Living Skills: Natural Skincare - Saturday 16 August
Come to learn how to treat your skin and hair using natural components. Creams, lotions, hair treatments, scrubs etc can be made at home very easily, mainly from ingredients commonly found in most households and using simple kitchen utensils.
We will also make a basic cream from a herbal tea and beeswax melted in warm almond oil. Everyone will take home a jar of the cream.
This workshop will be conducted by Margaret Mossakowska.
For more details: Living Skills workshop: Natural Skincare. August 16th, 2-4 pm, Waverton

PNB - Aboriginal Heritage Site Tour - Sunday August 17
As a follow up from the June PNB Aboriginal Heritage Presentation, Sunday August the 17th is now available to book with Laurie Bimson of Guringai Aboriginal Tours – guringaitours.com.au for a tour at West Head. While visiting Aboriginal sites you will learn how indigenous traditional styles of art were created over generations, accompanied with unique ancestral stories of our local region.
www.guringaitours.com.au
Please email guringaitours@gmail.com for more information and booking.
Quote PNB for discounted tour price!
For more details: PNB Aboriginal Heritage Sites Tour
Ku-ring-gai Local Group Meeeting - Sunday August 17
Fermenting is a very old method of preserving surplus harvest. What's more, fermented foods are full of beneficial microbes which help to boost the body's immune system and relieve symptoms of some medical conditions. With winter vegetables maturing now, learn how to ferment them to make delicious sauerkraut, rotkraut and beet kvass.

PSN Monthly Meeting - Monday 18 August
Pete the Permie - Permaculture Professional & Heritage Fruit-tree Specialist
Peter Allen aka Pete the Permie will speak to us about the issue facing the 'Professional Permie', with illustrations from Peter & Sylvia's own three micro businesses (including a nursery) and their new Professional Permaculture Guild. The Guild was established in response to the tensions that have arisen between the 'community permie' and the 'business permie', the right to make a livelihood from permaculture, the rise of a new young permie generation, and their needs for more formal education beyond PDC.
Peter will also bringing trees to sell on the night (cash only), so come prepared!

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PNB Grow the Best Backyard Vegetables Possible - Thursday 28 August
Increase your knowledge on soil and soil health and how this impacts the food we grow and eat. Find out how you can get the best possible source of quality and nutritious food from your garden by building up nutrients in your soil.
A Garden Guide will be provided for you to take home to follow up on. Plus what to be planting in your garden right now, in Spring, and in the months ahead. Free seedlings give aways!
Presented by Peter Crowe, specialist in soil health, and Daniel Yakich from New Leaf Nursery.
Members free. Visitors $5 suggested donation.

PNB Permabee - Elanora Heights - Saturday 30 August
During the permabee at this newly renovated house there will be a number of tasks for all skill and age levels and discussions about how to integrate permaculture into every backyard design. This is a permabee to learn hands on and includes:
Building raised garden beds from free pallets and planting summer crops
Creating an aquaponic pond system
Turning the newly fenced empty front yard into a productive perennial cottage garden.
Kick off is at 10 am at Elanora Heights. Feel free to come in the morning, lunch or the afternoon. There is also pizza from the newly built wood fired oven at the end of the working day. For further information please contact: caro.ryan@hotmail.com.
This permabee is open to all PSN/PNB members, sign up on the day is possible and the address will be provided closer to the date.
For further information on all PNB events: www.permaculturenorthernbeaches.com.au
City of Ryde : Healthy and Sustainable Living at Home : Bookings Essential
The City of Ryde Council are teaming up with our very own Margaret Mossakowska to teach practical tips from experts on how to grow your own food, save money, water and energy and smart renovation ideas, for a healthy and sustainable lifestyle!
For more details: City of Ryde : Healthy and Sustainable Living at Home : Bookings Essential
Hornsby Local Group Meeting - Sunday 14 September
Only 15 spaces and participants will be receiving a 24 page “Gardeners Guide” to assist you in your gardening experience.
This month we have a presentation by Peter Crowe on the very important topic of how soils are created, minerals they may contain and why plants in different soils grow better than in others.
He will include information for growing healthy food and herbs, what nutrients are required and how you can achieve this to get the best possible source of quality food from your garden for you, your family and friends.
For more details and registration: Hornsby Local Group September meeting

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Sustainable House Day - Sundays 7 and 14 September
Sustainable House Day is an initiative showcasing sustainable houses and/or gardens to the public. It is a great opportunity to visit properties and be inspired by the designs implemented in the quest for sustainability. What's more important, for permaculture practitioners SHD enables them to show permaculture designs to wider audiences by opening permaculture gardens.
If you are interested in opening your garden for 2014 Sustainable House Day (Sep 7 & 14), please go to the SMD website
http://sustainablehouseday.com/

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Ku-ring-gai Council Water Smart program plug
For residences of Ku-raing-gai council, you may be interested to hear about the councils Water Smart program offering rebates for tanks and raingardens.
Further info is available on our website atwww.kmc.nsw.gov.au/watersmart.
The next Council hosted workshop is 6-9pm Tues 12 August at Gordon Library. Copies of the notes are available here:Raingarden design workshop notes.
They are promoting a variety of above ground and below ground designs, based on Melbourne Waters concepts. See their websitefor a variety of info sheets. Basically, it looks something like this, with water either infiltrating back into the ground or diverting back to the stormwater system:

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Want to Share a Self Sufficent Dream?
Ann from Acadia is looking for long term tenants who are passionate about working towards self sufficiency. If you are interested in sharing Ann's dream, while renting on her 5 acres, please do get in touch with her: ann@bleasdales.com.au
Dont forget Facebook!
Our facebook page is rocking! It's an excellent place for finding out what's going on in and around our area in a broader context.
You can interact with like minded permies to share ideas, pose questions, post interesting articles and find out what courses and events are happening in our region and around the world.

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2015 Permaculture Calendar
This years Permaculture Calendar sold out once again. The addition of the moon planting guide appears to have been a success, and has been included again this year.
The 2015 Permaculture Calendar, now in it’s 7th year, features Ashar from Milkwood Farm in NSW, keenly observing a shiitake mushroom grown in their shade house. One of the twelve examples of the permaculture principles in action.
PSN will be taking orders and buying a bulk lot. More details to follow.

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