Permaculture

The frost has still been hanging around but I have been creating my plan to grow my permaculture paradise. It’s very small but being and working in the garden growing food is very pleasing for body and soul. It will be a 5 year ongoing project but I am trying to work with nature and understand the working relationship. Gardening and being in nature provide exercise, sunshine and food that has not been tampered with. It’s an essential part of my new reality. I may not be able to garden in the conventional way but being in a wheelchair should not hold me back.

The birds and the bees are regular visitors and all is well in my nano garden.

Black Gold

Today’s task was to harvest the homemade compost and to start the new compost heap with the resources available in the garden. The heap was emptied and started again with layers of leaves collected and started in a black plastic bag, rabbit poop and bedding ( available locally), earth from pots from last year, grass clippings and kitchen waste. It then was sprinkled with water and covered with a layer of the leftover wool material that had been pecked at for weeks as nesting material for the birds. The area is not wheelchair accessible but in the corner is a broken plant pot allowing me to deposit waste collected that will be added weekly. The compost available now is black, dry and liquid gold for the garden.

A lot has happened to dampen my goals in life however, after 7 years I am back in the land of the living. My life was devastated by a neurological condition leaving me wheelchair bound and ill for a very long time. I had to move and adapt to living with a damaged body and I have become differently able. My goals are still the same, my direction is still the same and whilst my options are seriously reduced I am adapting to a reduced energy life. I am finding alternatives. I continue to grow food and explore available options but ' life is not as we knew it' Pointing north this platform will document my process. Thank you for being here.

5 benefits to Living in a community

Living in a community demands that we reach out to people but in my experience that reaching out works both ways and provides an element of security.

When mentioning a life in a community it can be as intense as living as a member of the Amish Community in which the rules are set by each community such as no electricity, no cars, mobile phones etc to living in a particular place or joining an interest group online of like minded people.

In a time of economic downturn the equation between money and time shifts and my priorities in times of economic downturn shift too to spending more time investing in myself through reading, learning new skills and connecting with other people.

The 5 benefits of living in a community:

A sense of belonging

Many people feel isolated from the world by the fact they have no friends or relatives in their community. This can lead to loneliness and eventually depression. A community spirit can instil a sense of belonging in these individuals, they are no longer  alone, and they lead healthier, happier lives.

Security

Living in a community protects the individual from the harshness of having to do everything.(The “every man for himself” mentality. ) It can help a person who falls on hard times if they are in  a community to feel supported, rather than living a corporate lifestyle where a person is only as good as their latest contribution. Community living also means that most of the people know each other. A small town environment like that often means less crime and also less need for surveillance. Surveillance is a consequence of living amongst strangers.

The sharing of resources

Sharing resources can greatly reduce the cost of living. Many of the luxuries that people enjoy are not used 24/7, or even if they are used frequently, they can often be shared. The quality of items that can be afforded goes up while the cost goes down. You can live cheaper and better, and the only cost is being more social.

Resources can be shared through the LETS system and FREECYCLE groups.
The transition towns initiative are creating communities that prepare themselves for sustainability after peak oil.

Cooperation and Competition

It is natural for individuals to cooperate with each other. We are a tribal species. In fact, cooperation on an individual level is very beneficial, because generally each person is interested in and skilled at different tasks than their peers. As a result close knit groups of individuals whose skills and personalities complement each other can be particularly healthy, happy, and successful.

Employment and fulfillment

One of the greatest benefits of living in a community setting  is that it gives us the freedom to care for our lives, our wealth, and often both at the same time. There is no reason for the community to resent individuals for participating in a way that does not directly benefit the bottom line. We can work together as business partners who share equally in the burden of maintaining the community economically. The needs of a community are numerous, and the avenues of occupations that could benefit a community are likewise numerous. Using local skills and expertise can benefit the individual member economically but also forges networks of professional relationships who have a sense of place and local solutions.There are  many diverse ways in which an individual can contribute. By working within a  community each individuals skills and abilities can be applied in a unique way, and no person need feel like a cog.

