Party 2006

I didn't take any pictures of our PARTY this year, you may be relieved to hear. But a big thank you to everyone who came and made it so much fun for us all. From the Davies's for letting us park in their fields once again and Ritchie and Simon who donned their tabbards and parked all the cars, to everyone else who helped tidy up, sort the recycling and generally get things back to normal. Brilliant! the pic is of me and Ed and Sammy fishing at the Dysynni mouth a couple of evenings before hand. Thanks again everyone, love Steve x 

Permaculture courses

Permaculture in Bristol, Sarah Pugh 's next course ad is out, it comes with a strong recommendation from us here.

For the more adventurous, check out Lost valley permaculture course which is an intentional community in Oregon. Its going to cost about £1,500 quid all in for the the trip and course fees, but I can't help thinking it would be an amazing experience to do it.  

Here is a lovely view over the land here. Chickenshack is the land in the middle, completely surrounded by trees and hedgerow. You can see the mountains of the Lleyn peninsula and Snowdonia behind. 

A big thanks to Niels, who came and volunteered for a couple of days and demonstrated his scything skills. I never realised there was so much to it: seePeter Vido's site for a bit of info and context. It made light work of the overgrown edge of field, that has become overrun with brambles and bracken over the years. Well I can say I am a convert, i will be putting away the strimmer and logging onto Simon Fairlie's Scythe shop to get my own. They say there is a renaissance in scything, and I can see why. Its obviously was a key skill in rural areas until very recently, and countries like Austria and Slovakia are not only keen to keep traditions and skills going, but are advocates fro a more, connected, more in tune and more sustainable approach to land management. As Niels showed me the technique is all about how to work the took, whilst keeping your won movements to a minimum. In a Tai Chi like movement, and a swaying of the hips to mow in a movement you can keep up for long periods of time. Pausing to whet ones blade at regular intervals of course.
 

Scything with Niels 

Interior design student Shelly Scott. As part of research into sustainable design for her dissertation, Shelly and friend came and visited and camped a night at chickenshack on their way to CAT. We get quite a lot of requests for odd visits, which we are not always able to do, but I was really impressed by her enthusiasm for the subject, and equally fascinated to see how sustainability ideas are interpreted currently in those circles. So great meetting you Shell, and good luck to you in what ever you do! 

One of the four couryards at the workhouse, showing the central hub, where the warders used to live, and part of which wis intended as the historical interpretation centre part of the new project. 

Sign at Y Dolydd 

Y Dolydd Project gets 6 month window of opportunity. This is fantastic and very exciting news. Readers of this Blog will know of the old workhouse in .Llanfyllin, and maybe also that the people behind the workhouse festival are now interested in acquirng the building. The intention is to develop a permanent festival site/ conference centre etc on the land and to turn the building itself into a hive of local enterprise. A mix of affordable accommodation, work spaces adn performances spaces together with a historical interpretation centre. I think a mix of very eco and community minded businesses together with a good permaculutre designed project could produce a rural development initiatve of potentially national importance. So watch this space folks, there is now 6 month stay of execution on the building, to give the group the chance to put together a working business plan and financing to secure the building's future.