Posted on Nov 14, 2017

One Sunday in September I went up towards the eco-community at Can Masdeu on a mission. It was before the open days had started for this season, and even after my best attempts at persuasion, Kira and Bernat weren’t that keen to come with me, so they got off the metro early and went to the Labyrinth park. I carried on, went quickly and sweatily up the track to Can Masdeu to collect cuttings and seeds from the Italian Buckthorn trees up there in the food forest. I didn’t see anyone, did the job, then went to find the family in the park. I can’t say it was a bad day.

At home the next day I put some lentils on wet kitchen paper in a tupperware and left them to germinate.

A few days later I arrived at Boodaville with happy tree cuttings in water, sprouting lentils, and a link to the youtube video that shows you exactly how to mix them together so those lentil sprouting enzymes can help the cuttings grow into new trees.

Sadly the volunteers on site weren’t so happy. There had been arguments, expressed and unexpressed differences of opinion, and everyone seemed tired. I couldn’t offer them more than material they needed to work, youtube videos, a list of how to run the site, and to be on the end of the phone. That was just a few days before all the volunteers left, leaving site empty for the last two weeks of the season. Those cuttings are now dead in their pot and the story of this year is that although many amazing jobs did get done, there is so much left on the list…

BUT

Even with care and lentil enzymes would those cuttings have survived anyway? Who knows! And that is the pattern of a project like this, up and down, but with passion and soul behind it to keep trying, keep learning and know that permaculture is the right path.

Today I’m going back to Boodaville, with family, Maja and other friends, and we will stay in a warm and welcoming house rented from a local in Calaceite. We will harvest the olives, keep going with the unfinished planting jobs, enjoy the richness and complexity of nature and of this ongoing, incredible, soul-filling, rollercoaster of a project.

I’m not sure of the exact date, but it is almost a year to the day that I saw OJ for the last time. I miss him.

I am filled with gratitude to all the people who have stepped in when things got tough this year, especially in recent months Kate, Rob, Kerry, Bernat, Maja and Oriol. And we are looking for people who have passion and love Boodaville to join us for more adventures next year and into the future!

18th December 2018

I wrote an email to Women’s Permaculture Guild and this came out :

Hi Heather,

Thanks for all your amazing work on this. You are doing an excellent job of creating engagement.

I honestly have a little problem with the “women only” aspect. While i recognise completely that this is a “reformative” measure based on the current imbalance, I look forward to the time in the future where we can create a “revolutionary” platform representing the equal situation we are ultimately aiming for.

What do I want from your free online course?

I would like to offer the resources from the course to volunteers who come through Boodaville so they have access to your amazing network and resources

I would like to learn a good base in permaculture myself, and I don’t have much time for reading books. I did my PDC in my second language when my daughter Kira was 3 months old so I’d like some more info and to fill in the gaps.

I also want to produce a book, or several books, about what has happened at Boodaville over the years, one with photos of the project, and the designs, one with a kind of connections map about how far and wide Boodaville has had an impact, and thirdly a written book which describes in a clearer way the objectives, particularly with regards to non-formal education and the pedagogical theory behind the methods we use, (especially in the context of our current global situation with climate change, echo chambers and young rich people suffering incredibly high rates of mental illness) and the holistic design of the whole project (which includes a LOT of people care, and a big chunk of Fair Share). I’m inspired by the recently published “Children in Permaculture” book I’m reading written by Lusi, Didi and a third person i’ve not met, and who’s name escapes me. (sorry!)

A deeper reflection on Boodaville leaves me wondering how to fit “design” into the story of Boodaville, because although it is built entirely on the the three ethics, with decisions always taken on this basis, at the beginning certainly, we didn’t have a long-term design. Maybe the future of the project is to see how much better we can do after the last few years working beyond the ethics with “Permaculture DESIGN”.

I’m not sure that’s the answer you were looking for,

I wish I had more time to write more and read more!!

Abrazo

Anna

25th October 2019

La idea de “comunidad” ha pasado de ser una “ecoaldea” de unas pocas personas en el valle, a ser una colaboración con una red más amplia de personas. Al final, si hay casas vacías en el pueblo, y son solo 15 minutos en bicicleta hasta el sitio … ¿realmente necesitamos construir casas en el valle? ¿Es todo el proyecto más rico por ser más abierto y colaborativo e impactar a la gente local?