Things to think about at Port Burwell's Sustainable Centre

There is no smoking on the property and candles are not permitted.

I rise with the sunshine in the summer about 5:30 -6 am.... in the winter an hour or so later.The reason for this is that my cat has me trained to wake up at sunrise. Just before I wake Muggs touches my face with his paw,, very gently until I open an eye, He the rubs noses with me. ITS TIME TO BE FED!! Dusky the other cat likes to get me up about 4 am... but I ignore him and he usually settles down for the the official wakeup by Muggs.

Hopefully the night before I have checked the weather and have some idea of what to expect for the day. If it is going to be sunny then I will will have the solar cells working and a good prospect for ample electricity. The present battery rests at about 24.8 volts.. and anything above that is a bonus. If the wind is also blowing about 20 km/hr then I can consider doing other chores such as a batch of biodiesel.The composting toilet may need emptying... and while one is at it empty the kitchen vegetable compost too. The co post pile or compost box may need turning too.

If the day before was very sunny and there was excess electricity then the water temperature should be well above 43 degrees celcius which is the minimum temperature for taking a good shower when it is cold.... in the mid summer 38 degrees is plenty.

If one has had a shower the night before and there is plenty of electricity then one can wash clothes.

Early in the morning is a good time to go for a walks to consider the chores for the coming day. Upon returning one should write them down and then water the garden and do some weeding. Picking strawberries, raspberries or gooseberries is a good thing to do considering breakfast. Breakfast is usually grain oriented.. either pancakes or hot cereal which is immediately hand ground. The milk is made from almonds, water and maple syrup in the blender. The cereal is cooked over the vintage 1930's gas stove which will be feed from biogas in the fall.

Tuesdays I usually go to the market in Aylmer and get other things necessary... This can be done by bicycle.. about 50 kilometers round trip. One needs to be in good shape before attempting this.

Sometime in the morning I have to open the valve for the solar hot water heater so the hot water produced by the solar water heater goes to the hot water tank.

I usually write and plan the day in the morning. Jeff comes in to work on the generators about 9 am and Darlene who works the office is in about 9 am also. I tend to float about or helping out with any hard work.

For lunch I pick a large batch of lettuce from the garden, throw in some nuts and raisins. This is a good time to slip down to the beach and take a cool swim.

The afternoon is usually spent on a project, the windmill, the heating system, the water system etc.

Most people quit about 4 pm but I will continue in the garden or on a special project. I muist remember to shut off the Solar water heater line to the tank once the hot water is no longer produced since leaving the valve open will reverse the process and it will cool the hot water tank.

On Wednesday about 7 pm we meet at my place or some else's to play the piano and sing. I play pop songs from the 20's to 60's... its a lot of fun.

Supper time is quite variable and usually starts about 7 and I eat may be about 9 pm. I am not a great cook and usually do soups for the week in the winter. Steamed vegetables are my staple. Sometimes I make bread from our hand ground grains which I freeze for future use.

I usually retire to the office after supper and continue writing and conversing by email. About 9:30 I watch a little television.. but I am the worst television watcher... I change channels with each commercial. This is also a great time to go for a swim at the beach.

I dress in recycled clothing.. most of it is grease stained and the work here can be dirty. Boots for the morning can be a good idea as the grass is wet.

Bedtime is about 11 but it could be 10 or 12 pm.