ALS members Blogs

The weather's turned cool here, its been drizzling ALL day and I've had a stack of study to do for mid-semester science exams.I needed something quick and easy, tasty and nutritious for lunch. I remembered I have a huge sweet potato so I dug up a recipe for Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Soup (courtesy of Kurma Dasa - you might remember Cooking with Kurma on SBS years ago).Here it is;Heat oil in a saucepanAdd 1 large tablespoon of red curry paste (or laksa paste)Add the diced sweet potatoAdd 500ml of vegetable stockAdd 1 can of coconut milk or creamAdd 1 tablespoon of palm sugar Let simmer for as long as you like, until sweet potato is soft and mushyAdd a splash of fish sauce (or not if you prefer)Add the juice of 1 limeBlitz to a smooth consistency with a stick blenderServe and enjoySo easy - very, very warming and...

It's only a new 'day' on the calendar of 'days' but its already gaining lots of momentum...Set in May each year, International Permaculture Day came out of a permaculture convergence not that long ago (if I remember correctly) right here in Australia as a way of raising awareness about permaculture and celebrating all its done for people and communities around the world. May was selected as that is when Bill Mollison's birthday is... but what about David Holmgren I ask?Anyhoo,Take a look at the website, perhaps there's something happening near you or maybe you're planning something?And take a bow permaculture - you've made quite a mark in the world since you were born in the '70's and permie people around the planet (and probably the planet too) take their collective (and homemade and edible) hats off to ya!Cheers,SonyaOriginal link...

Here's something really good - great to see the new, much bigger platform Costa has to reach people now.He is a person who really lives and breathes it, he gets it and know he's influencing so many more people - and got me back watching Gardening Australia again,Enjoy,SonyaOriginal link...

I was just over at my other Permaculture Pathways blog-site and re-discovered this definition of permaculture which I wrote a while ago and thought I'd post it here...Permaculture is a design process created in Australia, focused on creating human settlements that are both sustainable and abundant.The emphasis is on creating settlements that do not deplete, degrade or pollute natural systems.Food, water, soil, energy, building materials, shelter, income, fuel, mulch, microclimates, animals and people are all part of good permaculture design.The cultivated ecologies and designed systems of permaculture mimic natural systems.Energy and nutrients cycle throughout, waste from one process becomes the raw material of another, each element performs multiple functions, inputs are kept to a minimum, everything is carefully designed into the system - with maximum yield and dynamic stability as the main aims.Most people who study permaculture find it opens up a whole new world and way of thinking for...

well, long time no post.I'm up to my elbows in uni and loving it.We're on an intra-semester break at the moment, so a little time for other things in life - like housework, food shopping, washing etc.On the permaculture front, I've been thinking about health and resilience lately.I'm thinking that perhaps there may be something in the future where I could bring my nursing skills (and with that a weekly wage, perhaps some funding) to do some community based work around food.I'm also thinking back to the days when I ran workshops here that used to run for one or maybe two or more days - Introduction to permaculture weekends, that type of thing.When we did the first morning introduction rounds I was always interested in just why people wanted to grow their own chemical-free food. Was it because of the environment, climate change, economically driven?But instead the number one...

Random tales of permaculture, gettin' vocal about local, local food systems, self-reliance, growing food, traditional skills, beekeeping, small-scale organic farming and creating community. Tales of Australian lives in the 21st Century. A resource for people interested in becoming more self-reliant. Thanks for visiting, hope to see you again soon... Sonya Original link...

Well, I’ve had my first week of uni and I've been busy settling into what will be my life for the next three years.The load is a little overwhelming at this stage – its all so new as to what to do, where to find things and to know what’s expected of me.Slowly but surely though, I’m getting things ticked off my to do list and burning questions answered. Must admit I'm very impressed with the uni and the support they offer and (more importantly) follow through on. You really do get the feel that they want you to succeed.In the meantime, I’ve gathered a few more followers here (on my poor neglected blog) too – welcome and thanks for signing up! Hope you find something of use to you here.I had got a little tired from all my volunteer work with permaculture and let downs, and dare I say...

No, we're not moving house - well not anytime soon.But we have moved our washing machine inside (yay!). Before it was outside under the house and it was right royal pain in the bum to do the washing.We moved here six years ago. Now, we had previously moved house every two years, so being here six years is a big deal for us.Unfortunately, it also means we have gathered a lot of crap - hence the recent decluttering blitz.But I often think about the day when you first move into a new house and unpack - and how all your permaculture design skills seem to go out the window.You unpack in those early days and fill the empty cupboards, shelves and spaces with your stuff.By the end you're exhausted and all you want is some food (probably take away), a shower, some clean clothes, a clean towel and to make...

