Colette O'Neill, Innovator of Goddess Permaculture ~Plantswoman ~ Teacher ~ Writer and Photographer
biodiversity
The Cottage in the Woods
Winter edges away slowly, with lighter mornings and longer days. The Permaculture Gardens of Bealtaine Cottage have emerged this year into the Permaculture Woods. However, I’ve got to admit that I’ve been flagging recently! A combination of the time of year, family commitments and basically just trying too hard to do too much! The saying […]
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New Permaculture Orchard
Last 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 […]
MoreFrom the Fringe…
The start of the week in this sacred place, where edges meet and overlap…a cooling, calming morning. Yesterday was a day of visits and creating bouquets to take with me. The gardens are flourishing and birthing beauty all around me, so there was much to gather and choose from. This is the tenth year using […]
MoreThe Permaculture Challenge
This is the tenth anniversary of Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture Smallholding. It’s hard to believe that ten years ago this was a desolate cottage on three acres of the poorest agriculture land imaginable. Wet, north-facing, thin, dauby soil promised little in the way of growing. It was a challenge few in their right minds would have contemplated, […]
MoreBecoming What We Exhale
Our personal journeys are sacred and find sacredness as they cross paths with other sentient beings. As Christopher Hitchens said towards the end of his life, “there is only love.” …an Atheist who honoured his humanity. The love we express forms an energy that feeds into the well-being of all life. Good vibes and bad […]
MoreLittle Pots of Magic…She Stirs…
The decision, once made, gathers energy and slowly, slowly begins to move…like a baby discovering it can crawl! And so it begins…the first small movements of the Forest of Bealtaine, barely perceptible, but felt and experienced. The Forest of Bealtaine is emerging through seed…seeds collected, saved and sown into pots of Bealtaine compost, that will […]
MoreA New Way of Living
Food production can be a problem for many people who have little or no access to land. There are many who live in conditions where even a balcony is a precious space. I have spoken before about the ways in which access to growing space can be achieved, through allotments, community gardens and the like, […]
MoreBuilding Resilience
Soil is being depleted at a rate never before encountered on Mother Earth. Plants can only upload minerals from the soil and if they are absent from the soil, then the plants, that make up our fruit and vegetables will be nutritionally deficient! About 10% of the land on the planet feeds the entire population. […]
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