And community living is not just something for the countryside, there are areas in large cities that create hubs of community, where a local cafe becomes a meeting place, a place to relax and cultivate the relationships that bind us together as human beings.

How to reduce paper clutter

The last few weeks I have been looking at the amount of resources used made of paper and how these could best be dealt with. Despite best efforts to stop junk mail and catalogues it became apparent that it still streams in the house.

MAIL

• Mail gets opened near the paper recycling box and generally there is very little actual communication that needs a response.
• Inbox- I have set up rules for incoming emails so the important ones get directed to their named inbox and junk box. It means being less overwhelmed by the amount of messages in the IN box. Turned off the 'ping' when an email comes in so I am not tempted to an immediate response.
• Unsubscribe from emails you are not interested in.
• Do not create accounts when purchasing items online and do not give out your email address when asked in shops or create an alias email for that purpose which redirects immediately to junk email.

GOING PAPERLESS ON BILLS

• Bank statements and utility bills can now be received digitally as opposed to a paper copy.
• Try to find out which companies offer paperless billing and choose that option. It will reduce the mail being opened and also saves the company money.
• Set up a reminder monthly to check the digital bills and keep a copy on your computer. Mine are divided into business and private bills and accessible anytime.

LETTERS,RECEIPTS,OFFICIAL PAPERWORK

• Letters from Government agencies, receipts and official letters are quite often kept in a folder and in any case should be accessible for 7 years.
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• To save them on a computer you will need a scanner. I save information in 3 places : computer, backup locally and a folder facility in the cloud.
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• I am a fan of Evernote as my back up because since having a stroke I have difficulty finding things and the notes saved on Evernote allow them to be searched by any word, as well as being available on mobile phones so in essence you carry the ability to carry vital information with you wherever you are.
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• Simple Life Together has a podcast episode six,dedicated to going paperless and Brooks Duncan  has a whole website dedicated to going paperless.
• Vanessa Hayes has a big range of videos to help organize anything in your home but in particular an action file.
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BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

• Books are available digitally as a direct download to an e reader or often as e-books which reduces the amount of book shelving space you need in your home.
• I like that idea a lot but often there are books I will refer to often and those I still like to have in a hard copy on the shelf.
• As far as magazines go, I am gradually changing any subscriptions to digital ones. Zinio have a great range of magazines and if you have an Ipad you carry with you a great amount of reading material.
• Cookery books and Craft Magazines are being revisited and the articles and recipes that are of interest are scanned in, using Evernote I can search for the recipe anytime. Many cookery books tell a story and are good companions for cooking seasonally.

Going local

When considering a purchase, a need that we cannot make ourselves,there are conscious buying decisions we can weigh up :

• borrow the item
• advertise for it on freecycling
• check out Ebay
• is it available locally
• can I support a local enterprise?

In 2013 I am making an extra effort to buy British, meaning local within the British Isles not because I am patriotic but by doing so the miles the item has to travel to get to us are reduced and that is an important consideration in our buying criteria this year.

Here is a showcase of a small company making leather handbags. Hanson of London  Their philosophy is simple and they are reviving a skill that may have been lost to us forever.



What do you consider when purchasing an item apart from the pricetag? The price of this handbag is very high but reflects the craftsman's skills and the time it takes to make an individual item. Definitely the price is a barrier. Something to aspire to. Yes its expensive but durable and not guided by simply fashion. It would be hard to justify this item if you had it for just a season or on a whim, but if your aim is to have nothing but useful or beautiful items in your home then its worth the dream.

10 fruits to grow in the garden

Fruit trees, bushes, crowns and canes are an investment to start with but after 3 to 4 years, cared for, they will provide you with a return each year.

Three trees were gifted to me this year, apricot, greengage and victoria plum.

