Homestead Happenings | Setting up Camp on the Land

This post is about what's currently going on at the homestead. Its been a year since I started this journey. Last year was spent divided between doing an eco-design project in the city, and working on the land. We started from pretty much nothing and over the course of the year have finished several projects that makes the land more habitable. As a quick recap some of what we've done includes

• Fencing the property.
• Locating a water source and building a well.
• Building a toolshed to store valuable equipment and belongings.
• Developing a friendship with our neighbours and establishing a strong work force.

I've also discovered that our land is not as isolated as it seems, and there's a thriving community that exists in our little corner of the hills. At present, I stay in a room in town and commute to our land when required. It feels like the time is right to shift to the land for a few reasons. Firstly, the basic infrastructure we have in place now makes it a little easier to actually live on the land. We've also got great neighbours in the vicinity that I can depend on for food and showers until I can get our own kitchen and bathroom up and running. It's also the beginning of the summer holidays for schools and Kodaikanal becomes packed with tourists. The staff room I'm staying at in a hotel in town may need to be occupied to deal with the increased throngs of people.

Kodaikanal is a popular tourist destination due to its pleasant weather and natural beauty as a hill station.

The town itself becomes crowded and polluted in the peak tourist season, so this is as good a time as any to move away from town and to the sanctuary of our land. The growing season is also approaching, and I want to be living with my plants as they grow. The first principle of permaculture is observe and interact, and there's not a whole lot of that going on when I'm not living on the farm. Our workers have finished all the repairs that needed tending to, and after a small break are ready to help me with setting up camp on the land.

The Spot

I chose to set up my camp on a mid level bed on our terraced land. So far we've only used the bottom half of our land to grow crops and plant trees. The top half was left untouched, and in this time a bunch of forest trees have spread their seeds and are growing in abundance.

I figured I'd let the trees grow. They may be someday useful for firewood, and could make a nice personal grove. I thought I'd set up my camp next to these trees on the same bed.

Starting with the Basics

The first thing that's vital for any shelter is a roof over your head. The cheapest and most convenient option we had at our disposal was to use tarp stretched over a frame. We set up a basic frame and anchored the tarps with pegs to understand how much space is occupied. I have a tent to sleep in, but I still need a roof so I can fit in a wardrobe, work surface, and other such commodities to go about business as usual.

What's Next?

We've established the space for my camp home. The next step is to replace the pegs with wooden poles, and then use the remaining fencing material we have to build a makeshift 'wall' of sorts for additional security, giving me an enclosed space where I can keep my belongings safely. The floor of the camp home also needs to be cleared and raised a foot or so in height, so that water that collects off the tarp doesn't seep into my space. We're slowly working on making this base into a functioning temporary home. At the moment, the structure doesn't have much use but does provide decent shade when the sun is blazing.

Further Preparations

Meanwhile I've been making preparations in town to get ready for the move. I needed to get myself a few basic supplies and the best way to buy some of it was through the Sunday farmer's market that happens on a popular road in town.

Although the market is primarily for fruits and vegetables, there are also vendors selling household commodities like vessels, toys, linen, clothes and other such products. I got myself some great looking pillow covers and a bedsheet from there. I also got myself a thick blanket for cold nights.

Kodaikanal is a small town, but amazon will still deliver stuff here, so while I'm still living in town, I took the opportunity to order a few solar lights that you can see placed on top of my giant blanket.

I have more or less everything I need for the shift. I still need to get myself a mattress and a cabinet for books and electronics. Once my camp home is finished being built, I'll pack up my room, get any further required material and then transport it all to our land. If everything goes according to plan this should happen by mid April. I'm really stoked to be making this move and excited about what being a full time hill dwelling hippie would entail!

| PAL-Minnow Support Project | Homesteaders Online |