The Phantom Planter

 1000 native Irish apple trees all grafted up for propagation in our polytunnels. That was a long job but got it down much quicker than I thought with some helping hands. I really was expecting this to run into next month grafting these apple trees but we flew through them!  Way ahead of schedule... Now just to sit back and wait to see which grafts take and next year start to plant these out into more community orchards and phantom plant them around the streets and estates of Belfast and beyond, creating urban orchards for everyone to help themselves. These are all cuttings of native Irish apple tree varieties that me and my inner council have gathered from old orchards all over the Emerald Isle. The list of varieties what we have are in the pics. I particularly like the "Knights Templar" variety. You wouldn't think it but its native to Waterford. Thank you to everyone that came and helped out with this mission. We have just planted winter past a native Irish orchard of 3...

 Was away yesterday for a walk checking on lots of phantom planted fruit trees I planted over the years to see how they were doing. I've got that many now I keep forgetting to go and check on certain ones.  The whole walk to this other wild phantom planted orchard we have is littered with native trees that I've been phantom planting over the years. Thats what I used to do was phantom plant native trees on the routes I normally would have walked around so I can always check on them. It's some feeling when you see phantom planted birch trees bigger than you and hawthorns and willows thriving! This time of year though, its so stimulating and connecting watching all your little acts of environmental graffiti grow like champions and watch all sorts of wildlife enjoy what I have done. Its all karma yoga for me. When I first started to read about karma yoga in Buddhism, its a selfless practice that benefits others or nature without seeking anything in return. It's a form or pr...

 About 2 weeks time my new cabin is getting delivered.  Cant wait for this, it's been way too long living in the rotted cabin I'm in now.  Have been saving for this for years now and really couldn't have did it without your support either guys.  Will be great to get a kitchen, I've been doing all my cooking on tiny stove for the past 7 years in a kitchen you couldn't swing a cat in.  I've got a brilliant wood burning stove that I bought years to go in the cabin that has an oven and cooking hob on it.  I cut a massive chopping block from an ash tree that fell down in the recent storm we had.  Going to chop my own wood and collect my water from a well.  "Before enlightenment chop wood carry water, after enlightenment chop wood carry water".. A Zen proverb.  It's how I want to roll guys for the future.  I was meditating in the forest yesterday and after I was just thinking how much a better life we can have when we stop falling for all the ...

 "Altruism".... Learned this word from Big D. If your spiritual path does not consist of Altruism your on the wrong path.  I always think so many of these spiritual paths people are on today are kind of selfish. Like its all about them. People are using spirituality as a kind of image these days and to profit from immensely too.   Nature, community and the soul are all interconnected.  We can't be all about the soul if nature and the community is suffering. Do we really think the gates of Nirvana or heaven will be open when the world is so messed up down here? I would love to know what the Buddha would teach today. Back in his day the worlds forests was intact and we didn't have all this drink, drug and chemical culture.  I think the ways of earning spiritual merit changes according to our surroundings. Just my thoughts and intuition.  And the one thing there is not enough off is Altruism and generosity.

 Its the Spring Equinox today. After today there will be more light hours than dark hours in the day. From now until the Summer Solstice is my favourite time of year. This is the astrological new year. When you look around though this is the time of year nature really starts to come alive. If your going to set good intentions or resolutions this is the time to be setting it as the energy of nature and the cosmos is on your side. Making new years resolutions in the peak of dark winter after a Christmas of over indulgence and self gratification, we are certain to break our resolutions. We are at our weakest then. If you watch the landscape after today it will be like a light show of colour with all the flowers that are about to bloom. God is getting the glow sticks out is how I like to see it. Once the light hours tilt more than the dark its like a switch for nature to come alive and all the flowers begin to appear. Birds are making their way here right now from the other end of the ...

 Got another 140 apple trees grafted yesterday, had some real good Irish varieties done too. Mrs Perry, Sweet William and Irish Peach were some of the ones we did. Sweet William is said to be a massive sweet tasting apple not like any other. People have been asking me for apple tree grafting videos which I keep meaning to do.  To be honest I just dont have time to be making and uploading videos these days. I'm so busy out doing tree stuff. Once I get a job in my head that needs done nothing else matters, I must get the job done and dusted. Although today I need to take a break, my fingers are sliced off me and need a day or so to heal. The whole making videos and reels is just another thing I dont have time to go down. I downloaded one of them apps before for making reels and it was a headache. People must be spending hours making social media reels and videos. I remember this person I knew who used to spend hours every day making videos and reels and all they were getting out...