Here is our selection to provide fruit throughout the year:

1. Rhubarb- purchase them as crowns. These are the very first fruits of the season, make excellent pies, leaves used in mordanting fibre, crowns can be used as a dye.

2. Strawberries - lush, easy to grow in pots or as groundcover ( works well with rhubarb in a pie)

3.Apricot - tree, needs to be planted where the sun shines most day as it is a warm weather tree.

4. Blackcurrants, white currants and red currants : bushes providing berries in July/ August, excellent for jams, jellies and cordials.
5. Cherries - A morello cherry tree can flourish on a north facing wall and provide a good crop provided it is netted when the cherries ripen, otherwise the birds will strip the tree.
6. Gooseberries - a prickly bush, makes good jelly as it is high in pectin.
7. Plums,greengages, damson - eat fresh, can or freeze, jams and jellies.
8. Berries - Raspberries, Tayberries, Loganberries, Blackberries, Mulberrries, Blueberries cultivated and wild.
9. Apples and pears - If you have space you can create a succession of harvests lasting from October to January.
10. Quinces and Medlars-

The cost of time



Time is precious.

What fuels the need to buy?

When deciding on a purchase, we can differentiate between a need and a want as a first step, but we rarely consider the consequences of our buying decision at the point of purchase. Also, we often do not recognise the factors that have created the need.

As we run a family business, time together is at a premium and we considered a family holiday away from home and business. After consideration of what each person’s expectations were of a holiday, the majority decided a skiing break would be very enjoyable. This was followed by a lot of research, places we could go to using trains instead of planes( ecological consequences), type of accommodation etc and the financial costs of such a trip. The end result was that a week skiing would set us back £ 5000 by the time we had rented equipment and acquired the appropriate wardrobe. Thinking about your purchases does take some fun out of it; it slows the process and leaves time to consider.

We then tackled the situation differently and asked the children to decide if they each had £ 1000 whether they would actually be spending it on a week skiing and the answer fascinated me. There were three resounding negatives to that equation. Each young adult could find a better way of spending that money, from newer technology that would give year round joy versus a week’’s holiday to saving the money or spending it on keeping warm this coming winter. The end result was that the need for a week’s holiday was shelved and gained a new perspective. We grew in our understanding of what motivates each family member and how easily society can offer us a fix by creating a need to buy a possible temporary solution or even an escape.

Even if the brochure tells you that the holiday will be less that £ 400 per person, such a holiday can escalate to £ 1000 per person.

Another example is the need for a new games console. If we dig a bit deeper we can understand that the need has arisen because there are arguments between brothers on sharing equipment and that games are more expensive for one type of console than another. The need can be satisfied by buying a new games console but could be managed by helping them to set boundaries as to their usage of the existing games console and by finding other free leisure pursuits. By asking the children to look at their perceived solution and its consequences we ask them to look deeper at what exactly has prompted this need that demands an instant fix to be purchased. As each buying decision is openly discussed at our dinner table, we all gain a better understanding of what drives us to buy. We can see a genuine need to stop the anxiety, frustration and unhappiness created by a lack of sharing and peer pressure.

The consequences of a haircut can mean the need to spend 10 mins each morning washing your hair, then applying a rather expensive gel but then heck I know all too well that at 14 image is very important. Just who created the need I wonder?

It is unlikely that we can stop our children buying into a consumer orientated society but if we can give them tools that give an insight into establishing whether it is their need that drives the purchase or an instilled need by society, then they can make a responsible purchase in the full knowledge of the consequences. I believe my generation lost sight of that.



