The slow sand filter that we use to treat both the untreated greywater and the aerobic treatment system (ATS) treated black water has been working quite well. Now that it has been running in its final configuration for a few weeks, we are planning on sending the output water to be professionally tested pretty soon…
Photos: more food plants and lilies
Walking around the land today, I noticed a number of lily pads in the pond that seem to be flourishing: But it was the new food plants that Praew pointed out to me that really got my attention. Praew pointed out a little “makok” tree (ambarella?). I hadn’t noticed it before although she planted it…
Irrigation using collected rainwater
We previously built a first flush diverter to improve the quality of the rainwater we collect off of the roofs, and it has been working quite well. The first rains fill up the diverter with water that contains dust and animal droppings from the roof, and then after that, the water comes down a chain to full…
Smart investment, simple investment, successful investment
I just wanted to share this New York Times article which I recently stumbled across. It was interesting in that it did a good job of summarizing my overall approach to investments over the past 20 years. The point of the article is that trying to beat the market mostly results in drastically worse performance in the end….
A tool shed and a floating house
We probably should have done this a long time ago, but we finally started building a decent sized toolshed for the workers to keep everything from wheelbarrows and ladders to drill presses and spools of electrical wire. Previously, they just kept this stuff in the houses as they built the houses, but it is time…
New project: Indoor gardening
I’ve been thinking about growing food plants indoors for about a month now. I’m not sure whether it is worth the effort, but I’m experimenting with it to see. I’m less interested in hydroponics as I’ve read that it can cause an unusually high level of certain chemicals in your food. And what’s wrong with…
Passion fruit and sesbania flower and sorghum
We are starting to eat more and more different kinds of food from our land these days. We aren’t exactly gardening yet. Instead, we are planting various kinds of plants that seem to be quite happy growing with little or no work on our part. (Apparently the tropical climate and soil around here isn’t exactly…
Restaurant review: Three Bears Patisserie and Cafe
Today, on the way back from some business in town, Praew and I stopped off at a cute little cafe for coffee and dessert. If you are familiar with this area, you will be aware of how unlikely a location this is for a shop like this. The place is named “Three Bears Patisserie and…
Living in a bubble
Ever since I can remember, Praew has talked about building a treehouse. If you check out YouTube, you can find that they come in all shapes, sizes and designs. Today I stumbled across the YouTube video above which is a tour of a resort in Quebec that uses plastic bubbles on platforms as treehouses, complete…
Sand filters, PVC pipes, siphons and weirs
We have been using a slow sand filter to treat our gray water for some months now and it has been working quite well. There was a problem due to normal intermittent use that the water level would drop due to evaporation and expose the sand, which basically kills off the biofiltration layer, but we…
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