downshiftme.com Podcast Feed - www.downshiftme.com

Just a quick update to let you know we are still doing ok and to answer some questions which Louise asked us by email.

How long has it been since you relocated?
Has it met your expectations?
What would you do differently if you were just now starting to plan your move?
What was the biggest disappointment?
What has been the best reward?
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Recorded outside so apologies for the noises when the wind got up.

Chicken update
duck – lame duck
chicks appearing – natural rearing with their mothers/surrogates

LotteLotte
Produce update - 3rd summer

* tomatoes
* garlic
* onions
* potatoes
* carrots
* peppers
* beans
* peas
* zucchini (courgette)
* berries
* grape vines
* water tank

Some of the harvest
AJ visit to England

Work on house
Mortgage (short), good interest rates, buffer against future disasters
Envirofoam – basement insulation
Ecowater – water softener
New windows (energystar rated)

Non-house things things (which will not add value to it) too
New sofas and other furniture
2 new netbooks after various laptop disasters

Future works
New roof, skylights, verandah restoration, kitchen door, carpet, flooring, bathrooms, closets, insulation and dry walling. Work on wiring happening in next few weeks. But probably not solar panels for now.

Bad things AJ – his father's death
Matt – the economy

Good things
AJ – Lotte and turning 40
Matt – Skype, white woodwork, clean water, lots of produce, rainwater harvesting.

This week's podcast studio (photo from Feb)

Chicken update
6 boys rehomed. Egg production is up. Celebrating by recording in the greenhouse – the chickens' winter home.

Harry
Sad news is that Harry died. Luckily Chloe recovered after a night in the vets and anti-biotics. We got another cat with undue haste as we were worried about Chloe. Caden has now joined the family. Harry had an amazing character the short time we had him – he was a beautiful loving, affectionate naughty cat. We miss him a lot.


Harry


Caden


AJ's garden masterclass
Weekly tea, cake and gardening

Starting to plan the season
Some seedlings being planted, getting ready for the snow to melt to start work. Also want to tidy some of our woods.

Produce
Quince jelly, mango chutney, curries, naan, yoghurt – making so much from scratch. Some days I have had a 100% homemade lunch – soup, with homemade bread, followed by homemade yogurt with homemade jam in it. Almost as nice as last summer when our meals were often 100% garden produce.

Bad things
Matt – tax returns
AJ – preparing receipts for taxes

Good things
Matt – sunshine
AJ – Spring

http://www.downshift.me.uk/podcasts/downshiftmecom68.mp3

Visit from Carolyn
Was great to see her
Check out www.frugalandgreenish.com – her well written blog about all things greenish and frugalish.

Chicks
Hatched, grown, flourished – almost as big as their parents now. 5 boys to try to pass on.

Recession
Downshifting is very “in” now – TV programmes have gone from Property Ladder to The Home Show - all talking about making do. Living within your means rather than on credit.
Growing food, knitting, making gifts.

Jeep sold truck bought
Our own little bailout of the auto industry

Energuide survey
Got results – not much hope of any grant money – scored 57 points

Plans for 2009
Work on the house
Build AJ's business
Grow even more vegetables
Optimistic about it

New TV
Flat screen – we have been really consumerist – works with our UK DVD player – great picture and right size – it is our main form of entertainment. Works with our resurrected laptop.

Matt been to PEI
Matt – NS, NB, PE, ON
AJ – NS, NB, AL, ON

Bad things
Matt – TV
AJ – power outages

Good things
Matt – life
AJ – 6 months free Sirius satellite radio

Podcast 66 – get your kicks

Immigration
we landed
permanent residence
long journey – enjoyed the ferry
problems with Canadian immigration
wait times
CIC
study to immigrate
good way to “try before you buy”
bureaucratic system
CIC need to work with people not against them

Broadband, highspeed, ADSL

Spencer - the purr is silenced

Introducing Chloe and Harry – 3 months later



Chickens

Garden update
Greenhouse – up and inflated
Lots more produce
More time
More experience
Produce – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, rhubarb, potatoes (including lovely blue ones), beans, peas, courgettes/zucchini, carrots, corn, leeks, asparagus



Business update
Park - community involvement

Bad things
Matt – our friends moving to Ottawa
AJ - negative election campaigning

Good things
AJ - potential of us having chicks
Matt – PR and ADSL

Not podcasted since December… quite a winter..

January – snow
February – more snow
March – less snow

Horticultural happenings
- awards
- Skills Canada gold medal
- commissions
- business
- job

Our garden
- greenhouse
- soft fruit
- grapes

Home brewing
- beer
- wine

Immigration update
- medicals
- bureaucracy
- new 5 year graduate work permit

My job
- at the University
- website work

Animal updates
- Spencer
- Dylan
- chickens

Visitors from England next weekend

Bad Things
AJ – ticks
Matt – bugs

Good things
AJ – Twinnings Herbal Teas (wellbeing range)
Matt – living in the country

2nd anniversary of our first podcast (not going to play it again)

63 podcasts later but bit out of practice.

Nice to hear people have come to us after we stopped weekly podcasting and they have listened all the way through - out of real time.

Winter
- Quite a winter - 5 storms (including last night) - last winter 5 in total
- 10cm last night
- snow most of December

Horticultural happenings
- passed semester with honours
- one more to go
- lots of houseplants propagated

Knitting
quest for the gnome
tree decoration
knitted our hats

Creeping Canadianisms
highway
gas

Immigration to Nova Scotia - we have PNP

People not always doing what they set out to do coming here
True of many downshifters
Adapt plans if things don't turn out exactly how they are planned

Bad Things
AJ – TV
Matt – snow

Good things
Matt – snow
AJ – snow