Autumn

The autumn weather is simply wonderful and we seem to have long forgotten that the summer was a cold affair this year. I seem to have been busy with life, health, shop, school holidays and took a bit of a blogging hiatus. The longer I live in this village and the shop, the more I feel a sense of belonging to the place that surrounds us.The vine seemed to grow no matter how many times I tamed it and despite that the grapes are small and sweet.
A solo pumpkin has been creeping along the way in search of sunshine and many small fruits were eaten by slugs. The sunflowers that should tower behind the pumpkin patch never got going this summer and any tomatoes received a dose of blight.
Marigolds that should have flowered months ago are enjoying the limelight. The world seems to reinvent itself on a regular basis in our environment.
There is a general feeling that after years of downshifting we have found our zone, a place where we can breathe, where we can develop in tune with the life rhythms around us. The house is beginning to blossom too and more work is needed to support its structure and yet it amazes me how the spirit of the house that seemed to rebel at the beginning is also showing signs of mellowing and enjoying the care we give it. Living in a historic house is like being a caretaker of its historical content and demands respect and understanding.

Despite the credit crunch we move forward with our business idea, supporting local producers such as the Exmoor Smokery which provides fresh smoked fish, cards by local artists, as well as being a window for local talent. The next window display will be a ' nice' Halloween scene. Life is full and every day I am reminded of Mother Theresa's quote as we rise at 6 am to walk out into a very peaceful and quiet village square, before the village wakes up to the smell of our baked goods.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

Traditional skills

Many of the houses in our area have roofs that are thatched and over the last weeks we have been able to observe at a distance the creation and repair of a thatched roof against a backdrop of a field being ploughed by a tractor, while birds circled around to catch a little grain.

The thatcher worked through rain, sunshine at a steady pace, arriving early in the morning, when the mists were clearing. There was a sense of clarity as well as peace in the way he worked with his apprentice and the result is very pleasing to the eye.

Some traditional skills have been lost over the years and yet, there is still time to learn and relearn some of them.

Popular mechanics made a list of 100 skills every man should know, or woman for that fact. Its a starting point.

The white stuff

Chocolate Chip Cookie And Milk


The picture about milk is changing. Its a product that is used by many of us and is a main ingredient in our kitchens. Most families in the UK start their day with cereals covered in milk, drink milk and have endless cups of tea with milk. Is the daily cuppa threatened? I grew up with milk being an essential part of my diet as it was an easy way to obtain calcium and nutrition for growth.

Milk's primary use is food for young mammals and yet as humans we are an exception in that we continue to consume milk beyond infancy. Genetically we are probably not designed to deal with that and in fact many of us become lactose intolerant at some stage in our life.
Humans are an exception in the natural world for consuming milk past infancy. The sugar lactose is found only in milk, forsythia flowers, and a few tropical shrubs. The enzyme needed to digest lactose, lactase, reaches its highest levels in the small intestines after birth and then begins a slow decline. In normal circumstances, babies would be breastfed and then continue with some form of milk until weaned. Milk is used to make butter, cheese, yoghurt, kefir, condensed milk, powdered milk, milk chocolate etc.

The wholesaler is faced with a dilemma that requires some action. The amount of dairy farmers walking off the farms and selling up is increasing ( which in term will mean less production locally in the UK) and at the same time, transport costs and labour costs are increasing regularly. This means that their profit margins are being squeezed and as such they will be putting the prices up soon. The increase here is going to be 5 p per litre which is the equivalent of a 5% price rise. One of their reasons for putting the price up is that they want to continue to pay a fair price to the remaining farmers to ensure that productivity continues and stops the tide of farms being sold off. That is a positive as the alternative to keep up supply is to import milk from other countries which only adds food miles to stand still.

The law of economics states that if a demand is greater than supply, the price goes up and if demand is lower than supply, then the price comes down.

Since 2 out of 5 in this household are lactose intolerant and actually allergic to milk products, we have made changes and the results have been noticeable. We also have far fewer plastic milk bottles to take to the recycling plant. It is a personal choice.

If you want to avoid a 5% increase in the price of milk out of your budget you could simply cut out 5% of your milk consumption per week. That could easily be achieved with cutting out 1 cereal breakfast per week or drinking black tea or black coffee. As an alternative to cereal, try porridge made with oats and water, eggs,toast or a fruit smoothie. If you want cereal, muesli is quite tasty with fruit juice or water.


