OK, so in The Bathroom Worth the 30 Years’ Wait, I promised the Rocket Stove Bath story. For Siobhanne and others who have asked, here it is.
So, this one is for you Angus, and for the others who have asked for more detail about building the bathroom “Worth the 30 Years’ Wait”. Like everything permaculture, the first step is to “Observe and Interact”. We didn’t do that.
I cleaned my bathroom for this photo. I weeded the fig in the pot. I hung the maroon towels because they look much prettier against the dark aqua wall than the torn barbie doll beach towel. I threw out the old luffa. Cleaning done.
I really am much too busy to read labels that much. I don’t want to be that diligent. It really is much easier to just apply my blanket rule: if it doesn’t go off, if even bacteria and funghi won’t eat it, be suspicious, be very suspicious.
I make soap every year around this time so it is cured in time for Christmas. It makes a gorgeous present – just enough luxury to be special, just enough everyday usefulness to be used, and no tacky consumerism. And getting it all done this early in a lovely social morning is shopping heaven.
This year’s soap is made and maturing in the cupboard, hopefully safe from the mice who think it is literally good enough to eat. It will go whiter as it matures, and by Christmas it will be hard, white, fine grained soap with a nice clean smell and good bubbles. So nice to have so much of my Christmas shopping done already!
I make soap once a year, in time to give it away as Christmas presents. I truly hate the commercialisation of Christmas. Unless I can do handmade presents I feel really yucky and conned by the whole thing. But homemade vegetable oil soap is so luxurious that it makes a great present.