Co-creating a More Beautiful World
Back to the Land / Permaculture Studies
by Olivia Grundy · Published 10/07/2023 · Last modified 26/07/2023
From the earth elemental energies to the fundamental permaculture principles, I reflect on what I have learnt so far about the reality of following our most radical dreams. If you have been following this blog since its inception in 2020, you may be surprised that after so much energy and movement of the first few years of this journey,...
More Beautiful World / Permaculture Studies
by Olivia Grundy · Published 18/06/2023 · Last modified 20/07/2023
This is the final part of the series of blog posts that I have written about a terrible crime that took place within the collective of the community garden (see parts 1 and 2– trigger warning: violence against children and suicide). In this final post, I share my final reflections on painful episode. Using the words of the victim’s...
How does a community garden react when the worse crime of all is committed by one of its own members? In this post we return to where we left off, with the collective in the community garden still reeling from the tragic events that unfolded on the 27th December 2021. Trigger Warning: Violence Against Children and Suicide A small...
This is a story about the community garden that I never imagined I would be writing. Yet here I am trying a to find a title that accurately reflects what the content of this post without falling into the cheap trap of shocking click bate. Tragedies have a way of remaining unspoken about, lest the pain and ugliness spoil...
After two years of observations, investigations and hard work, I am happy to announce that I have finally completed my permaculture design project for the community garden! I can officially say I am a qualified permaculture designer! It has been a long time coming, and at times I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the end....
Reflections on the journey so far The pandemic and my permaculture design project have gone hand in hand over the last two years. As both of these chapters of my life are slowly coming to a close, I reflect upon the journey undertaken so far and take some time to savour the final stretch of the road. 20th of...
From homemade Italian delights, birthday parties, and new friends to sharing plant knowledge, gratitude notes and personal growth, we managed to end 2021 on a high in the community garden. Read on to find out we managed to turn things around! A lot has changed in the community garden since I first started to document my permaculture explorations there...
The community garden saga continues! What will my permaculture investigations reveal about the ongoing conflicts that have been plaguing La Plaza for so long? Using permaculture techniques such as stakeholder questionnaires, interviews, and a good old fashioned chat over tea and cake, I explore some of the problems that have been hanging around the community like a bad smell...
Anyone who read my last post about the community garden ¡Esta es Una Plaza!, a community garden in Madrid, may have come away with an idealistic view of a utopian community in the city full of like-minded people, working together for the common good of all and transforming the city in the process. Whilst this image is indeed accurate...
In this post I tell the story of an incredible example of what is possible when people come together to create something different in the world. This magical place is ¡Esta es Una Plaza!, an urban garden in Madrid that I am lucky enough to be using to base my permaculture design project on. Here I share a bit...
Join me as I transition from the city to the country, following my hearts desire for a more sustainable life based on respect for the Earth and all the creatures in it. Let’s co-create a more beautiful world!
Thank you for being part of it xx
Thank you for sharing your learning (your path) with everyone. I hope you have a beautiful harvest.
Glad you enjoyed it Angela! In the end its seems like the most personal story is the most universal! We…
Olivia... whenever I read your blog I feel as if you are expressing exactly my own thoughts and feelings!! I…
Thanks for being my biggest fan Mum. I have already started writing it! Watch this space ;) xx
