I was just reading Heather’s blog about how much she hates Red magazine because it’s full of adverts and guff, and I said I like the magazine The Green Parent. It’s tough to try and live sustainably when you are living in military quarters. We moved in 6 weeks ago, and I think we are finally beginning to feel the house settle around our shoulders.
I don’t mind moving around. I like new places, but at the moment I have this overwhelming urge to grow things, and have chickens. This is such a tricky objective in the mobile, military lifestyle. I currently have a wormery full of rotting veggies and dead worms – it didn’t handle the move so well. It’s against the licence to have a compost heap and you can be charged by DE if you don’t remove it when you move. Having never had a compost heap, I can say with any certainty how vigilantly they apply this rule.
Note use of the word ‘licence’ – yes, we are not tenants, they have too many rights. In fact, I am not anything, I am wife of licence, and only have the rights to be here as long as I am betrothed to Hagar. If anything should go wrong – marriage failure, or death in service, then you are issued your 90 day marching orders. But that’s another story for another day.
Today, I am looking at my makeshift veggie patch, and looking at the price of worms for my wormery. I am re-cycling my cardboards, and hopefully, in time will have sorted out some more proficient eco-strategies for sustainable living. I think the lack of roots makes it twice the effort to live a more organic way of life, we are still just settling in.
I am full of contradictions though, and I know that I am a hypocrite. We drive a 4×4, and Hagar flies a Chinook helicopter – he’s got his own personal hole in the ozone layer, tattoeed with his name on it. I want to be more connected to nature, but somehow just can’t seem to get my shit in one pile. I am not going to give up though, and I am staying away from those naughty glossys making me covet material possession, and instead reading The Green Parent to make me more earthly and sage.
What about you – is living sustainably a priority for you? Or am I struggling alone here?
It is a struggle I know. We do our bit but it is very miniscule in the scheme of things. However, if every human did that much it would probably have some effect so keep going!
Thank you – I will. I really feel your support every blog and I am so touched by it. It keeps me motivated. Thank you so much.
We try! Although we’ve bought a car today after 4 years without one and i am more than a little excited! Tonight i’m trying to make an evening meal with my 14 homegrown peas – risotto, in case you were wondering. I try to grow veg, but i reap meagre results. We use cloth nappies and wipes though, and i think i deserve a gold star for that! PS – really admire you military wives. My sister-in-law is one of you.
Yes – a big fat gold star!! Thanks for the admiration – perhaps your sister-in-law might like to drop on by. It would be good to meet more of us Millies Wiflettes.