Happy New Year

2011 being the year we swallowed the anchor and moved to the farmlet, we're greeting the New Year with a celebration of Turkey Tom.

The garden was the first thing we built when we found our little piece of Gaia.

Then we were given 3 hens, so we built them a house in the garden.

Then came Mr. Elijah Sunshine. We watched him grow into a fine, protective rooster, always on the job.

Then we got more hens - here they are at work, helping us improve the soil.

The greener pasture is where the chickens have been working. Here they have been moved over to the brown section to continue pecking and digging, thus tilling the soil.

And of course their other job – providing eggs

Granddaughter Ammie finds a treasure among the golf balls.

The farmlet is a favourite attraction for neighbours’ grandchildren, too.

Thomas went to a poultry auction looking for a Banty hen that would go broody, and came home with Tiny Tom

We came to love him very much. We learned that turkeys can die of loneliness, and he showed us that he belonged not in his own yard but to the flock.

For a while Miss Emma was Tom's special friend.

We are always learning from the land and animals. But we’ve never figured out Turkey Tom’s colouring. What makes it change? What makes his snood grow long and short?

Here Tom's face and caruncle are pink and his snood is short (looks like a little horn)

Now his caruncle is red and his snood hangs down past his beak.

One joy of the farmlet is the inspiration it brings to family, friends and neighbours. People stop by and say “I’m so pleased to see what you’re doing here!” and even: “Now here is a scene of Christmas Peace.”

A special gift this season was introducing our city grandchildren to the farmlet.

Is Edward looking for the manger scene?

Turkey Tom seemed to know he had a mission – to entertain, to connect with people. And he loved all bringers of food!

So Christmas dinner preparations were a mixed and intense experience. Even though many of us are drawn to closer connections with the land and want a good life for the food we eat, bringing Turkey to the table was a very hard thing to do. Thomas thought long about the best way to end Tom’s life. It was clean and quick, Tom happily eating what he loved. Each of us said our various thank you’s with much affection and respect.

On Tom’s last day he had grown into an even larger and more beautiful bird.

Tom in Henry's kitchen.

48 lbs!

YES, LA SONRISA IS FOR SALE!

The following ad is posted in the BC Nautical Residents Association Newsletter:

La Sonrisa II. Seabird 37, 1982. Year-round cruiser designed for a couple who wish to live simply. Centre cockpit, hard-top with water collection. Propane stove, oven, hot-water. Wood heat. Aft cabin with comfortable double berth; shower and head; fold-down computer desk. Radar arch, davits (hard-bottom inflatable dinghy) and swim grid. Heavy-duty bronze windlass with three anchors, chain and rode. Excellent sails (including a storm staysail and older cruising spinnaker). All simple systems. This one was built to last. $50,000. Visit www.lasonrisa.ca

BACK TO THE LAND

From La Sonrisa’s winter home in Degnan Bay on Gabriola Island Thomas and Elizabeth have found their way “back to the land”, as each of us has done in former chapters of our lives. We seek to live simply and sustainably and to grow our own food. And we have found a place that feels like home.

It’s a ½ acre lot across the street from the beach on False Narrows, Gabriola Island

Lots of room for sunny, south facing garden beds.

We still have familiar marine neighbours: herons, sea lions, seals, eagles, gulls, ravens

Thomas gathers miner’s lettuce, our first harvest on the land,

For now, the little woods is storage space for building materials we come by. Later perhaps a kids' tree house?

Very political corner

We got to work on our new place before we moved there, even before the paperwork got completed.

The first 2 deep beds with movable cold-frame covers

Beside the compost frame is a haystack of dried grass mowed from the lot, to be added as needed to the compost

Here is the site of what has become our root cellar. Done in true permaculture style

where a problem becomes a possibility

Building a driveway from everything we dig up

Under that big rock is an original community well

The truck became a portable workshop and transport of plants to new homes

The garden expands

Thomas’ first building project for the homestead – made from the wood of a discarded futon base

Our first poultry. These California quail are just visiting. Soon we hope to have our own chickens.

OUR NEW HOME

Friend Mark Shaw delivers our fifth wheel trailer

We’ve had an interesting variety of conversations about whether a 5^th wheel qualifies as a home, nevertheless here we are in our new home.

Daughter Tamaya chats with a friend

First of all we’re growing our food.

Our one big rock has become the herb garden, fed by gifts from neighbours.

Midnight visitor didn't eat the herbs.

Day after day, plants have appeared on our doorstep: day after day, experts have arrived with helpful advice on projects.

Our first water system, collecting rainwater for the garden beds.

Filling the water tank with drinking water gifted by water-blessed neighbours.

Measuring water level in the well. We had many tries with various pumps

before we finally got water from the well.

1998 South Road, Gabriola Island, V0R 1X6 – our new land address. We needed an address (for the compost toilet to be delivered) before jumping the various official address hoops, so we did it ourselves. Happily the mapping authority has agreed.

Welcome addition, "The Airhead" - a new compost toilet originally designed for boats

Family arrived for a post pounding party,

Here is the finished garden fence made with donated pink salmon gill net.

We fed the workers omelets made in Thomas’ favourite find at the recycle depot.

We’re getting prepared for the fresh eggs from our chickens-to-be!

Just the spot for a bike rack

The helpful local installer from the telephone company gave us the requirements

for a land line hook up: a deep hole and a pole.

Our new phone number: 250 247-0122

The grand-dogs do their thing.