Hedvig’s permaculture diploma

So for the last few months of silence I am have certainly been busy and continuing with my permaculture work.  I have apprenticed courses in Brighton and London, I have been doing more and more teaching on intros.  I was took on the people care role of the Training of Trainers in October that took place in London.

We have successfully completed our first year with Get Growing, and this years gardens are all complete and the funding reports are all in.  I am now trying to take stock of what happened and all the changes that have occurred since.  Plus beginning to survey the situ here in Brighton.

I have spent less time consistently working on my projects, and realised that coming back to them, that I needed to wrap up some of them so I could begin some of the new ones.  One of the issues with that is the you can continue to keep going round and round the action learning cycle.  And when actually does a project come to an end?

I went to a permaculture induction day yesterday.  I went to the last one that was run in March, and it is a good point to reflect on how much I have achieved since then.  I also chatted to Gillian who said she was working presenting her diploma at the convergence next year.  Sounds like a workable and yet challenging target for me.

So I am trying to wrap up some of my projects. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks working on different projects. They have certainly evolved and I have learnt a lot through doing it, been making lots of my own stuff and considered things in a different way.  And I keep going round the action learning cycle many more times, lots of learning.

Last Wednesday, I got a call from Colette from Ashurt Organics, to ask if I could possibly come in to work the following day.  She said she was down on help and people were sick.  I had just run out of veg, and had been meaning to give her a ring anyway to go and volunteer.  But this was even better.  I was going to get paid.  Okay, so it ain’t billions with bonuses, but it is money.  And these days, I ain’t complaining when that comes my way.

So I dutifully arrange a lift with Leif (often called Leaf), who also lives in Brighton.  Last time we went in with Leif’s girlfriend, and started the day off with lots of discussions about projects in London and Brighton.  This time, we were going by motorbike.  I haven’t been on a motorbike since I was a tiny, bare-footed young thing, and my cousin Max tore round our old summer place in Sweden.  Twenty years later, it was just as exciting.  Whizzing through town and countryside, relaxing into the journey.  The journey back was a little more scary, purely because I was carrying a large sack of veg and that affect my ability to balance.

I also left with a paper envelope with my wage.  I have also run out of my last batch of Samuel Close deodorant.  So I decided to take the plunge and go and buy rock crystal, essentials oils, pestle and mortar and an oil burner.  I feel so much happier for it.

My house is getting pleasantly scented of lemongrass.  Just as well as it normally doesn’t smell very nice (meat fumes rising from the kitchen, and two cats don’t help).  So I’m very grateful for my call from Colette, unexpected day of work and my smelly results.