What is Permaculture? Permaculture is a sustainable design system that provides for human needs while having positive effects on the surrounding environment.
It is based on the ethics of earth care, people care and fair share, and provides practical solutions to the global crises we are currently facing.
Permaculture is for EVERYONE, regardless of their education, background, or previous experience.
Permaculture is NOT just about trees, or just about gardening! You don't need loads of land to practice it and it's a design method that can be applied to all social systems.
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Anyone who has seen me walking the goats or sheep will appreciate my excitement at this brilliant idea! Only I’ll need one with caterpillar tracks to cope with the terrain. Jeroen? Where’s your to do list?

Meet the sheep (and the rest of us!) by joining us on our full accredited Permaculture Design Course coming up 17th August.

I’ve no idea who to credit this photos to as I found it on FB, but I first found it on the page of SPB Tools.
It’s less than a month until our final Permaculture Design Course of 2018 begins. Please don’t miss out!
Our lead teacher for this course will be Michel Thill of Social Landscapes, supported by Jeroen and myself (Andrea). Participants will receive an internationally recognised certificate from the UK Permaculture Association.
Full details here.

Take a look at my favourite photos from this year’s earlier course here.
I love this photo. Mum Dona plus two sorts of trouble 🙂
These little guys are the remaining pigs from Dona’s litter, enjoying their last days with Mum before Dona rejoins d’Rock (our boar).

Jeroen has been putting in a huge amount of effort over the last weeks to install new fencing which will allow our animals to graze more effectively. We’re not just looking to feed the animals from the land, but use their eating, manuring and treading to actually improve the quality of the soil, the plant diversity, and therefore the future grazing
These photos show the sheep enjoying a new strip full of wildflowers. Yes, I know the middle photo shows a goat, but she *thinks* she’s a sheep and that’s what counts 🙂

Hot day, hot pig. Cool bath, cool pig.

Today I’m feeling rather as if I’ve been run over by a horse, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say a sheep. Yesterday our neighbour and local Super Hero, Carlos, came round to help us shear the sheep. I say help, but he did all the shearing of course, and our job was simply to catch and hang onto them.
If I tell you that Carlos did his own 70 sheep in 4 hours, but our 6 took 2 hours, that might give you an idea of the struggles we went through! For four of ours it was their first shearing, and the other two weren’t wildly keen either. But all done, and thankfully it’s a once a year job! Many many thanks to Carlos, who’s expertise we’d not have been able to do this without.

Woolly and nervous in a strange space, ready to be sheared
Carlos shows us how it’s done
 



Naked! All ready to be released back into the field ready for summer.
Meet the sheep, and all our other animals, during our Permaculture Design Course 17th – 28th August.


These pictures were before and after the pigs were run on the field then the land allowed to recover. The quality and diversity is much improved.
Permaculture in practice – Every element should have more than one function 😆 😆



These little bundles are looking for new homes. If you can offer one, give us a shout.

The first Permaculture Design Course of the year is now over and I’ll have some photos for you to see shortly. If you missed out, join us in August instead.
Geri the pot belly pig waited until there was a bit of peace and quiet to share her beautiful litter with the world today. I think every new parent will know exactly how she is feeling right now, babies quite literally climbing on her face!!

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