By Nyrees
Things have been pretty quiet here in the Permaculture camp, this is the first blog for quite a while, we have not been overly active in the world at large for the latter half of the year either due to respective personal circumstances that we had to stop and give attention to....However in the words of Pietro Aretino.....Let us love Winter, for it is the Spring of genius. To that end and off the back of a couple of Permaculture meetings at our secret headquarters we have laid down some plans and have news to share....please see below for our updates on Nettles, Seeds and Our shared online Permaculture resource.
In other news i am excited to tell you i have a new job looking after an allotment for a local junior school, see pics above and below, it is a well established site but does have a few issues to contend with, i am currently assessing the site and have started a permaculture plan, ill document this on the blog and on the website but if you would like to come along and visit (or lend a helping hand) to see what permaculture practices i am implementing please get in touch through our contact page. I have also been given the go ahead to hold workshops at this site...which is fantastic news this is in the planning at the moment as soon as we have events going on they will be posted to our news and events page.
In other news i am excited to tell you i have a new job looking after an allotment for a local junior school, see pics above and below, it is a well established site but does have a few issues to contend with, i am currently assessing the site and have started a permaculture plan, ill document this on the blog and on the website but if you would like to come along and visit (or lend a helping hand) to see what permaculture practices i am implementing please get in touch through our contact page. I have also been given the go ahead to hold workshops at this site...which is fantastic news this is in the planning at the moment as soon as we have events going on they will be posted to our news and events page.
SEEDBANK LIST Autumn 2016
This is the list of what we currently hold in the Seedbank...we are hoping to get it out and about to a few events in the near future and will hold a Seed swop event next Spring, but in the mean time if there is anything you would like please get in touch we will endevor to get them to you in person or by post as far as we are able. If you do have Seeds you could dontate to the bank (preferably open source and organic) please do get in touch with us .....we would love to hear from you.
Permaculture Network Online Resource news -
We did have a shared dropbox with lots of information about Permaculture, herblism, Law and ebooks to name a few with the idea being people can join and not only use the resource but add to it too. Due to the cartel like nature of large digital corporations we hit a ceiling on it and could no longer able to upload to it unless we paid them money. I have now moved the entire content onto Mega a cloud storage service with an interesting background http://www.backupreview.com/mega-review/
We are now able to carry on uploading, we are still exploring the sites usability but if you would like to join please contact us and we will add you, we have been adding resources for a few years now so it really does contain a wealth of information.
We did have a shared dropbox with lots of information about Permaculture, herblism, Law and ebooks to name a few with the idea being people can join and not only use the resource but add to it too. Due to the cartel like nature of large digital corporations we hit a ceiling on it and could no longer able to upload to it unless we paid them money. I have now moved the entire content onto Mega a cloud storage service with an interesting background http://www.backupreview.com/mega-review/
We are now able to carry on uploading, we are still exploring the sites usability but if you would like to join please contact us and we will add you, we have been adding resources for a few years now so it really does contain a wealth of information.
NETTLE NEWS
In the wake of our disapointment of having to cancel this years #Nettlefest we are very excited to announce that we have set the time and place for #Nettlefest 2017. It will be on the 20th May at Martineau Gardens in Edgbaston. This location means we will be able to bring it more than ever before. It is a community based event intended to spread the word about this abundant resource and its many benefits. It is also an event intended to bring the community together to share knowlege skills and fun in a casual setting. In terms of anyone getting involved.....Aside from the Nettle part of the day the emphasis is on the community part....its a bottom up community festival and the loose idea is there are so many people in our communities with knowledge and skills to share that people come along and do what they do!...in essance we are open to offers as it should just reflect what amazing work people already do and provide a space for people to get together and strenghen our networks. In terms of our ideas and what has been achieved before we will be holding workshops/talks...perhaps a foraging/botanical walk. We will have a market place for local stallholders making local produce (food/craft) We need music...through the day ending with a jam round the fire for the last few hours. I would also like this year to have a speakers corner type area...we will have a kids area so need people for that preferably with a current dbs...we usually have about 4 floating volunteers for general work...i would also like some kind of interactive art/craft stuff going on as well as kids face painting. We will have a food area and any helping with photos/doing some filming would be amazing as well as help with promo...we should have a poster ready in the next few weeks...help with set up/clear up would be great too...er thats all i can think of at the moment...but basically anything anyone can do, little or alot would be amazing. Oh and we do ask people if possible that they give a slight nod to the Nettle during what they are doing on the day.
Harvest Nettle now for fibre and paper making as it is the best time of year...i have been busy doing this myself and hope to have some to bring to Nettlefest so we can have demonstrations of working with the fibre and also papermaking...this will be interactive so people can also have a go at this themselves on the day. If you do want to have a go yourself and cant wait till next May then i cant recommend the book
Yarn from wild Nettles : A practical guide by Birte Ford highly enough it contains everything you could possibly need to know and is useful for those of us in the UK as she is based in Scotland therefore her experiments are and have been done on our native Nettle as opposed to Ramie which is a Nettle species native to Asia and the one more widley used especially in commercial terms to make fibre.
