Hedvig’s permaculture diploma

Wow, instead of having permaculture days, it feels like I am having permaculture months.  I have finally managed to get into some action learning guilds. An Action Learning Guild, is a group of people that come together to talk about their permaculture projects, in particular using the four action learning questions: what is going well, what is challenging, what is the vision and the next steps.  It is set up so an individual will talk without interruption and another member will take notes, with typically a third doing the time keeping.It has taken months and months and months.  Now, I have come to realise the extent to which everyone with their diploma so far is seriously motivated to get this thing done.  No one is out there guide you, not really.  It all has to come from you.  So I tried to get it happening with diploma peeps in London and just wasn’t really feeling it last year, especially as I was planning on moving to Brighton.Since the move, I have got in touch with lots of people and met lots more from helping out with intros, and finally in February did I manage to have not one but two ALGs outside of the induction days.  I had another one in March, and two more scheduled in April.In the end, I’ve gone for a scatter-gun approach, where I’m now hooked up with two different ALGs, with the aim that I will have quite frequent meetings with people, and even if one falls through I still have the other.   The first group of people who live outside of Brighton has been really successful so far.  The other two have been doing their diploma for a long time, but had sort of got lost, and having the ALGs provided some structure and support that they needed.  The other group is with people living in Brighton, and who are cracking on with their different projects.It is great to meet up and have the opportunity to talk about the diploma and where we are all at with it.  With the first group, we’ve decided to add a bit to the four questions format, so at the end of the questions we can then give feedback to one person, and have more of an in-depth conversation about the project.  This was really useful as we could support each other and that adds to the sense of community that is developing.I have used each ALG to present one of my projects to keep me on track.  And have had really good feedback about the projects.  So that is really encouraging.  My next ALGs are in early April, so will update then.

Today, being Tuesday, is permaculture diploma day.  I am trying to wrap up my first project (my action learning pathway for the diploma) before my action learning guild meeting on Thursday.  So here is the final version of the pathway.  As we no longer have to send it to the office to disseminate it, I figured this might be as good as any.

Action Learning Pathway

The Flight of the Conchords-inspired refrain ‘It’s seedy, it’s seedy time’ is going around and around my head.  Understandably as yesterday, I went along to Seedy Sunday in Hove with my boyfriend and a couple of friends (Ian and Peter).  It is impossible for me not to be a little seed obsessed after spending most of the afternoon at a community seed swap, bumping into various people I know and having incredibly geeky conversations with different stall holders, and coming home with a exciting collection of seeds and bulbs.The broad beans and the garlic have to go in soon.  So next step is creating my own sowing schedule following the biodynamic days.   It was really heartening to see so many people that were really into growing and seed saving.  So I’m looking forward to getting sowing.

I know, I know exciting stuff.  But, wow!  I came back from holidays feel ready to make this year a good one.   So today, being Tuesday, is permaculture day.  And first things first, I cleared my desk and it looks a whole lot better with useful things around: ‘hand relief cream’ from Tristan, some left over chocolates from our new year get-saway, plus the cyclamen bring some festive cheer.

Then I settled down to getting my diploma folder into order.  One of the challenges of doing something as all-encompassing as the diploma, is that is does really reach out into different aspects of my daily life.  As a result I had loads of bits of paper, notes, drawings, lecture notes etc all over the place.  But now, when I have done that I have gathered them in one place, they are certainly more useful and I feel much better about the volume of the recording I have been doing over the last year or so.  A lot of thought, time and energy goes into this sort of thing, and it’s good that it feels like my folder is beginning to reflect it.  I’m getting there.  And I’ve got a whole half a day left.  Happy new year everyone!

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.

As I explained in my last post, I’ve just moved to Brighton.  In London our home was  brimming with food: growing in the garden, wholesale bulk deliveries of it, regular fruit and veg box deliveries.  We cooked it together, we ate it together.  It was pretty sorted and all shared.  An amazing home-share.

Now, I’ve moved in a house share, where I’m not sure who is in the house at any one time.  When shown round the house, it was explained to me that we each had a separate shelf in the fridge and cupboard.  A whole new world.

Slowly, I’ve been building up a bit of a pantry.  I had to make the immediate purchase of cereal, and then spent a few more days gathering the ingredients so that I could start baking bread again.  It is so satisfying to make bread and to fill the house with the smell of intention, intention to make people content.  I loved that first loaf so much I had three slices still warm with butter and home-made elderberry and blackberry jam. Since then my cupboard has been filling but the fridge was been pretty bare.  Till yesterday.

Yesterday, I went to go and volunteer at the local farm that runs a fruit and veg box scheme.  I took the train to Lewes, and then took the picturesque bus route out to Barcombe.   From there my journey involved a fair amount of just ambling along country lanes, and random encounters with people walking along them.  But I arrived at Barcombe Nurseries content to be there and ready to work.

And work we did.  We harvested two sections of turnips, trimmed them, bagged them and hauled them to the pack shed.  (So many in fact that we were asked if we had much more to bring in because it was blocking up the packing shed.)  Meanwhile, Jefferson was trying to devise a way to burn the weedlings.  Part way through we were called for a much-welcomed coffee break.  Fresh coffee and biscuits enjoyed on up-ended crates in the sun.  Adrian, the owner, had just come back from a trip to the Netherlands, checking out others farms, so he had brought amazing waffles.  We discussed his findings, including horse-drawn ploughing, a bike trailer built 150 years ago to transport milk churns and the pros and cons of horses vs mules.

