Visiting :: Possum Creek Farm

The other week I came across Possum Creek Farm on Facebook and straight away knew I wanted to write about their work. It's a new venture that is transforming a 100acre property in the Byron hinterland formerly used as a wedding and function centre into a new, sustainable permaculture farm and education centre. This is great news for Byron, and for the local organic food movement in general.

I you click on the Weekender cover image above you can read the story I wrote, and see more photos and videos of Possum Creek Farm, and below are a few pix I took when I toured the farm and interviewed Andrew Cameron, one of the project's coordinators.

There is a long history of permaculture on the Northern Rivers dating right back to the 1970s and many (if not all) of our locally grown organic produce is influenced by that design method in one way or another, but to my knowledge there aren't any commercial-scale farms that also offer the PDC (Permaculture Design Course). That's the part that I think will be especially exciting for people to be a part of as Possum Creek gets established - to learn about permaculture from within a working farm. There is something similar operating successfully in Mudgee at Milkwood Permaculture (their blog is fantastic if you're interested in the permaculture approach to farming), and Nick Ritar from Milkwood will be one of the teachers at Possum Creek's first PDC in August.

As for me with my hankerchief-sized backyard, well I'm not about to turn into a "proper" farmer any time soon, but I am so keen to learn more from Possum Creek and apply it to my own patch. Even the short time I toured the land up there (zipping around with Andrew in a golf buggy and getting in the way of a film being produced while I was there!) has inspired me to take a look at my garden with fresh eyes.

I am in love with the kitchen garden set up just outside the main homestead on the property... sigh. It's so pretty. This is what my dream veggie garden looks like, folks. Ditto the old Queenslander house in the background... sigh.

This is the two-acre bamboo grove on the property. The whole property is dreamy, but this part is quite magical - and practical. The bamboo is harvested and used as mulch or for building. Below is a photo of a cabin at Possum Creek and if you look carefully at the pic you'll see the structure is supported by bamboo beams harvested from the grove.

Inspiring stuff and a fun story to kick off my return to reporting from Byron. I'll take some more photos next time I visit to share here on the blog. As well as the two-week PDC, they plan on offering short courses and farm tours, so I will go back for one (or all!) of those.

In other news, I've been looking at how my working-week is playing out now and I am going to re-schedule the North Coast Blogger series to run on Tuesdays. For various reasons, that will work better for me so next Tuesday we'll have the next blogger and get back on track. Thanks for everyone's support and interest in that project, and thanks to the bloggers themselves for being involved and for being patient while I get myself re-aquanited with FT work again. What an adjustment that has been!

x
Megan

20 / 52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013

Two happy girls at one of the highlight kid-friendly local events of the year - the annual Bangalow BillyCart Derby.

The photo of Miss Peppa Pig was taken by The Northern Star's Doug Eaton and the photo of Melli was taken by Alex. 

With my time and energy needing to be prioritised differently now that I’m back working longer hours, something was going to give and this week it has been the blog. And taking photos of the girls. And cleaning the house. And a hundred other things…

Luckily I had a couple of rescuer paparazzi on hand on Sunday to save the weekly portrait! Don’t know who is going to save the housework… 

x

Megan

Joining the "52" project via Che and Fidel

Click here to see all my "52" portraits to date.

Noticing

These photos are scenes from the past couple of days roving around Byron from the hills to the sea gathering stories for the paper.

I have to tell you, I am so tired from upping the hours at work so suddenly, and I still have so many more words to pump out, but still grateful that “work” also means I get to take in this kind of scenery. We really do live in a beautiful part of the world and even in the midst of "busyness", I find that taking a photo can remind me to slow down, just for a moment, and notice (and appreciate) the scene around me. 

Pictured is Cape Byron lighthouse where a group of Aboriginal land custodians from across NSW gathered this week to exchange ideas on land management and caring for country. And the third photo is a serene bamboo forest up in the hills for a story I’m writing on sustainable farming. I’ll share more when it’s published.

The North Coast Bloggers series I usually post on a Thursday may need to be postponed for a few days while I recharge and get that “new rhythm” going. Actually, sorting through and choosing the photos for my next blogger is enough to soothe the senses… so perhaps the postponement won’t be for too long. ( I think you will all love her style.)

Until then…

x

Megan

Telling stories

And just like that I went back to work full-time.

After fluffing around the edges working part-time; freelancing; contemplating a re-do of this blog and putting out proposals for this that and the other, when the opportunity suddenly arose to go back to reporting on the little shire I love so much, I said yes, without hesitation.

I am now wearing so many hats with work that sometimes it feels a bit ridiculous, and yet… I love it. There is so much changing in media, and I am grateful for having the opportunity to be learning new skills while getting to make a living doing what I love doing most of all: telling stories about the people who make up this community.

