June 2011
I have a certificate in Permaculture Design!
Next stage; Diploma Pathway.
Next stage; Diploma Pathway.
18th August 2011
I began my life review essay. I am quite pleased with what I have got down already. I have covered my early childhood years and connections with nature.
I began my life review essay. I am quite pleased with what I have got down already. I have covered my early childhood years and connections with nature.
24th August 2011
Did some brainstorming with Alex. The hard to decipher scribbles can be seen here. Messy I know but a useful and productive process. These scribbles are done at a point when I have come to a grinding halt with my life review essay. About half way through the process. I hit a block. I will get back to it but these scribbled notes will still be available to refresh my memory once I feel I am ready to continue the life review essay.
More frantic late night scribbling!
Alex encouraged me to do some mind mapping and following despairing a little at my "writers block", the process of getting things down on paper left me
with increased conscious space and eased sufficiently to head for bed. Good night! x
29th August 2011
Alex, Seth, Bow and I got back from drum camp last night. It was a chance to relax in some woodland, refresh old acquaintances and make new connections. Opportunities to apply PD everywhere. Was good to catch up with Amy from my PDC in Norfolk.
Very tired and drained now but put together a rough few ideas and mind triggers on paper with Alex to remind me of all the connections that I made during drum camp to remind me of all the possibilities and potential links.
Very tired and drained now but put together a rough few ideas and mind triggers on paper with Alex to remind me of all the connections that I made during drum camp to remind me of all the possibilities and potential links.
31st August 2011
Crying out for a good mulch over winter!!
Visited an allotment site that needs attention that is currently run by a Mental health charity. It could be a great site to develop with Permaculture principles and become a venue for delivering OCNs perhaps in permaulture? Will speak to Kev about Food forests too. Could be a site at which to deliver Intros to Permaculture in the future?
8th October 2011
Action learning Pathway is in progress! Very pleased with the results so far. Organic methodology utilised, pen, paper, creativity and a digital camera. I feel excited once more, the feeling of unproductively staring at an inert computer in frustration has left me.
10th October 2011
ALP Completed! Pleased with end result.
11th October 2011
Skills flex created with pen and flip chart pad. I am far more inspired by the more "organic" end result than I have been with my sterile looking mind maps that I have so far generated using the VUE programme. I am not writing view off, but for this output I will concentrate on other more productive areas as time is of the essence now.
14th October 2011
Success! I have got to grips with Weebly. I am now gradually building the website up and I hope to be able to present the Output 1 in it`s entirety on the website thus making my Diploma work easily accessible for my tutor, Richard Perkins.
Good progress.
Good progress.
17th October 2011
I have completed my Process reflection and uploaded it to my website.
I enjoyed a visit today from a friend that heads the ecology dept of the local University, Dr Dan Forman. He is interested in my idea of utilising the area of Margam Park that I have ear-marked for a food forest that was until very recently, a steep bank covered with Rhododendron ponticum. Tomorrow I will pursue the possibility of funding for deer fencing, and arrange a date to speak about it with the park manager.
There is the potential to develop an area previously covered by an invasive soil-impoverishing exotic into a food forest, and bring in the expertise of the University to study the area`s progress and officially record any (undoubted!) increases in biodiversity levels. If it could be proven, with scientific back up, that a barren non-productive desert of rhododendron could be turned around to an area at which biodiversity levels can be drastically rejuvenated whilst also producing a yield and simultaneously putting a park on the map as far as creative and genuinely useful research is concerned, whilst utilising the principles and ethics of permaculture, then I think that I can safely say that multiple objectives would have been achieved. It would of course be fantastic positive press for permaculture. I am excited about this prospect and following discussions with Dan am thinking of a new project for my Diploma based on integrating scientific research with permaculture awareness raising and demonstration.
Dr Dan. W. FormanSpecialist Subjects: Carnivore ecology; social and reproductive behaviour; wetland ecology; wildlife disease and parasitology; conservation ecology of British flora and fauna
. Dan is; "essentially interested in how animals utilise the environment around them and the many ways in which environmental or social factors influence individual foraging and reproductive decisions. Much of this research is focused on mustelid (e.g. otter, polecat and American mink), rodent (e.g. water vole) and bird (e.g. moorhen, coot and tree sparrow) species as study organisms."
I enjoyed a visit today from a friend that heads the ecology dept of the local University, Dr Dan Forman. He is interested in my idea of utilising the area of Margam Park that I have ear-marked for a food forest that was until very recently, a steep bank covered with Rhododendron ponticum. Tomorrow I will pursue the possibility of funding for deer fencing, and arrange a date to speak about it with the park manager.
There is the potential to develop an area previously covered by an invasive soil-impoverishing exotic into a food forest, and bring in the expertise of the University to study the area`s progress and officially record any (undoubted!) increases in biodiversity levels. If it could be proven, with scientific back up, that a barren non-productive desert of rhododendron could be turned around to an area at which biodiversity levels can be drastically rejuvenated whilst also producing a yield and simultaneously putting a park on the map as far as creative and genuinely useful research is concerned, whilst utilising the principles and ethics of permaculture, then I think that I can safely say that multiple objectives would have been achieved. It would of course be fantastic positive press for permaculture. I am excited about this prospect and following discussions with Dan am thinking of a new project for my Diploma based on integrating scientific research with permaculture awareness raising and demonstration.
Dr Dan. W. FormanSpecialist Subjects: Carnivore ecology; social and reproductive behaviour; wetland ecology; wildlife disease and parasitology; conservation ecology of British flora and fauna
. Dan is; "essentially interested in how animals utilise the environment around them and the many ways in which environmental or social factors influence individual foraging and reproductive decisions. Much of this research is focused on mustelid (e.g. otter, polecat and American mink), rodent (e.g. water vole) and bird (e.g. moorhen, coot and tree sparrow) species as study organisms."
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