A price increase in the raw ingredient of milk will also push up price ultimately of butter, cheese and all products that have milk in it.

Downshifting revisited - the tipping point

Words to Live By: Believe

January and September generally are months in which I reflect on the directions we take and look back on what has happened.

The economic climate at the moment is a difficult one, almost like a house of cards tumbling down. As an individual there is very little I can do about that apart from watching in the sidelines and staying strapped in on the roller coaster of events. If you have recently been made redundant remember it is not personal, do not feel a victim but use it as an opportunity to change track.

What follows are some of the principles that guide my decisions:

1. Stop buying - it sounds almost too easy but one of the major changes in this household has been to establish what our buying patterns are, why we buy, what we buy and how we can simplify that scenario. Example, I had a fetish about black trousers. 15 pairs were in the cupboard and at the same time I would still go and buy more. I had no idea I was doing that but I now own 3 pairs and rotate them. When one wears out I can buy another one. No impulse buying. Buying also does not mean new, it could be freecycled, second hand, eBay and new as a last resort if all other options fail. This action means you don’t need to earn as much, to buy as much, instead you can focus on living. Before you buy anything check whether it is in line with your downshifting goals and values.

2. Figure out what you can do now - can you develop your garden, declutter and sell stuff on eBay, get an allotment, can you afford to work less than 5 days a week, can you explore the library, start cycling, or learn a new skill? Look at what you have, what you need and address the balance.

3. Change what & how you eat - start supporting local markets and farmers. Better nutrition leads to less dependency on sugar and quick fixes to keep energy levels stable. If you visit the library you can read up on the subject and make changes. A food diary helps to establish why and what you eat. Our motto in the village shop is to encourage local producers and sell as much as we can that is locally produced in the county.

4. Change how you travel - can you reduce the amount of time you spend in the car? Check out alternatives : walk, cycle, share transport, get a bus, or more drastically check why you are travelling in the first place.Live locally and explore what is happening within 5 miles from your home, or whatever distance you can cover on foot or bike.

5. Imagine what people did 20 years ago and try to bring in some of those same activities and ways of living into your home. Write letters, visit people in person, join the library, go for walks in the park, grow your own vegetables and fruit or help someone who has a large garden and share the produce, play cards, play board games, read books, knit, sew and learn skills from others, have a social drink at your local pub and get acquainted with the your neighbours.

6. Look at what you need and redefine what you want. Create a plan of where you want to be to enable you to reach your downshifting goal. Some people are lucky, they bought when the market was lower and have enough value in their home to downshift significantly within a short period of time. If that is not the case for you or not possible in the economic climate, redefine what space you need, how much it will cost and whether you need to change location to make it happen. There are huge price differences within the UK with regards of property prices, rentals, jobs etc. If that applies to you ;do your sums, what do you need, how long will it take?Maybe share your space with others and create an income that way. Share resources.

7. Think about what you want to do when you downshift and learn how to do it now. Do you want to be a self sufficient smallholder, then volunteer at a farm, even a city one. Start gardening, using any spare time you have to invest in yourself and the skills you may need in the future. Do you want to make all your presents and gifts? Then start with what you can do and sign up for a class if you need to; you will meet other people and share enthusiasm and skills. Many classes are subsidised.

8. Don’t try to change too much too soon. Take one step at a time, the small impact leads to other more natural steps. There are people who moved jobs, countries etc in a very short period and found it very hard. Try to downshift at home, where you are now and explore possibilities. It took 2 years for us to realise that there was no need to burden ourselves financially, that we could live in a different way and then made plans to make that happen.

9. Do what you need to do while in the city or while in your country while you can. It may not all be immediately possible but you can take charge or your home, your health, your well being. your nutrition and live differently.

