And we are back!!

Hello everyone!

We are so excited to be back and offering free workshops again, now that we can gather together in community.

First up for the year we have Culture Club's Community Pickling Day:

Once again we are thrilled to be partnering with Glenlyon's Adsum Farmhouse who are growing gherkins especially for the day. This year Edward and Fiona from Adsum are kindly opening their gates to host the event too. Fingers crossed the weather warms up so the gherkins ripen in time! Either way, the event will go ahead.

Due to restrictions places are absolutely limited. So please book your spot by emailing daylesfordcultureclub@gmail.com

Event details and a list of things to bring will be emailed to you when your booking is confirmed.

Hope you can join us!

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Daylesford Community Food Gardens Monthly Working Bee

You are cordially invited to join the community food gardeners at their next monthly working bee: Saturday February 13 from 10am - 12pm at the library garden.

Come and meet like-minded people, while we tend the soil and seeds together, growing free organic, liberated food for all to share.

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Wild Fennel: Hepburn Herbal Group

 

Wild Fennel is back and we can't wait!! Please join us for the first Wild Fennel of the year: Saturday February 20 from 9.30am - 12.30pm at the Daylesford skatepark community garden.

Please bring a rug to sit on, a thermos of your favourite herbal tea + cup and a burning herbal question to ask facilitator Rosie Cooper.

More info about the group here.

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Daylesford Repair Café

Please join us for the first Repair Café for the year on Sunday February 21 from 1pm - 4pm at Victoria Park Pavilion.

More details here.

Hope you can join us.

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Family and Kids Mountain Bike Rides

The Bike Space Daylesford is hosting its first family-friendly ride of the year on Tuesday February 2  from 4.30pm. Meet at 13 Camp Street (directly behind the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre).

This is a family friendly hour ride around trails in Daylesford. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

This is a free regular Tuesday group during school term aimed at getting more parents and kids enjoying the benefits of mountain bike riding.

A huge thanks to Eric Red for running this group. Pls let Eric know if you're coming along. More info here.

 

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Daylesford Swing Dancing Society

The Daylesford Swing Dancing Society is a recently-established community group for and by the people of Daylesford with the intention of learning to swing dance in a fun, free and inclusive environment. There are no memberships, or fees (except for perhaps a small donation for hall or venue hire). Whatever your skill level, age or gender, you are welcome to come and share the joy of dancing!

For info about when and where the group will meet, please see here.

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Apis: Natural beekeeping group

Do you keep bees or want to keep bees? Do you want to know more about these wondrous creatures that pollinate our gardens and forests? Apis is a group of open-minded and open-hearted people open to learning and sharing knowledges around all things bees. Please put the afternoon of Sunday April 25 in your calendars for a gathering. More details to come. 

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Land Share Central Victoria 

Did you know there is not a single property for long-term rent in Daylesford? How did we get here? How can we let this happen?

The Land Share Central Victoria FB group is a place to connect those who have access to land with those who would like access to land. Spare rooms, granny flats, tiny houses, bungalows. Rental agreements paid in cash or vegetables. Whatever you are seeking or offering, let's get together to share conversations about what housing equality and land justice means for all of us.

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Democratic Renewal in Hepburn Shire

Community Voice is a group of Hepburn Shire people who strive to help our community engage in ‘active democracy’. The group: 

• flags to the community upcoming council issues, e.g. around policy, planning, local laws
• collects information from the community about their current issues and barriers, then formally shares that information with the wider community and the shire's councillors
• promotes and trials active democracy methods within the shire, i.e. ways of ensuring public participation in council decision making.

Sign up for the blog via the above website link, and/or join over a 1000 locals on the Community Voice Facebook page to stay informed and add your voice.

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Dates for your calendar

Tuesday February 2 - Family and Kids Mountain Bike Ride
Saturday Feb 6 - Community Pickling Day
Saturday Feb 13 - Daylesford Community Food Gardens Working bee
Saturday February 20 - Wild Fennel
Sunday February 21 - Daylesford Repair Café
Sunday April 25 - Apis: Natural beekeeping group

How are you going?

A couple of months ago the editor of the U.S. journal, Natural Hazards Observer, published by the University of Colorado, invited bushfire safety expert Joan Webster to write an article on ‘the fate of the Australian policy of leave early or stay and defend.’ You can read her article here.

It has been archived in the Bushfire Preparation section of this blog, which you can find in the top right menu tab. Well worth a look as we head into the warmer months.

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Hop on your bike and head on over to Paradise Books on Friday Oct 4 for the book launch of Changing Gears:

Looking for inspiration about how to simplify their lives, Greg Foyster and Sophie Chishkovsky cycle from Melbourne to Far North Queensland (via Tasmania, naturally). Preposterously underprepared, they are propelled by the many inspiring and eccentric characters they meet – from a forest activist living up a tree to an 18th-century woodsman and a monk walking barefoot through Queensland. Featuring eye-opening encounters with DIY downshifters and leading figures in sustainability, Changing Gears is a jaunty adventure that explores an important question for the future: can we be happier with less?

Click for bigger

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And speaking of bikes, here are some pics from last Sunday's e-bike demonstration:

If you weren't able to make it, you can always contact Sam at Ballarat e-Bikes directly.

Giddy-Up!

Want to get on your bike but think the hills are too tough? Have you thought about an electric motor for your favourite treadlie?

Sam from Ballarat e-Bikes is coming to Daylesford to talk to HRN about the latest e-bike conversion kits on the market.

Sunday September 8 from 2pm-4pm 

at Meg and Patrick's house: 6 Tierneys Lane Daylesford.

If you are coming by car, please park in the Mill Market car park to free up Tierneys Lane for test riding some bikes.

Arvo tea provided.

Hope you can make it.

Local happenings

Hey all, it seems that a lot of us have been really flat of late but there a bunch of things happening to go to that could get us smiling again. Try some of these...

This Saturday pop up to Jubilee Lake between 12 and 3pm to celebrate the new lessee of the Jubilee Lake Caravan Park - a residents' co-operative! Congratulations Hepburn Shire for giving them the lease! HRN will have a stall there.

Paul Hawken

If you want to hear Paul Hawken, he will be in Bendigo October 28th as guest of the Bendigo Sustainability Group. Email us if you want to be part of a table. (It is expensive I know but hey, it could be worth it.) We will be car pooling across.

Then, Daylesford Community Gardeners are hosting a garden party Sunday October 30 between 10 and 3pm. Oh what fun! Bring a picnic or enjoy some Ego Culinaria tucker while reclining on the grass with friends.

Also, starting in November are a series of bicycle maintenance workshops at the Neighbourhood House between 2 and 4pm on the last three Saturdays. Great idea if you have an old bike you would like to zip into shape for Critical Mass (last Friday of the month at 5pm at the Daylesford Primary School).

And Keeping it Local: Local Wardrobe is a nice little clip on local clothing, something I neglected when Ken Warren asked the question about transitioning and local clothing at a recent film night. Here is what a small group is doing.

And coming soon.......................next film night Juliette of the Herbs and a community dinner.