled apart the dryer following the step by step trouble-shooting instructions. Halfway through my investigation, hubby joined in (thank goodness) and we think we've found the cause - the door switch! However, we don't have the right equipment to fix it and I'm not about to rush out and buy it 😉. So I rang the repair man and left a message telling him what I thought was wrong with my dryer. Next week we shall find out if I was right!

While not being successful in the fix it department, I was happy to use some second-hand kitchen equipment to while away the rest of my weekend.

I love whipping up juices, thanks to this sturdy beast my sister-in-law gave to us second hand a few years ago. It's around 20 years old and still works a treat. The bottle holding my juice I picked up from Berry Waste Depot about a year ago. It has a great 'buy back' centre where you can pick up some unloved items to reuse or repurpose.

The green juice is a fav recipe from my PT Chris (Square One Fitness - you guys are legends!) and gives you a real boost of energy when needed. Throw in a green apple, celery, lemon, cucumber and if you like extra punch, a handful of kale or spinach leaves.


I'm enjoying it in a travel glass/mug that was included in our garage sale when we moved. No-one wanted it so I adopted it and found it a very useful item indeed, especially when taking my juice to work after an early morning training session.
 

Activities for winter sustainability!

Week 5 and life is easy when you're not contemplating getting to the shops to buy that new dryer or much needed cat toy. I'm getting better at making my waste paper bin liners (it's very therapeutic) and enjoying wearing my 'new' clothes from the swap party last week.

The highlight of the week was my green daughter Eliza returning from her seven month trip to Iceland. She is, as always, my inspiration to continue my journey in to a sustainable lifestyle. We had fun catching up and a relaxing afternoon with me teaching her how to make paper bags!

Eliza's first class at uni this week was in Environmental Quality and Assessment. He lecturer reinforced to the class that in Australia the No. 1 pollutant issue is plastic. Not arsenic or lead or persistent organic pollutants but PLASTIC. Scary when you think about it.


My lovely work colleague Monica, who generously listens to all my ranting on sustainability tagged me in a great idea this week. Making your own wax paper looks like fun! I've got a couple of sheets I've been using for a few years and love this idea. Making my own looks like a bit of a challenge to find the ingredients without buying anything new but I will see how I go.



I also started on my latest knitting project. I'm using wool from a vest I knitted last year but never used. This is something my mother would do when I was a kid. She would unpick jumpers we no longer wore or fitted in to and would knit up something new and fabulous. Thinking about my mum and knitting squares for a blanket is a wonderful way to while away the cold evenings.

I wonder what Week 6 will bring? Nothing new of course!