When we dug our canals and ponds, we made sure that we would never run out of water, the depths vary from a half to two, up until maybe four meters.  And the edges are shaped in all kinds of curves. The banks flow from these curves in different heights to create even more edge as it is explained in permaculture — bringing forth an even bigger bio-diversity along the margin for plants, fish and everything else that comes as a natural surprise.

When sitting down beside the pond and taking time to just observe, one can see fingerlings nibbling on water hyacinth roots while a mother duck and her offspring of six— with fluff on their heads looking like little caps— paddle along filtering out all kinds of yummy food. Some water shrimp pass-by with big claws; ready for that unexpected prey, and the water snails crawl up along the Water Cana as a yellow flower greets the morning sun.

But the biggest highlight for me after having been caught in an afternoon rain whilst working on the land is standing under one of our open drainpipes and bathing under refreshing cold water that has fallen hundreds of meters from the sky after having made all its mystical travels  — caressing me as an energized and compact, pure and healing water that is after all the oldest living thing on Earth.

Having said that, I want to be on the material plane, as I work with my hands all day and rely on a big amount of tools, as I garden or often do carpentry and metal work to maintain and manifest new dreams.

One of the most powerful tools we have running here is the shredder/ chipper. It is a monster for which I have a great deal of respect.  If you turn your back on it and not pay attention, it can destroy a limb without a blink of the eye. When I teach others how to use this machine, it comes with a set of protocols – never unclog the exit when the engine is running, even if the v-belt drive is dislodged.

We shred a lot of the accumulated garden waste and the coconuts that come from the market which the vendors donate for free as they do not see the value of the shells. We usually do a multiple run at the local market – Penelope buys or barters vegetables and fruit  while I load up the back bed of our vehicle which is called “Bakkie”,  the South African name for pick-up truck.

But with all this brute power, comes the necessary but not always expected wear and tear, I do know that a stone does have a potential hard impact on blades and mountings.  Recently, I had to dismantle the drum to unclog some of the wet shredded coconuts, and to my surprise,  I noticed that three blades in the fixed drum were missing  and this might have also added to the clogging.

Upon inspecting the mountings a bit closer,  I was surprised and shocked at the thinness  of the material of the drum, it is almost as thin as a fuel drum, no wonder it gave way!  Since then, I have welded in new blades made from leave springs which I picked up at our local junk shop and mounted them onto the main frame onto which the drum is mounted; now I know that things will last!

We often take it for granted that people are out there producing good quality products, at least I do, because of my designer’s code of honour – which is to create things to make them last and not design them for obsolescence.   Manufacturers should serve the people with the best that they can produce because this is what the customers deserve. We all work hard for our goals!

Every six a clock in the morning, we feed the fish by first tapping on the water to call them but most of them are already there, expecting the food to be spread. It has now come to the point that when I beckon them, the Koi even  kiss my hand in search for a treat.  The Koi share our mud pond with Tilapia fish who dash for a bite which sometimes creates a grand display of flying acrobatics – with center stage taken by the Tilapia who are more edgy compared to the gentle Koi.

Some mornings the whole clan of water buddies are in a state of calm, they just peacefully flow amongst each other and then it seems as if even amongst all the differences, there is bliss.

Rice grain is easily bartered because it has a market value.   But what about the rice hulls  or hay which becomes a waste material that is burned on the field after harvest?   All the heat from burning rice hulls just dissipates into the air and remains under-utilized. It is good that Auke Idzenga of AID Foundation designed a very efficient rice hull stove and we have been happily cooking with it since we moved-in.

In order to encourage the culture of barter, we looked into what surplus resources we had that were needed by other people.   It so happened that we have a lot of waste bamboo and wood scraps used during construction, which are also ideal for cooking fuel for wood stoves.  Wood for fuel is very hard to come by in our area.   Thus, we have encouraged an exchange of rice hulls and hay for waste bamboo and scrap wood.

This arrangement works beautifully for us.  The litter on the bamboo pile is growing smaller everyday, people who need their cooking fuel get a supply without having to buy, and we get a constant supply of rice hulls to cook with and rice hay to compost, plus we set a good example of using the waste hulls rather than burning them on the field.

Bartering makes everybody happy without exchanging money!  Yipee!

]]> http://tuwa.ph/fair-energy-exchange-in-rural-cabiao/feed/ 0 http://tuwa.ph/super-kariton-super-cart/ http://tuwa.ph/super-kariton-super-cart/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:45:25 +0000 admin http://tuwa.ph/?p=263 You name it, the super kariton hauled it… bamboo poles, rocks, sand, gravel, carabao manure, rice straw, guests’ luggage, a sofa, our piano and even a downdraft wood gasifier!

Since the beginning of our dream project, John and I decided to make a clear statement about supporting sustainable rural transport and setting a good example of cutting down on carbon.  We then enforced a policy of not allowing motorized vehicles beyond a certain point.  This point was 160 meters from the main gate!  John, being a gifted industrial designer, created a very ingenious cart made from a sturdy metal frame, bamboo sidings, and a back swivel wheel.

Little did I know that this simple but very practical kariton would become our best friend especially during our project construction stage when we hauled all materials by hand, and it proved tremendously helpful when we moved house and finally settled-in last August 2010.

The kariton is as useful today as it was 2 years ago.  After several flat tires, it still keeps on going. And it never fails to put a smile on my face because here at Tuwa The Laughing Fish, green mobility has indeed become a reality.