Peace Factory updates

Still here at the Peace Factory! I've just posted some photos (finally!) on our online photo album too, which you can access by clicking on the link to the left.

Some updates:

We learned how to do Hugelkultur raised beds Sepp Holtzer style, from someone who learned it from someone who studied with him. It was a bit different from how we did it earlier this spring. This method is particularly adapted to dry areas, and the beds, which are made by putting logs at the bottom and then alternating layers of fresh compost material, dry plant material, earth and mature compost, last for 5 to 7 years!

Chris caught a perch in the river with a fishing rod he made out of bamboo, some fishing line we found tangled in a bush, and a hook he fashioned out of a safety pin. Several hours of waiting (and several baits that mysteriously disappeared) finally paid off, and we barbecued our generous benefactor.

The weather has been unusually rainy, and we moved our outdoor bedroom into the warehouse building, at a point where two huge doors open up to what must have been some kind of loading dock, so at least we feel half-way outside still. At night the bats bounce their echolocative chirps off our heads, and at first light a chorus of birdsongs starts winding its way into our dreams. The other morning as we lay in bed we witnessed the first outdoor flight of two young black redstarts who'd been in a nest under our platform. I don't think I want to go back to sleeping in a bedroom again.

We continue to go to the market in Carcassonne on Saturdays to glean the leftovers, and have not been disappointed! Each week we come home with our big packs stuffed to the brim with overripe fruits and veggies, some of which always end up getting squashed due to the vertical nature of back packs. There's a real social network of gleaners there too who share their surplus, exchanging eggplants for heads of garlic, passing around boxes of apricots and green beans so everyone has a chance to take what they need. Even the fruit sellers take part in this, coming up to us to say we should go check out that corner over there; they've got boxes of melons that they're getting rid of. And we continue to go to the local farmer's market on Mondays to see our friends and to see what's been harvested that week. A lot of what they're selling is too expensive for us to be able to afford, but we always come home with a couple of heads of lettuce and sometimes they give us handfuls of broad beans, which for some reason they are having a hard time selling around here.

We've made new friends in Kendra and Paul, who just arrived here from Germany and are planning on spending 6 months here at the Factory, at which point they'll decide whether or not they want to stay more long-term. They've been involved in the project for a while, although long-distance up until last week. It's nice to have people to hang out with again!

Okay, that's it for now. Check out the photos, and watch out for more to come!