Hello again ,
Winter is always a good time for reflection and planning. What are you aiming to do this year - in your home, garden and work life? Here at Trelowia, we had another good growing season, enjoying our successes and learning from our few failures. We've continued to develop the garden and it's been lovely looking
back at the photos from our first year and seeing how much things have grown.
During the summer drought, one of our rainwater tanks ran dry so we added a second next to it in the autumn. 'Observe and interact' as David Holmgren would say. Other than that, our mulched beds coped well despite the lack of rain. Adding organic matter saves water as well as feeding our plants.
Our main addition last year also saves water - lots of it. Our new composting toilet needs none (other than for hand washing). Every time we use it we save 7 litres of flush water - precious water that's been cleaned to drinking standard at great energy cost. The main challenge for us since arriving here had been where to put it. For a couple of years it seemed impossible, but events last summer changed that and the final design and build
took place in the autumn. If you'd like to know more there's some photos below, along with the link to a video I've made about the whole process.
I'll be back on the road teaching from April, returning to familiar venues and trying out a new one: the High Nature Centre on the South Devon coast. As an experiment we'll be adding an extra day off there, creating a bit more space in the curriculum. The beautiful location
offers plenty to do with that extra leisure time. And we'll be welcoming people to another PDC at our home in July.
Wishing you an exciting and abundant year, and hope to meet you along the way.
