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Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?
I don’t use the oven or gas fire.
I’ve got an airfryer which is good for small amounts of food. I use the hob for vegetables and small meals like soup. And for really quick meals I use the microwave instead of the hob.
I think doing this has saved me a few pounds. And it’s not warming the climate as much so my carbon footprint must be smaller as I don’t use the car much.
There was a clear sky this morning and a red hue hung on the Eastern horizon. The day has stayed cold, and consequently the house has been cold. I only put the heating on for a few hours then turned it off. I have now put it back on for the evening, it’s too cold!
My house only has a building on one side, so the other catches sunshine in the daytime and leeches it out at night, so depending where you are in the living room you can get warm, but it’s also draughty due to ill fitting doors and old double glazed windows. Currently I have a plug in oil heater opposite me to surround me with a bit of warmth. I used to put the gas stove on in the kitchen but since that stopped working I don’t really have much more ways to stay warm so I’ll put a dressing gown on soon.
A friend sent me this conversion chart yesterday after I told her my oven had stopped working. I’m used to gas cookers and had no idea how the air fryer and oven compare.
It looks like air fryers use less power so perhaps this will save me money, I’m using my microwave more because I’m struggling with my Parkinsons disease, but I like things like jacket potato’s crispy brown on the outside. I also put it on in the winter to warm up the kitchen.
But I’ve bit the bullet and bought an air fryer. Wish me luck!
Crumpets toasted with butter.
Delightful taste
Hot and scrumtious
When I was young
We toasted them
On the gas fire bars!
Used a fork to hold them
That was before we got
A toaster
Tasty
In the check office at Etruria Industrial museum. There was an interesting video being shown.
We went and watched a half hour video compilation by ( I think) Ray Johnson. The film was showing areas in and around Etruria and Shelton. These included the old Potteries loop line that ran through Etruria, Shelton, Hanley, and Cobridge. The line up to Shelton bar, which was the steel works was so steep it had to have special four cylinder 0-6-0 steam engines to take ore and coal up the steep slope from Kidsgrove up to the Steel works. A lot of the film showed the working conditions there with temperature s in the blast furnace area between 1500 and 2000 °C!
The film also showed how much work was done by steam engines. Apparently there was 50 miles of track in the steel works. Not only did they make steel, but they supplied the gas works next door with coal gas that was converted into ‘town gas’, that used to be stored in the old gasometers next door. The film also showed coal being dug from the ground. It also the coal being used to power the flint mill. It showed the crushing of bone and flint at the Flint mill that was produced by the Princess beam engine at Etruria. A very informative video.
As the Conservative party in the UK try and decide on a new prime minister there is talk of power cuts in the winter so that there will be enough energy to go around. The talk is about it being cut for three or four hours each afternoon. This is madness! If we need to save energy there should be advice on what to reduce, either by reducing the flow rate on combi boilers, or discussing the merits of part cooking food in a microwave or a slow cooker, or even advising on the energy efficiency of heaters. Of course some of this is moot because if you can’t afford to put your heating on in the first place you can’t make that choice. So, we wait and see who is the next leader, but what about the population who have not been offered the choice?
Here’s a bit of blank verse,
We are lucky not to be too cold.
It’s nineteen point two
A slight chill in here
Two small lights on
Saving energy?
So I have a dressing gown
Or a cardigan
To wear.
I will buy a hot water bottle.
No gas fire this autumn or winter
Central Heating?
When it’s too cold.
An electric heater otherwise.
Gas costs more than electricity here
I can’t afford double what we paid
Last year.
Well at least I’m not heating up
The environment, too much.
Later today the United Kingdom is going to be told the new price cap for Gas and Electricity which will affect the cost of bills. The price is set to skyrocket to about £2300 a year in October but then £4200? Per year in January! Bills are going to be unaffordable for the poorest in society and the question of whether to heat or eat becomes very bad if all you can afford to buy is cheap tinned food but you can’t heat it up.
The UK is supposed to be the sixth richest nation in the world but we seem more interested in giving the fuel companies shareholders masses of money instead of supporting our citizens. Our government is currently deciding who will replace Boris Johnson by letting 160,000 members of the British Conservative party choose the next prime minister instead of doing something about the cost of living crisis. Note to Liz Truss who is likely to win. If you cut taxes that’s fine for the rich, but a lot of people don’t pay them because their incomes are already too low. A 1% cut of nothing is nothing.
It’s a cool night here. – 1.7°C outside and 17.2°C inside. It doesn’t help when the cats come through the door between the kitchen and the back door, they invariably leave it slightly ajar but I can’t shut it or they would be stuck behind it or in the bathroom. We have a bathroom radiator but it only just keeps the chill out and although I ‘fixed ‘ the cat flap the big cat can sometimes detach it because of his fat belly!
I’ve had the central heating on full time for the last couple of days, together with an oil filled radiator. But when it gets milder I will put it back to timed and use it less. This is because I’m worried about how much the cost of gas has gone up and also because of our carbon footprint. I actually do care. I would rather sit in a coat and dressing gown but my hubby feels the cold more. He has the oil radiator next to him. Life…. Always something…
Wet and cold today. The sort of day to wear layers to keep warm. Gas prices are at an all time high and the cost to consumers is ser to rise.
Last night I slept on the settee again because of my leg, and despite trying to keep warm with a housecoat and a dressing gown on, I ended up putting a pair of trousers on! I also used a bath sheet to go over the top of me. I miss my warm duvet. I’m not putting the heating on until we get temperatures below 0°. Celsius.
Mallaband-Brown