Sumer Is Icumen In

Summer has come in,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
The seed grows and the meadow blooms
And the wood springs anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!

The ewe bleats after the lamb,
The cow lows after the calf.
The bullock stirs, the buck-goat turns,
Merrily sing, Cuckoo!

Cuckoo, cuckoo, well you sing, cuckoo;
Don't you ever stop now,
Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo.
Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now!

So, tomorrow is Beltaine (Celts reckoned days from sundown to sundown), the traditional beginning of summer. Here we'll be having a big bonfire... may the earth be renewed!

transition tramp

I finally get paid tomorrow! This will end a period of poverty that has pissed me off a lot .I have been living on about £3.50 a day for the last month . Ok , so I can have free carrots ,potatoes ,kale and milk but would you be content on that diet ? I also had to stop using my car as I couldn't afford road tax for it,so have had no alternative but to walk to ***** supermarket for supplies. This has raised an ethical dilemma; is it better to drive 10 miles to Stroud ,which is full of shops for greenies , or walk to a supermarket?
Rising fuel prices have got me thinking about the Transition movement and how to respond to this issue in farming. This farm has about 10 tractors most of which are in daily use . I reckon these machines alone are using 3-500 litres a week.... if we were spraying preps as well ,fuel consumption would be even higher. It seems this paradigm of 'industrial' bd/organic is not sustainable.Can a shift to horse and people powered farming be achieved without some kind of crisis that forces the change?
On a lighter note,I recently met one of the humblest residents at DHF, an elderly Irish tramp who lives in a barn up the road.Last time the 'Boss' was here ,he went up to look at the barn as it has recently been renovated.He was apparently concerned for the welfare of this guy and asked one of the staff to give him some bedding... its good to know there is room for a tramp on this farm.

arm.

Plastic Passion

That was very touching Katharina, thank you.

Here is an excellent article on the dilemma of plastic packaging:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/823eebc6-1007-11dd-8871-0000779fd2ac.html

foot and mouth 7 years ago

hi everybody,
firstly, it's great to hear from you and how things are going, keep on sharing.
secondly, things are busy but well here, but something i really wanted to share with you already occured two weeks ago (talk about busy).

we have a gathering every sunday, and week before lasts was in memory of all the animals that got "culled", meaning needlessly and cruelly slaughtered, during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
For this farm here, as for so many others, it was a massively traumatic event in every respect, and basically things have only just more or less caught up again with what there was before that - can't find the right word - that unspeakable thing.
imagine from one day to the next having an empty and deserted farm, where all that is left are a few chickens that only remind you of what the place actually should be like, and all your good breeding stock, completely healthy thriving creatures that weren't any harm to anybody, the animals you've loved and cared for, killed and burnt and wasted.

what we did in memory of them, very fittingly as i found, was that we got together, at least twenty or thirty of us in the afternoon, and stirred and sprayed 500, treating it as a reinforcement and a remembrance of the cycles that are sustained by the land that we sprayed. because in the circle between the soil, the grass, the cows and the manure, all those dead animals are still present in this place, and even after we have lost them needlessly, we are still benefitting from their gifts, and we can use the new animals' manure (and after that sunday, i really looked at the "new" animals with a lot more reverence, thinking what an amazing privilege it is to have them) to express our gratefulness and love to the land off of which we live.

sorry this is such a preachy and soppy post, but that day really meant a lot to me and also deepened my understanding of what we do when we spray 500, or any preparations.
when you look at your animals tomorrow morning, or whenever, think for a second about how lucky you are to work with them.

katharina

Hey everybody.
what a month it has been. i feel settled so happy and truly content, but also exhausted and a little nervous about the state of the world. We had snow on 4 different occasions last week, and on april 19 , I woke up to 3 inches on the ground outside my tent. Baby lambs were born that day and the day before, all the cows escaped the fencing due to faulty batteries and a heifer with an attitude problem was running wild on the opposite end of the property. My fellow intern and i spent our weekend freezing in the snow and running after stray cattle, constantly checking on lambs (who are really tough stuff, by the way!). The c.s.a garden has been watter logged and impossible to cultivate. we think we may need to set back the dates for shares. We hope to till by sunday and get the ball really rolling. But in the mean time we have been single digging (hand tilling) which is tiresome but feels good and gives the ladies of the farm a chance to bond over shovels full of heavy dirt and bluegrass music.
Crazy weather and stress aside, i have been most productive! making cheeses, butter, yogurt, creamy things, like ice cream (we are getting 2 gallons of milk per/day from one cow) and other tasty treats as well as bread, dinner for 9 twice a week and some beautiful compost piles that would make Ann Marie proud. Also doing tests on starts with 500 and 501 in the green house, taking notes and doing as much research into BD preps as possible, getting ready for the workshop on BD held here at the end of June, where i will be teaching 12-20 people about BD preps; making and the application of...... EEEKKKKSSSS! im not sure how that will happen, i can hardly talk to 2 people with out blushing, but we will see how it goes, i guess i have to start teaching somewhere.
i feel like i have so much more to tell, but it will have to wait, ive rambled enough already.

