Permaculturalists design for water before anything else. Water is the limiting factor in many landscapes. Even in wet places like Nova Scotia it could be, and often is the limiting factor in late summer. As the climate changes, we can … Continue reading →
Today’s theme encompassed the broad strokes of world climate as well as the small details of microclimates created by features in the landscape. Graham emphasized the oversimplification of the hydrologic cycle as it is usually taught in schools, ignoring the … Continue reading →
Today was less intense than yesterday and rather fun, as we looked for patterns in individual plants and then on the grounds themselves, and speculated on the causes. For example: Only one of the apple trees is in full blossom … Continue reading →
A few times during today’s class, immersed in techniques for living well on the earth without depleting its resources, the spell broke and I recalled my life and how very far most of us are from that goal. So far, … Continue reading →
A spontaneous Graham Calder quote from Day one of the PDC. Natural systems are abundant. They produce a surplus. Squirrels, for example, only eat about 15% of the nuts they store away. The rest become compost or oak trees. Sustainability … Continue reading →
Today we said goodbye to Alexandre Royer, who spent the last week with us at a very busy and sometimes chaotic time as we prepared for the PDC course. Alexandre is a Katimavik volunteer from Victoriaville, QC. He is part … Continue reading →
We are 14 students in the Permaculture PDC course, and there were others who attended the Intro talk on Friday night who would have jumped in if they could. It’s a very interesting collection of people, some from the South … Continue reading →
Today is arrival day for the Permaculture Design Certification course. Students are arriving from near and far with their camping gear. Last night Graham gave his very interesting Intro to Permaculture talk to about 20 people from the community. It … Continue reading →
With the arrival of a Katimavik volunteer and PDC course work-share participants on site, the school is coming back to life and taking on a new energy. Various rooms are finding new uses. The kitchen is being cleaned, supplied and … Continue reading →
Things have been happening around the school, with almost daily arrivals of “stuff” – kitchen wares, furniture, manure, and more, while we sort out details of who has keys, and who is on site when, and getting ready for the … Continue reading →
Thanks to the awesome, hardworking and cheerful Katimavik group from Wolfville who helped us unload a moving van of supplies from Dalhousie University today. It was invigorating to have their energy and teamwork help us accomplish a big job in a short … Continue reading →
About 20 people met at the Blockhouse School yesterday afternoon, Sunday April 22. Here’s a summary of the news: We just got the keys to the school last Tuesday, so we are off to a later start than we had … Continue reading →
