November 2015 – Gallifrey Forest Farm

free mulch

2015/11/26 Danielle 0

One of the ideas about permaculture which resonates with me quite strongly is that everything you need is available to you, you just need to learn to take advantage of the resources you have. This isn’t the radical self-reliance ideal which has been so problematic for many people suffering various forms of disadvantage, from mental health problems to fiscal difficulties; this is the idea that you make your own luck by paying attention and taking opportunities when they present themselves. I really like that. The latest illustration of this idea is embodied in some free mulch. A lady I work […]

fire season

2015/11/24 Danielle 3

The downside of summer – other than the endless hot, dry weather, which is not as much fun as you might imagine, and the constant dual risk of sunburn and heatstroke – is fire season. So many things can start a bushfire: a cigarette tossed out a car window by a clueless tourist, an unmanaged BBQ, a freak lightning storm (sadly not accompanied by a summer rain), a spark from an angle-grinder, a gum tree overheating in the 40+ degree (celcius) weather and spontaneously combusting due to the oils it exudes into the air, … It doesn’t matter, at the […]

aesthetics vs utility

2015/11/17 Danielle 0

One of the things which many, many permaculture practitioners seem to struggle with is a particular type of hoarding. I have this problem myself. You hold on to things because they might be useful, and because the idea of simply throwing them away is distasteful. After all, we know where “away” is in this context – it’s the mid-ocean garbage patch, or the local waterways, or at best the local landfill. I can throw away biodegradable things without a moment of guilt, because I know that they’ll just rot down and return to the soil. But those things tend to […]

And some pictures, just because

2015/11/13 Danielle 2

George, relaxed & sleeping after getting home from the vet. The view out the back door. It’s still a bit Mars-like, but we’ll get some pasture down next winter and put some fruit trees in. The hedge maze will be out there, too, once we get that planted. Boxes of books to unpack once the shelves in the library are up. Also, some of the tree decals. My unfinished mediterranean / arid herb garden along the front of the house. And more boxes to unpack – the craft storage room is actually a lot more under control than this picture […]

Moved!

2015/11/12 Danielle 0

It’s late afternoon, warm and humid; it’s already that season when storm clouds gather and sit there, grey skies but it’s probably not going to rain. Not today, anyway. If we’re lucky we will get some summer rain this weekend or early next week, but the weather bureau predicts humidity and overcast without actual rain. I should be working on my NaNoWriMo piece, on which I am woefully behind at the moment. I will. This is something in the order of a warm-up. Also, a catch-up. We’re moved, we’re in the house, and loving it. The tiles are cool and […]