The Quest for living

I want to achieve financial security. I just want to live, and be a responsible citizen of the world. But that is easier said than done. In a perfect world I would be endowed with the sum of knowledge that I'm attempting to acquire before I go about this venture.

Regrettably I have recently succumbed to the fact that I do not in fact have enough confidence in my capacity to engage in what I view to be 100% sustainable practices. I can/will not risk my bottom line being affected by my bohemian sensibilities. The first plan I'm formulating revolves around turning the 7 acre plot into a productive entity that pays for itself. Off the top of my head - the property needs to generate R30 000 a month to cover expenses and that is the benchmark that I have set. From the little I have gleaned - I will achieve this goal this time next year. For this plan to work I have to keep up with my other interests - namely designing graphics,interiors and architecture. It's been much harder lately - as the juggling act is getting harder as it taking more energy to keep up with all the demands of the activities I've set to achieve. But I'm managing. I think.

I have made some below average graphics of the plan but I think for the sake of feeling better about myself I shall upgrade the quality to something I deem acceptable for public consumption. I do not expect anyone to subject themselves to my dithering, and wade

through what I expect shall be a haphazard thought process that will not be organised enough to

warrant the attention of anybody who values their time. But I do not want to look back one day when I'm old and farting dust and think - wtf!?

I really wish I was able to do this right - but it's not going to work out that way this time round, I know too little. So lets get this show on the road. It's going to be life changing.

The Land

Ok - I know I said I would upgrade the images - but I do not wish to waste anymore time than I need to and although I am ashamed - I shall post the crap images. :(

I still need to come up with a name for the company and do all the necessary things like registering and designing the logo and corporate identity paraphernalia that goes with it. Business cards and such the like. I have been thinking about the honey badger a lot lately and I need to figure out how I can apply that awesome animal into the spirit of what the endevour entails. From a character analysis perspective I think it is a fitting embodiment of the energy that is going to define how we are going to engage each phase of the project. But that is going to be perfunctory and right now the focus is on the analysis of each aspect to get this start up off the ground.

The previous owners (the Bari family) were rather productive and prior to Mr Bari's passing on he was able to do a respectable amount of work. From what I have gathered, he had sheep, ducks, a pond under construction, rabbits which he sold to the Itallian club... a relationship I hope to rekindle. And numerous other things that I can't remember right now.

I can not rear animals on the property as it is too much of a security risk. Although the crime rate is lower right now, I know we will immediately attract the unwanted attention of the criminal element that is ever present. They managed to steal 15m of copper wire for my Eskom electricity supply. We endured 3 days of being disconnected, and the food in the fridge almost ruined. What's terrible is that they were merely 90m away from my room when this happened at night. Unfortunately Eskom power cuts are not uncommon and we thought this was just another power cut in the wee hours of the morning. Roughly 2am if I remember correctly.

Anyway back to business - I am not willing to risk investing in animal stock only to have someone come and take it away. Leaving agriculture the only logical path to take. The decision is not easy however as one has to figure out what will grow in the region, and try narrow down what are high value crops that will still do well on a small holding like this one.

The initial plan was to employ permaculture principles throughout the entire property and be entirely green. Wonderful in theory, but as Melvine Naidu (lawyer, friend and adviser) put forth was the facts. I have no experience, no existing precedents to glean from, and to carry out such a plan would be foolhardy. If everything goes belly-up, I would not achieve anything. So I've decided to start small, and grow organic food to sustain the household, and a little extra for friends and family.

I was meant to have gone through a permaculture course - but I've since decided seeing as I'm not employing that strategy anymore I would be wasting time and money - which I have little to dispense on activities that don't have measurable returns. It makes me a little sad, but I will get on with that idea as soon as things are at an advanced stage and I can indulge in selfish activities.

The green is the zone that will be commercial. It is 1.7Ha or 4.4acres. Just big enough for it to be challenging for a newbie like me, but small enough to manage. The rest of the space shall be used for a combination of earthworm trenches - measuring roughly 50-100m long. Organic farming,