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Lucky us !
We’ve had a throw of the dice! In a winter noted for its wetness (see my previous damp posting) we discovered that we needed to re-roof our holiday rental cottage. Ideally, we needed to do this during...
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Not waving but drowning
Gabrielle normally announces my blog posts on our Facebook pagefor extra cross-media publicity mojo but declined with my last but one. Having just posted pictures of cherry plum (myrobalan) blossom...
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No dig gardening
“To dig or not to dig, that is the permaculture question:Whether ’tis nobler for the mud to sufferThe spades and forks of energetic gardenersOr to leave alone this sea of microbes …”William...
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Busy, busy, busy ...
Not for the first time, I'm apologising for a hiatus in my blogging due to being too busy: running around like a bunch on newly born lambs, as busy as bees impatient to get spring started and go out...
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Guest blog from volunteers Anne and Fiaz
Anne sows seedsStuart and Gabrielle’s smallholding was the first stop on our three-month journey through France, Spain and Portugal in search of ‘the good life’. A few months ago, we quit our office...
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Barn renovation update : April ’13
After a long working day, we take a beer to the field, sit down and hang out with the sheepIt seems that the last time I posted something on our barn being renovated into further holiday accommodation...
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What is permaculture ? – Qu'est-ce que c’est la permaculture ?
mystery hole in comfrey flower / trou mystère dans une fleur de consoudeWhat is permaculture? Each book on permaculture that I’ve read tries variously to encapsulate the idea into a comprehensive...
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In print again – Encore en publication
I promised to continue blogging bilingually and I’ve added a new page (see menu bar above): next to “magazine articles”, you’ll find “articles de magazine”. I’ve now split the articles I’ve written on...
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Dry as dead dingos donger : plus sec qu'une pine d'un dingo (dicton australien)
I’ve been keeping records of the weather ever since we’ve lived here in Brittany. We’ve had a dry summer this year but how dry? With just a week before our building permission expires, we’ve finally...
View ArticleGabrielle passes her Permaculture Design Course / Gabrielle vient d'obtenir...
Gabrielle has been studying for her Permaculture Design Course with Patrick Whitefield … online. I did my own PDC back in 2004 with Patrick and Cathy at Ragman’s Lane farm in the Forest of Dean in...
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Many hands make light work / Beaucoup de gens parfont beaucoup d'ouvrage.
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }(traduction en français à suivre ...)I was recently drinking coffee with Bruno and Mélanie in their wonderful straw bale house**. Cécile popped her head round the door as...
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Finding time to write
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }(Version en français bientôt)There has been a hiatus since my last blog and, not for the first time, I find myself wanting to start a blog with an apology, shortly...
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Learning about permaculture
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }Versionfrançaiseà suivrebientôtWhat is permaculture? Search in books for definitions of permaculture and you will find many variations; permaculture means...
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Why I have not been blogging for a while – excuses 7, 31 and 302b
To add to the usual excuses of being busy with our permaculture smallholding and barn renovation and distracted by writing magazine articles, I have recently started another blog. Clive and Wendy first...
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Where's Wally ? ( ... or find the Queen)
Where's Wally ?The barn renovation-into-a-gîte project that, I’m embarrassed to say, started way back in 2006, is entering its final phase. Last Sunday, on a sunny day he should have better spent...
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Finally, the barn renovation is finished
It’s over. After around 8 years of work, we finished the renovation of a barn into a gîte (holiday cottage to rent) with just 30 minutes to spare before the first holidaymakers arrived. As it got more...
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Real permaculture ...
I’m giving this blog a makeover, aiming to post a bit more regularly. Life, article writing and other projects have served as excuses but I believe that one of the reasons I’ve blogged less is my...
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Permaculture Principles – (Not) The definitive list.
There is a permaculture special in the Jan/Feb edition of the French organic gardening magazine Les4 saisons du jardin bio and I have written an article on permaculture principles. As space is always...
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Things that go bump in the night
Observation is the keystone of permaculture designing but even the most assiduous of observers has to get some sleep. We need a night watchman. Or an infra red scouting camera (a present for my 54th...
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Blog ... what blog ?
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