Just Joined
Sun, 2007-01-21 05:02 — elvirawhite
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!
- 479 reads
- elvirawhite's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Sustainable Maleny Project
Want to join this group?
To get started, you'll need to create an account - or, if you already have an account on this website, login.
User login
Who's online
There are currently 0 users and 346 guests online.
Comments
January 23rd, 2007
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Both the Chevallum and Yandina Permaculture Groups plan to screen this great movie again in 2007. I've got my copy here that I loan to those groups for public screenings. I'll post dates, times and details here when I get them confirmed.
Cheers,
Sonya.
Rain Tree Organic Farm
Sunshine Coast
Queensland, Australia
January 21st, 2007
Welcome
Hi Elvira,
Welcome to CASSC and all the other Sunny Coast groups. Hopefully we can build a real network here of what's already happening (of which there is a lot!) and perhaps generate some new and unique activities too! You'll have to keep us posted about the start up of your permaculture project. Sounds great! Andi and I did our PDC with Janet Millington last October, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Sonya
Rain Tree Organic Farm
Sunshine Coast
Queensland, Australia
January 24th, 2007
Starting Permaculture Garden
Hi Sonya!
I really started my Permaculture efforts a long time ago when I first read about it. With a vague idea of where I was going I have planted fruit trees and after many attempts to grow rainforrest trees in a frosty river valley I planted a cover of Silkey Oaks on the southern slopes below my house. Finally I have a frost free area to begin planting a food forest. I just bought 2 Peanut trees from the locol Gumnut Nurseries. The rest of the 15 acres is good river flat and does frost so I have planted an avenue of Gum Trees and Silkey Oaks to through shade on the small animal paddocks as they currently have none. I have a blog with Telstr bigblog in which I keep a diary of my progress. elvira.bigblog.net.au. I am currently planning to plant fodder trees around the paddocks and would like advice on what grows at my location. A suggestion was Brisbane Wattle, tagaste? trees and pidgeon peas. I have one paddock ready for planting and a young cow in it! Also 2 ducks and a hen and rooster live next to her. Always some progress. I have drawn lots of site plans and I modify them as I get further info and ideas flow! A real work in progress! I have plans to begin on the next paddock soon, too!
Bye for now,
Elvira
January 22nd, 2007
Great year ahead
Welcome Elvira! I think this is going to be a great year for relocalisation in the Sunshine Coast. BRR is just finding its feet after the new year, but there are a few things coming up soon, including a new website.
Relocalisation groups seem to be popping up all over the place in Australia, and hopefully we will continue our history of collaboration and encouragement.
Barry
Blackall Range Relocalisation
(AKA Sustainable Maleny Project)
January 23rd, 2007
The Cuba Film
Hi Barry!
Thanks for the welcome! I noticed that the group had a film night on Cuba last year and it sounded interesting! Are you going to screen it again? Did anything come out of the subsequent meetings? All those suggestions sounded great, especially the one about planting food sources on vacont land. I have thought that along the sides of roads could be used this way? Are their any more meetings? I also see the spread out nature of the country as a bit of a problem, although my pioneering ancestors to Qld obviously coped with distances, time, and supplies somehow! I heard that here in Kenilworth they shopped in the little Brisbane twice a year! Their lists were obviously shorter than mine!
My interests are handcrafts and weaving and making things from scratch. I have always worried about this knowledge being lost. Now there is peak oil and a good reason to worry!
Bye for now
Elvira.
January 23rd, 2007
Good idea
Indeed it is an interesting film, which generated a lot of discussion. We haven't made any specific plans to show films yet, but I think that it would be a good idea to screen it again.
I too like the idea of the 'guerilla gardening'. I think it would be great if a small project group formed and concentrated on implementing that plan. Interested?
We are still meeting, but have focussing on a small groups to allow us to consolodate and form working relationships. The problem with having big open meetings is that a lot of talking happens but it's difficult to actually plan anything. However, open meetings are important and we are going to announce another one soon. Hopefully we will have some reasonably well defined plans to share. Perhaps I'll meet you there!
In any case, I'll try to post an update here in the next few days.
BTW I'd love to learn more about your weaving efforts. It's a fascinating skill and technology.
Regards,
Barry
January 24th, 2007
Weaving
Hi Barry! The type of weaving I am now doing is called Inkle Weaving. It has been done for thousands of years mostly on a backstrap loom but more recently on a wooden framework that is more portable. Karen Turner, also a group member, started me on it last year to reproduce authentic braids for Medieval costumes. We investigated and she had to make the loom herself. We sell the braids. Mostly we weave from 4 ply cotton grown in Australia but I have been wondering what I would replace this with. It is lots of fun and very satisfying creating the designs and making a braid myself. I want to learn how to weave the more common widths as well and was given some looms that I dont know how to use yet. Also a spinning wheel. I obviously will have to keep sheep on my little farm! Anyone that wants to can meet me and I will show them some of this. I love to show it all off! I have a blog at elvira.bigblog.net.au and record the progress of the farm.
Are there any of the small groups you mentioned around Kenilworth? Tree planting is something I am interested in and might like to join in especially around my area.
Well, Bye for now,
Elvira.