The problem is the solution

It is Sunday… but when living on the land it is a day like any other day.

Because Maria is still in Athens, where she is visiting her dad, we agreed to do some more ‘clearing’ this morning. Imagine a steep piece of land, full of brambles and wild trees and schrubs. It goes from the house down to the little streambed that is dry most of the time these days. Because last summer there were so many big fires in Greece, and it looks like it will be as dry this year, this piece of land needs to be cleared. In case of a fire nearby, it will stop at a certain distance of the house, to keep it safe.

Panaioti used the chainsaw to cut through the wilderness, leaving only a few trees, mostly wild olive trees that we will graft tomorrow. Ulrik, Sarah and myself were taking all the stuff down. Selecting the pieces of wood that can be used in wintertime to burn in the stove and selecting the garbage (lots of that!). All the rest to be removed away from the house…
How to walk – let alone work – on a steep piece of land? I learned what the permaculture principle means: The problem is the solution.

Brambles all over the place – they are very strong rooted and can lend you a hand while climbing up or down!

Surface is really steep – let gravity help you to bring all the stuff down: it can be rolled if you keep an eye on how you pile it up!
Left-overs from concrete were dumped next to the house, not really beautiful – they served very well to keep a temporary structure in place for some time!

The problem is the solution.

Our world is so fragmented, so divided, out of balance… let’s connect again: with our neighbors, the land we walk on, the food we eat…
back to wholeness, step-by-step.