Harvest Nettle now for fibre and paper making as it is the best time of year...i have been busy doing this myself and hope to have some to bring to Nettlefest so we can have demonstrations of working with the fibre and also papermaking...this will be interactive so people can also have a go at this themselves on the day. If you do want to have a go yourself and cant wait till next May then i cant recommend the book
Yarn from wild Nettles : A practical guide by Birte Ford highly enough it contains everything you could possibly need to know and is useful for those of us in the UK as she is based in Scotland therefore her experiments are and have been done on our native Nettle as opposed to Ramie which is a Nettle species native to Asia and the one more widley used especially in commercial terms to make fibre.
During a recent trip to Mid Wales i observed these white blobs on some patches of Nettles at 2 different sites local to each other. I was intregued as i have never seen any thing like it before. After a bit of research it was revealed to be Nettle pouch Gall This structure is caused by the gall midge or gnat Dasineura urticae. Apparently the nettle pouch gall shows a scattered distribution throughout the United Kingdom and is under recorded..there is a map here http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/dasineura-urticae
that covers Leicestershire and Rutland...so if anyone spots any let us know and maybe we could start plotting locations on a map. Interstingly whilest some of this species is considered a pest a large number of species are natural enemies of other crop pests. Their larvae are predatory, and some are even reported as parasitoids. The most common are aphids and spider mites, followed by scale insects, then other small prey such as whiteflies and thrips, which eat the eggs of other insects or mites. Investigations are ongoing but as ever the Nettle being the adaptable plant she is didnt seem overly fussed by the whole thing!
that covers Leicestershire and Rutland...so if anyone spots any let us know and maybe we could start plotting locations on a map. Interstingly whilest some of this species is considered a pest a large number of species are natural enemies of other crop pests. Their larvae are predatory, and some are even reported as parasitoids. The most common are aphids and spider mites, followed by scale insects, then other small prey such as whiteflies and thrips, which eat the eggs of other insects or mites. Investigations are ongoing but as ever the Nettle being the adaptable plant she is didnt seem overly fussed by the whole thing!
CREATIVITY THROUGH ART
In the latter half of this year for a number of reasons i found myself in a physical and mental place where i felt drained, empty and stuck this lead me to working through this by applying permaculture principles to myself and getting creative to shift the blocks and reach new levels of understanding in order to move on ...See below for a couple of my offerings....
In the latter half of this year for a number of reasons i found myself in a physical and mental place where i felt drained, empty and stuck this lead me to working through this by applying permaculture principles to myself and getting creative to shift the blocks and reach new levels of understanding in order to move on ...See below for a couple of my offerings....
I have been making alot of Pagan Madelas with the same general meaning as the Hindu ones representing the universe/all that there is. So of them are abit off-piste in mandela terms...there is one i did to represent the Sun/Moon, Male/Female but also encompasses non- duality. I also did a Celtic Trinity Knot for Love, Honour and Protection. I have been making quite a few lately for a few reasons, firstly as a kind of meditation....while making the mandela first breathe then focus on the self....i also make them to give thanks and also because i have been sending them to someone i love but cannot be with at the moment...they are inspired by what we talk about, lately we have chatted about love as energy, love as a state you exist in and how it radiates out. The true nature of male/feminine aspects of the self and true, pure human interaction....which incidentally with me loving word play lead me to notice that you can break the word mandela down into Man Del (Spanish for of the or from the) Her.
Please see the short film below of a few mandelas i have created......
 | Messages of the Birds
In drops first words on a Bran new page resurrection through the flame Initiation with the White Lady of the Woods Kindles the Spark of Passion leads to new Magik which holds ALL To go where no other will go passed the point of no return Truth is in the eye of the beholder Eye (I) contact - Know Her Arc It is luminous at the point of proximity The trajectory IS the pathway Adaptability flows into the path of least resistance Guided through visions of black, white and Grey Brings me to an irridesant shimmer Now I endevor to show my true colours shake it all off and stand tall Ascend upwards to kindred gods then ground and be ital Strut with a mindful placing of feet Refined and incorruptible in my outward display Graceful femininity - BEFORE THOUGHT An emblem of Love Given Freely Tempered now through the Vault of Heaven Watched on by the Eyes of the Stars I look back from the light - see a shadow is Cast It grants the ability to see the spaces in between there appears a Golden Egg As I channel emotion and expand the source of life it brings forth a State of Mind that runs deep with a majesty of press ance There also lies the Schism Stitched together with a Divine Common Thread |
PLANT A SEED ALONG THE WAY...is a project i am supporting and helping with please see below for details.....
