Garden

FEATHERS IN YOUR HAIR

No Comments

Grass seeds on the hilltop, Hepburn, Australia

Camel toe gumboots on Matteo the Melliodora WOOFER

Angela's multicoloured hat, Hepburn, Australia

Blackberry and grass on the Hepburn tour, Australia

David Holmgren teaching us to read the landscape, Hepburn, Australia

The Hepburn tour, Australia

The Hepburn poet on the hilltop

Relaxing after the big hill climb, Hepburn, Australia

The native cherry and hemlock flowers, Hepburn, Australia

Single file procession, Hepburn, Australia

If you ever wondered what the true indicators of a cool man are it is simple 1. wearing camel toed gumboots and owning it, 2. being able to carry off high heeled thongs. That describes Matteo the Melliodora WWOOFER (or MIAOWER as they prefer, not being certified organic and all) and Rick Tanaka who did the Japanese translation of the Design Principles (also being involved in the management of Nick Cave probably helps too).

Glamourous permaculture footwear aside (don’t get me started on the hats now), we anted our way along the hills of Hepburn one by one and two by two. Weeds that are not weeds (poor old man willow, will they ever give you the credit you deserve?) and weeds that definitely are and how to control them (that’s you blackberry) past us by. We scrabbled our way to the hilltop and the whole patchwork was shaken out in front of us. Wild apples and native cherry ballarts creating rich humus beneath, giving way to plantations topped with the tips of e wind turbines waving too far for my poor eyes to see, then native forest blushing with blossoms beyond.

 

Continue Reading

Garden, Permaculture design

OLD CHAIN SAWS & FLATTENED GRASS

No Comments

Tree trunks, Hepburn, Australia

Finding evidence of a Kangaroo, Hepburn, Australia

Samples collected during reading the landscape, Hepburn, Australia

Examinging trees, Hepburn, Australia

Steve wearing fashionable head wear, Hepburn, Australia

Blue flower, Hepburn, Australia

Discovering fungus, Hepburn, Australia

Looking through the grass, Hepburn, Australia

 

A motley little herd we straggled through the bush fumbling for the story it was trying to tell. Pete the Permie was told to keep his knowledge to himself and let us stumble along, his eyes bulging at our blank faces. We were perhaps the greenest (as in clueless) of the whole course when it came to knowledge of what weeds mean and although we were quite good at observing (that tree is dead! that one too!) we had no idea why it was so. Animal and human activity was easier to unravel and we were quite pleased with our discovery of old chainsaw marks that we concluded was people pinching fire wood and flattened grass and kangaroo droppings never incited so much enthusiasm before. Steve our benevolent guide perhaps wasn’t blown away by our bush skills, but with his gentle prodding we were perhaps able to get more out of our wander than those who just traipsed through showing off what they already knew, well that’s what we like to believe anyway.

Continue Reading