hervor McCoy

I would certainly give anything Sepp suggests a try providing it was appropriate to the conditions in the area I lived in, you only have to see the films of the Krameterhof to know he has proved his credentials.
There is something else that might be worth a try though if you're not too squeamish. I graze my sheep around the house at intervals to save having to mow. I do my best to pick up the mess from our three terriers but there's always some I miss. I find it after the sheep have finished amongst the tufts of grass they wouldn't touch. Perhaps smearing dog mess on your trees would work too.
It is a bit gross, I haven't tried it (yet), but it certainly won't attract any carnivores.............I assume

I wouldn't know about tractors and scythes, but as far as the domestic sphere is concerned, I've always felt that machines are fine for saving time and elbow grease, but you need to know how to do the job without them - the traditional way, if you like - so that you have the basic skills to fall back on when the power goes down or the machine breaks.

I don't know which breeds you can get where you guys are, although you mentioned Icelandic breeds, so maybe you can get Lleyn sheep too?
The Lleyn is a Welsh milk sheep, which has four or more lambs as a matter of course. They are prolific milkers so they were traditionally used for making dairy products after weaning the lambs quite early on. Added to this, they have a superb fleece with a fine count which has little or no kemp (coarse guard hairs) in it, making it ideal for fine knitwear. As  a spinner, I can tell you, a fleece with no kemp is very tempting
If I ever see any for sale up here I will definitely add a couple to my little flock.

For the past two yrs I have made a fake real tree so we have the smell of pine without killing a tree. I cut four small overhanging branches off a tree that was growing on our place (it needed evening up as the horses next door had eaten the other side and it looked silly). Next I tied the branches together at the base and twisted two of the trees at right angles to the other two. You need thick gloves on for this as Christmas tree needles hurt. A few long zip ties at intervals will hold it in place, and then I stuff the base into a tripod tree stand from an artificial tree.
I put up the tree on Solstice or even on Christmas eve, and it lasts through to the new year without any major needle loss.
After that it goes in the Rayburn for firewood, but it could be shredded and composted.

We have a couple of species planted for coppicing. Willow, which was planted as a windbreak (haha, much of it blew over)and for basketry and such, and Hazel for nuts, hurdles and anything we want straight shoots for.
The willow has given us quite a bit of firewood so far. My basketry was not very good but it burned well Willow does weave well into wattle with hazel uprights. It is also fun to play with making living structures such as benders.
When we fell a few willow poles, they get left on the field for the sheep to graze off all the leaves and young shoots. Then it is left to season for a while and cut up for kindling and firewood.

I wrote an article for Permaculture magazine about the way the forums up here have been a benefit to isolated smallholders, enabling us all to meet, share ideas, swap our produce and skills and help one another with projects. I will start a thread and post a link to it in a few months time once it is a 'back issue'. They put past articles on their facebook site....assuming they use it on there. If not, I'll show it to you somehow. It explains everything and will save me writing it all again.

I read recently that soft wood ash isn't much good for making lye and that hardwood is better. The best ash however, comes from seaweed.......apparently.

I made my first soaps back in December and have just spent the last two days experimenting with them for laundry. I was quite impressed with the results but mostly because the fabric was left soft enough without fabric softeners. The soap alone didn't shift some stains, but it will be fine for coloureds, delicates, towels and bedding.
I'm going to make lotions and moisturisers next......got the bug now

There is an ecovillage at Findhorn in Moray on the coast. It has been established for many years as a sustainable community. I believe Forres (nearby town) has a great many transition initiatives too.
The link will tell you more about Findhorn than I can
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Findhorn_Ecovillage

Hi you guys, I'm in Aberdeenshire.....not exactly local to you, but a lot closer than others. We've been permies for 18 years or so, still plenty to learn about though and it's finally catching on around here