10. Downshifting can be more that just moving. It is about personal growth, changes within you, a change of direction, a change in what you thought you were doing and what ultimately what you want to do in line with your values and expectations. It is about changing yourself so that the changes you make can be reflected in the world we live in. If you stop buying factory produced chickens then ultimately, they will produce less and look at alternatives. The reason currently banks are collapsing is because they shared the belief that property prices would rise eternally and that the risks of lending to people who could not afford it would give them a win win situation. The people would be paying over the odds and then when the house was repossessed, the banks would cash in. It was about profit.

This is the real tipping point, we have been downshifting voluntarily and now need to share what we have learnt with those who face it head on as they are forced to deal with the crisis heading their way.

Believe that it is possible and you will find crumbs on your path to show you the way.

Organic box scheme

Fruits & Vegetables Sign

For a few months now we have been searching for an organic vegetable and fruit box to offer to the customers of the shop. There are still issues around it but Monday this will be available. We have been offering an increased range of local produce. Local producers did not seem willing to provide a delivery service to the shop so we turned to our wholesaler and asked him to source a box for us.

It’s a bittersweet step; we will be offering an organic box but some of the produce , although organic, will be from far away. This is a bit sad that pears in the organic box are coming from Argentina but it’s a stepping stone at the moment until we can establish demand and see if we can win the local producers over to see that it is worth investing in.

We tried the contents out last week and in the box were the following :

potatoes
carrots
onions
1 small swede
1 broccoli
1 cauliflower
1 lettuce
2 courgettes
1 sweet potato
1 lettuce
4 bananas
4 pears
4 apples
2 oranges
4 plums
6 tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 beetroot

It was tasty but needed to be kept cool as it does not keep as well as the usual vegetables and fruit.

A few people who order from a national scheme have shown an interest and will be testing it out.

Basic food

China, Yunnan Rice fields

As a business we see the prices rise every week from a variety of suppliers from eggs, bread, cakes and basic staples. Tea has gone up, milk will be going up this week. With the government slashing the 10% tax rate for low income families and the costs of basic food, shelter and warmth increasing, we are going to find ourselves out of the comfort zone. The credit crunch may mean for many that paying debts and mortgages will become more difficult.

If we have reached peak oil and there is a rush to grow biofuels in countries that otherwise would have contributed to the basic food production for their countries and export, there is going to be a shift.

The priority here does not seem to be for food and its people but for fuel to continue an addictive process to both oil and fuels.

The big picture is beginning to look ugly and what we do next will establish the direction humans take towards a healthy planet or the alternative, strangulation of the planet's resources and our wellbeing.

I am optimistic that change can happen; yet it has to start with the individual. As a family we try to walk our talk and having made many changes I continue to introduce a more economic and basic local diet to my family. We do live in the land of plenty where everything can indeed be flown in or grown far away and transported. I am about to investigate how we as a family have grown dependent on wheat and fuel, two crops that form part of our daily diet and see if we can create some diversity with other crops.

The process of giving up oil, wheat, sugar, chocolate is no different from giving up drugs or smoking cigarettes.

I have no idea what hunger really feels like. I have no idea what it feels like to have no food in your house, to have to make mud pies. Our generation does not. I know my mother had to eat her books to keep hunger pains away during the war and the effect of lack in that generation created a need to have plenty and have it available. This then became the norm. The norm is about to change again.

Some countries will no longer export rice to enable their population to be fed. If that is the case, rice a staple diet in Asian food, will become a luxury soon. Restaurants and other businesses will begin to feel their profit margins reduce and as people give up eating out, some of these businesses will fold.

One of the skills we can show our children is how to feed themselves with local ingredients. In a generation that has food prepared as the norm, we can enable them to be reconnected with the food chain and find a way to value the process and the magic of it too.

Step 1 is to waste nothing. That in itself would reduce the amount going to landfill.

How many of us create meals from leftovers? Some mealtimes I create a buffet of leftovers as the basis. It requires creativity and it gives rise to questions.

Inginuity may have been out of fashion, but it is going to make a come back.

Living with perfectionism

We're All Different


When we ask ourselves the question :

How did I decide that this is the way it is to be?

