Eco building, Garden

GUARD DOGS IN T-SHIRTS

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Dylan putting barbed wire into our first earth bag row in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Our first earth bag garden bed under construction in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Collecting some more clay from the building site in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Collecting more clay for our earth bag bed wall in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Snoozing guard dogs wearing t-shirts at the building site in Yarraville

Delivering clay to Nicholas and Minna of Permastructure in Heidelberg

Gracie looking into Nicholas and Minna's dome in Heidelberg

Dylan and Tom scaling Nicholas and Minna's Dome in Heidelberg

Cobbing on the earth bag dome made by Nicholas and Minna of Permastructure in Heidelberg

Clay and sand became a neat, slightly wrinkly, row of earth bags outlining our first garden bed. However, satisfaction turned upside down when we saw how quickly the pile of clay had diminished with so few bags. Luckily our friends Nicholas and Minna saved us by offering up their trailer to collect more clay.

We returned to the building site greeted by guard dogs in t-shirts, if their wagging tails and liquid eyes didn’t diminish the quality of their threat then their wardrobe sure did. The owners were kind enough to take photos of us at work, we noted that the number of people we owed a crate of home brew thank yous was rising.

As a thanks for the trailer we delivered a load of clay to Minna at her house in Heidelberg for cobbing. She and Nicholas have been running earth bag workshops in their backyard  and we were met with the glorious site of their earth dome rising proudly amongst post-war brick houses with ubiquitous tiled hip roofs.The contrast will make their dome all the more delightful when they have it rendered. I don’t think you’ll find a sauna like this anywhere else in Melbourne, it’s a shame!

You can see progress of their dome at their Permastructure website.

 

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Eco building, Garden

THE SOUTH MELBOURNE PERMABLITZ – COMMUNITY & CURVES

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Digging out soil from earth bag garden bed, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Digging a hole for a Medlar fruit tree, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Measuring hole for the Medlar fruit tree, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Digging out the old soil from the earth bag garden bed, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Curving earth bag wall, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little boy climbing sand pile, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Pile of gloves, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Compost pile, at the South Melbourne Permablitz

Unkinking irrigation hose for erth bag garden beds, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little girl playing, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little boy sitting on the pile of sand, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

My shoulder and arm muscles had finally forgiven me after my first Blitz and I decided to try another, at which thankfully, I was neither designer nor facilitator. Not in a backyard this time, but at the South Melbourne Commons in the capable hands of designers Seila and Charlie.

It was lovely to see all those veggie beds in a shared public space, all nestled around that lovely old brick building. The earth bag beds had already been constructed at a past Blitz which I wish I’d been to as this is something we would like to do for our Blitz. They were lovely and curving, and our main job for the day was to fill them up with compost for the cafe garden. Warm windy days are not ideal for shifting compost, but after a few eye watering encounters we managed to move the huge pile before lunch.

After some serious matocking the soil gave way just enough to let us plant some Medlar fruit trees, I’ll be curious to see how they go as I don’t think i’ve ever seen, let alone tasted their fruit. Whenever someone turned their head the kids at the Blitz cheekily tried to fill in the holes again, nothing like a little bit of mischief to keep us on our toes.

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Eco building

SLEEPERS AND DOMES

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The dome is practically finished! Just a few foot holds for kids to climb on the roof and soil to be filled in around the bottom so they don’t smash themselves when they tumble off the roof. We ended up bringing in sand for the final render as the landfill just wasn’t cutting it. The plaster already began to cobweb crack as we were finishing it off, but I really like that, I think it makes it the more beautiful. Nader developed the ‘reptiling’ because he had until that moment being working against the crack, trying to work against nature, but one day he sat up in the middle of the night and realised why not work with it, you can’t crack a reptile because it is one.

The whole course was peppered with poems and wisdom that Sheefteh remembered her father telling her as a little  girl, and this is one that resounded with the whole group.

No matter how hard you try you cannot wake someone who is pretending to sleep, but whilst in their faux slumber they will be listening and watching with half an ear and half an eye.

Do you remember pretending to sleep as a child?

Many of the people in the group were interested in green issues, many had studied permaculture and it has always been something that just leaves you feeling chilled when you speak to someone who just refuses to believe in something like climate change and what’s more belittles you for your ideals. I had a run in with a “green” developer recently who laughed uproariously at climate change and the suckers who would pay extra for a green building, practically rubbing his hands together. But as Rumi says, you can’t make someone who doesn’t want to know listen and it can just leave you feeling helpless. It is better to do what positive things you can with those who are interested and perhaps the sleepers will come around in the end. What a lovely thought. Can it be true?

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Eco building

BALANCING ACTS AND GOAT GUARDIANS

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At CAL-Earth they would make anyone who called the earth “dirt” do push ups or laps, but I think Heather and Sheefteh let us off easier because our “earth” was actually old landfill and many treasures were to be found in the mountains of “earth”: old woollen jumpers, glass bottles, plastic bags and unknown squishy things. But that’s all part of the fun, spongy boots, mud pie gloves and dirty jokes.

This week had the post peculiar weather, it was humid and wet like tropical Asia. Chili peppers everywhere joyfully doubled in size whilst we felt slightly wilted with our boots bogged in the mounds of mud. Dylan added a happy little mud goat man to the top of a window sill for the next group who would finish the top of the dome and I think now that we have all gotten into such a good group rhythm everyone was sad to drop shovel and pack up our yellow dish washing gloves.

 

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