Helen Lehndorf
writer
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The poem I needed right now, from Mary Walker
My friend, the writer Mary Walker, recently invited her Instagram followers to request a poem for a particular mood or need. She said she would see which of her poems came forward as answering the request. Mary is a sensitive listener -of both people and the land- so I immediately took her up on the…
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Communitea
Over recent years, I’ve started making large amounts of what I call ‘communitea’…herbal tea blends made from whatever I can find in the 4412 postcode of Palmerston North…the postcode I live in. It’s an exercise in locavorism and sharing and fun. I dry things foraged and grown, cultivated and gifted, rub and snip them into…
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Can we slow down?
I made this sign for a wild plant identification stall I ran at a recent community event. A huge part of learning to forage is learning to slow down…to observe closely…to ask questions of the environment around and settle down enough to hear the answer. I’m not always good at slowing down…but when I do…my…
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Elderberries and Red Clover
It’s elderberry season … I foraged these from an abandoned yard in the middle of the city and there was a thick patch of red clover near by, as well, so I picked a big bag of that. Every summer I make elderberry elixirs ahead of winter. It’s great for when I can feel myself…
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Some background on ‘Write to the Centre’
My whole adult life I have kept journals, capturing bits of my life in words and images. I’ve also taught journal writing classes from time to time. Journal writing is a key part of my creative process as a writer and my self-care regime as a human. Journals get some bad press – sometimes seen…
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many moons
Last year I received a grant from the Earle Creativity Trust to write a book about my life-long practice of keeping a journal. It was so wonderful to get the grant and I’ve been busy working on this time-bound project, which has to be completed in 2016 (a condition of the grant.) I finished year…
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Apple season
Apple cheeks, apple weeks, the race against the birds… The inherited tree which has the codlin moth – I know it’s time to strip the tree when the birds begin to peck at the apple tops – this means they are sweet and ready. Cutting around the moth tunnels, making apple sauce which turn into…
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Another garden visit: Paekakariki School Garden
Another beautiful permaculture garden I visited recently, is the Paekakariki School garden. Lots of schools have gardens these days, but they are usually hotch-potch patches of vegetables gone to seed and a few calendula…not the Paekakariki School garden. It’s clearly lovingly and frequently tended, with huge compost and mulch piles, a working greenhouse and an…
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a and s’s beautiful permaculture garden
One of my favourite things to do is to visit other people’s vegetable gardens and have a good nose around…I always learn so much and get inspired to go home and get into my own. Here are some photographs from a beautiful, well-established permaculture garden I visited in late spring last year. (It belongs to…
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Adventures in Writing!
If there are any locals (Manawatu, New Zealand) reading – I am about to start this: Although I hope people will come every week – I am aiming to have each session work as an independent writing experience, so people might come to just one and get a good fix of inspiration, or come to each one…
Helen Lehndorf 