Colette O'Neill… Author, Publisher, photographer. Creator of Goddess Permaculture.
Bees are declining all over the world, for multiple reasons. The most serious one in my estimation is habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation…in other words… Homelessness! This is not a problem at Bealtaine Cottage, as Bee habitat and food source creation was implemented in the early years of the Bealtaine project. As a direct consequence […]
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As the thousand and more trees and thousands of plants of the Bealtaine Project grow taller and more dense, so it is the once barren land seems more and more as it is…an Ark for Earth, set into a monoculture landscape of Cash-Crop-Forestry and animal grazing fields. This summer witnessed the most Bees, Butterflies, Pollinators […]
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It’s been one of those incredible Autumn days, when one’s heart sings to the rhythm of it all…bees, butterflies and birds all in sublime togetherness across the gardens and woodland. I say woodland, because, as you’ll appreciate from the video, that is what it now is. The transformation has happened and it is wonderful to behold! Many of […]
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I visited Knockvicar Organic Garden today in search of flowering plants for the new Garden…and here’s what I got…
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Most of the energy we use at home comes from burning fossil fuels. Using less energy means burning fewer fossil fuels and putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Over the past twelve years I have endeavoured to reduce not just my own carbon footprint, but that of Bealtaine Cottage and gardens. When first planting […]
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Life is stirring. Light shines higher in the morning sky. Thickening buds cast a haze over the land. “But there were certain early days in Casterbridge- days of firmamental exhaustion which followed angry south-westerly tempests-when, if the sun shone, the air was like velvet.” ― Thomas Hardy Colours emerge and birds sing out a joyous, […]
Read More“One of the most important things about permaculture is that it is founded on a series of principles that can be applied to any circumstance—agriculture,urban design, or the art of living. The core of the principles is the working relationships and connections between all things.” ― Juliana Birnbaum Fox, Sustainable Revolution: Permaculture in Ecovillages, Urban […]
Read MoreWith the sun shining bright in the sky and just a touch of autumn in the air, I spent some lovely time being interviewed for Irish Country Magazine. The interest in sustainable living is growing! I’ll let you know when the interview is published. There is something of an Indian Summer happening here in the […]
Read MoreLast year I planted a new orchard at Bealtaine Cottage. To date there are thirty eight fruit trees planted across the three acres of land here. This new orchard was planted on an area previously fenced off and used for hens over a period of years. This is always a good start, as the land […]
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