If the answer is,

it has to be, I have got to...

then ask yourself

according to whom'

This should give you an indication as to which values and beliefs drive you forward.

As children we are often told to do this, or that without explanation and we accept this without question. It does take your personal power away. As adults it can be refreshing to question whose voice you hear in your head when you are driven to do something in particular and reclaim the initiative to make decisions that are in line with the values and beliefs that are true for you.

If you ask yourself why you do things, and what is important to you, you might begin to see that your priorities are confused. Is it worth giving up time with your family to spend a whole day cramming in details of a report, or going back to the office to catch up on work? Is it really necessary to have a mortgage on a large house, which means that you have to go to work 60 hours per week. Could it be different? Ask yourself what the costs are of this and what the benefits are and weigh up one with the other. Then decide.

We often think we could have done better and yet we can also learn to take stock and say, that was great, I really enjoyed that. We then can also acknowledge when what we do is not making us feel so great and why.

TV and advertising have the ability to sell you a product by appealing to certain emotional states; my children used to tell me when shopping what soap powder I should get and in reality that was the voice of the advert talking. Why do we buy things? Who is that voice in your head saying we need to do this, or that? It can refreshing to question our automatic behaviours and consciously decide what we need in that given moment.

We could decide to live simply to enable others to simply live. In a world where famine is a reality and where we live with abundance ;it needs every individual who can make choices to be true to themselves.

A cosy little home

As the weather is colder again, I am reminded of a cosy little home. The little home we dream of, a place you can call your own.

Cob is a way to use natural materials to sculpt a home that is curvy, sustainable and many cottages that are much loved in the West Country were made like this. Our shop is made of stone walls and cob and no wall is angular. A wooden structure with beams creates a supportive framework and the cob is then sculpted into shape.

A few examples

Some welcome wiggly news....

What a fantastic moral boost after the budget post to receive the new Wiggly Wigglers catalogue today in the post entitled ' a fork full of country', the first social media catalogue of the century.

OK, hands up, I am talking about it not only because I love what Wiggly Wigglers stand for, the people behind it and the products it holds, and the authentic way they do business but because ( pss I am in it as a Wiggly Person'). I got soo excited when it came through the door , carried in by our local postman. I was busy delving into the stockroom but yelled. Roger came out to see what was the matter fearing I had fallen over ( that happens regularly when my brain has a funny moment), but no, he was not reassured seeing my smile, my genuine excitement at what was in the catalogue. ( I do not get excited about catalogues in the post on a regular basis but this one has been the longest time awaiting a historic event since I was pregnant and waiting for the delivery of a small bundle of joy.)

So, we opened it, I got a rush of the blushes and went suddenly shy. Roger read it and then could not stop telling people ' ask her about Wiggly Wigglers! with a smirk on his face! So now, there is a rush in the shop of people asking to see the catalogue, read it, and hopefully by word of mouth we will spread some good news, some news that will tickle the farmer in you and allow us to throw some wellies in celebration.

What could be so different about the catalogue :

The new mail order catalogue ' A forkful of country' due on doorsteps in March, was built with contributions from customers and friends around the world using social media. Building on their base of composting and wildlife gardening products, Heather Gorringe ( a Nuffield Scholar) and her team wanted to broaden their reach in terms of products and customers. Not content with traditional market research, Heather turned to Social Media to engage customers and others she met on her study and speaking tours around the world. Many of the ideas for new products and much of the content was built using a wiki ( i.e. server software used to freely create and edit web content using any web browser). Anyone with a password would have their say from Australia to the States to deepest South Wales. The resulting array of products includes everything from the traditional, sturdy garden spades, instant vegetable gardens, eco cleaning products, herb based lotions to chicken houses and peg bags. The new catalogue is presented in a scrap-book style, packed full of clippings, quotes, family snaps as well as the more traditional professional photography and product descriptions. You finish reading and you want a piece of this thing called Wiggly Wigglers. Businesses struggling with the concept of an authentic voice need to take a leaf out of this groundbreaking catalogue.

