This has been a big week of connections!
Up at Sanilles in the Pyrenees last weekend the team leaders and some participants for our Youth Exchange in summer, spent two days talking permaculture design. 40 of us are going to be there in July – why not plan carefully and match the energy we bring, to the needs of the project hosting us. It was wonderful to work again with Gerald and Sam who will lead groups to implement water system designs, crucial maintenence and compost systems! And great to be with Ine, Teté, Miha, Klara, Rafa, and Eni, and hear about projects in Portugal, Greece, and Romania.
Another huge happening this week was the Inclusive Design workshop in Barcelona, as part of our “Inclusión Amplficada” Solidarity Project. This was the first time in a while that I was parenting and participating in an event at the same time, and it was fantastic! I’m still buzzing from the energy of meeting new people who want to follow the permaculture path. It was great to give the teaching job to Alfred Decker, who then used our training as the inaugural event at his new space!! And the communication was taken on by Austin who also did an amazing job. The event went as planned – and then some!! Thank you to everyone involved and I hope synergies arise.
Things that went great this week :
- Well the children got to school EVERY day, including this morning even though we got home very late after the workshop last night. Joanna is very happy with the plaster cast off her arm.
- The vegetable garden at La Fábrica is thriving. I started a little three week project with seeds planted in the raised bed behind the strawberries and in one of the permaculture design beds. I’ve been watering every day “light rain style” from the hose, to encourage germination and give them the best possible conditions. This morning I can see the little two-leaf seedlings sprouting up! I hope the storm today doesn’t wash them away. This project is totally inspired by THE Sam experiment investigating tap roots. I’m rather obsessed by growing from seed. (I also pee most days near the apricot tree growing from seed in secluded shady part of the land. It’s gowing SO fast. Shh I’ll tell the community later, I’m not sure if they are ready for my radical nitrogen adding solutions)
- My little wicking bed at home has jazzed up my otherwise very boring lunches of.. pasta, and pasta, and rice. Some lettuce, mint and parsley is just perfect.
- Only one person responded to our pledge page form… but it was Ana Digón founder of the biggest Regenerative Agriculture organisation in Spain. So that was nice. Rob Hopkins replied to my email with a long story about pigeons and said he will share our campaign!! It is also very awesome that Matt Kemp is going to come and play in Cornwall on the 28th March. We’re still unconfirmed as to whether this will be to play music, or playing in the more general “let’s have fun because it’s Saturday” way.
- The MEGA spreadsheet that holds all the projects together is working well, we brought in Vianna to make sure someone else in the world knows how Boodaville works and she gave us the “it’s pretty solid” approval. The finances are in good shape.. as long as things go to plan (see next section!!)
And the more complicated parts of running Boodaville and Rovira Regenerativa this week :
- Our trusty Boodaville Berlingo José decided to have it’s own particular style of flashing light party and then refused to start. The mechanic so far has just said it’s “somthing strange”
- With the help of James Mc.Valde we investigated a few public grants to help us a long, but it looks like nothing is possible until September…. unless the consultants I just emailed can help us out very urgently!!
- How do you take a break and medidate, looking around you at a beautiful living planet, when there are a few people trying, and succeeding so well, at destroying it? It’s hard. I just walk out the garden more and more determined to do what I can, and bring as many people with me as possible.
- Well, there is ONE HUGE thing, the big one. The fundraising. We Boodaville want to buy the vineyard, build a water catchment system, share seeds and inspiration with the world. Bring people from all walks of life along with us. We could spend the money we are asking for in a moment – the planned second van would be pretty useful this week! also to have twice as much manure and biochar for the fields, and we could agree to buy the land in the village tomorrow – then have a confirmed rainy day option for our next practical weekend on the 13th March.
We have launched the pledge page and got some, but not a lot, of attention. We have asked some friends and family if they can pledge now to help us design the campaign, we need to contact organisations and somehow find the right people (the ones who can just sign off on supporting our work!) Our path through all of this is part of a holistic design, we support all sorts of initiatives, projects, activists ourselves that giving us a leap forward is interconnected with so many other things! So if you read this far and you trust us to make good choices – a click to pledge would be deeply appreciated!!
Have an enjoyable restful weekend, and let’s hop to see just a little bit of sunshine. And maybe a calçot or two!
