wood for the taking

Today we went to the local Normanby Hall Country park, as they are still cutting down trees from the strong winds a few weeks back. It was a treat for me as there is loads of free wood going, great if you have a log fire or a pole lathe and an art degree. We helped ourselves to as many logs as we could carry beech and oak, but also aquired some beautiful Wellingtonia pine slices from the trunk of the tree about 2 feet across. I thought I might try and make tables out of them but I’ll see after I’ve scratched my beard for a while. The best part about the pine is that in the middle it’s almost bright pink possibly due to the effects of rotting but I’m no expert.

We also watched a huge tree being cut down, I was in my element, so much so I forgot to take a photo. The little lad loved it too. It’s another thing that I have never seen before, so simple but it made my day.

I had a chat with the head Ranger at the park and was sad but not surprised to find that most of the wood is just burned. Some gets sold to local wood yards but they only want it if it is right next to the road and cut up into lengths. As the park does not have the facilities this rarely happens. They cut up as much as they can and people are invited to collect it but this only applys to the large trunks which need to be removed, much of the smaller branches are still burned. My permaculture brain was working overtime trying to think of a better solution but it was money and time against them. The Ranger said she felt the same but there was not alot she could do.

The artist in me would love to work there turning the huge trunks into sculptures, like one of my heros David Nash but it’s not an option they have to be removed as soon as possible, this is a council run park. I also wonder whether this type of storm will be on the increase in the years to come but only time will tell.

Here is a tree goblin that was seen just after the tree was felled it muttered something about ice cream and ran off.

forget the words just save the world

When talking to people I often find that there are so many phrases that describe being less wasteful and doing things for yourself, such as ethical shopping, your eco foot print, permaculture, low impact, sustainability, self-sufficiency, voluntary simplicity, downshifting, organic gardening, for example, that I confuse myself, am I a organic gardener? a permaculture student? or an ethical shopper? Although they all are different principals they all share a common goal, to make less of an impact on the environment, to not rely on manufactured goods and to produce less useless waste.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the phrases that I forget that they are all essentially, working towards a common goal. People sometimes ask me how can I be self-sufficient when I have no garden? Well the honest answer is you can’t sorry. But would you want to be ? I know there are too many thing that I like and would not like to give up or could not commit to providing for myself every day, cheese the odd packet of crisps etc. When given this answer most people seem to give up, if I can’t live on a farm, cut off from the world, I’m not going to bother. I used to be that person.

I don’t grow all the veg we use as a family of 5, I don’t produce any of the meat fish or eggs and I don’t produce any of my own energy, I can’t at the moment I’ve not the room or the skills. Does this mean I should give up all this hippy talk forget the environment forget the children making clothes in the far east forget it all buy a hummer and drive the kids the two minutes to school, no. I can’t tick the ’self-sufficient’ box, but I don’t waste water, I try and buy locally and seasonally, repair things and I recycle as much as possible. By worring about the phrase you can often feel that you are not achieving a target as you are not 100% self-sufficient or 100% carbon neutral.

The first step is to not give a name to what you are doing, it will not help you reach your goal. I have done this, that’s why when I talk or write this blog I tend to change the phrase according to what I’m talking about. Think about it this way, in the WW2 growing veg was a necessity not self-sufficiency and if it was to have a name it came under the banner of ‘Dig for Victory’. In Cuba when they had the peak oil energy crisis, and then started to pick themselves back up, did they use the term permaculture or self-sufficiency no they called it their ’special period’.

I don’t want you to think that I don’t respect the work that is put in by many different groups around the world, what I am talking about is the average person who wants to do their bit but is confused by the technical terms and ideology of each phrase. Just get the facts see what you are capable of doing and get on with it and when people ask what you are doing just tell them you are a ‘downshifting student of Gaia attempting to live by permaculture principals in a self-sustaining way in order to have a low impact organic fair trade existence there by neutralising your carbon footprint and saving the world’. I bet they will never ask again and you can get on with life. Remember it’s what you do, that’s important not what you call it.

soil association peak oil conference

Last week held the 2007 Soil Association conference it was focused on the urgent need to develop new models of localised food and farming systems. This is in anticipation of the central role that farmers and growers will play in averting climate change and delivering food security in an era of scarce and expensive energy.

you can listen to the podcasts of the various talks on the website, check blogroll.

