From where are the food items sourced that have to be bought?
There are essentially three different main sources. With keeping in line of trying to have as healthy an environment as possible, we also endeavour to preferably and mainly buy fresh and organic produce where and when possible.
Accordingly there are two weekly orders, which are for fresh fruit and vegetables, and then general grocery items like bread, Quorn, cheese and yoghurt, milk, cereals, eggs, etc. The fruit and vegetables are always ordered every Saturday from a local person, who apparently gets them from Glasgow and delivers them to us on a Monday morning. I say apparently, because I have been questioning both the quality and freshness for a while already. It is also due to this that one of the other guys here, Ross, has started a vegetable patch. In the next two to three months we will hopefully also be erecting the frame for the poly-tunnel which was donated to us, provided we can find a sponsor for the actual polythene covering which we will need especially for winter usage.
The cheese and yoghurt are purchased from Arran Dairies on an as needed basis, and bread is usually bought twice a week to ensure it is adequately fresh. On occasion, as my blog testifies, I also bake bread, but usually only when there is no bread to be bought, or when I feel very energetic and adventurous.
A further shortcoming we have is that there are not adequate, nor proper, cold storage facilities. Accordingly this also greatly limits what and how much we can purchase at any given time, as well as for how long I can keep any leftovers, for example. All we have is an ‘under-counter’ type fridge, which has the tiny ‘limited freezing’ compartment which is not even 1-star rated.
To make sure we have adequate food available at all times, which becomes significant in winter when we are snowed in for a week or two at a time, we greatly rely on dry rations like various types of beans, lentils, chick peas, etc. These, as well as certain other items, like rice, yeast, herbs and (very limited) spices, raisons, etc. are ordered on a monthly basis from a company in Glasgow called Greencity. They specialise in organic, vegan, and vegetarian foods and products, and generally carry environment friendly products as well.
If (you) order a book from Amazon or similar, where is the item delivered?
All items I order, as well as which may be sent to anybody else here as a gift by family or so, or emergency medicines, are essentially delivered to the front ‘door’ (gate). The Royal Mail delivers at least once a day including Saturdays, and if required on occasion even twice a day. Larger items, or signature required items, are invariable delivered by courier, and that happens when there is an item to be delivered. On occasion even after dark.
I have to admit; on the whole the postal system here is absolutely amazing. It is generally fast, efficient, reliable, and honest; all the things one would expect from a postal service and does NOT find in South Africa. The only limitation we have is being on an island, which is ferry dependant, and adverse weather can interfere with such from time to time.
In addition, on-line buying is a big ‘industry’ in the UK. One buys, or can order, just about anything on-line, and have it delivered in a very short period of time. Not just books and CDs, but ANYTHING. I ordered my bicycle on-line on a Tuesday afternoon, and around lunchtime on Friday it was delivered. Mountain bike with all the basic extras one requires for a safe ride weather dependant, like helmet and gloves/mittens. Any order issues are usually attended to by the supplier or merchant very quickly, and worst case scenario you may have to pay for the return postage. If for whatever reason it is their fault, however, or occasionally for a good customer relationship, they will then even cover return postage as well. In that regard it is a buyer’s paradise.
How do you prevent the water supply pipes from freezing during winter?
The best is to have all the water pipes which are outside buried underground about twenty to thirty centimetres, but preferably more to be on the safe side. Where they have to come above ground for whatever reason you cover them with foam pipe lagging / insulation. This comes in various thicknesses, but as long as most pipes have some water flowing from time to time, then the insulation does not need to be too thick. If they are also exposed to fairly strong winds then the thicker insulation is better due to the effect of the wind-chill factor. And where they run in the roofs there is usually adequate or appropriate insulation for the prevailing weather conditions in any case.
We only had the water supply pipes to the caretaker ablution hut freezing up twice, and that was due to somebody not properly insulating two pipes after they had been digging in the garden nearby. Once I insulated them properly after they had thawed out we have not had a recurrence again.
Have you had problems with the storage dam wall cracking?
The dam wall you must be referring to is the one for the emergency supply for the fire department. As this is a standard type farm dam it is built ‘perfectly’ round. One advantage of this is that any pressure exerted by the water (under any condition) is done equally in all directions.
Furthermore, when the water does freeze up it is at most maybe the top twenty centimetres that freeze, not the whole dam. Hence there is plenty of ‘fluidity’ or ‘absorption’ to the bottom to accommodate the pressure as the ice starts to build up.
But even three to five centimetres is enough to be able to walk on the water. ;-)
!O-3|-W;-
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