Banana rambles

Sausage Supper

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:59:00 +0000

About ten years ago I was employed on a food project based in an area that had one of the highest levels of social deprivation in Northern Ireland. The project “lets call it project X” was “Cross Border” and ”Peace Funded” which in local parlance is usually greeted with a snort of derision. The idea was to bring communities of different political/religious persuasions together to grow their own food and to do this in two separate geographical areas i.e. a community in the North of Ireland and a community in the Republic of Ireland. There was an immense amount of funding available for this and it was to last three years.

Children helping with the bean planting

One aspect of my job was to teach people how to grow their own food. Whilst project X was full of possibility the myriad of social issues providing the backdrop to what we were up to, relentlessly eroded any progress made by the team. As well as the usual difficulties such as poverty, social isolation, lack of education we also had terrorism, politics with a small “p”, suspicion and naked fear of the “other side ” antipathy between middle class and working/non working class. Staff were ill equipped to deal with what they were expected to deliver it was disheartening and the project closed in less than three and half years culminating with the offices being burnt down.

Whilst I paint a very bleak picture indeed there was a lot of learning especially by those paid to deliver and its this learning that is now being put to good use in Transition Omagh. One of the very first things we discovered whilst working on project X above, was that the family budget for whole swathes of some of those communities was firmly centred around the sausage supper!

The infamous sausage supper

Let me explain, you are a single mum you live in this housing estate with two maybe three children you are not yet twenty years of age. You left school when you got pregnant at 14, 15, 16, you are barely able to read and write, simple sums are out of the question. Getting pregnant gives you social status and more importantly a house to live in. Living now with young children, you do not know how to cook and have never learnt anything about good dietary habits or nutrition. Your income is your giro cheque, child benefit and housing benefit, you spend much of your time watching day time television. Your diet is the “Sausage Supper” why? because your local chippy runs a special called the “Sausage Supper” this costs 75p. At the beginning of the week you set aside £1.50 for each day, with this you can go to the takeaway, or more likely send one of the children and you get two big fat sausages with a handful of chips thrown in. Two sausage suppers are sufficient to feed you and two children amounting to £10.50 for the week. You hear about a project down the road that wants you to “grow your own vegetables” because a flyer has come in through the door. You ask yourself “why would anyone want to do such a stupid thing, sure can’t you get them in the shop and even if you did grow something what would you do with them? ” You know that you are a useless cook and you think to yourself about how you hate all vegetables and can’t ever remember eating them in your life, and even worse, you would have to leave the house and you don't do that much any more since you have put on so much weight. Impatiently you throw the flyer into the bin and wonder when will that bunch of "do gooders" down the road start to do something that is relevant to your life, as you send the five year old to pick up the sausage supper!

Ladies taking a well earned break

For years the sausage supper represents all that is wrong with our food systems, and we have been determined in Transition to play an active toll in its demise. Using Transition as a vehicle we set up the “Greenshoots NI Gardening Project”, we wanted to make growing your own food “sexy”.....for everyone not just for the followers of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall et al. but for those stuck without choice on the sausage supper diet. We wondered for a long time how we could do this. It started with running hands on organic gardening classes for adults...effective, yet attracting those who were already converted and after a year or two interest began to peter out as the economic downturn started to take effect.Interesting to note that we did not have one sausage supper participant even though there was ample ways that folk with little or no finances could join the gardening classes.

From this point we then moved into providing allotment training for groups to enable communities to set up their own allotments, again quite good but still a huge up hill battle to keep people engaged and involved, and again appealed only to those who really wanted to garden

Finally we tried the schools. About two and half years ago we approached three primary schools and said to them that we would like to run a pilot vegetable growing activity with their p6 or p7. It went down a treat, everyone loved it the children, the teachers and not least the folk delivering it. Happiness all round, we financed it by going after small amounts of grants or working with schools that had extended schools funding. In some cases there was no funding at all, the schools just wanted vegetable gardening and found the money for it. It literally only took one phone call. Food growing was suddenly “sexy” and the schools wanted it.

Making paper planting pots

During the course of the eight weeks of gardening activities we cover many different topics. Why its important to grow your own food, what a good healthy diet is and why that is important, how to sow, grow, harvest, store and cook the food you eat. We have dirty hands competitions, we have bug identification sessions, we have extended and funny watering sessions( when the teachers backs are turned) . We encourage the children to handle and become comfortable with all creatures in the garden. They experience every gardening activity imaginable and quickly move from being very uncomfortable and awkward in the outdoor environment to easy familiarity, they have fun and look forward to getting out of class every week. Children who do not normally shine begin to come to the fore and their teachers tell us that they see them changing from week to week. Many of the children can name the vegetable plants just by looking at them, know what to do with them, and what they taste like. At least one in every class has said they want to be a gardener when they grow up! Their enthusiasm is infectious and they are bringing this keenness home with them and of course this starts the conversation.....starts something that just wasn’t going to happen anyways.

