~~~~~

 Have you heard of the humble soil microbe Mycobacterium vaccae?  It was first found by scientists in a pile of cow dung.  Perhaps they thought they were 'civilising' it, elevating it above the depravity and ignorance of its fecal home when they taught it the ways of the petri dish?  But was M. vaccae fazed or enbitterered by their neo-missionary condescension?  Not if it's subsequent behaviour is anything to go by.  When the scientists injected it into various rodents they found it released serotonin in the brain -- the very same chemical boosted by anti-depressant pharmaceuticals.  Subsequent research has shown that it gives humans a happy buzz too.

And where do you get exposure to this microbial friend, also linked to reducing asthma and skin allergies?  Walk down Smith St Collingwood on a dark night and look for the jittery guy in the cap with the plastic bags of well composted soil?  No.  Just get out there in to the garden... Which you can do at one of the very exciting upcoming blitzes! 

And a belated welcome to another irregular permablitz newsletter, in which we have: reports from permablitzers abroad, a very Aussie forum, a breakthrough report on how the hell are we going to eat in 20 years, a call for permablitz photos for a calendar, and permaculture co-originator David Holmgren casts his piercing gaze towards the future... plus all the usual upcoming blitzes and courses.


~~~~ Upcoming Blitzes ~~~~

This Sunday! JUN 01 Blitz #43 @ Noble Park
This marks a return to the Dandenong zone permablitz heartland.  Although it is also Noble Park's first Permablitz! Come and help Ileana, Gavin and baby Michaela transform their backyard into a fruit, vege, herb and chicken egg producing wonderland. No skills required. New-comers to Permablitz are welcome. Workshops and action a-plenty!
More: <http://permablitz.net/...>

JUN 22 Blitz #44 @ West Preston
Stay tuned... <http://permablitz.net/...>

Yes, it is free to attend a Permablitz!  Also, a hearty lunch and cups of tea/coffee are provided by the host of the blitz.

Permablitz encourages sharing so if you have any spare seedlings, seeds or fruit trees you are encouraged to bring them along to be planted on the day.  You're also welcome to bring along some morning tea to share and any musical instrument that you might like to play throughout the day

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Remember, no gardening/permaculture skills are required.  All that is required is an enthusiasm to:

* learn about organic, home-grown food production,

* to get your hands dirty helping a household start their vege, herb, fruit, egg, etc producing yard

* meet new folks

* have a bit of fun

 

Also, after attending two or three permablitzes you are eligible to host a permablitz at your place.

Photographers, amateur or professional

I would like to feature a Permablitz photo in the 2009 Permaculture Calendar.  This calendar highlights one of the twelve Homgren design principles each month, and a great photo of a Permablitz could illustrate Integrate Rather than Segregate.  People coming together, useful work mixed with recreation, materials and plants accumulated and assembled together into a garden ...... 

 

The calendar is being produced to be beautiful, functional, and to reflect and encourage permaculture thinking.  The photo needs to be in landscape format, high resolution jpeg file. If your photo is selected your contribution will be featured in the calendar and you will;
• receive five free calendars
• be credited in the calendar
• be invited to nominate a sustainability project or group to share in 20% of profit from wholesale returns.
For more info see www.permacultureprinciples.com

If the people in the photo are recognisable they just need to sign the permission form downloadable from the site.  To submit a photo or contact me, mail [email removed, contact via This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]