I would like to share an interesting site I found on possible rising sea levels. You can play with it endlessly and view almost anywhere in the world to see what a new sea height would do to the coastline. Very educational, and fun to find your own roof! Have a look!

www.flood.firetree.net

A very interesting thing happened here last week. We had a public meeting sponsered by the Chamber of Commerce and two projects were chosen. One that I want to help with is a festival promoting local produce of all kind (local in the food mile sense, too!) All sorts of things could be showcased, including bush foods, plants and a farmers market, as well as products made locally from them. What an opportunity for educating our community about enjoying local produce! And perhaps growing some of their own, too! I'll let you know how we get on as we progress with organising it.

I dont know if we need to actually start a relocalize group yet officially. I looked at the form to fill in and I dont even know how to describe our goals in Kenilworth yet.

The other thing we are thinking of doing is revitalising our old CWA as its goals are very compatable with relocalising and they have insurance cover. We could meet in their building free if we were members. How do all the groups manage insurance issues for their member's activities? This could be important these days.

At the moment we are mostly getting our own vege gardens going. I am going to the seed saving workshop at Chevallum in May to get the info we need and tell the others who couldn't go.

While talking to someone yesterday about peak oil and its possible effects on every aspect of life, I felt a bit like I did about Y2K. Do you all remember the hype and doomsday pictures that were predicted? Then nothing much happened(thank goodness!) and it all settled down. The person asked me if I REALLY thought it was all going to happen. I said, "Yes, but even if it wasn't as bad as all that we still needed to change a lot of things about our lives and communities to make them better." Has anyone assembled a good answer to the question as to whether Peak Oil changes to lifestyle will really happen that can be given briefly in a conversation without sounding fanatical? Any comments ?

We have been thinking that one of the best ways to help relocalize our community is to join existing organisations that have similar aims and revitalise them! For example, the QCWA, that is, the Country Womens Association, has similar aims to strengthen the community and learn skills such as cooking and craft that would be of benefit in hard times. Also, if the community needs a focal place for markets etc, the local community hall would be vital, but the committee that runs it needs help as they are all aging. If we join them and give our support then a vital piece of already existing framework will be maintained.

In our local rural community, there is a falling away of volunteers for all of our organisations, due to increasing work committments and lack of childcare assistance, mainly.

Everyone can think of volunteer organisation in their areas that probably need support and often what they need is new blood and fresh ideas. Perhaps an efficient use of our time and resources would be to pitch in while spreading the relocalize message! The general population respect those who are not afraid to join in and help practically, and would be more likely to listen to any message thay have to give. Also, you would not have to reinvent the wheel in that situation. I think cities also have this same situation.

Events such as community forums are also a great oppertunity to have the message heard and meet others similarly minded. Suggest ideas that people will be able to agree with and support, such as community gardening being a great social connecter and promoting health and wellbeing, not just a neccessity in a collapsing society!

Has anyone had experience at these types of approach to relocalizing their communities and do you have any further suggestions along these lines?

Here is a plan showing the food forest I am creating next to the chook run and then our cow/sheep paddock. The chook run has small compartments down it in which to grow veges and chook food. The hens can be let in or out as wanted through gates. They can also forage in the food forest when it is mature enough. The Midyim bushes are only 1-1.5m tall so wont shade the veges and the forest will get progressively taller towards the east. This will also help with frost protection, I hope! The forest needs to be dense enough to provide a cover for more frost sensitive things. I am mulching with cardboard from our local shops and the grass I rake up from the paddock. A mower wouldn't fit between the rows and petrol costs might make that impossible anyway, dont you think! Kikuyu is hard to kill off though, so I hope this works!
I want to inspire others to try this. I have to do it fairly much myself so it is a bit at a time and it will eventually be a forest. When I am old I hope to sit under it and eat the fruit of my labours (alongside the chooks!)

With all the rain this Summer, I couldn't do much to my farm. Not even keep up with the grass! Now the weather is cooling,I am all inspired to get to work!
I have finally begun on my food forest that adjoins the long chook run. I plan to put low bushes next to the run to allow sunlight to get to the vegetable compartments down the run, and then plant sucsessivly taller trees until reaching the other side of the paddock. The paddock will be fenced to keep out the cow and any stray horses and keep in the chooks when they forage in the mature forest.
Well, the first plants are bought! I was at the Yandina Markets on Saturday and came across 70 little Midyim plants in tubes for a good price and snapped them all up! I will have just enough to plant them in two rows at about 1m apart. They are supposed to grow 1-1.5m tall and they will be perfect for the first row. They bear from Jan to June so will be very good to eat.
Next problem to overcome is the Kikuyu grass. I asked the local 4 square for cardboard and they have lots of it so I started putting it down over the grass and covering it with raked up grass. A long hot job but I think it will work. The plants have to be very close together to create a frost free understory so I cant mow between them. Anyway, with the price of petrol going up I wont be able to forever mow, will I?
I am going to tree guard them with the ones I made for the Gum trees last year, just in case the hares try to eat them as well.
A friend is going to help with the fence soon. I have almost all the materials I need bar the metal gate, and that isn't essential at the moment. There is lots to do with refreshing the chook run as well and finishing the compartments down it for the veges. I have one finished for vegetables. The chooks have been pecking it over and fertilising it all Summer and now it is ready for action! I just added lots of fresh grass straw and cut up branches to their straw yard and they are happy again! Molting is finished and they are starting to lay again. I have 10 old hens that are probably not laying and 10 younger ones that should be! Here's hoping!
I hope to inspire my community to start their own gardens and keep chooks like in the early days. Everyone did out here in Kenilworth but now they need encouraging again. People see me working from the road and wonder what I am doing:)
Anyone with helpful comments is welcome to sent some to me. It is all a bit of a Permaculture experiment!

Just joined three of my local groups and am hoping for some interesting connections and infomation about living simply and making/growing my own in Kenilworth. Current projects are starting a permaculture farm and garden and weaving. This includes, of course, getting some sheep sometime soon!