While things have been developing along nicely at the farm site of Mudlark Permaculture, I have been working on a few new things in my life, for instance , a new life!

Doing my PDC did lead me to a Permaculture divorce, and I headed off to my new farm with a new outlook on life, to develop a Demonstration site for earthworks and food forest development and to settle into a little town and do some permaculture inspired projects.

Then in August 2012 I met my new partner, and I have to say without a doubt, having someone to support me in my Permaculture work is the difference between night and day for what I hope to achieve in this world.

So while the Demo site in Beaufort ticks away, pioneering, growing, enriching and becoming more stable I have some new projects to begin.

I have moved to the town of Ararat to be with my partner Phillip, full time. Ararat is a 25 minute drive from my Beaufort farm, and with a population of over ten thousand people there seems to be no end to the Permaculture potential here.

The town already has a critical mass of people willing and able to venture into creating a new way to be in the world, and I am very enthusiastic about being part of this future.

After just a few weeks Ararat feels like a very nice fit for me. It has a Community Garden ready and willing to embrace permaculture and a Greenhouse Action Group ready to embrace Transition Towns.

My partner and I will be focusing our energies on developing an Urban Demonstration Site in town, on the main road.

It is a small 100 year old cottage which we will Eco-retrofit, on a half acre block of land.  The house being set on one typical quarter acre and the adjacent quarter acre is vacant apart from several very old fruit trees, Apple, Pear and plum.

We will set up the cottage and its land as a typical Permaculture orientated Urban living space, with kitchen garden, maincrop garden, chickens and espalier fruit trees, as an example of what anyone can achieve on this size land (20x 45 mt).

On the vacant quarter acre we will repair and enhance the existing fruit trees and integrate a Food Forest system around them, with a view to cell grazing chickens in the understory in time to come. This vacant block is next to a small parkland area which has a drainage easment from the road. I will direct some of the flash runoff rainwater through the food forest to enhance productivity.

The water easment parkland will be a natural target for a little "guerella gardening", as will the rear access laneway into the property.

So, life is taking a new and Abundant turn for me and I feel truly blessed.

Yours Abundantly

Carolyn Payne-Gemmell