What's going well?
Enthusiasm
I used my initial flush of enthusiasm to work on and write up my action learning pathway and get started on some other designs.
Practical skills
I've been on a 'chicken keeping for beginners' course at a local city farm. I've also bought books about upholstery and dressmaking.
Project work
I've sorted through my wardrobe and put aside many things, and I'll be doing my first ever car boot sale this weekend. I've also done a lot of reading and talking to people about the process of moving house, and thought a lot about the balance between more work (meaning more money) and more time.
I'm also continuing to weigh and record everything I harvest from the garden as part of the observation phase of my food growing project.
I've been reading the permaculture diploma facebook page regularly, and trying to post about what I'm doing each Monday. I'm slowly starting to recognise people on there! I've set up this blog and started to post relatively regularly about what I'm doing. I've made plans to post more often.
Inspiration
We've been on holiday to Shropshire, and while there we visited Acton Scott historical farm, Blists Hill Victorian Town, and Fordhall Farm. I always get a lot out of seeing other people do practical tasks.
I've also booked to go to the national permaculture convergence in a couple of weeks, and volunteered to help out in the cafe.
What's been challenging?
Sorting the house
I'm enjoying the process of getting rid of some of my possessions, but it's quite emotional (for many reasons) thinking about potentially moving house. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I find it overwhelming to even think about the many (many!) decorating and practical jobs that need doing, and often don't know where to start.
Perfectionism
I enjoy writing about what I'm doing, but had in my head that I had to start this blog right from the beginning, writing about my background, then about each of my projects in turn. Again, that felt overwhelming, and has meant I haven't posted as much as I'd like. I've decided to just jump in and write about where I am now - it's unlikely anyone other than me will ever read this in order anyway!
Balancing time
I'd planned to make a start on a new project by now - a local oral history project talking to people who make their own clothes. However, the summer has sped by in a blur of work travel, marathon training, and a new community allotment, and I've had to accept that I need to postpone this until after Christmas. It's good to keep things manageable and be able to change my timetable to suit myself.
What's my long term vision?
I want us to live somewhere we can have chickens. I love my job, but I don't want to feel tied to it, which means no hefty mortgage. I'd like the possibility of trying to earn from different things too, which means more time, and developing more skills.
What are my next achievable steps?
- Work on house project: Continue sorting through stuff and tasks in a manageable way. Sell some things at the car boot sale, and make a date to go to the household waste recycling centre with anything that can't be put on freecycle or taken to the charity shop. Ring the plumber and find a reliable roofer!
- Go to the national convergence: Very much looking forward to this!
- Write more often: I'd like to create a new blog post (with photos) at least once a week. I also plan to write up the first part of my house design.
Altogether not a bad start to my diploma!