Clean Energy at last!

Click the picture to go to Eamonn Ryan's website

I met a Eamonn Ryan the other day who is the owner of a company called complete alternative energy. I wanted to interview him for a radio show I was doing about energy in the house on a slightly bigger scale than just recycling, switching off lights etc. He was telling me about a device that is similar to solar but uses more energy from out side than just the sun. He even took me to a house nearby to meet a family who had just had the system installed. I was impressed by this alone as I knew then that there was nothing to hide and he was happy to show me the this system, happy for me to talk to the clients and there fore he had belief in what he was selling.

The panel on the roof is smaller than a
door

To break down what might otherwise be a very technical post that even I would get lost in, he fits a panel to the roof of the side of the building (any side but North) and this is where the similarity to the solar panel comes in. There is then a pump which needs to be fitted and this would replace in many cases the boiler under the stairs/in the hot press. This pump is large but then so is the boiler you would be replacing so, so far so good. The family I met who had just had this fitted, now has hot water all of the time without burning oil or gas or putting on the immersion plus their pressure had improved immensely. They live in the country and so are not on the mains. They are delighted with the improvement and will be saving a fortune in the long run.

Diagram of the pump and panel

Even better in my opinion is the fact that you could get 2 pumps. One to heat the water and one to replace the heating! No more gas or oil required and all because of a panel or 2 on the top of your house.  You do need room for this though and 2 pumps may not fit into many houses but if you are building your own or have the room then there could be no stopping you.
It does cost a few grand and the price depends on how many pumps you are getting I'm sure but in Ireland there are grants for this to help and if you do the sums correctly, you are definitely hanging on to your pennies for the long term.
Please check out Eamonn's website by clicking the top picture and you can even ring him for advice on getting the pump and panel fitted and there is no pressure on you to buy. If you like you can join a mailing list to get tips every month for nothing. Please take a look to see if you can make a change like this in your house and if you are living too far away then maybe Eamonn can find someone fitting this system in your area to make things easier. I am happy to recommend Eamonn from what I have seen myself and from the satisfaction of the clients of his that I met.

Finally...

 ...got out today and tidied the garden. I dont like overdoing it as I like to allow nature to enjoy the long grass and the wild flowers that grow from it but it was time for a clear up and so nice to be out in the sun and getting a little vitamin D. I have been following Gardeners World lately and in their July magazine they were on the hunt for butterflies. I must admit that they are very scarce in Ireland this year and even though I bought 2 shrubs especially to attract them into my garden I am afraid I haven't seen one butterfly. I did however find plenty of caterpillars munching away on my cabbages though last week so I am wondering, as with the flowers and other wildlife and the summer we've been having are they just a little late? If so then maybe I have something to look forward to but I hope my Buddleia (which is a butterfly favorite) will hold for them and not have died off. I do put it all down to climate change and wonder what the future holds?

Beautiful Buddleia but where are the butterflies?

Have you seen any butterflies this year? Are you trying to attract them into your garden? Let me know.

There's nothing more...

...satisfying than finally being able to sit down at the table and eat some of the produce that you have been growing all summer. My cabbages need a little more space now so I thought I would dig one up and try it out. It was delicious and then I picked the few strawberries I had (granted there weren't many but it is only the first year) and they were gorgeous. I can honestly say that I never knew how good strawberries really tasted until this year and I have been eating supermarket ones all my life. I feel quite proud that there are no chemical sprays on them or preservatives and while I am in no position to feed myself long term it is still very satisfying to see and taste the results. I have a few other things that I hope will fruit shortly but if they dont it wont deter me. Not now that I know what can be done with a little nurturing. I'm afraid my taste for supermarket food will soon be lacking and I will turn my nose up at what they offer me in a while Ha! I would encourage you to grow something if you have never tried it. Ok so it's getting late in the summer now but herbs on the window sill would be lovely and sooo good for you.

  Wouldn't you like a little satisfaction for dinner?

Nature carries on even when you stop.

