Friday 8/8/03
All citrus trees composted, limed and mulched. The old barbed wire fence separating the lower pecan orchard and the lower part of the Hoop Reserve has been removed and we slashed and removed lantana as far as the tractor allowed. Burned off a pile of camphor cuttings. Noah and Linda pruned pecans. Smaller branches were pruned immediately. The larger branches had the tips cut and were marked for pruning next week. This allows the tree to ready itself for the pruning ahead. Also the moon will be larger later next week which will be a better pruning time.

Oak tree for 505 making.	A mass of lilies along the drive.	One year old camphor.		Kim's version of the stone ring.

Tuesday 5/8/03
Pruning the pecans and feeding the citrus.
The pecans are about 6 years old and it appears that they have never been pruned. This is a serious issue because in a storm, branches could easily snap. After discussion, Linda and Noah have worked out a method which we will follow. We worked on the citrus trees as well. We cleared the grass around them and dug out larger clumps of grass. We scraped the soil back a little and places bd compost around the tree up to the drip line. We then covered the compost with a thin layer of earth and a few handfuls of blue metal dust. On top of this we mulched with a special blend of tea tree mulch. Noah also pruned the trees and removed wasp infestations.

Before pruning	After pruning	Section removed	Noah applying tree paste after pruning	Click on thumbs to open larger version in separate window.
Citrus care			Blue metal dust

Stone circle - Noah and Stefan built a stone circle with three substantial menhirs. Overlooking the ocean and left bank valley and well as Wilson's Creek valley. The palm is dedicated to Stefan's aunt Lena.

August 2003 - The winter experience - cold nights, beautiful days. The aracaria experiment is now in its 10th month. A remarkable amount of infrastructure activity has taken place since founding day, November the 18th. The land looks happy. 
Here is an introduction to the people involved:
Stefan: He is, more or less, the founder, an artist, who by serendipity alone drifted into this property and is now backing the project with conviction.
Linda: Head gardener, an extraordinarily nature spirit with a strong and practical attitude. She is guiding the project, planting, decides on BD issues and and generally keeps things in scale. Lives on the farm with her family.
Noah: Groundsman, a recent addition, also known as the Hulk. Powerful muscles but also an interesting brain. Offers a slant on nature that fits into the aracaria philosophy.
Hubert: He introduced Linda to the project and significantly helped in the earliest and most fragile stages. For that reason alone, Hubert has earned lasting gratitude.
Susanna: Lives on the farm and looks after the vegetable garden. A gentle and balancing  presence. Also a very good cake maker.  

Susanna in shade house		Brand new road.  The old one was washed out	The aracaria truck with a logo!	Linda with her birthday cake. Note the aracaria logo.
At the Mullumbimby BD meeting.	Hubert	Colin, Michel in the background.	Linda with her jar of Dandelions flower for 506 preparation.	Each one of these flowers was picked early in the morning before the flowers close for the day. The dandelions were especially grown for in the aracaria vegetable garden.  This jar represents many hours of care and picking.