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!


Thursday 4 August 2011

D is for ...

Dedication

A word which I have heard said a lot about the way we live " Wow, that takes some hard work and dedication and commitment, to grow your own veg/make your own jam/wine/lotions/candles/run an Environment centre/teach children Woodcraft - I could NEVER learn how to do that!"

And it got me thinking. Yes I do dedicate a lot of time to doing stuff here, in the wood, the garden, the orchard, with the hens, the house and my work as an teacher.


I dedicate a lot of time to growing veg ( which I guess I could buy from a Supermarket with no effort, instead)

We dedicate a lot of time and money doing things in a more sustainable, low impact, non polluting way - I don't use any chemicals in the garden, I make compost to improve soil fertility rather than buying chemical fertilisers, we use a scythe rather than the petrol strimmer, we fell, saw up, split and stack our wood for heat rather than using the oil fired central heating - stuff like that.

I dedicate a lot of time and effort working as a volunteer Master Composter and Master Gardener to help people who want it learn how to compost and grow their own food. I have dedicated a lot of time to training and learning how to be a better teacher and communicator and trainer so I can pass on the things I know to other people so THEY can pass on the knowledge to other people...

It takes time and effort but it also gives back so much in oh so many ways ...It allows me the precious luxury of being able to really think about what I am doing, and why I am doing it. I feel a part of what I am doing, rather than simply purchasing someone else's efforts.

So....dedication is hard work - yes. But oh so worth it, to my mind at least. And to those who say " I could never do ..." YES YOU COULD - it just takes a little time and a willingness to have a go. So what if you get it wrong first ( or second...) time? That is how we learn...by making mistakes.

D is also for Discipline, which I have a lot of so I get on with stuff when I need to. This can make me very intolerent of others who are not the same....

D is also for Discretion. I am very good at this - I do not spill confidences - if you tell me something I keep it to myself. But sometimes I feel like my head will explode with all the stuff I know about...but can't say!

D is also for Damsons, which make the BEST JAM EVER and pretty nice wine as well ;-) Ours are nearly ready and I can't wait to get preserving!
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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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