Karmacat: To Infinity And Beyond!

elantan

well to be totally honest i am just starting out ... i am thinking of the three sisters way of growing just now ... but am struggling to find other things that will work that way ...

but like you say re-using everything i can and i am trying to find ways of using things ...recycling toilet roll holders etc ..

i think i will need to find a course for it all tbh ... (which does kinda defeat the purpose)

and i will need to start saving for solar panels etc ... i do however think i am starting to get over run with it all lol

ZTD

elantan wrote: »

and i will need to start saving for solar panels etc ... i do however think i am starting to get over run with it all lol

Solar panels in Scotland? Do they work under ice...

Karmacat

I don't know what the three sisters thing is - what is it? As for saving for solar panels - nooooo! Do it the permaculture way! And anyway, whats the most efficient use of your time/money? One very quick way of using solar heating that I saw described was to get plastic bottles of water (pick up the big bottles in *other* people's recycling) fill them with water and put them in the sunniest window. Then in the evening, put them in the rooms away from the sun, and they'll be giving off that heat. Its miniscule, but its free.

For the garden, if you want to spend money, surely its about buying a water butt?

Sign up to the monthly bulletin at the website, https://www.permaculture.org.uk for ideas. I think you'd be surprised at what you already know. Check out the website for the Centre for Alternative Technology too. And I just found another one, quickly, that *looks* as though its on the right track, https://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture. Don't throw money at it - use other people's castoffs, especially cos of the existing debt. Its one of the reasons I like permaculture - its a bit anarchist

Karmacat

Cheeky Z

elantan

well i have to admit i am a total anarchist he he he ... never thought a bout the bottle idea before ... nice one ... oh i do need to get a water butt it is on my hit list

the three sisters idea ... growing your sweetcorn your runner beans and courgettes together ... the runner beans use the swetcorn for support ... the sweetcorn gets the nitrogen from the runner beans and the courgettes cover the earth keeping the plants wet and moist...

have had a wee gander at the spiralseed site a few weeks ago ... some interesting stuff but some oh for fex sake stuff too lol

he he he z ... i have heard the ice is due to melt for a week this year

Karmacat

Oh okay - well, thats classic permaculture - maximum output for minimum input, don't put stakes in the ground if another plant will do as support. Excellent!

You've lost me on the ice bit I'm afraid, El - and if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, I agree - sites like that can be a bit too "precious" ....;) to put it politely.

Okay, I'm ker-shattered. I'm off to bed - sleep well
xx

Karmacat

Oh, I actually came back on to make a note of my new budgets: in April, I allowed £150 cash for various things, and spent £100 (cash, bus tickets, a book, a day out with the Egyptology group in October), and I spent £51.60 at supermarkets - £50 allowed, but my £51 includes £20 at Waitrose that my mum wanted to buy, so that would never normally have happened.

elantan

sleep well

redsquirrel80

Hooray for the debt-freeness, very pleased for you! :T

Re the jobs, I can see you doing some sort of mentoring, maybe like you said with other counsellors.. there was an article in paper yesterday about mentoring being the current 'big thing'...

I'm planning on doing three sisters planting (also heard it called the "maize squash and bean matrix' ) with my broad beans, sweetcorn and either courgettes or butternut squash.

Karmacat

Thanks Squirrel! It really gives me the time to work out what I want to do, rather than running madly to stand still.

I *like* mentoring/supervision - I do some free stuff for a friend, its a requirement of our professional institution, and I enjoy it. Trouble is, I'm not good on the academic side of things, and that is *really* important in the profession, increasingly so. Maybe my own CPD (Continuing Professional Development) work this year could be to go on a learn to supervise course, that would help.

Today is kind of busy, but in surges. Some emergencies are going on, but I've already done what I can, all I can do now is sit and wait.

At the moment, the background admin work to do today is a couple of phone calls/texts and working on my accounts - started the "monthly budgetting", like you do, Squizz, and I want to start last year's by at least finding out what my total income was.

And that's it for today! See you later x