This was the theme

There may be differing views on exactly when the tide will turn on our oil and carbon reserves, but many analysts predict that it is likely to happen before 2010. From the perspective of climate change, this is not a moment too soon. Although reserves will ensure reasonable availability for many decades subsequently, oil prices are likely to rise sharply, completely changing the dynamics of cost effectiveness in transport, food production, housing and alternative energy sources.

A new and irresistible driver will then, over the next few years, force change in the way we live, farm and buy our food. Whilst many of us have anticipated these changes, it has been the debate over environmental care, closer connection between citizens and the land, and animal welfare that has raised awareness of the need to change both our methods of production and the means by which we process and distribute our food. In the future, however, what has been ‘nice to have’ will become imperative.

The Soil Association’s role, working with many others, is to anticipate and prepare for these changes, for the benefit of our farmers and growers, food networks and society. This conference is an opportunity to take both a big picture look at what the surprisingly near future will bring and to discuss strategies that will allow us to move confidently forward into a world post peak oil.

What pleased me was to see such a high profile organisation tackling such issues. For them to actually mention peak oil and have guest permaculture speakers talking about the need for localised farming, will bring the issues into the mainstream.

walden; or, life in the woods

Walden; or, life in the woods by Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Thoreau an early environmentalist moves to a cabin beside Walden pond, while he lives there for two years he observes nature farms and studies life in general.

Not only is this book filled with everyday activities from his journal but it is a critique on modern life society and other topics which is still as relevant today as it was nearly 200 years ago. If anybody is the father of voluntary simplicity and downshifting then Thoreau is the man.

“men have become the tools of their tools. The man who indepemdently plucked fruits when he was hungry is become a farmer; and he who stood under a tree for shelter a housekeeper. We no longer camp as for the night, but have settled down on earth and forgotten heaven. We have adopted Christianity merely as an impoverished method of agri-culture.”

I could quote this book all day but I will leave it to you to find the great passages within it. He is credited in influencing Tolstoy, Gandhi and other thinkers, and when you read it you will see why. The tradegy is that these thoughts of voluntary simplicity are not new to us at all but we are still a long way from finding a balance with our natural environment.

unlucky few weeks

I have not posted for a while as I ‘ve been in the worst health for a few years, getting a cold which turned into a flu then finally get better and get toothache which has now turned into an abscess meaning my face is all swollen on the left side but at least the pain has gone away. I treat toothache with clove oil for pain as it seems to work really well for me and salt water for the abscess which kills bacteria. Luckily it’s in a tooth which needs to be pulled anyway so the pain is not so bad, I will have to get some antibiotics soon though so that the infection does not spread.

Also the old lady who’s garden I’m trying to buy off the council has moved out, I’m glad that she has finally got somewhere smaller as it was causing her alot of stress looking after a house on her own. However part of me is worried that if they move a family in with three kids they will not want to lose the garden. I tried to phone the planning officer but he is off sick, bugger.

I also missed the Farmers market again, it’s on once a mounth I have never been able to get there in the past as it is in a local village but this time I had worked out the bus route and it was a beautiful day, well there is always next time.

The house work is piling up, and I’ve neglected the little lad over the past few weeks as I’ve not had the energy to entertain him, I just want to get back to normal now. It’s times like these which really test you , it would have been all to easy to get a take out or not not bother where the shopping comes from. Even though I’ve felt like crap I’ve tried to keep to my ethics throughout. Family and friends become more important too I would not have been able to cope without the support of everyone, meals cooked by my mother-in-law etc even the kids helped. Being the one who normally does most of the housework and shopping I realise how important it is to have support when you get ill, this is why I think it’s important that the kids learn how to cook and wash up, it’s not only an important life skill but invaluable when somebody gets ill.

Thanks to everybody who has helped.

the pied piper of hutzovina

I have not bolgged for a while as I’ve not been well and the last few days the wife and I have been on our twice yearly trip away together, a must for anyone with kids and wanting to keep a healthy relationship. This time we used it as an excuse to go and see one of my hero’s Eugine Hutz from the band GOGOL BORDELLO. He is from the Ukrane but lives in new york, and has a brilliant mix of punk and gypsy music.

However this time the show was a film by Pavla Fleischer following Eugine back to his gypsy roots in eastern Europe. Here he meets some of the most talented musicians, who are also some of the poorest and most forgotten people in the western world. These people are not granted any rights and are just shut away, indigenous rights are not given to these people, they are not the large caravan owning people of England, they are poor in the saddest way.

