Saving seeds and so much more (Growing Challenge)

So....Why was I in Gulgong???

Because the national seedsavers conference was there of course! About 50 people from Australia and overseas met at the Gulgong showground to be fed the delicacies only the show society wives could dream up (think homemade scones with homemade jam and cream, homemade lamingtons - far cry from the packaged variety, lunch plates with over 15 types of food on the plate, and all of it delicious, oh and trifle for dessert)

Oh and there was the whole seed thing. Seedsavers was set up my Michael and Jude Fanton and supports and teaches seedsaving in australia and around the world. I am part of my local seed network in the Shoalhaven where we distribute seeds and other plant stock at the Tomerong Markets each month.

We had some great speakers, David Murray on Genetic Modification - widely known Australian Author (I had actually borrowed one of his books from the library the week before and was surprised to realise he was the author, and that he only lives an hour away from me.) Peter Andrews was another speaker who was brought to Australia's attention through an ABC program Australian Story (I remember when presenting for Permaculture at the Royal Easter show last year everyone talking about him (you can see an excerpt from the show if you click on his name) I watched the show and later purchased his book, in which he talks about Natural Sequence Farming, his way of studying the hydrology and nutrients in the land to amazing results.

We also had workshops on developing local seed networks, saving different kinds of seeds, both edible and native. Sue Pridmore, a local from near the Gulgong area came and did some basket weaving, which was intrigueing. I have decided that after I work out weaving on the loom, it will be my next project.



My friends and I camped in the showground under the cattle yard roof without tents and this was the view from my sleeping bag when I woke up....


Utter Bliss! New friends made, and lots of exciting seeds swapped to give me lots to plant as soon as my house is mine....Please pray for the sale to go through this week, I am signing the contract today but the solicitor needs one more piece of information before I can exchange and the owners are starting to grumble about the time it's taking.

Lights off....thinking caps on

I, like many others will be participating in earth hour tonight. This was started in Australia last year and picked up by many, to the point where this year it has gone global. The idea is that for one hour (8-9pm friday 28/3/08) as many people, businesses, govt depts turn off all lights and non essential technology.

There has been some criticism of it claiming to have reduced emissions by so much depending on how many people sign up. My understanding of this is that it takes a few hours to switch a powerstation down and then similar time to start up again and if they do not know exactly how much less will be used they can't really cut back the power production.

I personally see this event as a part of a growing recognition by people and communities that things need to change. It's exciting that people are getting involved. However, if all people do is turn their lights off for one hour a year nothing will change. Instead use this time as a household to brainstorm ways of reducing your emissions, your waste, and your energy usage. Look at ways you can get involved in your community, in lobbying govt for change. Be creative. If this doesn't build momentum for change then why bother.

I personally will be enjoying earth hour over some candles and a bottle of wine with my friend Sue in her strawbale house talking about the national permaculture convergance she has just been to. Better finish work quickly so I can get there sooner. Talk later. Hannah

Eco House

On the way home from the hike we dropped in on a friend. He and his wife have a property in Nerriga which is inland from Nowra on an unsealed road to Canberra. There is a little cottage where we shared a cup of tea and saw his rough set up with car batteries powering a 12 volt lighting system and his portable dvd player, and gas used for cooking and refrigerating, but only when they are staying there.

They are building their dream home, and once finished plan to live there almost full time, but a lot of the preparation and work is being done by him and I think he really enjoys being a hermit in the bush, but was still glad to show off the house.

They have excavated large areas visible in the bottom photo, the house will be on two levels and once completed the earth from the excavation, currently in piles at the top of the hill will be pushed back over the roof and native grasses grown.

This first photo is of their water tank, the structural parts internally are made of reinforced steel with concrete brick surrounds and once complete will be filled with concrete and the timber frames removed. this is done because the house will be built on top of it. They are planning to use solar power for lighting and heat pumps to heat water and provide air conditioning in summer at the same time. They have a worm farm and reed bed system for sewage and then using the water to irrigate the fields down by the creek where they may look at growing some of their food, although it looks like it will be a battle against the critters, white ants demolished their orchard that was her 50th wedding anniversary.
It was great to actually see the place after hearing about it for a long time.

My house process is continuing, just waiting for all the red tape of title searches and bank approvals and valuations, all of which are not concerning, just time consuming. . . more updates soon.

