Its been so long since I last posted.....
But, I’m nearly there now…I’ve nearly finished the write up of my Diploma work.
This time last year, one of the Elders had just died and in the midst of grieving, I seriously considered saying ‘Goodbye’ to my Diploma too. I felt I had got a huge amount from being a Diploma apprentice, but didn’t really have the motivation and drive to continue the formal documenting that was needed to accredit. A quick revisit to my Action Learning Pathways and I gave myself 4 months ‘pause’ from anything ‘officially’ diploma related (which as many folk know is a bit hard to separate from the rest of our life stuff anyways!) This time out gave me the break I needed. As the pause came to an end I undertook a major evaluation about my Diploma work and life in general , and figured out that I could and would get the think finished. The journey so far had been a life changing one, and I know I wanted to keep moving forward with not only the learning, but the experience too.
I then booked myself on the annual National Diploma Gathering and, while I was there, for a catch up tutorial with my tutor Wilf.
This time last year, one of the Elders had just died and in the midst of grieving, I seriously considered saying ‘Goodbye’ to my Diploma too. I felt I had got a huge amount from being a Diploma apprentice, but didn’t really have the motivation and drive to continue the formal documenting that was needed to accredit. A quick revisit to my Action Learning Pathways and I gave myself 4 months ‘pause’ from anything ‘officially’ diploma related (which as many folk know is a bit hard to separate from the rest of our life stuff anyways!) This time out gave me the break I needed. As the pause came to an end I undertook a major evaluation about my Diploma work and life in general , and figured out that I could and would get the think finished. The journey so far had been a life changing one, and I know I wanted to keep moving forward with not only the learning, but the experience too.
I then booked myself on the annual National Diploma Gathering and, while I was there, for a catch up tutorial with my tutor Wilf.
You can read the review of the Gathering here
Both fuelled my motivation further, and some small thoughts about the possibility of accrediting at the International Permaculture Convergence (IPC) , which I had already committed to design part of, started entering into my head.
It wasn’t until a couple months later though, and faced with a 4 week block of time at home alone, I designed some intensive study blocks into my life to really focus on getting designs for my portfolio written up. I was still faced with my age old erosive pattern of having too many designs on the go (I counted 34 in Jan 2015), most of which were only documented in (often extensive!!) note form. Knowing that if I was going to have any chance of focusing and getting completed in time for the IPC I had to be really strict with myself, I decided to just include designs relevant to my life right now. This way it meant I could still achieve projects already in place, and use the design for them in my portfolio. It also meant saying goodbye to some designs that I’d been working on throughout my diploma, but having not written them up at the time I had undertaken them, were holding back from moving forward. Another intensive Design Support weekend at Heathercombe centre in Devon with Aranya, at the Spring Equinox, also gave me a big nudge to stay focused.
Both fuelled my motivation further, and some small thoughts about the possibility of accrediting at the International Permaculture Convergence (IPC) , which I had already committed to design part of, started entering into my head.
It wasn’t until a couple months later though, and faced with a 4 week block of time at home alone, I designed some intensive study blocks into my life to really focus on getting designs for my portfolio written up. I was still faced with my age old erosive pattern of having too many designs on the go (I counted 34 in Jan 2015), most of which were only documented in (often extensive!!) note form. Knowing that if I was going to have any chance of focusing and getting completed in time for the IPC I had to be really strict with myself, I decided to just include designs relevant to my life right now. This way it meant I could still achieve projects already in place, and use the design for them in my portfolio. It also meant saying goodbye to some designs that I’d been working on throughout my diploma, but having not written them up at the time I had undertaken them, were holding back from moving forward. Another intensive Design Support weekend at Heathercombe centre in Devon with Aranya, at the Spring Equinox, also gave me a big nudge to stay focused.
So, despite some of the biggest life changing events happening in the last few months and weeks of my life, (In this time I’ve finished a years nursing contract , spent the year saying goodbye to Hill Farming and moved our life, including our dogs and cats, to our new home in Andalucia...and then very sadly since then, we have cared and supported our second Elder as he came to the end of his life too ), I am facing the write up of Portfolio design number 10 which I will probably achieve in the next week.- there’s more writing work to do afterwards, (tweaks to some of my earlier designs for a start!) , and then 2 tutors need to pass my portfolio…