We celebrated May Day at a singing group performance in the Plymouth Inn. Pete and the rest of the Moretones (the Moreton mens' singing group) entertained and edified the audience with close harmony singing - including a surprisingly successful version of the theme tune to the Titanic (try to imagine 10 men singing instead of one Celine Dion…)

On the 4th to 7th we revelled in the sunshine at the South West Permaculture Convergence, which was held at the Plants For A Future site in North Devon. When we arrived back we found that we had been donated an iron treadle-operated lathe, which we have moved into our workshop and are finding rather useful already..

With the increase in visitors now that it is sunny, dry and warm, we have designed and built a visitor's bender close to the communal spaces. It has already been well used. The dry weather has brought more visitors, but it has taken away our hydro power. Our pipe gulped its last gulp early this month, and we are falling back on solar power and (shock horror) having to use computers less. The streams are all starting to disappear now, but we hope that our kitchen spring will keep going through the summer as it did last year.

Alongside our continual garden nurturing and planting out, we put aside a day for some long term planning. We brainstormed outlines for the next five years in terms of woodland management, structures, permacultural (and other) zones, forest gardening and public access. We feel in a better space to start thinking long term now that we have lived with the land and all its life for over a year. Our management and business plans are also being finalised, details will follow shortly.

The woodland walk will be opened to the public on the 8th June, and this month has seen a lot of preparatory work, consulting with the locals, planning routes and signage and clearing a few little used trails. Ben has been inspired by all the wild flowers and there are now lots of photos of our beautiful floral neighbours in the website photo gallery.

A film crew from Carlton South West visited on the 21st May to film an interview and some background footage for their television documentary 'How green is our valley?' which focusses on housing and planning issues in Moreton. The program will be shown on July 24th…

We have started holding a stall in the Moreton Flea Market again (between 9am and 1pm every Tuesday morning). We are selling a few crafts, showing photos, giving out leaflets and providing a space for people to meet us and talk to us. Since we've started producing charcoal this month in our DIY charcoal burner we may be selling some at the flea market soon. There has also been talk about setting up a cycle generator and maybe demonstrate some craft making or green woodworking at the flea market this summer.

On Saturday the 26th we held a stall at the Tavistock Green Umbrella Group's 'Alternatives Fair'. We took a cycle powered sound system, woodworking tools and an array of information and books. Highlights of the day included introducing a Tasmanian farmer to forest gardening and permaculture, and finding a shop that sells Clive's Pies!

The deadline for letters of support for our planning appeal passed and there were 29 supporting and only 5 objecting by the time the deadline passed. It is still worth writing if you have not done so already, as they may still accept letters.

We submitted our statement of case for the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, and sent the Dartmoor National Park Authority a proposed Section 106 agreement, which sets out the conditions we are happy to be bound by should planning permission be granted.

The last few days of the month were spent preparing for our course on 'Community Woodlands', run in association with the Small Woods Association (see report or next months diary for details). It was a hot dry and extremely busy month and the summer has only just begun.

June 2001