Easter Hike

Went on a lovely hike over Easter Long Weekend with a group of friends from my bible study at church. There were six of us, and we headed off after the morning service on Good Friday to Wog Wog, an area of Morton National Park on the south coast of NSW. It took about an hour to drive there and then a four hour walk through ghostly gums and rock monoliths

We camped at a place called cascades, so named because of the lovely...cascades there, swimming was enjoyed by the braver members of the party, myself included, and did a good deal to wash away the sore muscles and make you feel alive (around 15 degrees celcius and colder out than in.)


A picture of the group around the campfire, with my lovely tent in the background. I didn't get to sleep in it though due to the gender mix, and I did miss it a lot. Had a lovely dinner and sat around the fire as the mist settled in for the night telling stories and drinking tea before heading off to bed with a nalgene bottle full of hot water.


My friend Frances took this photo of the gum trees and I thought it was just beautiful, the dampness in the air makes them really come alive in their colours and kept us comfortable while walking. This area can be very difficult to walk in in hot weather as you can very easily become dehydrated. No danger of that on this walk though, and we enjoyed walking as it kept us from getting cold. (I must add a note that the weekend before I spent in balmy sunshine only half an hours drive away from here sunbaking and snorkelling for hours. - gotta love the weather)
And here is Gareth, a hiker on the rock. A small arrow led up the hill and around the back of this huge rock monolith of conglomerate stone, lookes like millions of giant pebbles stick together with dark concrete and lovely to climb. I feel so priveleged to live here, and to have health that enables me to get out in God's creation. For me this trip was as much my Easter worship as any church service could be. The bible says that all creation honours God and as I walked once again through this area I could not but agree.

Moss and Rocks and Falling Water

On Sunday I went for my first walk with the Shoalhaven Bushwalkers. We went to Granite Falls, a spot just south of Nowra on the South East coast of NSW (Australia) About half an hours drive from where I live.

It was a tough walk, all off track, walking through bush that is essentially untouched, taking navigation from creekbeds and ridges identified in the maps we had. I loved it. We walked across the top of the falls to start and then down a ridge to the creek in the first photo. We stopped here for morning tea and then spent an hour walking up the creek to the base of the falls. The area around this spot is famous for it's beautiful sandstone and very distinctive mountains, the budawangs. Granite falls however is as it's name might suggest, made of granite. It is spectacular, with the water falling to one level and then over another, and from the base was breathtaking.



















We then walked down the creek to where it joined a larger river, and there was a great swimming hole where we stopped for lunch and to refresh ourselves.

We then fought our way back up the river against lots of undergrowth and back up the hill to where we had left our cars. Although walking in this way is probably a lot harder, I find it so rewarding in that I am going somewhere possibly no-one has ever walked before, somewhere special. The places you go that are hidden from most of the world but are so amazingly beautiful, remind me that there is a God, and that he created the world. Every bit of it is spectacular, even the parts that almost no-one looks at. And all that you can do is stand in awe and breathe .... Thankyou.

I have decided to join Rhonda at Down to Earth in her challenge to give 3 gifts back to the earth this year, I hope I will continue with this forever, and I am sure that I will get used to living without these things.

I pledge to never again use a polystyrene cup, and to lobby the groups I am involved in to do the same. I will take my own cup if I plan to get takeaway coffee or do without. I will not buy disposable picnicware and I will not buy food packaged in polystyrene. This will require thinking ahead, going to the butcher as well as to the supermarket, but should be a fun challenge.

I Pledge to not accept a plastic bag, except where required to wrap meat. This will be harder I think as there are so many times you don't think about the plastic bag, eg Around the grapes at the supermarket, I am not sure if I will be able to cut out all plastic bags that are packaging on food, but I will attempt to do so. I have a friend who opens the supermarket packets after she pays for the items and pours the food into her own containers and gives the plastic back, I want to see if I can do this, but where possible I will shop at my local food co-op. It's only open once a month so this will be more difficult, and they have a very limited range.

I pledge to not buy bottled water. The energy costs in this are so extreme, when the water in our taps is more than adequate for drinking. I will not throw out the bottles I do have, but will refill them and use them rather than buy any new ones, and will use the nalgene type unbreakable plastic bottles that I have for hiking.

I want to continue to simplify my life and recognise that it is not an easy thing to do in a world where we are pushed to produce more waste. I will try and be accountable if I slip up and share any interesting events that occur in the pursuit of my gifts to the earth.

Hannah