Fran Higham has had a technical hitch and missed the recent little
flurry of new messages here, but asked me to say she hopes she's now
sorted and would be glad to test her isp by seeing some posts from old
pals (and new ones).

Janet.

(Scotland)

here's another for fran, i know what it's like to ahve those tech
hitches, the fun of owning a computer hey chuckle, to think they can
fly to the moon and back BUT!!!

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://home.dnet.aunz.com/gardnlen/

here's another for fran, i know what it's like to ahve those tech
hitches, the fun of owning a computer hey chuckle, to think they can
fly to the moon and back BUT!!!

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://home.dnet.aunz.com/gardnlen/

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...

Fran Higham has had a technical hitch and missed the recent little
flurry of new messages here, but asked me to say she hopes she's now
sorted and would be glad to test her isp by seeing some posts from old
pals (and new ones).

Janet.

(Scotland)

Now there's a couple of names I remember.

Hope both you and Fran are fit and healthy Janet, and that Fran's tech hitch
is well and truly scratched now.

Pete


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The message
from "pete" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...

Fran Higham has had a technical hitch and missed the recent little
flurry of new messages here, but asked me to say she hopes she's now
sorted and would be glad to test her isp by seeing some posts from old
pals (and new ones).

Janet.

(Scotland)

Now there's a couple of names I remember.

Hope both you and Fran are fit and healthy Janet, and that Fran's tech hitch
is well and truly scratched now.

Very well thanks, Pete.Since we last met here I've visited Oz (without
Mark and the canoe, but had a great time anyway) and John and I have
moved to the island of Arran off the Scottish west coast.

Janet.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
Very well thanks, Pete.Since we last met here I've visited Oz (without
Mark and the canoe, but had a great time anyway) and John and I have
moved to the island of Arran off the Scottish west coast.

Janet.

You came to Oz? ... did ya visit South Aus? and why didn't ya phone me? and
.... can ya knit me a sweater?

Had a quick look at http://www.arran.uk.com/ looks like a great place.

Did you do anything different starting out in a new place with your
permaculture knowledge? ... I mean was it any easier knowing what you know
now than it was before you knew what you.......... you know what I
mean.............???


Pete


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The message
from "pete" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
Very well thanks, Pete.Since we last met here I've visited Oz (without
Mark and the canoe, but had a great time anyway) and John and I have
moved to the island of Arran off the Scottish west coast.

Janet.

You came to Oz? ... did ya visit South Aus?

We went to Darwin where our son was working, and had a trip round the
NT with him..then Cairns (Barrier reef, wow) and rainforest, then
Sydney, fast detour to Blue mountains and that was it..not nearly far
enough or long enough. We loved it all and were very amazed when Dan
(son) returned to the UK (chasing girldriend). They've since split up
and he's talking of going back..he loved working there.Youngest son is
setting off there in the new year to see it for himself :-)

and why didn't ya phone me?

(sob) I thought you had abandoned us for ever and ever; also, too busy
yakking on it to Fran :-)

... can ya knit me a sweater?

Aran sweaters = the Irish Aran island, with one R. Anyway, I can only
knit dishcloths. You wouldn't look your best in it even if I sewed
several dishcloths together.

Had a quick look at http://www.arran.uk.com/ looks like a great place.

Did you do anything different starting out in a new place with your
permaculture knowledge? ... I mean was it any easier knowing what you know
now than it was before you knew what you.......... you know what I
mean.............???

Well, this is only half an acre, was almost entirely grassed. I left
the chooks back at the last place as I consider that too small to let
them freerange and couldn't bear to restrict them to a run, though I'm
toying with the idea of a chicken pen with a tunnel leading into the
sheep meadow next door. I've used the pc cardboard and mulch system for
making new beds; and started a worm farm. Good first season in the veg
garden. But I have to confess this is not going to be a very pc garden
on account of the exotic plants I keep falling for. The climate is one
of the mildest in the UK and supports subtropical plants from NZ, South
Africa and S America, so I'm madly planting all sorts of non-native
decorative stuff.

What have you been up to? Have you still got pigs?

Janet

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
We went to Darwin where our son was working, and had a trip round the
NT with him..then Cairns (Barrier reef, wow) and rainforest, then
Sydney, fast detour to Blue mountains and that was it..not nearly far
enough or long enough. We loved it all and were very amazed when Dan
(son) returned to the UK (chasing girldriend). They've since split up
and he's talking of going back..he loved working there.Youngest son is
setting off there in the new year to see it for himself :-)

That's the posh end of Oz, they have the barrier reef ... we have a pile of
tyres, they have a rainforest we have multi story carparks with plants
painted on the outside.

(sob) I thought you had abandoned us for ever and ever; also, too busy
yakking on it to Fran :-)

OMG you're not suggesting that women talk a lot are ya? :-)

... can ya knit me a sweater?

Aran sweaters = the Irish Aran island, with one R.

Ahh I thought they coodnt speel proppa, I blindly followed the link from the
arran page to a company in arran making aran sweaters......... trikky innit?
.....I feel so mislead now

Anyway, I can only
knit dishcloths. You wouldn't look your best in it even if I sewed
several dishcloths together.

I dont even look good IN my best so I doubt anyone would notice ....


What have you been up to? Have you still got pigs?

No we've eaten em all ... Peggy (the mad one) and Pumba were the last to go
and I have to say Peggy tasted sooo good. serves her right too....

We are almost animalless a couple of hosses a few dogs, a budgie, a
parrakeet (which has decided to stay), a few zebra finches and a
quail....thats it
No pigs, goats, cows, sheep ducks,chooks or geese left.

