Out with the old

We have a simple rule in our house – we get the maximum we can from the equipment we have. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it should be thrown out. We keep it going until it has broken down and is beyond repair. We have slightly relaxed that rule today. Our back boiler, gas fire and immersion heater must be nearly 40 years old. The fire and boiler have been repeatedly condemned by gas fitters on the grounds they don’t conform to modern standards (though they still work). But, we have accumulated a huge amount of firewood – branches left over after the goats have eaten the leaves and twigs. I think 40 years means there has been a good use of the heating system so it is being taken out today.

A new combi boiler will be installed. Alas, that does mean we are not self-sufficient in fuel for heating. We did look at having a heating and hot water system entirely wood fuelled but we would have the problem in the summer of an over heated house. The combi boiler will in effect be a back up to the wood fired stove which will go into our front room (it will be installed next week). It will heat the entire house and the radiators will only need to be on for short periods.

The problem today is that this is the coldest day of the year and we are without heat!

Until 2009 I was working in London, UK, but I gave it up to pursue a life of self-sufficiency. My aim is to grow or forage for all my food, produce my own power and live a healthier and greener lifestyle. I left London to return to my home village of Sunniside, near Newcastle, in the North East of England. I have a couple of plots of land there as well as the garden of my house. Our village is a commuter area for Newcastle but we are surrounded by countryside which we use for picking wild foods. My mission in life is to show that it is possible to live well without destroying the planet in the process. I am also keen to ensure knowledge of historic recipes and cooking is kept alive. I regularly try out recipes from old cookbooks using the food we have grown. I make videos about our progress and about how to cook home-grown foods. These can be viewed on www.youtube.com/jonathanwallace.
www.self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogspot.com