News for South London Permaculture
Evelyn Community Gardens (above) will become the new central location of the bulk of SLP activities. SLP has started to create a fruit tree nursery at ECG. Most of the stock will be planted up around the Pepys Estate
but there will be a number of individual varieties for sale throughout the year. See the Market page.
The image shows a Palestinian peasant woman (left) picking olives. She would be characteristic of many women in that part of the mediterranean. The super-imposed cyclist represents myself as a continnuation of the
olive tree and extended out from it. My body reflects the shape of the branches. The image of both male and female is here unified in time and space, representing the West and the East, motion and stillness,
acceleration and deceleration, giving and taking, technologic and manual.
The back of these T-shirts (right) highlight some of the support I have received from various groups. They are available with these images (left and right) at £20 each. All profits go to permaculture and ecological projects overseas.
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The bike before it is modified for the Palestine trip (right). A humourous sketch I was totally surprised by after I had completed a 2 hour interview with Alternative Maniax Radio show (left).
The forthcoming year had potential to be a real developmental year but alas, I can not do too much whilst I am away. There are certain figures around me who have the capability to progress the organisation but it appears that the great changes in the political and economic worlds are stimulating something of a cultural revolution where sport, dance and music are all being revived onto a never-seen-before level of interaction. Britain in 2012 promises to be an eye-opener for the rest of the world; not least there will be something of a fusion of arts and crafts. I regularly attend Crystal Palace Sports centre where I fence and swim. The expectant buzz is obvious for all to see, considering the Brazilian swiming team will be utilising the olympic size pool for training for the Games. London will be a place to be. Personally, I will be in the Middle-East unless fate has other intentions, cycling over to enforce my message of the global changes happening around the world. I am consistently disappointed at the lack of integration between sport and environmentalism; the refusal of Crystal Palace to even want to permit me to put up posters concerning the bike ride to Palestine is another shameless act of environmental negligence. I have had my differences with them before. I offerred to solve the problem of pigeons getting into the indoor centre and roosting in the roofs and around the seating areas. They hire someone for a day who comes in and shoots them all with an air rifle. On one particular occassion last year me and a friend cornered a pigeon which, literally, leapt into my hands. We took it to reception and demanded free membership (for the pigeon as well), or otherwise I would let it go back to the roof. They asked me to let it go outside the building, but I reiterated that it would cost a lot more to shoot it. So we agreed, and in a humurous moment managed to arrogate free swimming for the rest of the month. They seemed like the good old days now. Not long after that I counted 30 odd pigeons helping themselves to chlorinated water. There were some building works going on and must have been a big hole somewhere. Well, before they were all blitzed out of the warm air currents I offerred to design a bird trap, like those they use to capture crows on farms, and similar to fish traps where we used to catch sticklebats using an adapted wine bottle (ahh...the real good old days). But the response is always the same - nothing! Not a polite decline, nor letter, not a single sound. And I have been a regular for years; they all know me. It was the same response when I asked to plant up an area of neglected scrub with fruit trees in preparation for the said Games. Do I ever wonder why I would never compete for Britain? Enough said. I speak only for myself (Merlyn).
The results of the court action with One Tree Hill went against us. This has resulted in the loss of our allotment community project and thus one of my essential teaching aids. A full report can be obtained here, Part 1 and here, Part 2 and I include the Notice I issued under my rights of Common Law which was subsequently ignored.
Okay, if one looks at the Market Place you'll find an opportunity to advertise your wares. I have one sole motive here, to get more people reading this site. I have a few things to offer and in the future we hope to participate in the creation of a food cooperative that delivers to remote places. In the meantime I need to get the network more active, so here is the opportunity to advertise at the small cost of a second-class stamp. Give it a go!
SLP's exciting new project facilitation. The idea was born from the work done at the Sceaux Garden Estate where the fire that caused the death of 6 innocent victims gave rise to a community voice. In particular this voice was about how to breathe life back into a community, especially since neighbours were still living within the vicinity of the buildings or even in the buildings themselves. The horror of those moments are preferred to be forgotten, but the reliving of fond memories is something a commemoration can achieve. A commemoration need not be about death though. One may like to commeorate the life achievements of a friend, even an ancestor. It could be a national event like a British victory in sport. Or maybe a political one in which, for instance, one gains assylum. Possible areas include the Oasis project, already well developed. Another potential site is Woodlands Farm located on Shooters Hill in Welling. After doing a short tour of the millenium orchard illustrating something of the biodiversity of the fruit and the techniques of grafting I approached the directors of education and was offerred the possibility of developing the old abattoir site. It is because of my ongoing relations with them that SLP's work in fruit production was interesting enough to create the opportunity. Now, as a project manager I would still allow ongoing participation before any real work can be done there. For instance, the site has potential for a Full Design Course or series of permaculture events. Interest should be tempered with a long-term strategy.Volunteers who would like to commence with some of the essential groundwork from July onwards should post their interest on the link. We would welcome other potential sites and request that you contact us sooner rather than later at South London Permaculture.