It does mean a new rhythm must emerge for our family, but we have so many pieces of that puzzle in place already that I think we will all adjust just fine. Lunch boxes will have to be made in advance; drop-offs and pick-ups juggled and all the stuff that goes with being a working parent will unfold as we go along…

There will need to be a new rhythm to this blog too. I guess I will work that one out as I go along too, as I have done through each of the changes I’ve lived through during the life of this blog: pregnancies, babies; craft marketing and back to journalism, caring for my eldest when she was so terribly ill last year… The Byron Life has always been a personal blog – with me as that person - so I will continue along as I have done so far, writing about what matters to me in each stage of my life.

For now, what matters is finding my way forward with work and family; balancing their needs and my own creative needs. That is, in large part, what this blog has always been about, although it has manifested itself in different ways: Crafting and staying at home with the babies, now back to writing to bring in an income to support their growing needs. One and the same, really.

I’ll finish by sharing with you a behind-the-scenes photo I took while I was out and about gathering for stories today. It was taken in Mullumbimby for a story about a community having to change and adapt to keep ownership of a parcel of land that has been in the community’s trust for over 100 years. It now needs an influx of revenue to maintain it and secure its future. After interviewing people involved, I have little doubt that they will find a way forward because it matters so much to the cohesion of their community. In the scheme of things, a small, very localised yarn, but it sums up exactly what I love about this work so much: Telling stories of real people, living real lives. There's nothing small about that.

x

Megan

19 / 52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013

Beaming excited early surprise bounce on bed snuggle giggle laugh tickle unwrap croissant coffee smiles cheesy grins flowers chocolates love love love today these girls my babies.

Happy Mother's Day!

x

Joining the "52" project via Che and Fidel

Click here to see all my "52" portraits to date.

North Coast Bloggers :: Jay Black

We’re going to stay in beautiful Bellingen for today’s North Coast Blogger: Jay Black from and the trees. 

The story of life in a small country town, so familiar to me, takes on a different dimension in Jay's, 'and the trees'. There is a musical quality to her blog – not surprising, perhaps, given many of her images and stories centre around her family’s musical journey, but it’s not only the subject matter that gives it this feel.

Blogging, done well, can be a most powerful method of visual storytelling, and Jay seems to have a natural instinct for this form. She knows when to use words; when to let the images sing. We are invited into her world and if you listen, you can almost hear the wind through the trees and the peal of children’s laughter; feel the old wooden floors bounce as a community gathers in a small country hall to dance.

Jay’s blog is the story of all the best the North Coast has to offer: nature, family, community and connection and, always, the space to find yourself creatively.

Here is the story of Jay’s blogging journey: 

My name is Jay Black and I am a parent, partner and crafter who dabbles in photography and film. My business name is 'andthetrees' and I live in Bellingen. My blog is called 'andthetrees' and I have been blogging since we moved to Bellingen, which was in June 2011, so nearly two years.

My blog tells the story of our family, our friends, our town, and glimpses into the way we live our lives.

I started the blog to keep family and friends in Sydney (where we were living) in touch with us in our new town of Bellingen, a way of letting them peep through our windows. From there it developed into a way of documenting our lives, in no great detail, of course, but enough to trigger memories, tell a story and be a delight for the eye to behold. I have also enjoyed the unexpected delight of meeting a few exceptionally lovely blogging folk that share similar values, intentions and ideals. 

Through blogging I have discovered a love of photography and film, a medium I have only recently discovered. I find it a very beautiful art form and am having so much fun learning as I go. My blog has become the space where I learn and develop my skills, a space where I have felt encouraged and nurtured, I don't think I would have got into photography if it weren't for the blog. Amazingly this has led to a few jobs here and there, which is all very strange, humbling and exciting.

 The most challenging part of blogging has been finding my voice. It is ongoing, for me. I find myself generally happy with the way I approach my blog, giving a few little glimpses, letting the photos tell the story and then adding a few details here and there. But then I read all these amazing blogs where the authors share their lives, their inner thoughts in such beautiful, eloquent and inspiring way that I feel myself contemplating opening up a bit, but then I usually find myself quickly scuttling back to my shell, where I feel safe; aware and happy that I can only give as much as I feel comfortable with and knowledgeable that the intention of how we live our lives is evident to those who see it in practice. 

 
 
 


If you are thinking of starting a blog my advice is: Have fun with it, play around with your 'voice', gather beautiful images and remember your intention for the blog.

