🌈 Nick Sellen 🌻 @nicksellen@social.coop

... and final two for now (I have many more for the future!) #biketour

... more photos from the community gardens #biketour (all gardens via Siegen isst bunt)

I took some "artistic" type photos of the community gardens I visited in Siegen, here's some of the photos.... #biketour

And the final garden we visited, as part of a place that supports people into housing that would find it difficult otherwise, takes quite some time to build up trust for someone to come and make a nice hippy garden of edible plants 😀

I think this is a great example of both the complexity and usefulness of doing community gardens.

#biketour

3/3

The community garden that was the gateway to the rest of them here, just starting with some raised beds on a rocky ground on some underutilized public land is enough! A whole world of people and projects can soon open up...

#biketour

2/3

I've been visiting my friend in Siegen for a few nights, and he gave me a nice tour of 3 community gardens he's involved in, and the various successes and challenges of actually doing community organising.

All of them are associated with the initiative here Siegen isst bunt (Siegen eats/is colourful) https://wechange.de/group/siegen-isst-bunt/

#biketour

1/3

I saved more fruit that I know I will get round to eating, especially cycling in the heat where it'll get bashed about and horrible, so I stewed it up so I can eat it more flexibly. Toast, muesli topping, as a snack, a desert, ... And stores neatly in a bottle.

It's also one of the advantages of cooking with wood, there is a plentiful supply of it. Would have never done this when I used gas to cook on.

#biketour

I like to be able to type when I'm travelling on a decent sized keyboard without getting my laptop out, here I'm using a Bluetooth keyboard with my android phone to write up notes and thoughts from my highlights on my ebook reader. With some solar to power it and shade my phone screen. #biketour

I've been staying at a friend's house for the last two nights and he's been growing some veg with as minimal effort/resources as possible, esp as with coronalife it's been hard to get materials, and in this video he talks me through some of it.

Also I'm actually in the video this time so you can see me gesticulating wildly as I talk 😀

#biketour

I slept last night without the tent as it was forecast to be dry. Found a lovely spot under an oak tree. #biketour

The rain came so I did a tarp setup to give me some usable covered living space outside the tent. #biketour

Aha! A successful haul of food that would have gone to waste. And a nice lake to wash it all in. #biketour #foodwaste

#biketour I woke up this morning in a lovely forest, made coffee, and had tasty wild raspberry and saved nectarine breakfast 😀🌲🔥🍇🍊🏕️ here's the evidence:

I started my bike trip! First lunch stop. Pasta by the river.

Should be enough to keep my USB stuff going on a bike tour. If it works out ok I'm thinking to chain 2 of them and rewire to be usable to keep my laptop going too.

I will be on a bike tour soon and am curious about doing some short form video content about it.

This is my first attempt.... Filmed on my camera (Sony a6000) then sent via WiFi to my phone for uploading. No editing.

In this video I am cleaning the s&s couplings on my touring bike.

A free bike stand idea for heavy touring bikes!

Normal bike stands can't hold the weight, I saw "click stands" but they cost money and are shipped from USA, I was happy re-using a walking stick for a while ...

... but the ultimate cheap DIY version is just a stick plus some cord (I used a sheet bend to create a loop, and a prusik knot to attach it to the stick).

(finding a way to carry the stick on the bike is trickier though)

via Glencanisp Walled Garden Project

I think I've found a much more useful (and suitable) job for Boris to get done...

I found an old book about herbs on the shelf and it inspired me to make a "herb pillow". My sewing is a bit crap, but it works. In the background some lavender from the garden being dried to go in it later.