The Introduction to Permaculture course Darren and I both took part in last weekend was brilliant and for those of you wishing to find a positive path in the heavy chaotic business of worrying about what the future holds for ourselves, our families, our friends and our societies and lifestyles this course delivered by Ruth O’Brien in Bristol comes very highly recommended by both of us..

Ruth O’Brien is an incredible teacher with a marvelous aptitude for making her students feel like they have discovered the way to make a huge difference in the world which so many of us are told we are harming so horribly but seem to never be told how to begin to fix the problems we are causing. Ruth clearly leads a life based on the values taught through permaculture and helps others to see the simple way in which everything in nature and in life are interrelated and therefore just the smallest modifications in the way we do things have a great impact.

I loved the parable of Stella that she told (about one woman planting a window box in a inner city estate and eventually after having it trashed loads of times it became the inspiration for many other similar boxes, community gardening groups and generally a much improved place to live just because of Stella’s window box efforts), I loved the simple drawings she made on the board, I loved how she got us doing interesting chatting exercises with one another and also the short walk around the urban wasteland just outside the city farm where the course was held to show us how edible plants had already started growing on the derelict car park.

The course has got me itching to get down to Cornwall and get cracking on discovering our new home through observation of the site, seeing what already grows where and how things in place (structures, weather etc) affect one another. I’m also as keen as mustard to find out who at the farm already is a proponent of permaculture and whether anyone has considered very simple things like planting crops which need daily attention on the pathways to the pigs and hens because as they need tending daily the plants en-route can also be tended to without an extra journey. Has the marshy meadow been earmarked for willow coppice fuel planting? Can we plant the hedgerows needed for windbreaks with fruiting species of tree? How many edible perennials are already growing or do we have basic annual vegetable crops in traditional garden rows in the vegetable plots.

The theory of permaculture I learnt about on Ruth’s short course also allowed me to realise that my making a difference to my own sphere of influence, my local community and making ethical choices with where and how I spend my money does have an enormous influence and also by keeping this blog others will no doubt be encouraged to investigate some of the things we do themselves.

Darren and I have agreed that finding out more about permaculture and possibly even aiming to be a teacher of it myself one day is a great aim for me to have. I really like the idea of it being a way of getting to know positive people who are on the same wavelength as me and interested in similar lifestyles. We met some lovely people last weekend who we hope to stay in touch with but look forward to meeting more at a Permaculture Full Design course which will mean 2 weeks residential study.

I have an idea that perhaps I could begin by teaching local teenagers in the village where we are moving to. Teenagers love to be able to hang out with their friends, many are finding it hard to get jobs when they leave school and instead of idling away time at home they could instead be learning some very cool food growing skills with me and their mates down on the picturesque Cornish farm I’ll be living at and helping their local community become food secure by producing very fine local food.