Wednesday, May 24 2011 How we fell in with people collecting their rainwater

A dash to Port Hawkesbury to pick up supplies for the Master Builder: hydraulic oil which his hissing monster of an excavator can spit out, diesel fuel which makes a few of these tools chug along, food supplies for the humans in this settlement and we are still buying things like salt shakers and we discover a well-supplied beer-maker’s store where I note that the technology has improved a little since the last time I had an army of yeast working for me. Meanwhile, back at the building site our first supplies have arrived and I can see how we’d get up floors and walls with this stuff. But the highlight of the day is a visit to Paul and Anne Murphy along the lake in a place called Roberta to see their water cistern, a giant concrete tank in a shed at the end of their house which collects rainwater off the roof, strained through panty-hose, not Anne's apparently. We also know Paul: Deborah went to university with him and I remember him from my time at St FX... They give us the names and numbers of a few friends who also collect rainwater. Quite a little community along the shore... This technology to be explored.We shall drink rainwater!