Glynnis of Lotus Permaculture homestead

Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Glynnis Arendse, I'll be 61yrs old in a few days & happily divorced since 1990. I grew up on the Cape Flats where most of my extended maternal family lived, my dad was a 2^nd generation Indian from Durban. His grandparents were indentured labourers shipped over from S.India to work in the Sugarcane fields, my grandfather was a farmer. Growing up my dad always had a small garden for Chillies, Green Peppers, Coriander, Brinjal, Mint etc used in Indian cooking. These were not easily available where we lived back then & he was the cook in the family. I started helping him from very young being the oldest, fetching from the garden what I needed to add to the fresh Garlic & Ginger masala paste I was making while he prepared dinner. I was the first in my family to travel to India in 2003, I experienced real off grid living & self sufficiency for the first time. I travelled to many places & only lived with the locals in small villages mostly in Kashmir, I then decided to rent a small house in Dharamsala after visiting there a few times, I felt like a local. I was allowed to stay for 6 months at a time & started a small import business that I allowed me to travel often.

How did you start doing what you are doing now? 

While in Cape Town on visa runs I traded at the Holistic market in Observatory & was introduced to Permaculture through the monthly magazine. I was always interested in doing a PDC, many years later it was a 50^th  gift to myself. I moved back to SA when my first grandson was born 14yrs ago & started volunteering at Seed in Mitchells Plain before going to Addo for the full-time 12day PDC with Hazel & Andrew Mugford. The course helped it all make a lot more sense. I started growing soon after on my stoep in Woodstock. I added water tanks & a solar geyser I already used gas for cooking & started making their sweet potato bread almost daily, my 3 grandsons favourite. 5yrs ago my family bought the land in Grabouw for me to follow my passion, they now live in India. It's been challenging on many levels as I started just before lockdown in Jan 2020. I was also not prepared for a rebuild of the old workers cottage when the COB walls collapsed. It took 4yrs of travelling between Woodstock & Grabouw while setting up, I've been here full time since last December. We started a kitchen garden & planting in the berms along the Swales 3yrs ago. I am blessed with an assistant who started as a gardener & accepted the offer to learn all about the Permaculture way of life, we make a good team. We live completely offgrid & I've had to learn alot, lockdown was a good time for this.

What are you most proud of in this process? 

I love that we make our own compost & biochar, it was the first thing we did before we started planting. Propagating & planting new seeds always excites me watching the new growth. I love preparing meals from the garden for those who come to assist, this is a good way to introduce them to new foods too.

What is the most helpful piece of advice you received when you were just starting out? 

Following the Permaculture Principals was a good guide. I was stuck on Observe & Interact for a long time. I made lots of mistakes, and I think there is no quick fix for making one’s own mistakes.

What advice would you like to give to others who are younger/earlier on their journey? 

Do an introduction to Permaculture course if it's self sufficiency you're after. Never stop learning, I love attending workshops & google makes life simpler.

I love all things homesteading & have been a conscious eater for nearly 22yrs. Besides gardening I enjoy making beeswax candles, infused oils, Salves & my own skin/haircare products. I'm busy with an online soapmaking course. You don't have to be rich to eat healthy, I'm eating greens I never knew about growing up especially in the Brassica family. We need more farmers markets selling fresh harvests & produce. Love that more people are into food security with lots of growing support groups & interesting affordable workshops, would love to host some in the future.