One Map....One Bike...One Plan....End Unknown
#Plantaseedalongtheway
It’s about simple steps that can be taken by anyone...it can take a lifetime to make the steps alone, some people have in the that hope others would not have to....
In the summer of 2017 Paul Haydon is undertaking a mammoth journey from Alicante Spain and travelling across Europe to the UK on his Harley Davidson Roadster 883. You can see a map with his planned stop off points here....
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVs8GJNxJz9xfeDqUXQjP6sF9ig
Paul arrived in Spain 4 years ago from the UK as a medical refugee in order to be able to legally produce Cannabis Oil as medicine for both himself and
Others. Working together in Spain with just medical users they took what had been left by others and set to work. They were not lead by anything but pushed to find another way to live, some did not make it - they died. It’s not nice but that's the way it is in the world of mainstream medicine, others will die before he sets off.
Many have spoken out on this issue and taken the moral approach over legal responsibility. Medicine should not be bought into the political arena. We are left in a situation where the healthcare of millions is being cast around by political groups and organisations, whilst the health benefits of Cannabis oil are laid to waste. This issue is one example of many problems we face today living in the shadow of corporate greed and corruption, destroying the planet and seeking to control others...it is time to take back self- responsibility for our own well-being, put forward solutions and share open source information.
Refugee - The Ride to Return
In this world we all ride together, it is time to put differences aside. The ride to return highlights what can be achieved when people can stand together in compassion and work together with honour, respect and dignity.
All are invited to join Paul and ride with him at any point along the journey whatever you ride be it motorbike, pushbike or mobility machine. If you would like to offer a stop off point on his journey for a meal, a nights’ sleep or a cup of tea and a chat please get in touch.
Along the way we will be tracking the journey online and through social media and asking for your help with this by filming and taking photographs also. We would like to chat and document your stories, those who have been affected by the laws surrounding Medical Cannabis.....
One thing is for sure Paul will set of heading for patient number 8 one of many that now have a life to live, thanks to YOU that's right YOU all of YOU.... every one that spoken out over the last 50 years. Or even longer... from your grandfather and mother to your children around you now... together we are showing the world we can and do make change and it’s for the better... Bob rides to honour the ones that are no longer with us.... what he calls his fallen brother and sisters, his army of the dead or Angels..... They are no longer with us....but they sure live on in everything we do...................Please share far and wide..............
#Plantaseedalongtheway
It’s about simple steps that can be taken by anyone...it can take a lifetime to make the steps alone, some people have in the that hope others would not have to....
In the summer of 2017 Paul Haydon is undertaking a mammoth journey from Alicante Spain and travelling across Europe to the UK on his Harley Davidson Roadster 883. You can see a map with his planned stop off points here....
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVs8GJNxJz9xfeDqUXQjP6sF9ig
Paul arrived in Spain 4 years ago from the UK as a medical refugee in order to be able to legally produce Cannabis Oil as medicine for both himself and
Others. Working together in Spain with just medical users they took what had been left by others and set to work. They were not lead by anything but pushed to find another way to live, some did not make it - they died. It’s not nice but that's the way it is in the world of mainstream medicine, others will die before he sets off.
Many have spoken out on this issue and taken the moral approach over legal responsibility. Medicine should not be bought into the political arena. We are left in a situation where the healthcare of millions is being cast around by political groups and organisations, whilst the health benefits of Cannabis oil are laid to waste. This issue is one example of many problems we face today living in the shadow of corporate greed and corruption, destroying the planet and seeking to control others...it is time to take back self- responsibility for our own well-being, put forward solutions and share open source information.
Refugee - The Ride to Return
In this world we all ride together, it is time to put differences aside. The ride to return highlights what can be achieved when people can stand together in compassion and work together with honour, respect and dignity.
All are invited to join Paul and ride with him at any point along the journey whatever you ride be it motorbike, pushbike or mobility machine. If you would like to offer a stop off point on his journey for a meal, a nights’ sleep or a cup of tea and a chat please get in touch.
Along the way we will be tracking the journey online and through social media and asking for your help with this by filming and taking photographs also. We would like to chat and document your stories, those who have been affected by the laws surrounding Medical Cannabis.....
One thing is for sure Paul will set of heading for patient number 8 one of many that now have a life to live, thanks to YOU that's right YOU all of YOU.... every one that spoken out over the last 50 years. Or even longer... from your grandfather and mother to your children around you now... together we are showing the world we can and do make change and it’s for the better... Bob rides to honour the ones that are no longer with us.... what he calls his fallen brother and sisters, his army of the dead or Angels..... They are no longer with us....but they sure live on in everything we do...................Please share far and wide..............
Thanks for reading...in case the dark nights are getting you down i leave you with the words of Albert Camu...
In the depths of winter i finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer....catch ya next time....
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