New Years planting day at Daylesford's Community Park

On January 12 we shared tools,

smiles,

and various kinds of labour. You see, we were given a wad of money from Spa Country Events for our participation in the 2018 Daylesford NYE Parade.

We came up with a moving food forest as our float. You can see our shenanigans here. The idea was that our temporary float would be converted into a permanent benefit for the community. The community park garden needed some lovin', so we decided this would be the garden we renewed with the plants. First we had to scratch out many weeds and dead head the perennials.

We also had to be there to receive another big gift from local arborist, Scott Little. Thanks for the mature mulch Scott!

Now with our materials on site it was time to start loosening the terra,

to bed down the gifted plants.

We know from experience that many hands make light work,

and many skyward thumbs popped up over the few hours we gathered for yet another community permablitz.

It was a songful time of peasant labours,

peasant labours reclaimed in a casual sunglasses kinda era,

A hot morning meant broad hats accompanied ever broadening feelings,

and we kept cool with the spray of the hose,

before mulch time to trap in all that moistness. With a wheelbarrow train we moved three cubic metres in no time.

We worked from morning till lunch to finish the job, then posed for this photo:

Thanks (from left) Django, Maya, Sian, Woody, Julian, Meg, Nick, Leah, Patrick, Kirsten, John, Brenna, Jeremy, Josh, Nick, Lyra and Michelle (all pictured), and Scott (who gifted and delivered the well composted mulch) and Pete, who had to leave early.

November bee: a floral affair

A working bee usually starts off nice and slow.

A chat,

a smile or two,

before the labour begins.

The labour of reclaiming,



of celebrating,

of sharing,

of togetherness

of quenching,

of replenishing,

of being,

of building,

of enacting,

of planting,

of becoming,

of thanking the mother for her providing.

And thank you once again to Mara Ripani for taking these lovely photos and for sharing your surplus tomato seedlings with us. Thank you Anna and Ben and Artist as Family for your seedlings too!

See you all at the next bee! December 8th from 9am - 12pm at the garden beside the library.

We are also planning to be in the NYE parade again this year so start your op-shop raiding for colour-filled costumes.

October Bee

A participatory bee.

A maternal bee.

An experienced bee.

A visiting bee.

A hungry bee.

A learning bee.

A wise bee.

A working bee.

A welcoming bee.

A communal bee.

A familial bee.

A generous bee.

A free bee.

A sunny bee.

A creative bee.

A beautiful bee.

A flirty bee.

A busy bee.

Thank you to everyone who came along! What a beautiful, communal and fun day.

See you at next month's bee: Saturday November 10 from 9am - 12pm.

Also, we hope to see you at Land for Life this coming Sunday. More info about the event here.