Recently I gave an interview to a small self-publishing radio show operating from a converted police station on Amersham Road, New Cross. The name of the show is called Alternative Maniax and they resonate from an arts depot where Optical Radio are broadcasting. The place is very interesting since I remember turning up one cold, wet night and recovering from a fall off my bicycle. The studio room looked like a converted toilet cubicle. The actual toilet itself was another cell in which the bolted down toilet seat spoke volumes. Anyhow, Optical Radio and the Alternative Maniax show operate on a minimal budget and look rather impressive. Broadcasting live for only 2 hours per week I managed to pump out my normal high-energy opinions on the state of the British food industry. Of course, I do it from the standpoint of permaculture. The interview is downloadable but you may find that their website is barred when accessing it from public spaces like libraries. This is due to the alternative nature of its content, deemed offensive by some groups. The show (No.21) is a full 1.17GB in size, hence I can't upload here. Anyhow, it is worth browsing their website for related issues like squatting rights and food skipping. Just a month earlier Christina Borgi from ECG gave an interview (No.19) on the new planting scheme on the Pepys Estate that SLP has been facilitating and has high hopes for the coming new year.
South London Permaculture would like to thank the following organisations for their precedented support towards us during the last few years:
Spike Community
Evelyn Community Gardens
Urban Green Fair Community Interest Company
Food Up Front
Purple Broccoli Theatre Company
Pure London Honey
Transition Town Brixton
Roots and Shoots
Woodlands Farm
With the view that SlP is going international I will be posting updates from abroad regarding any sustainable developments, including my prior activities in Spain and the increasing possibility of developing a market. This is all in concordance with my natural travel program of going back and forward to our land in Catalonia where we grow mainly olives amongst carob and almond. Of course, Catalonia offers a variety of nuts and dried fruit like hazels and figs. Maybe in 20 years I'd like to think that I could be making a regular income from it, tax free of course. There are a few personal developments that have given rise to this natural inclination to travel. The first is the completion of my studies and am now the proud owner of an MA certificate in Ecotheology. Alot of people ask me what that is, and my best answer is always on the lines that God and religion can always be understood from both biological and ecological viewpoints. My dissertation (pdf) title ran as follows, "If land economies are the ecological imperative of the rise of the modern environmental movement, may one find an historical precedent in the origins of Christianity?" There are extensive appedices to look over, and modern day movements like Permaculture and Transition Town get more than a welcome introduction. Bounded versions are available for sale at £6 each. Again, go to the Market page to order.
IN ORDER to raise funds SLP has become a distributor for Zaytoun products. There are a variety of Fairtrade and Organic certified products to chose from. See the list below. By buying these products you are also supporting ethical trading and the plight of Palestinian farmers detailed in our last issue. Whilst I am away distribution will be based from Evelyn Community Gardens, Windlass Place off Grove Street, Deptford SE8 3QH. There will also be home-made, pasteurised and Somerset sourced apple juice, fresh vegetables and various information available. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11-3pm. You may contact them directly during opening times from February onwards or email market.
Please note, all products can be bought in bulk. Enquire within.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil FT
Za'atar herb blend: wild thyme, toasted sesame seeds, sumac berries, sea salt
Almonds
Medjoul Dates
Olive Oil Soap
Olives Organic and FT
Sun dried tomatoes Organic
Couscous
certified 250ml £5.50
Non-certified 250ml £4.00
FT certified 500ml £9.50
Non-certified 500ml £8.00
FT certified 750ml £13.00
Non-certified 750ml £11.50
Galilee 500ml £8.50
50g sachet £2.00
80g jar £3.00
Smoked 75g sachet £2.50
Honey roasted 75g £2.50
250g £4.00
Plain/Honey/Lemon/Milk/Sage 100g £2.50
Gift Packs £8.50
Tree Ripened Black 300g £5.00
Nabali green in Salt Water 200g £3.50
250g £6.50
250g £2.80
This year is turning out to be incredible. The whole trip to Palestine thing has motivated me beyond belief. As I say, it is not a political cause but I do believe in social justice, and that can take many forms. My mission is to take a bottle of oil from Catalunya and deliver it to Zaytoun. Effectively I am taking a piece of the western Mediterranean and planting it onto the eastern side. I need support. The British team are reluctant because they think it is going to be too risky and cold. Admittedly the trip has been put back until February as I awake greater response from the hundred or so organisations I have written to. I have two months to get my bike ready and to try and conjure up some Spanish magic. With unemployment amongst the youth going way beyond the 50% mark I shouldn’t have a problem locating a few more riders. In preparation for my journey I read Carl Medearis’ Muslims, Christians and Jesus available on Barnes and Noble. It is a very easy read and quite respectful. In fact Carl thinks like me: just look at Jesus and his message and one can avoid the theological embellishment plied on over the centuries. Jesus is considered the Christ by Muslims and continued the line of the prophets back to Abraham. Hence the Qur’an, which I am also reading again, is a moral discourse continuing over from the holy books of Judaism and Christianity. So even though they all have their differences, there is a lot of common ground. Considering I have an MA (whoopee!) in Ecotheology I fit into this arena quite well, only that I hope to add the ecological dimension. I have quite a few Muslim friends, and Islam is just as varied as any other religion in the world, relative to the amount of believers. Hence I look forward to Lebanon and Palestine in particular, the eastern side of Turkey maybe, and if I get an invite, to Jordan and Syria. I am sure I will have enough oil left over. See my blog site Destination Palestine for a full grounding and ways to support me. There is also a video link to YouTube which is a little farewell message and song I wrote for the event.
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