Kia ora, in February Christchurch had a huge earthquake and I was riveted to the screen watching the people cope with such a crisis.

Then Japan had the double whammy of a divastating earthquake and tsunami.

What could I say? I have not been blogging.

My silence came from the thought that what I had to say about being plastic free paled against people surviving a disaster. Now that I think about it though, there are shocking things that happen most days around the world. So here it goes my first blog since February.

Not quite the song April In Paris but close. As I gaze out the window and look across the forest I can see Buddha seated calmly looking over our piece of paradise that we live in. I can see Buddha  because we live next to Karma Choeling Monastry. They have a two story high golden statue of  Buddha. We chose to live here partially because of our neighbours, meditators and peaceful loving people. Also to be in the forest “far from the madding crowd” and to have land for our donkeys but where is  the best place to live in such times of Peak oil and climate change?

I read the IMF report this morning warning of oil scarcity and the end of growth. We have been reading similar reports from other organizations for many years. These reports are what have led me to lead a more plastic free life and not use my car frivolously. Yet it is thanks to oil that we live 5 and 10 kms from the nearest townships. The report points to the need for countries to change. It suggests that we will be doing alot of adapting over the coming decades, a lot like Christchurch has had to after the huge earthquakes. Our friends Julie and Aaron who live in New Brighton, Chch tell us how their community has come together rallying around giving spare vegetables and strength to each other.

“When the going gets tough the tough get going.” A phrase coined during the depression. I think I am a product of parents who were brought up with the mentality of the depression years. On one hand I have been taught to grow my own veges and not waste food. But because they were also baby boomers they also value the ‘new’ stuff that you can get aplenty. The made in China products.

I feel like my life is a response to this. I am living a revival time of growing my own food and yet I love shopping but am learning to not shop! Plastic came out of the baby boomers era too. Sandra Steingraber’s book Living Downstream questions this era well. She and I both wonder how come scientists knowingly standby and watch whilst known carcinogens are being used and sold such as plastic?

Today I get to do a favourite activity. I am out of milk so its an early rise to the milking shed  at a local organic dairy farm to get our milk. I arrived in time to help the farmer round up the cows this morning. Billy our fox terrier was in heaven as he fancies himself as a cattle dog and the cows are so curious he was the centre of attention.

It still freaks me out the idea of warm milk, funny how the mind works. We have been making cheese and butter and suplying Lama Pasang next door with ‘real’ milk as he calls it. Storing milk in glass is great. I now freakout at the thought of buying any kind of liquid in plastic and the food being contaminated from BPA’s. Off to the beach now to collect seaweed for the garden.