What can a cat teach us about heating and cooling our homes?

Romeo in the Sun

This looks like a nice warm spot for Romeo.

Imagine it is a cool winters day. The sun is shining, but, our cat, Romeo is rather cold. Where does he go? He finds a nice spot in the sun. This is the simplest aspect of heating your house with the sun. You might say it is rather obvious but houses really aren’t designed to make the most use of this simple idea.Romeo is Cold

 

One of the latest books we have read in our quest for knowledge has been “The Solar House” by Daniel Chiras, about ‘passive solar’ heating and cooling. If you don’t know what a ‘passive solar‘ house is don’t worry because you aren’t alone. It is a term that is relatively new to us but if you are looking to design or build a house, some day, it is something worth knowing about. Continue reading

Dancing under a Singaporean sky

Ballet Under the StarsDancers are used to performing in theatres, not temporary tents with portaloos, changing weather, and wildlife! Performing outdoors can be an adventure, but there is something extra special about it too. How awesome to watch a butterfly weave in and out of the wings, and feel the excitement as daylight fades and show time approaches? It almost makes up for the mud and the bathroom situation (!).
These are the challenges of dancing outdoors in tropical Singapore…

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Two New Roots – Lotus Root and Burdock Root

Lotus Root and Burdock Stir-fryIt has been really exciting for us to live in Singapore. When we go to the supermarket there are so many different fruits and vegetables for us to try. Some we know in the US and Australia in their preserved forms (water chestnuts and bamboo shoots) and others are completely foreign to us.

It’s always an adventure to try these new things and the latest ingredients to grace our plates are lotus root and burdock root. Continue reading