permaculture

["Graham Burnett" <grahamburnett@blueyonder.co.uk>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Morris" <webmaster@pfaf.org>

> > Hi Robert, there are a number of 'design processes' available, but the
one I
> > tend to like is the acronym 'SADIM'- Survey, Assess, Design, Implement,
> > Maintain;
>
> How about 'SADIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM'- Survey, Assess, Design, Implement,
> Maintain, Maintain, Maintain, Maintain, Maintain, Maintain, Maintain.
>
> Thats whats always caught us out. Too much focus on design without a
> clue on maintanance. Everyone want to plant trees, few want to
> year after year clear brambles from around trees.
>
> Don't design what you can't maintain.
>

Which also reflects on my 'dreams vs reality' comment under the 'implement'
heading- I always tell a story during the design session on our courses of
our very first permaculture course that we ran through our local LETS system
back in 1998- we went and looked at some derelict allotment sites nearby
covering a few acres- people were extremely enthused, and were imaging all
the possibilities- "We can have polytunnels over there", "what about a huge
pond for aquaculture", "thats where we can put the wind generators", "Lets
build a straw bale community centre here and a Walter Seagal wooden
structure classroom there", "here's a perfect spot for a forest garden",
etc, etc...

A couple of weeks later we organised our first work day on the site to clear
a 4'x8' bed to plant a few rows of onion sets- do you think one bugger from
the course turned up????

Cheers Graham