David (Dave) Henry Allendale is the author of The Murders at Crawford’s Forest, and Maralinga Winds is his second of many stories to follow.  Dave lives completely off grid on a small holding in the South Australian Adelaide Hills with his wife and two children. He spends his days writing, chopping firewood, growing food, spraying weeds, fencing (not with a sword), and like most off-griders he continuously prays for rain in the summer and sun in the winter. He is also a fan of the oxford comma – just so you know.

We had this dream to live off grid, and while it took some time (many years) to get there, the struggle was worth it. Today we collect water whenever it rains. We have an aerobic septic waste system that runs off locally generated power and it pumps out chlorinated water every day. Our house and shed are solar powered from photovoltaic cells, inverters, and a set of lithium-ion batteries. We also have a 7.5KVA petrol generator that we use mainly during periods of limited sun in the winter months. Showers are timed in summer. Appliances are set to run in series to limit consumption, but otherwise we live a mostly normal existence.