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Dear ,

We hope that your transition into the New Year of 2023 was gentle and that the coming year brings many blessings on your path. Transitions are a precious opportunity to reflect and harvest our learnings, to take a moment to stand still with what has been and what will come. During the darkest time of the year we made the conscious choice to draw back from online spaces and take time to allow ideas and plans to grow, cocooned in the stillness up here in the Knockmealdown mountains.

Imbolc

As the days noticeably lengthen (and Gilgamesh begins his morning singing earlier and earlier) we can feel the spring energy gathering, ready to burst both inside us and in the world all around. We are already past the midpoint between midwinter and spring equinox, celebrated as Imbolc, or St Brigid's Day here in Ireland. It is the celebration of new life as the lambing season begins, the first smells of spring are drifting on the breezes and the hedges are filled with joyful birdsong and spring time dances have begun. 

We gathered around a fire for our meal, and spent some time creating a garden around the well on our property. Taking a moment to recognize and be thankful for the life-giving qualities of water. The energy of flow and transformation, washing away the old and nourishing the new. 

On and around the Farm

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Future Forests last month to collect a trailer load of bare root tree whips for the first round of planting of 2023.

The trees are mostly a mix of native species, for windbreaks, and border planting, as well as some fruit trees and berry bushes. In this first round of planting we are taking into account where we are able to protect the trees from deer and rabbit damage without having to first spend months repairing and building fences.

The first fruit trees are in the ground, placed into carefully dug holes, their roots were prepared with mycorrhizal fungi mix to give the trees a head start in building fungal networks that will aid in their nutrient uptake.

Mycorrhizal fungi are a type of beneficial fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of plants. They help plants to absorb essential nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and water from the soil more efficiently, which can improve plant growth and health. When planting trees, adding mycorrhizal fungi to the soil can help the tree's roots establish a healthy relationship with the surrounding soil. 

Mycorrhizal fungi can also help trees to withstand environmental stress, such as drought or nutrient deficiencies. In addition, trees treated with mycorrhizal fungi may have a greater resistance to soil-borne diseases, as the fungi can help to strengthen the tree's immune system. In summary, treating tree roots with mycorrhizal fungi can improve the tree's nutrient uptake, water absorption, and overall health, which can result in stronger, healthier trees.

Market Garden

The early morning singing of the birds is a sure signal that spring is slowly approaching. 

As the land here at Terranu has been unmanaged for several years there are lots of bigger jobs that need doing to create the conditions to be able to set up the permanent vegetable gardens. We feel the urgency of getting many jobs done in time to put seedlings into the ground in the next month or two! This has included jobs like clearing fence lines, deer proofing and building new gates to keep wandering sheep out. 

With immense gratitude to our crowdfunding sponsors we were able to order our polytunnel which arrived last week and though it’s a daunting task we can’t wait to get it up!

While juggling a long list of tasks we also planted a couple of beds of rhubarb and asparagus. These are the first of hopefully many perennial crops that we will plant over the coming years!

Learning Village

The turning of the year also brought a more constant rhythm to the learning village space. Together with Sarah the children spend the mornings diving into different themes, woven together to meet collective and individual learning edges. With the waldorf inspired art and main lesson themes as inspiration and the ever present transformation of nature as a constant.

Over the last weeks the themes have included the cycle of the moon, geological formations and the many Irish stories introducing the youngest members to the wonderful world of letters and numbers. The cheerful voices raised in song, or the buzz of voices during morning maths brings a peaceful rhythm to the larger atmosphere of Terranu.

Love from the Terranu team,

Nakyta, Sarah, Pieter & Merijn

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