*thanks for the link to the bees, we are in a dire situation, and i am afraid my friends, we will be the ones taking agriculture trough the troughs of a massive shift in the enviroment as well as in the concioussness of human kind. Lets show them the way! i encourage all of you to keep up the good hard work, you are appreciated and loved all around the world by the massive flux of young people doing just what we all are right now. Working to understand the earth, her power and gifts, so as to sustain and feed this world. As well as saving the beauty of it for our children.

-how do i post pictures on this thing?
- does anyone have Phils email? im only 2 stops on the ferry away from his island and would love to contact him and take a feild trip to another bd farm


"its all about the love"- henning ( my boss talking about bd preps and loving compost piles and the spaces they are in)

erin

Serious stuff

Thank you for these hilarious and enthusiastic stories!  

Time to give you more from Brasil.

I am on the farm A BOA TERRA for two weeks now.  The main task that I have to do here is to create a 4000m educational garden where schoolchildren will come weekly to grow there veg, herbs and fruit.  It is a big thing here at the sitio and I am very excited to do this.  The first week I had to bring  2 hectares of bush, forest and creeks into a exact map.  Now we are planning the whole idea based on books (eco litteracy, Fritjof Capra), experiences ( they already had 14000 children coming on educational sessions on nature and agriculture) and wishes.

So as I am jalous about you guys and girls getting on with the real dirt I feel happy that I can take this important task on me.  I could also arrange with the "farmer"more the organiser that I start next week in the veg production.  The problem is that they work with 3 teams (families) and they are independent.  They rent the land and sell the veg to the farm.  So where do I fit in? 

The language starts to make sense so I hope it will all get along.  The house we are about to live in is painted in our free hours and we still hope to get the bats and birds out without using poison.  Our herb garden florishes and I feel it all starts to roll...

And every moring I have to stop somewhere to look at the incredible beauty of nature here!

On the 100 hectares sitio they have 135 types of birds, lots of little rivers and swamps and all the flowers and fruits you wished for.

I saw they use some horses to cultivate so I hope to get going with this one day.

The cows here are used in a reforesting program.  They eat the elephant grass short so trees can grow.  The trick seems to be to keep the cows in just before they start eating the trees!

Cristiane is enjoying herself with setting up a new education program based on the theory of "the private eye".  You might have heard about it.  

And honestly, I would love to come and visit every one of you to have a good chat!!!

Ciao

Monsanto

A detailed article on Monsanto, its history and practices with a particular look at its impact on soya and seeds.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805?currentPage=1

The Housemartins

While Gaia has been singing 'I've got a brand new combine harvester' (The Wurzels, 1976), courtesy of an afternoon in the shop with Barry's music selection, I have had that well known Housemartins track, 'Sheep', running round my head. The lambs are now out in the fields, by Kidbrooke, eating the Bluebells (which are poisonous) and they are wonderful to watch. Everyone who comes into the barn and holds the sweet little things in their hands or bottle feeds one (only 6 left to lamb) asks tentatively, 'so, how old are they when you.., y'know, when they go off for..., y'know'. At least they are there, asking the question. Not enough clean grass or fencing for the autumn lambs or replacement ewes so they are now in the barn. Another exercise in escaping sheep. David has created a timetable of tasks (probably a first for Tablehurst) which is efficient and means we all know where we should be if we aren't doing emergency fence repairs, sheep collecting (from A22, Forest Row, Emerson etc), essential deliveries (eg. straw to circus) or leaning on pitchforks deep in the finer points of Nietzsche and Mill with Terry and Stewart. Pigs...huh, in the same way that man has to try and stop sheep killing themselves, so he must save piglets from tyrannical (or careless) mothers. Either the sow rolls over and sleeps on them, suffocating or squashing the poor things or she eats the neighbouring sow's. One benefit of having the pigs run in with the cows (deliberate) and sheep (a fencing deficiency) is that they eat all the afterbirth, which saves me a job (clearing up, not eating). One of the stirring sticks broke yesterday, extra chaotic vigour by Jors. I am proud of my replacement, coppiced by the chicken sheds and hung early afternoon. Now if it will just stop raining so we can do some spraying.... Generally, its great fun and I am really enjoying it, although its extremely hard work. I love reading everyone's comments, keep it up. And, yes, Robin, you should go into politics, although I was under the impression you already had.

