I really have. Besides that, I've been thinking about how much I like the work here. Sabine and Wolfgang are very much engaged in the larger definition of permaculture - the development of diverse and resilient and balanced systems in all aspects of their lives, not only that of food production. Architecture, energy, community, habitat restoration, waste management, water management, etc. - everything is being addressed, as it inevitably must.
A bit about the buildings and off-the-grid-ness....
Both the studio/barn (where Calder and I are staying) and the main house are timber-framed light earth dwellings. They are both beautifully constructed, with high ceilings, earthen floors and earthen plasters. Oriented north and with substantial eaves, they shade the summer sun and allow the winter sun to warm the common rooms.
Solar runs the electricity and heats the water. There is a gas stovetop, but all baking is done in a wood oven which has a wetback, so when fired up water is being heated as well. Like most households in this area, there is rooftop water catchment. No water is used for toilets, as they are dry composting, with urine (as well as dish and shower water) being shuttled into the greywater system.
Instead of a conventional fridge there is a cold pantry (passively cooled with below-ground air on the south side of the house - remember Southern Hemisphere) that holds all of the grains, legumes, preserved food, butter, eggs, and cheese - things that we Americans tend to unnecessarily refrigerate - and two small insulated drawers in the kitchen that work as coolers, for things that need to be kept at lower temperatures (raw milk, for example).
Having a more direct role in the harnessing of resources most of us take for granted naturally makes for more conscious use of those resources. Part of that awareness is sussing out where it makes sense to use human-scale energy instead of electric (even if it is solar-powered). Here that means hand-cranked grinders for coffee beans and seeds, brooms instead of vacuums, an extremely elegant laundry system (above), line drying, scythes and other hand tools, etc.
I'm thinking constantly of how profound good design can be.
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