Green Route East London

07/12/2023

Our very small monthly community market is closing down after more than three years and I’m sad. The market was my lifeline when we moved here and I broke my ankles a month later. I couldn’t physically go to the market but new friends would check in on WhatsApp. ‘Want anything from the market?’ I did. And then they would drop it off or get someone else to drop off my parcel of goodies.

Arthur’s Bakery biscuits, veg samosas from Debbie, jams from The Jam Lady, face treats from Moya Essentials, serum from Karen. But now it’s over. These community gatherings integrated me into Clovelly life. The plant people, bird people, snake people, mountain people, the sea people. Farewell little market.

closure the end of an era

30/11/2023

https://www.falsebayecho.co.za/news/wall-hangings-raise-funds-for-needy-01c3e2e9-5c35-495c-b0ff-6a139b9d6090

Wall hangings inspired by the seasons were created by the Clovelly CAN Stitch Project in January last year. They will be on sale for R2500 each at an exhibition in December.. Clovelly Community Action Network (CAN) will have a Stitches for Soup Kitchens pop-up exhibition in December to raise funds t...

23/11/2023

The award for the most pointless product of the year goes to Kim Kardashian’s ni**le bra. In a double down on greenwashing that’s hard to grasp a percentage of the profit from sales of the nip-bra will go to saving the planet. The fake nips are made from plastic which is made from oil. KK’s ni**le bra idea should have been nipped in the bud. Save the planet, save the ni**le!

saving a shirt

18/11/2023

Go-with-the-Flow
A damaged piece of Shweshwe cloth becomes a tracing board for the community of Clovelly.
Clovelly CAN

A community that stitches together, stays together

15/11/2023

Escape to reality in Italy, Portugal and Sicily

09/11/2023

I’m trying to get into some good habits in the morning. Eating breakfast, some breathing, and stretching. Stopping to pause and think: what do I need to do for myself in order to be able to do the next task? Remarkable result: Fewer forgetful low blood sugar events, more organised (not apparent if you look around the house but it’s true).

plant powered coffee for a wakeup call

26/10/2023

Boxes, lots of boxes. Boxes full of possessions were put into the garage three years ago when we moved in. Boxes of mystery and basically I need to ask: do I need what’s in those boxes? This is an existential question. Stay tuned.

when big money talks do governments listen?

20/10/2023

Did my newsletter about the Slow Little Reno lull you into thinking that this was just going to be another decor blog? I just felt like a little break from the devastating news of the world. And I will be posting more Slow Reno stories every then and now. Life is all about balance, not so?

At some point I have to say “enough”, and send out this newsletter. With the world in a whirling tornado of a mess on practically every level it’s easy to be swept along in the tidal wave of emotions and trauma and guilt. Gloomy morning thoughts this morning.

time to think

15/10/2023

The slow reno has been slowly moving along since we moved in three years ago. We share our lounge with a Kawasaki motorbike. Okay, there’s a pane of glass between us but I we want to we can gaze at the Kawasaki all day.

one room at a time

07/10/2023

Three years ago I had a fall after getting coffee and broke both ankles. Both. Pretty catastrophic for me but here I am, walking. Not as strong as I once was but getting stronger. Being stuck in one place and totally dependent on others gave me a lot of time to think.

Word of the week: porcupette, diminutive

04/10/2023

Who wants to see what’s happening in the second bedroom in the Slow Little Reno Project?

A classic piece of furniture that folds up for a tiny footprint in a small house

26/09/2023

Morning thoughts
Before we get into it, I love these handmade baskets made from bulrushes from our local wetlands by Nonophela Craft. I want to learn how to make them. In the meantime, I’m experimenting with weaving leaves in our garden.

and other unavoidables

10/09/2023

My first lesson in permaculture was a basic one-day introductory workshop. I didn’t know what was going on until the workshop leader had us all stand up holding pieces of long string. The crisscrossing of the string we held was an ‘Aha!’ moment for all of us. It was a clear illustration of the interconnectedness of things and as the word permaculture was broken down for us (permanent cultivation) the simplicity and brilliance of the design philosophy was clear.

pretty in pink permaculture