Currently there are about 500 children on the programme so the concept of growing your own food is been talked about in over 400 homes in towns and villages all over Tyrone and Fermanagh. The children are beginning to break down barriers, called it pester power, call it whatever, growing your own food is no longer a foreign country, it is becoming a real possibility in the lives of those who would never before considered such a thing, This year we are in fourteen schools, there are now four of us delivering the programme. Hundreds of children are being exposed to growing their own and no matter what happens to them later in life at least they may be able to avoid a sausage supper future, because of seeds sown in their formative years.

The first day in a new school garden

The short term plan is to roll the scheme out across Northern Ireland in the coming year, build in long sustainability through teacher training and raising awareness.As for Transition Omagh, we are extremely proud of what we are achieving with the minimum of bureaucracy and funding and the maximum of enthusiasm, good nature and a can do attitude. For the writer, this has been the most satisfying Transition project of all so far and that somehow makes all the down days worthwhile.

Image 1 Children and families working on a bean frame

Image 2 The famous sausage supper thanks to Roddy Mcleod for the image ttp://roddymacleod.wordpress.com

Image 3 Community gardeners taking a well earned break

Image 4 Selection of vegetables grown by the children

Image 5 A hot day in the school polytunnle

Image 6 The start of a new school garden

An Outstanding Intergenerational Project

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:39:00 +0000

This is a story about Sean (not his real name) his identity has to be kept secret, for reasons that will become clear as I tell this tale. Sean would have had an interesting past life, not all of it on the right side of the law, consequently spent some of his time here on earth enjoying the benefits of her majesty’s hospitality. Sean’s heart is mostly in the right place and he is very active in Transition Omagh. He approached the core group last year with an idea for a project for increasing the resilience of pensioners. He told us that he was nearly 68 years of age, was living on a meagre pension which was steadily being eroded by our nose diving economy, was renting his house and could see that he was clearly heading into an old age of poverty and loneliness. He submitted to us the following idea…..

Creatively Use and Respond to Change

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:30:00 +0000

It was just coming to twilight, it had been a gorgeous February day, a rare enough occurrence here in Ireland .The last low weak light of a cold spring evening just beginning to disappear. We were driving on our way home from Cloughjordan eco village
in Tipperary, where we had been attending the first CSA conference in Ireland.

Cloughjordan eco village

I wasn’t driving so had time to observe the passing countryside, when to my right out of the corner of my eye I noticed what I thought was a pall of light grey smoke hanging over the top of a low hill to the North east of our road about a mile away. I studied it for a while and realised at once my mistake it was in fact a flock of starlings, it was actually a mega flock certainly the biggest flock I have ever seen. The road was a busy main artery leading north, and us motorists had just started to switch on vehicle lights in the dusk of the early evening. Ahead of us a number of cars had pulled in on both sides of the road, people stopping to watch the spectacle.
Hastily we pulled over and jumped out in to the cool evening. For miles up and down that straight road we could see cars with their head lights coming and going in both directions, oblivious to the spectacular extravaganza that nature had provided.

Transition Omagh Energy Project

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:32:00 +0000

After many months spent wringing hands and declaring much like Captain Peacock in Juno and the Peacock that "Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis" - (Captain Boyle, Act III). Transition Omagh slowly moves into action. Early into 2011, the energy group awakens, scratches yawns, stands up, sniffs the air and trots off purposefully. It is not long before one of the group comes back with a proposal, a filled in application that needed signing and the possibility for us to seriously reduce our carbon footprint.It was exciting and great at the same time, because at last we had something that was measurable, practical, attractive to peoples wallets and the promise of engaging many.

Stream of Consciousness

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Like the invincible teenager Cu Chullin I want to pound up and down the land raising awareness grapple with the armies of indifference, shout at the night sky and rage at the moon, grab Transition by the neck and hurl it in to every city, town, village and community of Ireland. My impatience, anger and impotence seethes like pus and makes me restless. I strong-arm my energy in fruitless attempt as to cover a suppurating sore with sticking plaster, to dam the strength and passion that oozes, pulsates and bursts from my skin, for fear of irreparable damage in careless word or action.

