Sunday, May 13, 2012

April bites the dust......

The month of April has seemingly flown by with the speed of light and we are already nudging into May!!!!  I am having a hard time coming to terms with just how quickly the time is flying by.

On the farm April is very busy (hectic) filling orders, sorting and planting the annual garlic crop.  This year both our daughters and their families lent a hand and our good son came home to help and ensure everything ran like it should.  The quote of this years annual garlic planting came from our DSIL which was "You have to breed your workers" and was very fitting for situation at hand.  So we will be chalking that one up.  Gathering the mulch took a lot longer this year as the horses had grazed down the paddocks usually cut for this, which meant we needed to access other paddocks further from the garlic patch taking more time.

Whilst this was all going on, I was haggling with our energy supplier about our solar system.  It started with a letter informing us they will be looking at our situation, which could take a while and let us know if they will approve the 3kw system we had applied for.  Then I got a call from the company which is supplying and installing the system letting us know that the energy company has only approved a 1.1kw system (your kidding me right! might run the fridge and freeze.... whats the point of going to this expense if we still wind up with a bill each quarter?) This started a series of phone calls and I'll use the word "negotiating" ending in the complaints department.  

This turned out to be a very positive step, first of all the manager contacted me earlier than anticipated (just as I was heading out for a dreaded shopping trip) but a plus,  asked questions like, where is the transformer and meter box located and where do we intend installing the system? etc (not the rehearsed responses I got the day before) another good sign.  Upon returning home my DH greeted me at the car (geez whats going on here? I asked myself ) gave me a kiss on the cheek (now I know something is up!!) and said he received a call not a half hour after I'd left to say the energy company has approved our 3kw system. Well I'll be.......  Upon passing on the good news to our supplier, they informed me that energy companies don't reverse their decisions and this is "unheard of" in their world.


So now the system is installed and up and running and although it is not yet hooked up to the grid, it is making power and turning our meter backwards.  This experience, pardon the pun, has been empowering.  Next step, the hot water system ....

Whilst we have been caught up in life, I have missed my "one xmas item a month" for March and April, sorry Narelle.  However, I have purchased material needed for a project I have in mind for this and hope to be able to catch up.


 

3 comments:

chook said...

Happy Mothers Day my dear friend looks like you are busy at your place .We have had been busy and it seems like the time has sped up .stay well my friend hugs Beth

Narelle said...

No 'sorry' required ... I'm impressed with how you manage to get everything done!
Hope you get the day off today :)

DbrhH. said...

Yay for the Solar Panels, and garlic as well.