What I admire about this man is that he may have a big ego but he is so passionate about this world and getting back to real music. In an interview after the film he said that gypsy music is any music played anywhere when a bunch of people get together and just play. This was a brilliant night and we ended up meeting him after the showing and got to chat about things he said when he started the band it was more about being an actavist for bringing attention to these people not selling T-shirts.

the thrift of storm damage

Luckily we got away with just a few broken plant pots and a fence pannel but on walking out today there were many trees down- a chance for me to get some wood for the pole lathe. For anybody who turns wood or works with it some other way a stormy day produces loads of free materials. Remember when a plant pot breaks to use the pieces for drainage in other pots and at least it will not be a total waste. A lot of people get rid of old fences after they have been damaged by winds here is another opportunity to aquire free wood for building compost heaps etc. I think a walk after strong winds is always a good idea as there is opportunities for free wood but also to help neighbours by taking a look to see if they have lost any roof tiles. Most people forget to to check their roof after strong winds but it’s so important. If you share a roof with others like in a semi or terraced house and you have both lost tiles and you are not able to repair it yourself offer to split the cost rather than get a builder each. It will save you alot of money. Another tip is when you see a skip full of old roof tiles pick out the best ones and save them, if you happen to loose some it will save you loads of time and money.

pheasants still hanging

The two brace of pheasants we aquired over a week and a half ago are still hanging, I have not had the chance to tackle them as I’ve had my first cold in 2 years, and I also want to pluck and draw it outside, as it’s my first time and I know I’ll make a mess and the weather has been shitty. I was worried that they had been hanging too long but a quick scan on the tinterweb showed that some old country types have left theres for up to four weeks! I think the rule is in cold weather it’s okay and to tust your nose, if it smells okay it’s still worth eating. Even if it’s slightly green it’s still apparently fine but I’ll let you know how I get on, I think there is still a level of the supermarket generation in me that might put me off a green pheasant.

thanks for the support

Can I just say a big thankyou to everybody who visits my blog and especially those who visit regular. 3000 views in little over a month and some days I’ve had over 200 in a day.

When I started it I just wanted a way to record the year and a place to gather information that I’ve aquired. I also gets so many people ask me how to do things or why I have chose to live a certain way, so I thought I’d write it down. There is also the fact that even though a green lifestyle is becoming more popular, it is still the minority who practice it and in my situation I have few or little contact with like minded people. The online community has given me the support and education I needed over the last few years, and I’ve managed to make some friends too.

Here are my favourite blogs stonehead.wordpress.com and bean-sprouts.blogspot.com because they have supported me and taught me alot. Sorry I’ve come over all emotional must be the cold I’ve got. Sorry it’s not a link but I don’t know how to do it.

Please keep looking and please leave comments, it realy helps keep the online community alive.

warmest january on record

In my garden spring has definatly spung, here are my daylillies sprouting already.

Will this mean a hot tropical summer? According to the UK Met office, yes it will, due to global warming coupled with an El Nino effect. But what will this mean for the environment? and if this a going to continue should we not start to prepare for a hotter environment? change our perception of the British summertime? even reviewing the growing seasons? Most importantly, now is the time to start to plan for a hotter summer than last year, to collect as much water as possible, while there is still some rain in the air. Last year was the first year that my water barrels ran dry in eight years.

I must admit though part of me is pleased I’ve hardly had the heating on, saving me money and even though last summer was sometimes a little too hot, there was part of me that felt it made up for all the wet caravan holidays I went on as a child. I think that for England the talk of global warming falls on deaf ears, we are so used to rain showers and miserable summers that the thought of it being hotter is a blessing. However the reality is that this country is not prepared or designed for this sort of hot weather, our homes for example are designed to be warmer in the winter not cooler in the summer, we still treat a hot day as a blessing a chance to get out and have a good time. It’s still only mad dogs and English men, that go out in the mid day sun.

Are we going to see the streets empty at mid-day as we all take siestas and people start to cover up in the sun to aviod skin cancer? Will we see school hours change in the summer so that our kids are not outside at mid-day? No we are going to see beaches full of red day trippers filling up the emergency rooms, hose pipe bans and old people dying of sun stroke. We are not prepared, we still can’t believe that this country can achieve those temperatures, this is why for many people sun tan lotion only comes out for two weeks a year and the rest of the time stays in the suitcase.

The education needs to available now while we have time to prepare, not in July when it’s too late.