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!


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.


Friday, 5 November 2021

It's been a very hard couple of years.

Some good advice below for those who need it. Look after yourself everyone ❤️❤️ 
DEPRESSION TIPS:
Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.
Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like. Unscented? Poundland lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis. 
Put on clean, comfortable clothes. 
Put on your favorite underwear. Cute black lacy panties? Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with pink love hearts on the butt? Put them on.
Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost. 
Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink. 
Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.
Make food. Don’t just grab a Kit Kat bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s beans on toast. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something. 
Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create. 
Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.
Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps. 
Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything. 
May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.  
*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on. 
*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!
Find something to be grateful for!
May I please get 2 friends or family members to copy and re-post? I am trying to demonstrate that someone is always listening.

#SuicideAwareness 
#HaveARealConversation

Just two people. Any two.


(but share, if c&p is difficult)

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

FiLiA Portsmouth 2021

I spent a wonderful last weekend in Portsmouth at #FILIA2021. It was fabulous, uplifting.

But was marred by the nasty protests outside the venue.

Yes, of course protest is an absolute right, but surely, not when it is abusive or frightening for those who are the target. 

I've reported the abuse I personally got, as well as the general verbal and visual abuse for just going to #FiLiA conference, which simply discussed women centric issues.
.
I felt scared going in and out of the venue, despite excellent security. I was literally terrified.

The chants of TWAW, Sex work is work, blow jobs are jobs
really, literally traumatised me.

 The chalked images of errect penis were upsetting. 

Honestly, it all was frightening. Really so.

Who knew what the chants and placard waving might have led to? 

This is some of what I was faced with, for going in to listen to women sharing their experiences of corrective rape and genocide in Tigray.

And the Lesbians incarcerated in the LGBT block in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which puts a target on them for corrective rape, children removed, or worse.

Draw your own conclusions friends.

Yet I went in. I didn't let the bullies stop me!

Sunday, 29 August 2021

A trip out! To Shrewsbury Folk Festival

I'm at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, first big outing in public, (apart from local shops for food) since Feb 2020.

It was very nerve wracking at first being around so many people(even outdoors) , but I rapidly remembered what to do, and I'm really enjoying myself, now.


So good to be chatting to people, in the sunshine. Musicwise, Sekou Keita and The Longest Johns were particularly good. 

Then listened to The Spell Singers doing a sound check. Some of the songs they individually sang were pricelessly funny 

Lost Words Spell Singers were fabulous, Jackie Morris did a wonderful painting of two Red foxes while incanting the Fox spell and "her band" jammed along, ( to get that joke, you'll have to go and see them live!)


And we were treated to two new Songs, based on the newer book The Lost Spells. Which were also wonderful.

Lovely to see Robin Stenham after, really wanted to stay to the end for Show of Hands, but couldn't face leaving at midnight then driving two hours to get home.

Next year, I'll take the caravan and do the whole Festival weekend.




Friday, 6 August 2021

Hi fi!

Earlier, listened to a bit of Meddle, (fabulous Pink Floyd album, for you philistines) , on my earbuds from my phone. 

Them went and listened to the whole album in glorious full quad /stereo set up in the sitting room

, (, old school v good hi fi, lots of very good hi fi speakers, me sitting in exactly the right spot.
On CD, but have the option of original vinyl, if I want.)!

Oh so fabulous.
Swoon.
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