We are David versus Goliath in an extraordinary sea of apathy. From the bunkers of Transition let us use our simple slings, and for those weapons to be possessed by demon words, rousing everyone from temporary indifference, exploding bedrock beliefs, opening minds and igniting souls with audacity and skill to radically change and transform the very essence of humanity. I refuse to believe that we are like the Marie Celeste blithely sailing rudderless, on an on into an unknowable, unworkable, questionable future. Daily I imagine Transition powerfully steering, holding and shaping the course of this social epidemic, implacable in the face of indifference, persevering against all odds, reaffirming our potential for change and safe in the knowledge of our power of positive action.

Thats a window into my subconscious, the right brain part of me, that bit that defies logic, the bit that stands up and says“no you are not beat” (pronounced bate in Northern Ireland speak) That bit of me that doesn’t know when its bate! That part of me that has an unshakeable belief, that there are many solutions, that collectively we have the intellect, the power and the wherewithal to influence, engage, activate and inspire those around us. That we all are transformative leaders, from the smallest to the greatest of us creating something new that answers our concerns, something that wasn’t necessarily going to happen anyways.

So where now for Transition Omagh?

Applying that stream of consciousness thinking (and considering our recent setback in Omagh around the community cafe that didn’t happen read here). We are back at the drawing board re-inventing, re-igniting, re-inspiring, implacably moving on in the face of adversity. Inhaling deeply, focussing inwardly and drawing on the right side of the brain, we return to basics; as someone said earlier on this week “ we start from where we are, with what we have, to do the best we can.” Below is a (now) snapshot of Transition Omagh and what we have to work with.

Fracking Film Gaslands

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Transition Omagh is hosting a free screening of Gaslands Film about Fracking

Brogans pub Omagh 8pm Wed Feb 1st

For more information about the film click here

Come at 7pm to hear about what else is going on in Transition Omagh

The benefits that some folk have experienced from the Transition energy project from a participants point of view.
The experiences of a teachers involvement with the Transition schools growing project from a participating teacher

And about whats coming up in the near future

Information about an exciting apple grafting day in March .
What would you like to do that Transition could support you with?

Thanks to Fracking Free Ireland for the posters

An avalanche of comments

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000

For the past three months I have been writing on the Social Reporting blog here. The first part of this pilot has come to and end and now we are about to start again. For the month of January we are looking back at pieces that stood out for us which were written by others. All I have to do is to select three pieces that have appealed to me from this social reporting adventure, then make one more choice about what to republish. So here goes. For something that's real on the ground with a can do attitude and very relevant to the Northern part of the UK and Ireland enjoy Catriona Ross's piece The Joy of
Eigg.

For my second recommendation. I knew which one it was, but it was quite a job to remember who wrote it, when it was published and where it could be found on the social reporting blog! But I remembered it clearly and the subsequent avalanche of comments that followed it. It resonated so much with me being from Northern Ireland, and if I am honest I truly felt unable and unwilling to get involved in the subsequent semi political discussion. I was interested that it brought up such a reaction in me ….the peace builder and transition person!!! It is of course Ann Owen's "Cenedl heb iaith yw cenedl heb galon"
Finally my last selection was fraught with difficulty. Endeavouring to choose just one of the pieces written by our online community to republish, is truly a difficult thing to do. I started with the idea that I would pick a piece that spoke to me and moved me and yet was fundamental to Transition thinking. Of course Charlotte and probably everyone else had the same idea, and yesterday she duly reposted Tamzin Pinkerton stellar piece of work about food and health. I am not surprised, however now I am forced to move to plan B….which of course I don't have.
Anxiously I start to skim over some of the ninety two posts and quickly realise I don't have a mission. I should have started long before this, become a lot more familiar with the content, inwardly curse myself then stop take a deep breath and start to think like a permaculturalist…What would a permaculturalist do ? ‘Creatively use and respond to change’ jumps back at me as an answer, so I start to write, thinking I will wait and see what comes out of the ends of my finger tips. As I write, subconsciously my somewhat jumpy agitated mind is backcasting and keeps coming to the same post again and again. That is Charlotte Du Cann’s piece the fire stealers- a love story

Pondering why I should choose this piece I realise that it had stirred up many questions from deep within me about Transition and my reasons for being involved. Charlotte's writing for me clearly captures, holds and reflects all that we as a community set out to accomplish during the life of this collaborative writing venture. On reading it a quiet yet clear understanding stole over me around my role in Transition: To write about Transition! It stimulated nourished and strengthened the desire in me to continue to hold that fire in the face of adversity. This one sentence "The fact is some of us can see in the dark, and we know what's coming if we don't pass on the fire" provided the electric jolt to remind me about the importance of our conversation, for without that conversation there is nothing. Enjoy!

