We are a family of three and a dog living by the sea in the east of England, trying to be as self sufficient as possible without being fanatical about it. We structure our garden on organic, Permaculture principles, storing rainwater and recycling our grey water through a reed bed. Our home uses solar energy and waste wood for space and water heating and cooking and we have a solar electricity generation system. We grow and eat our own vegetables, fruit, eggs and honey. We are creating all of this ourselves (DIY) where possible from recycled materials. We have help from volunteers from the WWOOF and HelpX organisations who stay with us and work on our project. We hope to have volunteers from the Permaculture Association in the future. We are developing trading networks in the local community, as well as salvaging materials and passing them on to others. We have set up Tendring ECO Group, which meets monthly and we continue to forge links with Transition groups and others in the wider area.
We have also recently acquired a piece of ancient woodland and some of our time is spent managing the wood including coppicing, planting, clearing bracken and creating a small woodland garden.