About MudWoman

I’m Liz and this blog will share the story of my dream to build an offgrid cob home.

Yup - dirt and straw and clay and water. Cob to the experts and Mud to everyone else.

It’s a mixture of materials that are local, sustainable and natural.

Cob allows you to create curves and shapes and really express imagination.

As with everything in my life - I will bring my head, heart and spirit to the whole building process.

I love beauty & design & sustainable living.

I want to create a home for my older age that will be offgrid and sustainable - and beautiful. I’m also learning about permaculture and biodynamic growing and companion planting. I’m not one to take on teeny weeny challenges - although I am a champion at lolling as well.

I plan to research and learn through 2007 and 2008. I am already booked on 1 course in April 2008 and hope to attend a 9 day cob building course in September 2008. The actual build will start in the March of 2009 and be completed by October 2009 - ever the optimist!

I will be publishing a workbook/diary of the whole journey with stories of other cob builds in Ireland through another of my micro social enterprises Lippylala Publishing. Walnut Books will be selling the book. I love them and have bought over 20 books recently that have really built my knowledge and motivation.

I still have heaps to learn.

I live in a beautiful part of Ireland (Ballinamore, Co Leitrim) that has a quiet beauty - full of lakes and mountains and really lovely people. I want to live here until I die (hopefully at a grand old age after drinking a few glasses of champagne with friends.).

I run an ethical consultancy (Focused Solutions) that delights me - and thankfully my clients.

And I love learning - which is handy as the learning curve for me to build a cob home is going to be HUGE.

I see tears, laughs, swearing, frustration, exhaustion and sheer joy ahead.

Can’t wait.

Best regards

Liz