a found fire, a book and a brief moment captured...

...

getting creative with permaculture...

I've completed a small PDF booklet 

that's an introduction to a far more extensive project

 Getting Creative with Permaculture
 
is a distillation of things from my essay/ blog posting/ etc.

Permaculture in the Practice

and my presentation at the recent
 South East Permaculture Convergence

My mini booklet/presentation
is primarily aimed at folk who have completed a
PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate)

There are some terms and concepts that permaculture people
will recognise and understand implicitly
so I haven't elaborated on them,
but I think even those not overly familiar with
the permutations of permaculture
will be able to follow along easily
(oh and you can always have a read of that essay to flesh things out eh)

I'd love to hear your feedback
particularly any brave souls who would like to participate
in the next stage of the project

an idea shared is an idea expanded

(or at least I hope so)



**ps - if you click on the linked title you'll be magically transported to the google drive version of the booklet


...

pruning and random rough weaving...

I'm late

 the season has turned

winter is giving way to spring blossoms

but still I haven't finished pruning my orchard!

I am working furiously to get all the trees lopped before everything is in blossom and leaf

 all the pruned bits piling up are giving me ideas...

(hmmmm I wonder how hard it is to weave rough hurdles 

with apple/plum/quince/peach prunings?)

I've found it's quite easy (and fun) to form rough wreaths

from gathered clematis prunings... 

and the kiwi vines come together nicely to form a rough bower...

although rather unwieldy 

I enjoyed creating a rough 'nest' from the pruned bits of grape vine

tiger was a great help with everything

(of course)

"if you build it - they will come"

.....

garden therapy...

 I spent the afternoon with my gorgeous mumma

(and the local garden club)
at a delish-ous garden
 

there is a gorgeous bamboo grove
with different varieties of cold-tolerant clumping bamboo

 I fell a little bit in love with the large tibetan prayer wheel...

 

and the various water containers scattered around the garden

 and structures made from harvested bamboo

 I made a new friend...

and got LOTS of ideas... 

 

(lots)

 

 and found some things to take home

there's something about gardens that makes my heart sing

and brings peace to the soul

.....

knit one, save one

 all autumn and winter
sitting and watching beside hockey and soccer fields 

and athletics tracks and swimming pools
travelling with children on trains and ferries and buses
or worrying away on the hard seats of hospital waiting rooms

I've been knitting, knitting, knitting

and I've finally finished a lovely big, warm, woolly jumper for my farming man...

but its more than just a practical addition to his scant wardrobe

this project is a record of a cold season of parental duty
(of the heavy duty kind)

complete with obligatory wonky bits...

 ('perfect is overrated' is my new mantra!)

I trust it will keep the farmer twice as warm for twice as long
as it contains a whole lotta love in every knitted stitch

(that's the real magic of handmade things after all...)

....

getting creative with permaculture...

... is what I presented yesterday 

for the very first time

at the South East bioregion permaculture convergence
 

THIS
(along with child and doggie wrangling)
is what has been occupying my time 

and thoughts

for the past few years really (now that I think about it!)

very soon I'll share 'something' from my presentation

maybe a downloadable PDF.... 

maybe an accompanying podcast...
definitely with an invitation for ya'll to share your voice
and contribute to the making of an even bigger 'something'
 

in the next while

oooo --- right now I've got to run!
I don't want to be late for day two for the convergence!

 

reading matters...

 my studio time is limited presently
but fortunately my reading time hasn't been affected by 'stuff'


My local independent book store loves me

and they know I just can't go past a delicious book...

my stack of recent purchases threatens to sink a small boat
(or creek grrrrl?)
 

oooo BTW - I thoroughly recommend 'A Handmade Life: in search of simplicity' by William Coperthwaite

 but please excuse the amazon link -
its here just to show you more of the book - I don't buy stuff from the big A...

my indie bookstore even stocks my two new fav magazines

'New Philosopher'
(yumbo scrumbo for the brain cells)

and
new book/mag on the block

'Womankind'

 

(dippy name if you ask me - but there's not an airbrushed bikini-clad celebrity in sight -
& no adverts for plastic surgeons or stilettos either so I forgive them the name...)  

but there are the odd few things
that even the best little bookstore in the universe can't (easily) get for me

ie - these little lust-worthy blurb books
I've been hankering for....

(oooooo myyyyy)

I even threw caution (and paper) to the wind
and downloaded my first ever electronic book...

 .. and lo it was very good!

(insert smiley face here)


as lovely and amazing as all my books are

my favourite 'book' of the past few weeks was a little one that arrived in the post...

 its cheered me up and made me sigh

its message of peace

delivered in every pen/brushstroke

(thankee FD)

...