Gaia Partnership
A beautiful eco-venue in the wild
Welsh Borders near Hay on Wye
Organic Growing & Herbs; last year's w/e
We were lucky with the warm sunny weather, which made for a relaxed wander around the demonstration gardens with time to discuss different approaches and how to apply them (or not) to the very different home situations that participants described in the introductory session.
Their own growing spaces varied a lot - from a tiny balcony to a large, rambling overgrown "natural forest", but there were ideas here for everyone!
Then we looked at techniques from the different branches of "Organic" including Biodynamic, Regenerative, Vegan, Permaculture, to see if there were useful ideas to borrow for specific situations, before moving on to tips on Beekeeping and skills for identifying and preparing Herbs for Health
from one of our participants;
"This was excellent for the beginner that I am - an informative and relaxing weekend spent learning about organic gardening and herbs. I now have a great number of ideas for what to do with my balcony when I get home, and make it into a little green oasis outside my door!
Cathy
Enjoying sunshine inside the runner bean frame - with beautiful flowers and delicious beans!
What participants said;
Fab weekend! Really enjoyed meeting new friends and old. Great feedback on my writing and many lovely and useful conversations. Huge thanks to the other participants and to our wonderful host!
Richard T Rogers
The offer of "Insights to writing from Jane Austen" was a brilliant start to a weekend of exciting ideas and conversations. Each person had such different book outlines yet it was possible to see shared themes and developments. I came away with some really valuable feedback on my story outlines. -
Jay
I arrived blocked creatively, low in confidence with a muddle of ideas in a beautiful landscape. I was nourished physically, spiritually and creatively. Great company, great help and suggestions for moving forward with my ideas. -
Virginia
From “Will I Write a Book?” to “Starting It” via friendly discussion and encouragement, all in a relaxed and rural atmosphere with great food in 3 days. Brilliant!
Rob
A lovely weekend spent in a relaxed environment with genial company, swimming and good food. Book idea coaxed gently from initial spark to more concrete proposal. I go home with what is hopefully a viable way through the land of story.
Catherine
Last year's writers' w/e;
As always, in the first session, everyone posted what they would like to gain from this time together, and to offer any insights they wanted to share. Everyone asked to read some of their writing for constructive feedback, and offered to give feedback to others.
We also enjoyed --A fascinating exploration of Jane Austin by a literary graduate, the secrets of TV scripts by a BBC screenwriter and getting published vs self-publishing by an author who has experienced both.
The feedback sessions would lead to interesting discussions over lunch (or sun-lounging time) as well as quiet times for individual writing, as ideas insisted on getting put on page!
Most people stayed on for a few days, for writing and a few holiday breaks.
