Churnet Valley, North Staffs moorlands

Back home after a weekend away teaching an introduction to permaculture course in North Staffs.  It can be pretty exhausting travelling around, sleeping in a tent or on a couch, and I feel it a bit this morning. However, it was another uplifiting and inspiring weekend for me too, met some lovely people and took some time to think deeply about the subject of permaculture, sustainability and energy descent.

My friend Ian Watt was along to help, having cycling a lot of the way down from Scotland. Ian is on his own Eco adventure, and has finally shed the car to move to the next stage of his low impact existence. Follow his adventures on Ian’s Eco blog.com.

It was frustrating not have had more takers on the course, but it was still very much worthwhile, not least for the feeling of having sown some seeds which hopefully will lead on to more connections being made, more projects starting.

A growing feeling of restlessness is taking hold, I have been based at the Llanfyllin Workhouse for the last 2 years and am very involved with a new housing co-operative group, Permanent Housing and we are seeking a more permanent and permaculture focussed hub to live at and work from. The Workhouse has been a great staging point, but it is finally time to be moving on to pastures new and I have handed in my notice there and will be moving out at the end of the month.

It is fantastically exciting to be contemplating the next move and what could be a huges tep forward for all of us in the group, but also unsettling to be considering up rooting and finding a new base to work from. Putting my life in storage while we wait for the next opportunities to present themselves.

The fact that increasingly we are getting requests to run courses at other people’s venues has contributed to the decision to move. I cant really justify the expense of keeping on a large studio at the Workhouse, to basically store a few books, tools and plants, so the idea is to get a caravan and go mobile- so I can turn up at a course with my little caravan in tow and everything I need in it, ready to rock.

Our next course is in Stoke again, at Farm2Grow and it is yurt making and an introduction to green wood working with the fantastic team from Pikea.org. There are places still available, to make a full Yurt wheel, or to come along and help and learn some skills at a reduced rate. Please get in tocuh if you are interested .. it is Friday, Sat, Sun on the first weekend of August on a small holding in the stunning Churnet valley, North Staffordshire Moorlands.

Peak Oil, keeps hitting the headlines and there was a Radio 4 spot on it on Sunday. Trivialised by a jokey format and undermined by a random interviewee claiming that there is plenty of oil left and eveyone should go back to sleep. The show is about getting an investigative journalist  to look at a contemporary issue, and report back th efollowing week, so before I criticise the show I should wait and see what they come up with in the report.

I found this snippett on David Stahan’s site> “…And the fact that BP was drilling for Macondo, a tiny field containing less than 12 hours’ global consumption, under a mile of water tells us all we need to know about the state of oil depletion.”

For more Peak Oil related fun check out the interactive Oil Depletion map

Tags: permaculture courses