Thanks to Catriona, Ann and Charlotte for photographs from their pieces.

What will you do this year?

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:58:00 +0000

This is a peculiar time of year. Right in the middle of winter not a hint of spring and yet the temperature is too high outside and everything is growing. Right now in our garden, the daffodils have emerged out of the earth and are two thirds of their final size. Magpies have started to build nests in earnest. New grass has appeared on either side of our lane and in the surrounding fields, next thing is that the farmers will be letting their cattle out! We have a little robin who flies in and out of our house every time we leave the windows open I am convinced he is also looking for somewhere to nest. Last month we cut back all the varieties of mint in the herb garden and looking closely at them today I noticed that each and everyone of them have put on new growth. So for all life and nature its business as usual.

For us humans its also business as usual . The Christmas celebrations have come and gone and ahead is all the promise and possibility that each new New Year brings. If the media is to be believed it seems that we await the perfect storm, ranging from imminent collapse of the Euro, to the demise of cheaply available energy, to a future filled with uncertain job prospects for everyone. Climate change conferences , economic conferences and their deadlines come and go, the Arab spring is a constant source of conversation and speculation and through all of this most of us humans blithely choose to ignore these fast approaching changes. We make our cousins in nature look good, we know these changes are coming and much like the rabbit caught in the headlights are unable to do move , not knowing which way to jump. Or perhaps we are more like the orchestra on the Titanic choosing to play on in the face of impending doom. We play on, worrying about what is going to happen but not able or willing to do anything about it. We live lives of anticipation and/or apprehension unable to savour the Now.

What will you do this year ?
Will you play in the Now?
Or live in the Now?

Solidarity and Gatekeepers

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Armagh cathedral
Attribution: Baronplantagenet at
the English language Wikipedi

Recently I had the unusual experience (for me) of spending two hours in a one to one discussion with Cardinal Sean Brady Head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, exploring ideas such as resilience, climate change, peak oil and food security. To put this in context, his Eminence’s line manager is probably the pope, and his CEO is better known as God. So on the scale of importance and status here in Ireland he compares favourably with the Archbishop of Canterbury, sitting at the pinnacle of a religious organisation that carries much clout on this small island.

A somewhat eclectic (one might even say catholic !) conversation took place, ranging from holistic management to childhood obesity. During the discussion his Eminence mentioned that he was interested in the idea of solidarity and did I have any thoughts around the subject? Whilst listening to this request, idly in the back of my mind I wondered how could I assist him with his enquiry and use it as a golden opportunity to spread the Transition message.

Inner Transition Omagh Style

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Well when we (Transition Omagh that is) heard about this Inner transition thingy there was a general feeling that we should do something about it. Nobody seemed too sure what it entailed, thinking that perhaps there was a course, or a speaker we could bring in that would enlighten us. We resolved to give it a go.

We thought it would be a good plan to introduce some of the “touch feely stuff”, as it was euphemistically described by one of our not so “touchy feely” male members, at the end of Powerdown sessions.

It was to be nothing too radical you understand, on second thoughts maybe that sentence should be replaced with, nothing too radical for the small group who were enthusiastic enough to want to introduce, explore and implement the concept of inner transition to a somewhat conservative audience. With hindsight, perhaps it was just a tad beyond some peoples comfort zone.

Omagh Community Cafe “Not”

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:21:00 +0000

The Invitation

In August 2011 we thought we had a community cafe. In September 2011 we knew we didn’t. So what changed? Visualise this phone call “ Hello, it’s all over, it’s not going to happen!” Putting down the phone after that conversation, I groaned inwardly, knowing that the community cafe that we had envisioned for Transition Omagh (TO) was most certainly not going to happen at the premises we had in mind. This was the end of that particular transition idea for the time being and a surprising outcome, not what we expected at all! Allow me to take you on a guided trip back through the months of planning and hard work that preceded that particular sad phone call.

Diversity Omagh Style

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:06:00 +0000

October Diversity in the Autumnal Garden

Looking around the Transition group in Omagh with a focus on diversity, one could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps we had an exigent exclusion policy against anyone who is not white Caucasian, middle aged and middle class. About two percent of the group are mixed race, there are some young families, a couple of pensioners, a couple of working class people. That is the whole extraordinary breadth of our diversity. In fairness, it probably reflects the national average of any organisation concerned with environmental/social issues in Northern Ireland. Uniquely though, diversity is here, be that as it may, in a slightly skewed fashion which could only be found in Ulster. Not a wildly exuberant type of diversity, but all the same it is diversity for us.