I know I should probably step into the world of facebook, instagram and twitter but I just can't bring myself to do it. I think the time spent blogging is enough online time for me at the moment, I don't feel like I need/want to invest that extra time into other social media, and personally the whole 'liking' things/people kind of freaks me out.

What I love most about living on the North Coast is the community, the life/work balance that can be achieved here and the stunning environment that surrounds us. We are constantly excited about our lives up here, the richness of what we achieve and the beauty that surrounds us, sometimes we feel we have stumbled across a very special secret and cannot believe the rest of the world has not cottoned onto it yet.

Right now, I am excited about filming three film clips for my husband's Bluegrass band, The Mid North. We have just finished filming one, which is on the blog, and are in the middle of the second one. Both my husband and I are throwing ideas at each other and it is beautiful, we have similar ideas and focus and we really complement each other with our strengths. It is such a delight to be working with him like this. It is challenging project, due largely to the time it takes and the lack of experience I have but I am loving it so much, as I fumble my way through.

Rosewood by The Mid North (OFFICIAL FILM CLIP) from scott collins on Vimeo.

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Thank you, Jay for sharing your blog journey with us!
To visit jay's blog, "and the trees' click here

Northern Rivers Creatives popUp in Sydney

Sydney friends, if you would like to taste some of the creativity we have on the North Coast, you should head down to the Rocks for the Northern Rivers Creatives’ popUp Shop.

Featuring the same artists that “popped up” in the old Byron Bay library over Easter (I wrote about that here with plenty of images of the artists), the Sydney popUp shop opens this week.

A few words from the organisers, Arts Northern Rivers:

“Throughout May and June 2013, Arts Northern Rivers will showcase the work of leading Northern Rivers Creatives' in a popUp Shop in The Rocks as part of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority popUp Project.

Featuring fashion designers Goddess of Babylon, printmaker Joanna Kambourian, Bundjalung artist Digby Moran and visual artist Kelly Sullivan, furniture designers Dirty Old Town, Hammer and Hand jewellers Helen Luna, Jen Banks, Lucille Atkins and Laura Shipp and Northern Rivers musicians The Starboard Cannons, The Lucky Wonders, Jimmy Dowling, Ilona Harker and Rebecca Ireland the shop really offers a taste of the amazing talent in our region.

Once the dust has settled on the Sydney popUp shop we plan to grow the Northern Rivers Creative brand through similar popUp opportunities in Melbourne and Perth. From there, subject to funding, we will take our Northern Rivers Creative concept store to the London Design Festival, one of the world's most important annual design events and a gateway to the international creative community.”

You can find out more here: www.northernriverscreative.com.au 

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I do love being able to spread the word about our creative North Coast region. If you get a chance to visit the Sydney popUp, let me know what you thought.

x

Megan

18 / 52

Yesterday was the first soccer game of the season – and an absolute first for Melli who has only started the game this year.

The kids in Melli’s team were nervous, but keen and they did incredibly well for first-timers, I felt. We are a new team (we were wearing borrowed jerseys as ours haven’t been delivered yet) and to see the kids take what they have learned in a short period of time at practice and apply it onto the field was a buzz.  There were more than a few hilarious moments, too, and many goals scored, including a few our team generously awarded the other team :) 

So far, this soccer caper is a winner for both of my girls. Running around a field kicking a ball with little friends, what’s not to love about that?

My eldest girl is not sporty and so this is a first for me too. When we arrived at the fields yesterday I was taken with the fun atmosphere and impressed with how many girls there were playing on teams. I don’t have the stats on this, but I saw a good percentage of girls, right through to the older kids, and I am fully supportive of this aspect of the game.

x

North Coast Bloggers :: Cath Young

LET'S take a road trip south for this week’s North Coast Blogger. Just down the Pacific Highway, past the Big Banana and then head inland towards the Dorrrigo mountains to one of my very favourite little towns: Bellingen. Here, tucked away on the mid North Coast, you will find crafter Cath Young balancing creative and family life from the forest home she shares with her partner, "Chef" (he’s a chef, hence the pseudonym), and their two super-cute girls.

I’ve been following along with Cath’s creative blogging journey since her very first blog post and she continues to inspire. Not only with her clever craft and designs, all of which I adore, but with her attitude to living gently on the earth – without making a big hoopla out of it. She’s solar-powered, compost-loo-powered and organic all the way, and she is like so many of the creative artists I admire: A hard worker. Cath just gets on with the job, and doesn’t hold back from telling it as it is on her blog, Chunky Chooky.

Here is the story of Cath's blogging journey:

My name is Cath Young and I am a social worker, Head Honcho at My Bearded Pigeon and chunkychooky. I live in Bellingen  and my blog is called Chunkychooky.