Maureen has been getting into endurance riding quite seriously and she drags
me kicking and screaming along to the rides where I obediently cook, pick up
hoss poop, and generally try to while away the hours till she comes back and
I have to wash the hoss, feed them both, pass things and stand around
looking radient till she zooms off again and I can relax for another 4
hours.

Permaculture has been the last thing on my mind mainly cos I havent been
around the garden and we don't have the animals... so the garden has been
fending for itself and setting any seeds it decides to anywhere it decides
to, which has made for a bit of a jungle ... and not an altogether
productive one at that, but any growth is welcome I just wish I had the meat
animals to take advantage of it all.

Snake season is here now and I've been hacking my way through some knee and
thigh high growth which would have been better inside an animals belly but
the seed production (grasses and grain) will no doubt set the foundations
for a good growth next year .. thats something I've always struggled with
when grazing the animals ... making sure the seed doesnt get eaten before it
can drop ...

Animal prices are pretty high at the moment ... even chooks ....it seems
that most people downsized in last years drought cos feed was either non
available or very expensive, and now the demand for new stock has driven
prices up.

I'm not really too worried at the moment about getting any more stock, I
eventually want a couple of pigs in an area which used to be the worm beds
but has spread into what we now refer to as Chatsworth Park (an English
stately home) but I'd like it to get a bit bigger before I put pigs on it
cos I've seen what they can do to an area in the time it takes to close
their gate and turn to admire your new pigs....

I know I've said this before.... but I am NEVER going to breed pigs
again....... 2 pigs.... fatten em and eat em..... thats it..... then get 2
more........ no breeding. no huuuuge boar ... no killer mother pig ... just
2 little sweet (yum) and handleable pigs.............

I miss the goats they were real people animals and so useful, and the milk
output was well above the input of feed and care needed, but our lifestyle
at the moment doesn't allow for having animals which need milking every day
so ..... one day but not for a while yet.

This past year has been one of personal turmoil for us so we feel proud to
have made it out the other end still in one peice, at the moment we are just
settling down to what we used to refer to as our normal life, although we
nearly forgot what that was like...even though I like to whinge about the
horse rides they have been a much needed diversion from other things.

Thats it.........my life in one page ..... this weekend ...another ride but
I'll be sneaking off to fish at some of the best fishing spots in the state
which just happen to be very close to the ride base :-) so the hoss and
Maureen will have to feed emselves....

take care

Pete


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Hi guys,
I'm still here, too, ...well, on and off.
Nice to read what you are all up to. Janet, why did you move? You had
such a nice place from the sound of it...?
Sounds like there have been major changes for Fran and Pete too.
Well nothing much has changed here, trees are agrowin', goats still
around and multiplying, chooks have been added, once again. Was pretty
busy this year trying to make a few bob, now busy spending them ... just
got a big paint job done on a shed complex and our rotten old big
corrugated hayshed is being taken down as we speak, stripped to the
still perfect H-beams which next spring, touch wood, will form the basis
for a new shed and office and WWOOFER space and workshop and space to
move stuff into to enable us to do work inside the cottage... in short:
space.

Had a good few WWOOFers this year - thanks again guys and gals' if you
are reading this! - who greatly helped in keeping the garden going, the
trees mulched, the goats milked and fed, and were good fun, an
inspiration and generally nice to have around too.

Donw under spring is on the way but here things are slowing down. We had
the first frost and nasturtiums, tomatoes, cuces, aubergines, pumpkin
plants, all blackened and shriveled up in the tunnel. The house is
getting unpleasantly cold, need the fire stoked up and hot elderberry
juice to warm the insides.

Had a lovely organic produce market in our village last weekend. It's on
only once a year but it's now so successful that there's talk of
additional dates. I (wo)manned the Seedsavers stall
(www.irishseedsavers.ie) and it was great to see people becoming more
and more interested in such issues. Managed to recruit a few new
members, sold loads of seeds and the apple tasting was a big hit too.
There was a 'newly found old apple' variety for tasting the likes of
which I had never tasted before - so refreshingly crisp, juicy, sweet...
must find a space for grafted offspring of that one... ('Mrs Perry's').

Our own apples are becoming more and more productive as well and this
year was a good one for fruit anyway (here in Ireland at least). Surplus
jam sale at the market bought me a few nice new tools!

Anyway, that's it in a nutshell (which reminds me - how long does it
take hazelnuts to come into production?)

TTFN
Ute

BTW Can organise Aran sweater if required, the Aran islands are only a
few miles away as the gull flies - will not knit though!

The message
from Ute Bohnsack contains these words:

Hi guys,
I'm still here, too, ...well, on and off.
Nice to read what you are all up to. Janet, why did you move? You had
such a nice place from the sound of it...?

Combination of things in the last year or two... creeping development
nearby, reduced rural services, annual rainfall still rising. The final
straw was in Spring of 2002 when the new Loch Lomond National Park
opened a disneyfied abomination called the "Lomond Experience", a
trippertrap honeypot and designer shopping mall (parking for 8,000 cars)
on the loch edge.The plan is to keep the rapidly rising numbers of day
trippers corralled in one place to protect the natural environment which
has been under severe pressure.The centre aims to suck in an *extra*
million and a half day trippers per year to the area we lived in.

The bad news is that our old place is on the main scenic, tourist
route to the LE centre :-(. The summer it opened, the huge increase in
traffic, noise, fumes etc made being outside in the garden intolerable;
endless accidents, 5 fatalities within a mile of our gate, no peace and
a lot less privacy. Yuk. So we got out :-)

Janet.