Posts from the bush

Remembering Mary Ann Hiserman

My friend, Peter, the local real estate agent, came over the other day to see how the building was coming along. He’s been cheering us on, especially during the storms and floods. I found a plan and we walked around the building site. 
“Great that it’s all on one level,” Peter smiled, pointing to the ramp on the drawing. 
“Retirement [...]

Fog in the Valley

 
When there’s morning fog in our valley –  as there is today – I go inside. I can no longer see the sacred mountains my activist neighbours saved from logging with fierce campaigns in the seventies and eighties.
My daily glimpse of a politicised landscape to remind me what’s important.
What we’re fighting to save.
My forest.
Even my tiny [...]

Peggy’s Salon

Living in the bush has its limitations, to be certain. We have most things in my village of 350, largely due to our hectic tourist trade: a pharmacy, a hospital, doctors, a post office, a hardware store, a garage, great organic food, fine coffee and an excellent hairdresser.
I’m always comforted to hear from my hairdresser that [...]

Knispering: Are Rats Smarter than Humans?

Jarlanbah Eco-village, Nimbin, NSW
 
The Introduction to Kitchen Table Sustainability starts the book off on a bucolic, if pessimistic, note. Three of the authors are sitting around the tables on the porch of our shed here in Nimbin and speculating about the future and the future of all generations – of all beings.
So far, so good.
All [...]