G'Day

[Wombat]

G'Day All,

I live in Western Sydney, Australia, we have a small suburban block and allottments are unknown here so I do the most with what I have. I have 4 veggie patches, about a dozen or so fruit trees, water tanks on the garage, solar hot water, wood burning fires, and a 12 volt electricity system through the house. Oh and I forgot the chooks! - 6 of them.

I have been writing self sufficiency articles for a local magazine (Grass Roots) for 20 odd years and Andy has been nice enough to put a couple up here.

Nice to meet you all,

Nev Sweeney

[Andy Hamilton]

Hello again nev

Did not realise that you had been writing for grass roots 20 years, wow long time mate. Would not mind looking at a copy one of these days, I guess it is only a local sydney thing, do they have any sister magazines?

And how can you forget the chooks mate

[Emma]

Hello Nev I really like the cotton article, will you make me a new dress from your plants

[Wombat]

G'Day Andy

To be precise, my first article (on steam distillation of essential oils) was printed in Feb 1982. Grass Roots is published out of Seymour, Victoria, there is also Earth Garden , published from Victoria and a newcomer - Warm Earth, published in Brisbane. Grass Roots do not have a website, EG does but I am not sure about warm earth. Grass Roots and EG are available all over Aus, but I have not seen Warm Earth around so much.

I don't know of any similar mags in your neck of the woods, but I have seen articles from the UK previously in Grass Roots, usually by Aussie expats. I have some spare copies (they send you two when they print an article) so email me a postal address and I will send you over a couple.

G'Day Emma,

I would love to but at this stage I will be lucky to get a pocket handkerchief :-o . Where I am learning spinning, they talk about queen size cotton sheets, to much amusement .

thanks for the kind comments guys :D .

Nev