I parted ways with my legal representative in Ukraine this week. Yes, he’s a great guy and we’ll probably always be friends, but professionally, I don’t think we’d be seeing each other again. It wasn’t a drawn-out fight. It was more of a fizzle when we both realized we weren’t what the other needed. Sometimes…
Tag: Permaculture
A touch of rebellion
I teach self-reliance, the world’s most subversive practice. I teach people how to grow their own food, which is shockingly subversive. So, yes, it’s seditious. But it’s peaceful sedition.Bill Mollison When I first heard these words, spoken by David Holmgren, I had to look up the word “sedition.” Even as a person fluent in English,…
How I am reaching my word count by keeping up my blog
This July I have chosen to be unconventional. Yes, I know that the idea of a Novel Writing Month is to – well – write a novel, but I have decided that I would do just as well to get my word count up by working on this blog, instead. After all, the more posts…
Why would anyone buy a rescue property in a war-torn country?
When I tell people that I want to buy property in Ukraine and move there as soon as the war is over, they look at me with a strange expression, as if they are unsure of the polite way to tell me that I have completely lost my marbles. Then I show them the photographs!…
Property photographs and gut feelings
I spent most of yesterday making sums. And the more I think about it, the more that old wooden house and barn seem like a very good idea. Most of the older brick houses (that I can easily afford) look as if they were designed by the same short person (around 7 years old, methinks!),…
Qualified Permaculture Designer, at your service!
The shouting happened yesterday morning when I opened my e-mail box! I first let my boss’s boss know, as he was hugely instrumental in the success of my project, encouraging me every step of the way, inquiring about my progress, and also helping me secure the necessary permissions for the final project plans. And then…
All over, bar the shouting!
After spending much more than a hundred hours of thought on my final design, I have finally submitted it this afternoon. Now it’s just to see whether I did whatever was needed. (I never considered noise as a factor, but as my project is situated in the middle of town, it is a definite factor!…
A few thoughts on a sustainable lifestyle
Sustainability is a word bandied about a lot by corporations who wish to “greenwash” their operations. Unfortunately, any operation using a finite resource can – by definition – not be considered sustainable, no matter how pretty it’s dressed up. To be truly sustainable, the components of a system must produce more energy than they consume…
A small step towards a more self-sufficient life: preparing for a PDC course
I am busy preparing to take a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, offered by Tom and Zaia Kendall of PermEco in Australia. It’s an online course, and even though their courses and other activities are donation-based, I have still paid what I would have paid to take the same course here in South Africa. To…
Committing myself to a Permaculture lifestyle: booking an online PDF course
The moment one commits oneself, it is indeed true that Providence moves, too! I have set aside the month of May to take stock of my current situation in life and design a way forward. I know where I would like to be in 5 years’ time, but until now, the path to get there…