Crikey, I've fallen off the blogosphere haven't I?Well, I haven't been idle.Been busy making and selling soaps (and working out how I'm going to keep that going with full-time study), doing pre-semester courses to get up to date with things such as; biology, chemistry and maths (yay!) and getting all the other bits of uni sorted (eg preparing all I need to be able to do clinical placements next semester - first aid courses, police checks, blue cards, making sure I'm enrolled in the right classes, hunting down secondhand text books etc).But tonight my focus will be firmly set on permaculture as we have the first Permaculture Eudlo meeting for 2012 happening from 7pm.We took January off, as the first Tuesday would have been to close to New Years and all the busy-ness post Christmas and its often just way too hot here too.So we've agreed (via emails over the...

Some inspirational weekend reading for you...You know I go on about how permaculture is not limited to backyard food forests, here you can ready about "How farms are using permaculture design to survive and prosper" - from the UK based Permaculture Magazine (which is available in Australia).THINK BIG with your permaculture design... Transition Towns are another application of permaculture design within communities and the systems that support those communities (health, education, transport, building, planning, water, energy, food...).Start in your backyard (at your back door, under your nose) and learn your lessons there, then take it beyond and see how far you can go with it.Knowledge and application of permaculture design builds resilience, which is a powerful skill to have now and to pass onto future generations.Have a great weekend and try to stay dry if you're in South East Queensland or Northern NSW!Cheers,SonyaOriginal link...

... or any community group, be it relocalisation, Transition Towns, organic gardening, reskilling...thought I'd do an infrequent series of posts on how I've gone about setting up and running some local community groups here; permaculture, seed saving, Transition Towns.As things change in the world, and particularly as the economy creaks and groans and contracts more people will be looking for alternatives and wanting to connect with others in their community.First it will be the early adopters, who are doing it pro-actively by choice, then it will be those having to do it by necessity.So I'm kind of imagining that there will be an increase in interest about how to make community connections.Now you don't need to be an expert in it to make it happen, you don't need a degree or any other qualifications - we've lost so much of our personal power to believing that you need an expert...

Since announcing to the world that I?ll be studying nursing full-time I?ve encountered some unusual responses from people.Some were shocked (disappointed?), some said what a great idea (I like those supportive people), some questioned why I was walking away from permaculture? and I feel I have to justify myself and my decision to them??But it isn?t separate, everything is linked, but not everyone can see that.Imagine how useful I could be with nursing qualifications and permaculture design qualifications?Imagine helping people achieve health through growing their own food?Imagine being able to travel and work in places delivering community nursing care and permaculture skills?I know a woman who teaches really useful sustainable living skills ? and she is a doctor.Not many people know she is a doctor - she doesn?t tell many people, but she is on call 24/7 to respond to humanitarian crises as a medical doctor anywhere in the world...

Do you use Quinoa? (Pronounced keen-wa or kwi-no-a) according to a book I read on ancient Incan grains.Being diagnosed gluten-intolerant a few years ago, I've explored a lot of options and found a lot of great new foods that have become mainstays in our pantry, fridge and on the dining table.Quinoa is one of them. Its a great grain to have on hand and great in salads.Although I will admit my use of it is (very) limited.I make just one salad with it, but to be honest that salad is soooo good I don't need to do anything else with it.You can cook Quinoa just as you would rice using the absorption method. I add one cup of well-washed Quinoa to two cups of water, bring it to the boil, turn it right down to low, cover with a secure lid and check on it after about 12 minutes.It does...

Since we moved here in 2005 we've been slowly making improvements to the house. Its a small western red cedar cabin, perfect for two with the occasional guest, but it did need some work.Using permaculture principles we've been slowly but surely (and depending on finances) making the necessary changes to make our home more comfortable and functional.So far we've replaced interior grade doors that were being used externally with solid timber doors, added solar panels to the roof plus a solar hot water system (which has made a huge difference to our electricity bills), and double our water storage capacity.And in the photo above you can also see that we've closed in a carport to make it a functional workshop.To kick off 2012, we've been working on the window and air flow problems. The photo ABOVE shows what we've had - polycarbonate hopper windows, sans flyscreens.These really haven't worked -...

So many people were at my backyard chook talk yesterday at the Blue House in the Yandina Community Gardens that I had to use a microphone so the people crowded in the doorways and on the decks outside could hear.The feedback from people was so heartening too.Its just amazing how much interest there is - warms the cockles of my heart I tell ya.Seems the tide is changing... so just what will 2012 bring I wonder? Its certainly off to a good start for the Yandina gardens, that's for sure.I'll be there on March 3 (TBC) for a worm farming talk too - which will include a practical session.Cheers,SonyaOriginal link...