We returned to the turnips and got the section cleared up.  Some of the turnips were so large we couldn’t get them out through the holes.  Just before lunch we had a change: hoeing the beetroot seedlings.

Lunch was a bountiful spaghetti with fresh pesto and vegetables, plus salad.  Then meringues, berries and cream.  We munched contentedly and prepared ourselves for heading back to the field.  We continued with a bit more hoeing.  And then got on with preparing the land for transplanting.

Now, I’ve done my fair share of transplanting.  I’ve shown many people how to do it.  But this was a first for me.  Transplanting using a tractor.  Two of us, Luke and I, were seated at the back, in front of two wheels, into which we placed the kale seedlings and two points on the wheel.  The machine made the farrow, placed the seedling, and pushed the soil over it.  Planted.  Success.  Such mesmerising and efficient work.  We had done sections of the stuff before we even knew it.

Then came the obvious pause in the planting in order to weed and rotavate the section the turnips had been.  I know!  Rotavate.  Ach well.  Adrian asked me if I wanted to.  I declined.  But soon thereafter I found myself seated on top of the bloody tractor, driving Jefferson and Adrian while they were doing the transplanting!  I was not expecting yesterday to be the day that I drive a tractor for the first time.  Anyway, I did better than the last person who went straight through the fence!

The day was amazingly rewarding.  I loved being out in the fields working on a market garden that grows a massive array of veg and fruit for its box scheme.  I enjoyed the chat, being out in the sun and being challenged with learning new stuff.  And at the end of it, I found a box with my name written on it.  Now, I can tell you it was a pretty hearty box, as I had to carry it all the way from the station.  So I have my weeks worth of fruit and veg.  I know where on the farm most of that stuff has been grown and my fridge shelf is now looking bountiful.

Plus, all of this sets me up on my next project… localising my food.  I won’t be eating a totally local food diet, like some of my fellow Brightonians but I do want to explore local food here in Sussex.  I want to meet producers, find out about local ingredients and produce, unique recipes.  Basically find the makings of a Slow Food Convivium here. And I’ll be delighted if a veg box from Barcombe makes it on my shelf every week.  Next week, I’m aiming to go to Ashurst, another local scheme, and to keep on survey my food.

These are one of the strangest cosmetics I have made.  Now they aren’t connected to seeing plants in a new way, but still worth sharing.

Girls, forget your expensive exfoliating scrubs and moisturisers.  I have found the answer, again from Neal’s Yard.  But it’s through through sheer daring that I made and used these.  I know they look like falafels, but, they work (my new favourite saying, btw).

The recipe

1 slice of old brown bread (I know!)

1 handful raisins

1 handful almonds

Blend them, using a hand blender is definitely the easiest.  Then roll into small balls.

I washed my face with half a ball this morning.  You don’t have to worry about gross tasting stuff getting in your mouth, this is really good.  The bread is really exfoliating and then the almonds really moisturise it.   Incredible really.

Yesterday, I made the spur of the moment decision to invite a friend over to make some herbal products.  Wasn’t sure what we would or could make, but thought might as well give it a go.  Both of us are low income/unemployed, and so budget was important.

We spent the morning leafing through various books, exchanging recipe ideas and figuring out different herbs and ingredients.  I spent most of my time trying to get my head around shampoos and hair conditioners.  Michele, was researching toners and skin care products.

After a bit, we decided that we wanted to get on with something that we could do at home, and then we would go off and source other stuff.  So an easy one to get started with was lip balm.  We went for ‘Grapefruit conditioning lip blam’ from the Neal’s Yard Recipes for Natural Beauty.  It’s really straight forward.

1g cocoa butter

9g shea butter

10 drops grapefruit essential oil

We made a bain marie, with the butters in a citrus squeezer in a frying pan filled with boiling water.   Then poured the liquified butters in our sterlised containers.  Then when it was starting to solidify we added the essential oil.  It is really conditioning, but doesn’t make your lips tacky some lipsyl or stuff like that.

The body scrub was equally straight forward.

4 tbs salt

8 tbs oil (sweet almond would be good, we only had olive oil)

10 drops essential oils.

No heating with this one, but mix.  It is super effective, and cheap as chips.  Well worth it.

The other thing we tried was a real experiment, and I’ll let you know how that went when I’ve tried it.

It’s a few weeks later, but still going with the implementation, and going round the design cycle again and doing more assessment.

In an attempt to increase my income I have been following up doing getting more involved with permaculture in different ways.  So I have been apprenticing the introductory course, both the one run in London and Brighton.  Here’s my observation of Graham at work.

It was really interesting to see the different course.  I have been able to feedback to both Naturewise and Brighton Permaculture Trust (BPT) about the intros.

Next weekend I am going to do some teaching on an introductory course happening on Tottenham Marshes, and yesterday I went to a meeting with the lead teacher and other teachers, plus the people carer.  Interesting way to figure out the structure, exercise, timings and just get input from lots of different people.  So looking forward to that.  Also let the BPT know that I would be interested in doing more training with them.

Otherwise, I applied for a part time job with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and even better news is that I got invited for an interview.  So just scheming about that one, and fingers crossed for the interview next week.

I’ve also implemented other changes to decrease my expenditure.  I’m moving down to Brighton and renting there.  The rent is cheaper, which is a good thing.  I’m pushing ahead with trying to get working tax credits, which is a long and tedious process with lots of hoops.  Also just trying to be a bit more savy with spending money on travel etc.