Updates

I originally wrote this a few weeks ago but forgot to post it as we had a few guests staying with us while they attended a Forest School workshop. They came from everywhere and all walks of life. It seems that folks are really exploring the idea of alternative to the conventional schooling and life really :)

If I've not mentioned, our resident Robin and her three chicks flew the coop a couple of weeks ago. Will she be back to lay a new batch, considering how fast the last-ones grew? Or will she be back next year, to use the same nest?

The garden beds look amazing this year!!

Quit possibly our best harvest yet due to a combination of fantastic weather and the incredible organic soil that we have been slaving over for 4 years.

Even with having to share quit a bit of our crops/plants with the forest creatures, everything looks super-healthy!

Of course weeding, adding composted tea manure, pinching the suckers and so many different flowers in abundant this year, also makes a lot of difference, but a labour of love :)

Speaking of flowers. I wanted to tape a few second video of just one of many clusters of plants in the garden but with my old phone etc., it wouldn't do it justice. This particular one was of Goldenrods. It was positively vibrating & buzzing with bees & other pollinators. It was a sight right out of a sci-fi movie.

When I walk/work in the forest, I only hear the song-birds, it's fairly peaceful & quiet otherwise. The garden however is really lauder than anything you can imagine. The hens alone with their many sounds, the bees & other pollinators, the vintage warplane sounds of the hummingbirds, the alarming super-laud bumble bees(especially the ones that wizzzzzzzz right by you), and I don't know what else. All should be deafening but somehow have a more orchestral effect. If you are anything like me who's been blessed, lol, with a super-hyper/active mind & thoughts, this scene is exactly what you need.

Oh & there is the sound of the neighbouring roosters & cows from nearly a kilometre away. Country sounds :)

Watching the never-ending & mesmerizing action of nature at work, it's productivity, it's harmony, it's resilience, as nothing is wasted, no fights/everyone sharing, elsewhere may be sprayed and species & plants lost but here, they know that they are safe and they come to thrive.

We are still continuing with our Calendula, St. John's Wort and Evening Primrose harvest for medicinal purposes. We wait a day for the pollinators to have the first go at their beautiful flowers, before harvesting them and the very next day, just as many bloom. I love it!

Also harvesting Black Currants, Raspberries to eat and other purposes. Soon the Chock Cherries and Blackberries will be ready for harvest. I've also seen some decent size Hazelnuts in the forest, though we've never had much luck getting to them before the forest creatures, lol. All good :)

As we are encased in the forest, 90% of what we see is the colour green. So that 10% of the wild flowers or the one's that we planted such as sunflowers, daisies, calendulas, or poppies, ready pop!

As always, I will try to post pictures but please forgive the less than instagram quality, as I'm working humbly with what I have.

Oh, yesterday morning, an NB government official brought over two young engineers? She wanted to showcase our place as a model of sustainability. Her and I both write/wrote for our local newspaper and I had met her before. It was good to be recognized, however, as the warmer months are such busy times for us, we just couldn't take the time off to give a tour.

I mentioned to her, as I've mentioned here, we are happy to share what we have learned in terms of renewables, near-zero waste, sustainability, forest management, construction options, etc. but we can only do this in a form of a workshop(private or group) sessions. Historically, we found that folks just show-up when it's convenient for them and stay way longer than they should. So by charging a nominal fee, we can make ourselves available for as long as needed and perhaps even provide a healthy meal. Otherwise, please, no drop-ins folks.

Well, that is all for now.

Oh, two local(New Brunswicker families) are moving to our neighbourhood. Always good to know that we are the location to move to voted by the locals. It's much like a restaurant that the locals frequent, when you are on vacation.