Transition Southampton

Thanks to prompting from some friends, I'm finally getting around to starting a mini-sewing circle. Except for the first one there may only be three of us, so it will be more of a triangle. And some of us may be knitting or practicing embroidery or just mending. But you get the idea.

Eventually I'll learn dressmaking properly. I'll look at the books I own, open up the patterns I bought from Fabricland in a fit of optimism, ask for advice, and maybe go along to June and Ria's sessions at Recycle and Sew. But mending sounds like a good start. I've done a bit of darning thanks to YouTube videos and the Make Do and Mend book that I bought (a reproduction of old leaflets)

I'm hoping eventually to have other offshoots of this mending circle idea. A bike maintenance group, perhaps, that brings food along (or at least drinks) and has a go at fixing bikes themselves. Or a group version of Simon's current project to upcycle old pallets--how great to have a group share tips while making furniture like this (instructions here) or attempting this?

 

And then I found this gem. How amazing is that? I would LOVE to have a go with something like this. Try to get our one-side-only toaster able to make two-sided toast again without us flipping it over! Finally get those two dining room chairs repaired so they aren't littering the room any more in pieces. Even have a go at the CD drive for the computer that wouldn't open and now won't close.  If it's already broken, you might as well try fixing it, right?

If you use areosols they can now be recycled using the regular recycle bins (the ones with the blue lid!). Here are some notes from Southampton City Council's Website:

Estimates show that we each use an average of ten aerosols per year, such as deodorants, hair sprays, air fresheners and furniture polish. All of these cans can now be recycled. Aerosols put out for recycling must be empty with any loose plastic lids removed. Cans must not be pierced or squashed.

Aerosol can that can't be accepted: Aerosols containing insecticides, oven cleaners, paint and automotive sprays (often marked with a skull and cross bones or a black cross on an orange background) must not be placed in the blue lidded recycling bin. Please continue to place these in your green lidded bin.

Here's the information on Southampton City Council's Website.

Really enjoyed watching The Edible Garden on the BBC iPlayer tonight. The presenter (Alys Fowler) is trying to grow as much as she can in her urban garden at the same time as keeping the garden as pretty as possible. The first episode covered Peas and Beans and I picked up a lot of good tips! There's a nod to permaculture (designing and working with nature rather than fighting it) throughout. All in all, a well spent half an hour for anyone growing food in a city, be they beginner or expert. It's part of a series too, next time it's salad crops.

Here's an interesting video on The Guardian web site about Riverford's operations and the practicality of providing a varied veg box all year round.

Watch the video here.

A report by the Environment Agency identifies thousands of potential small-scale hydropower sites in English and Welsh rivers that could power 850,000 homes.

Read the full story here.

Download the full report here.

What with all the recent news around the BBC's radio and Web site cuts, it's nice to see a new site focused on growing food! They've got some nice articles and a newsletter you can sign up to. Go here to take a look yourself: www.bbc.co.uk/digin

Plans for "green loans" to help householders make their homes more energy efficient by installing technology such as solar panels and insulation were announced by the Government today.

Read the full story here.

UK targets for cutting carbon emissions by 2050 will not be met without radical changes to the engineering of buildings, a report says. The Royal Academy of Engineering has published a report that lays out a groundwork for reducing the environmental impact of new buildings as well as refurbishment of old ones. Read the full story here.