Building a composting Toilet Part Two - The Structure

Once we had the hole dug and just the top of the blue drum sticking out of the ground, it was simply a question of putting up four poles, and a floor frame.



Then putting on the floor (with hole cut in it to fit the top of the drum snugly.



Place our pre-made lovable loo around the top of the drum (site tested by Mila. Then we added on a roof frame,wall frames, a door, and wrapped two layers of shadecloth around the whole thing. We still need to put the roof on, and our plan was to (painstakingly) cover the outside of the walls with groovy looking bamboo strips. But for now it is shadecloth, which, although not waterproof, is very light and airy.



We have a double seater. One for solids (down the hatch) and one for wee which goes into a bucket that needs emptying every few days (wee only - I don't have that strong a constitution that I am going to be emptying crap buckets without barfing)
Here Mila tries out the pee pot.



Followed by the real Macoy.

The idea is that once you have done what you need to (and finished off the chapter you were on), You simply wipe. There is no adding of soil or compost or wood chips. The platform off the ground means things should dry out on their own. Once a week I collect some cow dung, mix with with a bit of wood ash from our fireplace, and sprinkle it over all that lives below.

The pee bucket is currently emptied by hand, but we will fit a pipe as soon as we have a vegetable garden fenced, and will drain this into a banana garden, along with some grey water.

Some New Birds Spotted

We have been so busy getting things built and working on various projects that I definitley haven't had time to do any bid watching.
However, I took my binoculars out with me yesterday when I went on a field visit and spotted half a dozen new birds that I hadn't got on my Bulungula list.

European Swallow
Lesser Striped Swallow
Brown Throated Martin
Red Shouldered Widow
Red Collared Widow
Lanner Falcon
Greater Double Collared Sun Bird

I really need to get into the forsts and take some time to have a proper look.
The new field we are going to begin working on next week is right on the border of a really thick forest.
When you stand on the edge you can hear these really exotic bird calls that sound very African and inviting.

I am sure I can expand my list three-fold if I took the extra time.
I might try and bribe a couple of ornithology students to come and spend a week here in tents and do a comprehensive census.

To view the entire master list you need to click on the Bird Watching catagory description.

Have also seen some awesome birds that are already on the list.
Had an awesome view of an African Fish Eagle flying from the forest out over the lagoon.
Also lots of kingfishers. See three or four varieties any time you walk up along the river. The Pied Kingfisher, and the Giant Kingfisher, both also fish in the rock pools at low tide a lot, for saltwater fish.
Also unusual for somebody from Cape Town are the Crowned Hornbill, the RedBilled Woodhoopoe and the Green Pigoen, which has these amazing red, orange and pink, beak and legs, and and emerald green feathers.

All quite beautiful.