What a gorgeous day today is as was yesterday.  We have just finished mowing the lawn and intend to have dinner soon outside. Heaven knows when the opportunity will come again. Anyway I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been cutting the grass and if you have been doing the same, where are you putting that cut grass? Hopefully you are putting it to good use by placing it in your compost heap. While you have finished working nature will carry on so that you can have a lovely compost in the future. If so, you are not paying for it to be carted away and giving compost mixture to another source for free. If you haven't got a compost bin or heap then take a look at starting one up if you have a garden. You can place peelings, grass, paper twigs and leaves into it and after a certain amount of time (depending on the type of heap you have and the amount of turning you do to it with a garden fork) then you will have lovely compost for your plants and flowers over the next year or two. If you do pay for the bin man to pick it up then chances are he is using for himself or maybe it could go towards making compost that could be sold on. I dont know for sure but I cant imagine someone isn't making good use of it. Are you paying for it (again) when you buy it from the garden centre next year? Think about it and see if you can save yourself a few pennies and when all that is done get outside and enjoy the sun and the garden with a nice cool drink. Cheers!

To get your composting mini guide click here from the Limerick County Council website.

Having the choice

 If we reduce the unnecessary wrapping then
there us no need to worry about where it goes after the shopping
 is done.

Nothing drives me more mad than having to buy produce with a plastic wrapper. Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule such as buying a pound of mince that simply cannot be thrown into a basket unwrapped for obvious reasons besides the fact that you would get some very odd looks, and also probably end up being quite ill. I went to my local supermarket today to get all the bits and pieces that are not so readily available in my own small town. I buy all my meat in the local butchers and visit the farmers market when I can but you know how a trip to the supermarket is unavoidable still. I try to buy as much fresh fruit and vegetables as I can so that I can stay away from the frozen food and ready made dinners. I'm not a fan unless I'm in dire straits! I made a vow to myself that wherever possible I will buy all of my fruit and vegetables loose so that I keep away from the plastic. It was impossible today. Absolutely impossible. The leeks were packaged and so were the mushrooms, lettuce, potatoes and everything else I needed. Oh, with the exception of 2 tomatoes and 2 onions which I found for myself. What is it with supermarkets? None of these items need plastic to grow and they come from the ground-yes soil or even MUD you could say. Its hardly to keep them clean. Most of the wrapping advises washing before use anyway. I was really mad today that I couldn't even make the choice of picking up loose veg over wrapped. Ok so there were brown bags in which to place loose mushrooms but they were gone, and all other types of which there were plenty were wrapped, and I could have had loose carrots from Spain instead of Ireland but my other half prefers new carrots and he eats so little veg anyway that I buy whatever he'll eat in order to give him the nutrients that keep him well. Anyone trying to look after a family would do the same. How long is it going to take before the supermarkets and the government (and the people in between) use their heads and make the change? It's so easy and without as much wrapping we have less to throw away and that includes food. I mean I might need 5 mushrooms for example but have 10 or more in a pack that usually go off in the end as I dont need so many.

Here is a challenge for you;

• Next time you go the the supermarket let me know if you were given the choice to pick loose fruit and veg over packaged. If you buy packaged take everything out that doesn't need a cover to stay fresh and see how much wrapping you have acquired at the end of the shopping run. Just put it on your table and look at how much you have. 

Could you change the way you shop? Will you ask the supermarkets to allow you to choose loose, fresh foods?

I really would like you to comment on this post and let me know your opinions. Dont mention brands of supermarkets but maybe by doing this other readers will follow suit in the battle against plastic and unnecessary waste. Its up to you to do your bit.

A touch of Magic...

I saw this little beauty quite a few months ago and lets face it alot of these items disappear just as fast as they come but this intrigued me. I picked it up to take a look at the ingredients but couldn't find any. I wondered was this because there is something in it that the manufacturers would rather I didn't see or was it that the ingredients were so simple that they are afraid I'll be able to concoct it myself. Either way I read that it is eco friendly and as this mighty "Doktor Power" product from JML that is supposed to clean a multitude of items it ended up in my basket. Here is how it got on.

Did I miss something?

Has summer passed me by? Was I asleep? No apparently not. Its June 11th and its cold. I am still in my winter gear and not impressed. I know I am not alone. I have spoken to many people this week who, having switched the heating off for the summer months have now switched it back on and I must admit I am there with them. I have even lit the fire once or twice in the past two weeks. So where am I going with this? Well you can be a little bit wise with the heating if you keep the following in mind....