by Steve Byrne | Dec 23, 2015 | volunteering
Midwinter is upon us, the weather continues to play tricks – outside a sycamore tree is starting to bud, and the temperature remains in double digits while the fifth storm of the winter has begun to rage. All very strange.
by Steve Byrne | Dec 4, 2015 | renewable energy
Storm Desmond is upon us, and the wind is fairly howling around the house, but for the first time, it is howling outside and not inside. I am delighted to announce that the floor repair worked a treat, and the filled-in floor in the classroom is warm and draught free.
by Steve Byrne | Nov 29, 2015 | courses
We’ve had many enquiries about purchasing green woodworking courses as Christmas gifts, and so here is your opportunity to do just that. We don’t have dates yet, but there are likely to be six – three ‘Introduction to Green Woodworking’...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 29, 2015 | renewable energy
Weeks like the one we’ve just had are an off-gridder’s nightmare. After some lovely cold autumnal days, it is now seven days since we saw anything approaching sunshine, and output from our solar PV is negligible, to put it kindly. It is weather like this...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 28, 2015 | buildings
Usually I post about the things that have gone right, but we are on a learning curve, and things often don’t work out first time around. The floor in the new build is one such case. After much deliberating, and mainly due to budget constraints, I put in a...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 8, 2015 | renewable energy
The windy weather we normally get in October didn’t put in an appearance, but finally it is here, and today’s weather perfectly illustrates the need for a mixture of generation to keep the lights on all winter. At 10m on an overcast day the PV is producing...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 4, 2015 | food
When we started growing food here, we weren’t sure what would thrive, and so I continue to be amazed and grateful when I walk down into the gardens and find an abundance of food growing, now, in November. Strawberries – not only the traditional ones but...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 4, 2015 | off grid
In our world turned upside down by changing climate, we began the year with a cold, wet ‘summer’, and have ended it with a warm sunny autumn. Strolling around in a t-shirt in November is definitely not normal here in Northern Ireland, but we (and our...
by Steve Byrne | Oct 17, 2015 | climate
Today we were inspired to meet Morgan and Garrett, who are undertaking an epic journey from New England to Paris, via Canada, Iceland, Scandanavia, and the UK by bicycle. Their destination? The COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. Along the way they...
by Steve Byrne | Oct 7, 2015 | renewable energy
For those who can’t already claim some form of payment for generating their own energy, or who will face vastly reduced incentives from 2016, there would seem to be few reasons to invest in renewable energy such as solar PV. Recent coverage of the Tesla home...
by Steve Byrne | Oct 6, 2015 | off grid
Well, here we are again. I’d love to regail you with tales of how our veg are coming on (fine, by the way), but I’ve spent the last couple of weeks being fascinated and horrified by our political masters. This isn’t supposed to be a political blog,...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 24, 2015 | off grid
As we come to Mabon – the Autumn equinox, our busy season draws to a close, and the place has quietened down as our band of volunteers head off, and we host the last events before we take a break. Last weekend’s course – ‘Finding You – A...
