An ideal space to write my journal. Building a room of your own is worth learning how to build.

I do need to be mindful of the tree branch situation thought. I am surrounded by Massive Trees.

Can’t get your arms around them sized trees.

I want to improve this little space around the hut too. I want to my it flat and open with a ground cover so that I can train my martial art here.

I want to build my office out of the piles of wood that are lying around. Sitting here I can see them.

I am so lucky to have this spot. This space in the world. I am so grateful.

The loquets are flowering, we have never beaten the birds to the fruit. Maybe this year?

Bath Frog has moved back in after an extended and unexplained absence from the faucet.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Other friends of the house are back too, looking for a place to stay for the winter but still catch the sunny days.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Download 2009 Annual Report ]]> http://www.wholistic.com.au/wordpress/thoughts/charity-waters-fine-taste-in-mandatory-annual-reporting/feed 0 http://www.wholistic.com.au/wordpress/thoughts/about-us http://www.wholistic.com.au/wordpress/thoughts/about-us#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:33:26 +0000 admin http://www.wholistic.com.au/wordpress/uncategorized/about-us We live on a land sharing community about 10 km from Australia’s alternative capital, Nimbin.
I’ve moved from the city after several profound experiences motivated me to connect directly with my supply of water, air, food and energy. I’ve connected with others along the way too and been inspired to document our journey.
I prolifically write, read and take photographs.
This webpage is some of these records.

If you would like to know more about me personally, try Facebook.

 

New communications technology and media allow those at the fringes more equal access to information and ideas.

Page 236 – Ideas and science at the fringe.

I take this a step further and believe that these technologies have given fringe information a stable outlet (a website) and the means to connect that resource to others that relate. This organic network enables people interested in empowering themselves to find others. This fringe facility for collaboration has connected me with dozens of other like minded people – a webring. This can have some interesting side effects.

Recently Nick from Milkwood Permaculture came to the Permaforest trust neither of us recognized each other despite us both being quite intimate with each others work via the internet. This was due to the focus of our interaction being the work – not the personality.

On the internet (wholistic.com.au) my identity is quite separate and left deliberately ambiguous. My website is not a channel for my personal life – these aspects are expressed in more intimate spaces.

There is a freedom of content creation that institutional science does not currently experience. My observations are human and that humanity is accepted, acknowledged and embraced.

There is a show on the ABC tv network called The New inventors. This show highlights the acceptance of fringe (backyard) science, innovation and invention in the Australian cultural context.

This is balanced by a lot of this innovation only finding its feet in the international markets. However the international markets grow closer and the boundaries for penetration are thinning – especially in the areas of information and higher tech content. This is one area I've chosen to invest my time. By disseminating high quality content at low cost to myself and free by choice to the user I am feeling the edge of a new boundary.

 

Failure to deal with the intellectual limitations of reductionist thinking within the scientific disciplines, to develop a culture of wholistic integration, or to reward cross discipline endeavors.

This quote hits the nail on the head. It is the very reason I left university, the details manifested from this root. The failure of the curriculum and the institutions of education to facilitate the growth of my fringe, passionate experimentation – digital photography. I withdrew and as per the timeless myth of man went wandering to find my self and my place.

On this journey I found my teacher, at the very fringe of society, living in Australia as an illegal immigrant. I practiced six months of intense dynamic wholistically integrated meditation with him. This practice gave me a gift to take with me back out into the world.

My awakening, enlightenment and connection to the source of creativity.

I was just as ready for such a transformation in university, but the core limitations of that system held us both back from our full potential.

I did learn some valuable "techniques" – ironically that was the supposed strength of the TAFE system preached to me by the University.

I am now engaged in nationally recognized training in the wholistically integrated system of Permaculture.

Today a Bower bird pecked at an orange as it rolled from the tree all the way down the driveway to the house.
Marvelously it made it to the deck. Very fortuitous.

Our ponds are the highest level ever.
23,000Lt of pure rain water in our concrete tank feels like money in the bank. We can transfer it around the landscape when the sun shines!

Our dry firewood supply is stacked for months supply. Our fire heats our water and helps cook our food. We live in a forest that sustains our supply.

There are gardens growing well around the house. Mature trees form an open woodland around, understory fruit and nut trees.

Our house supports two creative souls the year round.

These are some guidance for life in natural harmony.

Principle 1- OBSERVE AND INTERACT

Principle 2- CATCH AND STORE ENERGY

Principle 3- OBTAIN A YIELD

Principle 4- APPLY SELF-REGULATION AND ACCEPT FEEDBACK

Principle 5- USE AND VALUE RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND SERVICES

Principle 6- PRODUCE NO WASTE

Principle 7- DESIGN FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS

Principle 8- INTEGRATE RATHER THAN SEGREGATE

Principle 9- USE SMALL AND SLOW SOLUTIONS

Principle 10- USE AND VALUE DIVERSITY

Principle 11- USE EDGES AND VALUE THE MARGINAL

Principle 12- CREATIVELY USE AND RESPOND TO CHANGE

There are three ethics to apply to life.
Care of People
Care of the Earth
Share of the suplus

Inspired by Tim Winton and my work with the Permaforest Trust, I will now endevour to integrate these principles into my life. I will also begin tagging my posts with them as they apply.
Source:

http://www.holmgren.com.au/html/Writings/essence.html

http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/

Forests form a key component in the natural hydronic (water) cycle. Sublimation and evapotranspiration carry water from the oceans to the mountains. They also moderate temperature. The sun provides the energy.

Capturing rainfall water from a roof, stored in a tank, pumped uphill by a solar pump and gravity fed to nurture a vegetable garden is possibly the smartest investment you can make towards a healthy productive life. Integrated in the natural cycle. Growing food will immediately and irreversibly open your awareness to the preciousness of fertile, healthy soils.
Incredibly valuable, able to store and grow vast wealth and return essential dividends.

Recent investigations into the highly fertile terra preta soils of the amazon basin have led to some astonishing connections.

A process called pyrolysis controls the conversion of woody biomass to wood gasses and charcoal. The gases can be burnt without the same carbon cost as the fossil fuels. The carbon originally sequestered by the tree from the atmosphere to form its mass is also stored in the charcoal. When this char is crushed up and spread over soils their structure allows the flourishing of life. Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus bind to this and are retained in the soil. It also holds moisture in the soil. The essential microcolgy of fungis and bacterias have habitat. Fertility is retained in the soils, for thousands of years.

Fertilizers are often water soluble. When it rains they accumulate into the runoff that goes into waterways. The farmer must put more on and this repeats. This concentration has massive impacts down the line. The agrichar holds the nutrients in the soil for the plants where they are wanted – clean water continues its cycle.