 I have been blogging since March 2009… This question actually made me look though my whole blog backwards, rather than just go to the last post... My goodness, Busy was so little when I started!

I started the blog to promote my new business  - chunkychooky.  At the time I was making fisherman pants and rattles and softies for babies.

I didn't really know much about blogging when I started. I  had recently discovered blogs when I was looking online for sewing patterns to work out how to make a softie for my baby, then when I opened an Etsy shop, I thought it might be a good way of promoting my shop.

My blog tells the story of things I make; country life; being a mother; being a small business owner; being a social worker and my outspoken opinion about everything!

Blogging  has helped me so much creatively and with my business. So much so. When I started blogging there was a bunch of us who used to do My Creative Space which was a meme on the Kootoyoo blog, and every week I would post pics of what I had made and would love visiting everyone else to see what they made.  Seeing  Kirsty's embroidery made me want to learn which I did learn and I love it!

I have pretty much learnt how to sew from reading blogs. I am constantly amazed at what people make and do at home. I never knew there was SO MANY people who liked making things like me!

 Having a blog enabled me to make a few things and show the people I would be selling to and ask them what they thought. I have also made real life friends though my blog, some whom I have met in real life and consider my buddies now. 

The most challenging part of blogging, most recently, has been time! The combination of a new baby and a busy business has meant blogging has been temporarily suspended... I am micro blogging, I have heard it called, on Instagram and Twitter.

If you are thinking of starting a blog my advice would be to think about what kind of blog you want... There is a bit of a shift to all these sponsored posts on blogs.  You have to work out if you  want to do that before you start,  I think.

I was incredibly lucky in that Penguin Books asked me to review craft books on my blog. I asked them if I could host a giveaway with the review and they agreed.  It was great. I have a huge bookshelf of craft books and I felt like these giveaways were hugely relevant to the people that read my blog.  I still get asked to do some weird things on my blog and to host giveaway for vacuum cleaners and stuff… But, I don't want my blog to be like that.

What I love most about living on the North Coast is the space, the beauty, the quiet.  Rainforests, rivers and beaches all beautiful and clean and you often get them all to yourself!  Good food, good coffee and a wonderful arts community.  A great sense of community.

Right now, I am excited about some new items and lots of new ideas for My Bearded Pigeon and expanding where we are selling: we are also slowly reopening our Madeit shop and there is a new eshop coming soon too... just trying to keep our heads above water with juggling family and business!

Couldn't resist adding this snapshot I took of Cath and her sweet little baby girl when I visited them  recently

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Thank you so much for sharing your blogging journey, Cath!

To visit Cath's blog, Chunky Chooky click here.

To visit Cath's My Bearded Pigeon Etsy shop click here

And you can join Cath on instagram @MyBearededPigeon and twitter @MyBeardedPigeon

In which I try to accept change

 My parents built their own home in a new suburb and construction of new houses around me is one of the strong memories of my early childhood. While I was watching my girls squish around in this mud I thought back to that time.

I don’t remember trucks and construction noise and trees being cut down (which must have happened, as the suburb I grew up in was smack bang in bushland) but I do remember a cyclone came through one year and I watched, fascinated, as some of the houses up on the hill, still at the framework stage, toppled down like the fiddlesticks game we used to play.

And, I remember the giant concrete pipes that were to be laid underground for the new houses were piled up on the corner opposite my home and they became the place where all of us kids hung out.

“Meet you at the pipes,” we would say and we would draw all over them in chalk or chase each other through, our voices echoing up and down our little valley. It was our place, as natural a playground to us as the bushland, creek and swings and seesaw playground nearby… The pipes. Wow, I have not thought of the pipes for so very long. 

These photos are not so much about me surrendering to the mess and adventures of childhood. Letting my kids play and explore this newly constructed pathway is also about me reconciling with what this new path represents.

It’s the first step in a new housing development in our neighbourhood. One that we knew was on the cards many years ago, but we were spared when the GFC sent the developer of the day into receivership. Now, apparently it’s back on and I am trying to prepare myself for the inevitable changes it will bring. I don’t yet know how I feel about it all. I’m still processing what it will mean…

The green, green place that will accommodate the new homes is already home to many of the birds and other creatures that make this area so special. Despite all of the environmental safeguards promised, there will still be disturbance and this saddens me.

But, for now, I just have to take a deep breath and surrender. I can’t see how I can change this situation, only my response to it.

 Children can be so accepting and adaptable – “Look, a new path! Pipes to climb! A muddy puddle, how fun!”

 I will try to remember to be adaptable too.

How are you at handling change? I thought I was pretty okay at it, but when I look at how I am feeling about this development,  I realise I'm not so okay at it when I haven't instigated the change.

x