By the book

I always loved Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, in which an omniscient narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of a fictional Welsh fishing village with the scary name of Llareggub.

So I was immediately attracted to Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar’s book Milkwood: Real Skills for Down-to-earth Living, which has absolutely nothing in common with the Dylan Thomas work other than it’s also inspiring. The authors are the founders of Milkwood Permaculture, an Australian organisation dedicated to teaching and sharing permaculture skills.

The book is described by Kirsten as ‘a gathering of skills and knowledge to get you started on a hand-made, home-made life’. She sensibly advises right at the outset that you start with one simple, doable thing, and offers chapters on growing tomatoes, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, seaweed and wildfood.

OK, I’m ready. First I’m going to read the book. There’s all sorts in it from curious histories and DIY projects to wild fermented recipes, and hands-on instructions to get growing, keeping, cooking and making.

If you have ever hankered for the good life, or even just wished you could live a little more sustainably, this could be your catalyst. I think it might be mine. As from page 175,

I’m off to get my bees.