Here is the difficult bit though, I guess the server will be inundated with requests so if you cannot wiggle one online, you may have to give them a call by phoning 01981 500391. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Its fully recyclable when you have read it, but I would say, reuse it again and again, share it with others and keep it on the bookshelf. It will be a collectors item.

With a new spring in my step, a smile on my face and inspired by Wiggly Wigglers, I am putting the wellies on. I am off to the garden to make my dream become a reality. With a little help from my wiggly friends......Be inspired, be very inspired......

Oh and pass it on please......

Earthlab carbon footprint calculator

MY SCORE 235 6.3
UNITED KINGDOM 303 11.4
UNITED STATES 353 15.2
WORLD 338 14


Thanks for the comment and link to earthlab. I tried their carbon calculator and the above shows my personal carbon footprint. I know that cutting carbon emissions is reasonable and possible with a personal commitment to it and although the government seems to want the same, its actions are still the direct opposite.

The whole world is dominated and geared towards mobility from one place to another. Although the message about local shopping is beginning to hit home, we still need to consider the wider community and its impact. Local shopping not just for goods but using local people and tradesmen for their services.

In my area 6 post offices are closing; two of them will be replaced by a mobile service ( a van in a car park).This means that people who currently use a local post office withing 3 miles from their home are going to need to make extra effort to access one. Post offices do not just send parcels; you can bank with them, save with them, pay your bills there and meet a person. Customers often ask me; does the ATM work here and my answer is to offer them a choice: they can use the machine or they can speak with a person. Mostly they choose the person. If the government in an effort to cut costs continue to close post offices and small local schools, people will continue to choose their cars or other modes of transport to access these services. In any event, they will be using fuel or electricity to access basic services, With the price of fuel, electricity and gas going up this seems more like punishing people than encouraging them to make different choices.

For example, if you car needs its annual inspection and you usually use a garage 15 miles away, you might well take you car in, do some shopping and then collect it at the end of the day. Alternative would be to look at a small garage nearby ( who is also authorised to do this annual check), take the car, walk home or ask them to drive you home. You will not only have saved fuel, time and opportunity to consume but you have provided work and remuneration for a local person. The outcome should be the same and may even be lighter on your pocket. I just never thought about it before because out of habit I continued to use the garage I had always used even though my transport requirements had changed.

That is of course if you have a car. As mentioned previously, I may not drive my car but there it is, still needing maintenance checks, regular controls etc until I take the next step. Disposing of a car also has implications.

Warmth

Stove II

Mildred the Rayburn is suffering from a blockage and has had to be turned off until further investigation. Such it is with older appliances,they need care, love and attention to keep them going.

As a result the house is cooling down dramatically, the walls are getting colder and we have had to speed up the building of a fireplace on the other side of the chimney.

The fireplace was covered up with a Victorian fire surround which will be taken out, the chimney breast explored and within that a woodburning stove will be fitted. The Victorian fire surround will be recycled as an ornament in one of the bedrooms that boast a hole in the wall where previously a fireplace must have been. The aim will be to have an independent, safe source of heat that uses renewable materials as well as recreating the hearth of the home.

We sourced a local company not only for the woodburner but also for the work. As the building is old and listed, we wanted to do the work in keeping with the age and materials used locally. The woodburner will sit on a sheet of local slate and the fireplace will remain exposed stone.

In the middle of the Brendons is a farm where you can visit a woodstove showroom and it requires a small expedition and patience to get there. The people there are very knowledgeable and listened very carefully to my questions : a woodburning stove with ability to heat a pot or kettle, needs to be able to stay on overnight as heatsource, locally made if possible.

The result is that we had to compromise on the type stove as it depends on the chimney you have.

The men doing the work assure me that by Saturday I will be cosy without smoking the house out. I have every confidence in them. They are very polite, hardworking and only ask for coffee when they really want it.