Hi ...apologies to anyone confused by my last fictional entry.I could ramble on at length about the many different tasks I have been given since I arrived here but I think that would be as enthralling as watching a dead toad dry out on a hot day. Today I walked to Ruskin Mill , which is about 8 miles away. DHF has Ruskin students here to work once a week, the managers eldest son is one of the group that comes over.It was a form of pilgrimage to walk to the nearest BD farm.The route took me through vast fields of industrial-chemical "agriculture" and it was a relief to arrive at Gables Farm and find horse-drawn equipment in recent action. Last week I was able to use the flame weeder, brush weeder and best of all; The Vacuum Seeder!
Some of you may remember this machine from a video Arjen showed us... I have always liked farm machinery and this one is the business! I drilled my first ever field-scale carrots and hope to do much more of this..... There is a Dutch grower here called Fred who studied at Warmoderhof . We get on well and he has given me excellent tuition when setting up the machines . He also obtained an Earthways seeder for me so I have sown some stuff with that as well. There we are... Isaid I wouldnt ramble on but I have! Perhaps I should be in politics

Planet Vortex

The day is trying to tell me that it's over... however something I read on the BD Now list I thought I should share:

Dear friends,

I received some information this morning in my meditation.



This in regards of the Monsanto corporation.

The plant life collective of this planet, their deva caretakers and
many others have been watching this outfit and consider that they
will no longer allow the perversion of nature by this entity. I'm not
sure what's up with this yet, but there is a collective action
ongoing by the nature spirits to work with the plants as that is
their sphere. They are offering protection of the plant species.

It's ours to misdirect and redirect the Monsanto entity.

If you should so choose, please picture The Monsanto corporation ---
upside down and inside out --- in disarray and destruction. It is
happening from the inside out. Something big is coming. This is in
motion from inside the organization and will not be stopped. To be
revealed soon.



I don't know any more than that.


Bonnie York

Make of that what you will, for me at least it brings some hope.

More bad news about bees I'm afraid:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004341374_bee11m.html

Erin you know anything about this

If you never got round to reading them then here is a sort of summary of Dr. S's lectures on bees.

Been stirring 500 in big barrels last 2 days, bumble bees are out on dandelion flowers, things coming alive now (Sweden at least a month behind S. England), I should sleep. Thank you Robin for brightening my day.

Kristof informs me that the email list was property of Phil, who removed it. If anyone has Phil's email then please send to me (ormrATmail2eris.com). Danke...

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

Greetings from Duchy Home Farm! Life here is never dull as you can imagine. The other day one of the rare -breed pigs , a Peruvian Dreadlock sow started to devour her 3 day-old piglets.
I rushed over and tried to stick a fence post between her teeth to stop her munching her tiny offspring. As I wrestled with the beast , a visitor wandered over to watch. I glanced up to see a tall figure in a barbour jacket observing me.....The Prince ! I wasted no time in asking for his help." Your Highness " I gasped ,still wrestling with the huge Sow " could you answer the question everyone wants to ask?" He looked at me wearily..." well, I suppose er.. ask away."
" Sir, is it true that your favourite pop artist is the hysterical dwarf from Minneapolis who shares your title , Prince?" His royal eyes lit up. "You know Iwas a big fan until he produced a movie , Purple Rain, and this ,I thought, was a poorly produced load of bunk. " I pulled a half eaten piglet out of the sows jaws and smiled at him." Nice looking pigs these, no mothering instinct unfortunately....."

hi everybody!

Finally! i figured out how to work this thing!
Where to begin? since missing my flight home and amazingly getting the very next one standby, the universe and my world have been sending me constant messages of support and inspiration. I know now more than ever that i am doing the rite thing for myself and the world.
The farm is amazing, S&S homestead farm, i was welcomed with open arms into the family and my nervousness about living here for 6 months disappeared. My fellow intern is wonderful, as is everyone else on the farm. the milking cow "Loveday" just gave birth and hand milking is everything i expected, wonderful. i just moved into my tent on the property and its freezing, it snowed 5 inches at sea level last week, but its all part of the homesteading experience and now is the time for these rich experiences that make us stronger and who we are.
Friday: chased baby and mama cow for 45 min. through a mudd bog of a field trying to get them into a stall, also chased 8 seriously pregnant sheep back into pen after considerable damage to the csa garden, got shocked by a 9 volt fence 4 times (throughout the day) set up my 16x12 pole tent. fun and always full days on the farm. i hurt so bad all over, but it feels so good.
back on the land again!
good luck and love to you all,
hoping it warms up soon!
erin

Good Time!

Hallo!!!!!!!!!!

Had really good two weeeks till now on the farm! I'm glad to be here...
Most of the first time we were grating and packing carotts and potatoes. Since monday we went outside on to the fields planting potatoes.Is greate fun six people on a caroussellplanter (?)!!!

So now it's weekend and I'm expecting a friend I haven't seen for years...
so have fun everybody, want to hear more from you!
Michaela

Traveling without study books?

Some of us or already exhausted by farming forces on daily bases but...

If you are traveling without good study books I would like to remind you the tip Arjen gave us about 'the soil and health library' on the internet.

It is easy to download very good books on BD and sustainable agriculture as other topics.

Fantastic stuff!!!

unexplained powers of animals...

Rupert Sheldrake and his new science