How Do You Handle a Septic System?

Many of you have seen photos of the lovely home we are renting. After moving in, we discovered some quaint, old-fashioned issues. The first discovery was our gravity-fed hot water system. For those of us accustomed to a warm, therapeutic shower, it was a shock to discover that the tiny trickle of hot water coming from the shower head was "it." Turn on the cold water to get bit of flow going and -- bam -- where'd the hot water go?

Then we thought about the septic system. After a few fragrant evenings, we realized the massive laundry pile that appeared from our overseas shipment had probably stressed the enzymes a bit. Apparently it is important to prevent too much water from entering the system. Andrew has established a greywater recycling program in our own home using hoses, buckets and bins. It's helpful, too -- the drought restrictions don't allow regular watering.

We've also had to find (or make) phosphate-free cleaning products. The home-made fabric softener works...sort of. Now to find toilet paper that doesn't contain bits of trees.

Thankfully, the septic-friendly measures seem to working, and we haven't "noticed" the septic tank in a while. It also is eco-friendly, and since we like our yard, we'll be nice to it.

Updates on a Rainy Evening

I'm trying to sort how to best post things and contact everyone to let you all know about the blog. That's the over-analytical part of my mind. What happens is that it bumps up against the artist in me, then the lazy person in me says, "don't think about it." So I don't. And here it is a week later...

Last night we went and had a lovely dinner at a local "club" restaurant with Linda & Bernie. You have to sign in as a "member," which is how they deal with the gaming laws, as there is gambling on the premises. Anyway, it was Steak Night, and we had a lovely dinner with a glass of wine. Dessert & coffee were extra, but very nice. On the way home we saw some small kangaroos (possibly wallabies) -- our first sighting in this area. There was also a beautiful rainbow as a result of some much needed rain showers.

This morning I actually got up early, as I needed to haul the bins to the top of the drive. When I lifted the lid on the garbage, I nearly spoke in tongues when I discovered a huntsman spider that had taken refuge from the rain, or perhaps was looking for a snack. They're not at all like the little daddy-long-legs. While harmless, they are furry, ugly and big, and give you sudden bursts of energy for running. I found one on the walls of the toilet the other day. Fortunately we had guests that night, and Cliff removed the spider for us. (Andrew is actually quite good at it, but I'd forgotten to tell him about it.) My niece, Heidi, says a good way to spot native Australians is by their reaction finding a huntsman spider sitting on the car visor. A native Ozzie simply flips the visor back up. Non-natives generally have accidents as they try to suddenly exit the car (regardless of speed)...

I'm getting used to them.

Klunder vs Blunder

Welcome to KLogUnder - that's short for Kayton Log Down Under. In true Ozzie fashion, every word and name gets shortened. I originally thought of Blog Down Under, but the resulting domain name, while hilarious, was "Blunder," and I certainly didn't want to imply that about the move! Plus, the domain name was already taken. "Klunder" was not available, either... so it's a "klogunder."

I'll be posting some of my early notes and thoughts upon our arrival in Australia, as well as photos, so you can be assured we are actually here and not hiding somewhere in New York. Check back often, perhaps I'll have updated this!