Gallifrey Forest Farm

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 […]

Pasture Plans

2015/09/21 Danielle 0

The house is finished, except for a few minor items like the concrete for the verandah which hasn’t been poured yet, and only 2 of the 5 water tanks being in place as yet. We are days away from being able to move in. Days! The valuer is booked for Wednesday morning, to come and verify for the bank that the house is actually there, complete, and connected to the power and water. Then (so the theory goes) the bank pays the builder, the builder hands over the keys, and we move in. Very exciting. But being here in this […]