The Compost Bin: October 2012

Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.

To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Samhain/Halloween blessings

Today is Samhain, the start of the Celtic New Year, a day or two when the curtain between the sprit world and us is thinner and our ancestors are closer.

It is also, of course Halloween...All Hallows Eve...a more modern, originally Christian version of the pagan festival.

We don't go in for Halloween parties and suchlike at Compost Mansions, normally we have a bonfire, a clear out of the sheds and polytunnel and a tidy up to mark the end of the year. We eat some favourite, special foods and I mark the day in a number of small, private ways.

One of my regular things is I tend to do "kitchen witchery" today, with the cooking usually being pumpkin related! However I am still feeling very incapacitated, so a lot of the things I had planned have been shelved for a few days AND we had a grand total of ONE very small pumpkin as a harvest, this year.

So I think a quiet sit by the fire and lighting candles will have to do!

Samhain/Halloween blessings to you all:-)

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Sorry...

there have been no posts recently. Compostman has been seriously ill for the last month and I have aggrevated a longstanding back injury whilst doing stuff outside which had to be done, but which Compostman was not able to do - because he was unwell.

Compostman is now on the mend - having (finally) been diagnosed with nothing sinister but with an injury which will keep him out of action for several more weeks. He will need a lot of rest and recouperation time before he is back to full working order,

I have ( rather foolishly) hurt my back trying to be Compostman while he was incapacitated - and am now recovering - but am off anything more than very light duties.

All this is a HUGE pain in the butt...we have had to cancel all sorts of lovely activities here and also stop all sorts of work which we as a family wanted to do.

BUT our health comes first. As does our family and all our energy is being devoted to making sure that our lovely daughter (Compostgirl) has as normal a life as we can manage - she is being so helpful and comforting but at only nearly 12 she should not be having to care of us.

This is the down side of an "idillic" smallholding way of life...!