Creative Permaculture couple in Trentham searching for Swales

I met a lovely guy while parking. 

He saw me trying to shoehorn my car in behind his, got back in, and moved along a bit, to  make my day easier.

Not knowing what's what in this country town, Kyneton, I jumped out and asked him directions.  He was helpful again.  

You really wanta go there? 

Then I asked him if he had a permaculture garden. 

He said Yes!

If you do permaculture for long enough, you become a good guesser. 

"That's a generative-looking person", you say to yourself.

Actually, he is a former a rat-race fashion designer from Sydney. 

An escapee.

Jason and partner Charl just moved their family into a new property in Trentham, the town of all my Grandmothers and Grandfathers. And they were eager for advice. 

So off I went and visited their place.

Little place in the countryside

Here it is. 

Well, one nook of it, anyway.

Charl and Jason and are already gifted Permaculture Zone designers - a six year old who is learning to play the keyboard should always have her own fully-wired cubby house.

They've only moved in a few weeks ago, yet I was able to browse on home-grown beans from their Zone 1 Doorstep garden.
I like the 'Family' of logs fence, bopping up and down in friendly recycled fashion.

Orange Cat, elder of the family

Sheepdog and Flintstone sized bone

Here is the sheepdog, gnashing at his Flintstone era bone, and wondering when he will get his first flock of sheep to guide.
Maybe just one lawnmowing sheep, mate.
Sheep are a lot of work for a young family, and their are higher priority permaculture projects than sheep.

Jason views the marshy awn and rockgarden, and dreams of Swales.

Like putting in cleverly-placed, well-planted water-catching swales. 

So, to catch as much of the winter rain as possible, Jason wants to hire a swale-making teacher, and hold a practical workshop. 

He will get his swales, the neighbours will get some education, and the teacher gets another revitalized property in his C.V.  

So if you are a swale-making teacher, or want some swale designing experiance, please email me, and lets get started. 

Swale profile by Reny Mia Slay, Introduction to Permaculture

                               

If you want to know just how much fun they are, have a look at Phil Cashman's swale workshop, held in my absence on my Community Garden in Odawara. 

Odawara Community Garden design by Cecilia

Drawing them in was my contribution. Arduous, I know.  

Swales are the dark green shading, ditches dug on contour, catching water flowing downhill, and letting it seep into the soil, stored for later use.

The blessing is, once you start Permaculturizing, you never know who will start helping, where things will meander to, how big they will end up.

Yes, Permaculture is a door to the unknown. Its a way to hang out usefully with lively, make-things-happen people.

The dreams will have battered moments, and glorious ones. Definitly, both.

Easter is the aimed-for date for the Swale workshop - please send us your swale teachers.