The Compost Bin

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!

Friday, 31 December 2021

Thank you NHS

I am very grateful to the NHS, as Compostman had a heart attack at home tonight about 6 pm.

He was whisked away by ambulance and treated in surgery within 2 hours, and is now on a ward, having been treated and stabilised.

He's awake and chatting, so fingers crossed, all will be well.

Tuesday, 21 December 2021

Yule blessings

And the Wheel of the Year turns, and the light will return :) Winter Solstice blessings to all, dear friends.

Friday, 10 December 2021

More lockdowns?

Looking at the latest figures, we are going to have another lockdown soon and over Christmas, aren't we.

Worrying.

Monday, 29 November 2021

Storm Arwen

Still no power. Thanks, Arwen.

Fortunately we have a wood burner for heat, a generator to run the bore hole (we have a private water and sewerage system, requiring electricity to work) and provide some limited electric so have a few lights and can run all the freezers to keep the produce frozen. Three freezers and two fridges to keep going.

Plus we have a number of gas camping stoves from my outdoor workshops in balm and lotion making at festivals and Forest School. So have had been able to re heat (linited) hot food.

Generator is because we frequently lose power for a day or two, but back in 2002 we lost power for 10 days, and lost all the produce in the freezers and fridges. All our preserved crops.

Ell was in washable nappies still and I was very unwell with rheumatoid and CFS, so it was all a bit of a nightmare.

So we got a generator.

I know it uses fossil fuel, but thank goodness we have one.

Saturday, 13 November 2021

New bedding!

New bedding on my bed. I do rather like it.

From Sainsbury. Nice 100% cotton, in a sale. Wish I could afford more ethical cotton bedding, but it does have the German Oko mark on it, at least.

And a replacement for one of the three sets I have, that finally wore out and was consigned to quilting/patching/dusters/random fabric stash.

Plus, Compost girl took some of my bedding to Uni. So I needed to buy some more.

This is lovely.