On a Car-Free Tuesday…

dream of a car free world.

Or, you could read this blog.

It’s No Wonder I’m Having Nightmares…

My husband tells me I need to stop going to the library.

This week I’ve brought home Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World by Richard Heinberg. It follows on from the Party’s Over and while I couldn’t call it optimistic, it does “explore alternatives” to “war, economic collapse, and environmental catasrophe”.

I really need to start bringing home some truly light reading. I tried a couple of weeks ago. I read the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery but all the way through I kept dwelling on the little domestic details of a world before cheap oil.

And The Garden?

Oh, well I’ve read Mel Batholomew’s New Square Foot Gardening. Does that count?

I also read a great one called Lawns into Lunch: Growing Food in the City by Jill Finnane. This book tells the stories of a number of urban gardens, some of which are rented gardens, all gardened using permaculture principles. A great introduction to permaculture!

I’m actually feeling very inspired again after a long, low patch. Maybe I’ll get some stuff planted before the season changes again…

Bread

I know I haven’t posted much this month. I’ve been busy reading stuff offline! Mostly cheerful and uplifiting works in the same subject area as in previous posts.

What to worry about more: climate change or peak oil?

I’m worried about both of course! Although peak oil is at the top of my list just at this moment. Read this.

So what has this to do with bread? Well, baking bread is new skill that I’ve learned and am fairly good at now. And new skills are helping me feel like I’m doing something concrete to prepare.

The next step is learn how to make sourdough and then I’ll have one less thing to buy at the supermarket!

Car-Free Tuesday Update

I have another Car-Free Tuesday under my belt and I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. Not only did I not use the car yesterday, but I didn’t strangle my elder son as he contrived to make every step an argument.

We did lots yesterday: library, cafe, Capital E playground, Te Papa’s base isolators, Waitangi Park, Te Papa proper, cafe, walk along waterfront and home on the train. I think we actually did too much, but we made it home without too much shouting and we seem to be ok today.

I’m also feeling pretty pleased that the Car-Free Tuesday rule is working the way I hoped. The more we walk, the more we can walk. In fact, last week was largely a car-free week! After Tuesday, Wednesday was an at-home day (also known in my family as a pyjama day), Thursday we walked to the supermarket and Friday we walked to and from Playcentre. Of course, then on Friday night we drove to get takeaways for dinner…

And the garden? Don’t ask.

No, really. Don’t.