Thursday, January 17, 2013

Eco-house - York

Fancy a break in our homely Victorian eco-house?  It supports our green campaigning and lots of charities.  The lamp is made from a plastic milk bottle by a friend.  www.fairfaxcorner.co.uk  .  The house is very cosy - it now has secondary glazing (wooden frames made by local chippy Brian), additional internal walls built by Mike from Driffield, and most furnishings come from charity shops.  Energy is saved through having lots of pots and cutlery so that the dishwasher can be completely filled before running, and  (despite the Tourism inspectors' modernist requirements) we refuse to have an electric drying facility - instead we have washing lines outside in the yard and an airer (or kreel) in the kitchen.  There's solar water heating (backed by gas) and electricity from Good Energy (100% renewable power).  There are recycling bins in the kitchen including a compost bin which can be emptied down the road in the community garden - which is a good place to meet the neighbours as they come to empty theirs!  York's a great place to visit and we do discounts for people who dont bring a car (the house is very central and a short walk from the rail station). 

Flooding on Beverley Westwood, East Yorkshire

More flooding in Beverley late December,  despite the  installation of the new  expensive water tanks 'downstream' of this shot.  Springs could be seen bubbling up just behind me - which I'd never seen there before.

...Mrs Scrooge

...a retrospective shot: small demonstration of reusing cards -squeezed in between the (very inadequate) rubbish bin and a lampost in Beverley's Christmas Fair.  I was challenged by the fair organisers and assured them I wasn't selling anything - in fact I was giving away fudge - and non-consumerist ideas!