Memorable Communication Moments from Transition Omagh

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:12:00 +0000

The flyer
The radio interview
The newspaper reporter
The school talk
The public speaking opportunity

The Flyer

The offending flyer

“There’s an important event coming up,” we’ll need to get a simple flyer out, who would like to do this easy job”? Spectacularly unqualified but enthusiastic local volunteer (known as Elv and at busy times when more than one is required, Elves) raises hand, immediately pounced on by overworked core group member.

Elv gets to work, carefully typing out the information on early version of a laptop, circa 1991. All goes well until Elv decides that the flyer needs a little more design, and maybe a logo. Distinctly remembers learning something on a course once, about how to use desktop publishing package. Twelve hours later, after wrestling with recalcitrant jpgs. on a dying laptop, spending twenty pounds buying more memory to deal with hefty memory demanded by commercial desk top publishing package and a further forty pounds on new ink cartridges, the resulting flyer is reminiscent of work produced by 9 year old son in P5.

Social Reporting for Transition

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:23:00 +0000

I am currently one of twelve people writing twice a month on the Social Reporting site for Transition. Subjects range from Energy to Economics to Inner Transition. This is my first piece here.

Cogitations from Omagh

Transition Omagh not really two words that are rolling off the lips of everyone in the Omagh area. Familiar to a few, too few to make a difference, or not ...... Looking back over the three years of our existence,(a stint that feel more akin to three centuries as opposed to three measly years) brings a smile to our faces. Remembering the long list of enthusiastic events, projects and parties that were initiated and celebrated, meals that were shared together, evenings spent at meetings, trainings attended, it seems an incredible amount of events and fun squeezed into a short time span.

In common with many other transition projects; here in Omagh we have reached that three year hiatus. Having suffered a recent disappointment around a planned community cafe, the core group must now sit down and ask themselves “where to now or even what now”?

All Ireland Transition Gathering 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Dont miss this !

I was at this last year from start to finish it is run by volunteers. It is exciting, innovative, creative and its where its happening . If you want to find out more about Transition in Ireland, or simply want to get together with like minded souls then make your way to Gurteen Agricultural college in Roscrea July 30th to August 1st. ....Theres camping too!

To find out more click on this link here

Transition Omagh Summer Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Public Announcement

Have a look at our summer newsletter here.

(Some of our folk in Transition Omagh are a bit shy! )

Great idea for an unused swimming pool!

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:49:00 +0000

How to build a community

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:17:00 +0000

I was sent this today it says everything

Thanks to:

The Hermitage Cottage 14 Drumnaconnell Rd
Saintfield, County Down, BT24 7NB 44 2897 510232
Sally.taylor803@btopenworld.com

Turn off your TV*Leave your House*Know your Neighbours*Look Up when you are Walking*Plant Flowers*Use your Library*Play Together*Buy from local Merchants*Share what you have*Keep a Dog*Take Children to the Park*Garden Together*Support Neighbourhood Schools*Fix it even if YOU didn’t break it*Have Potluck Meals*Honour Elders*Pick up Litter*Read Stories Aloud*Dance in the Street*Talk to the Postal Delivery Person*Listen to the Birds*Put up a Swing*Help Carry Something Heavy*Start a Tradition*Ask a Question*Hire Young People for Odd Jobs*Organise a Party on your Street*Bake Extra AND Share*Ask for Help when you need it*Open your Curtains*Sing Together*Share your Skills*Take back the Night*Turn up the Music*Turn Down the Music*Listen before you react with Anger*Mediate a Conflict*Seek to Understand*Learn from new and uncomfortable angles*Know that no one is silent, though many are not heard*Work to Change this

Rob Hopkins at Dartington

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:21:00 +0000

This is just great.Fantastic inspirational self solving solutions that courageous transition communities are experimenting/piloting all over the place. Though its 40 mins. long its well worth watching until the end. One cannot fail but to be impressed by the audacious, creative, vibrant and sometimes outrageous antics of some Transition initiatives!! Enjoy!

What do you see when you wake up in the morning?

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Later on in life he didn't quite make it
as a model for belly button rings!

This is engaged me a few weeks ago when I woke up . I don't know why he was upside down in my bedroom at that time of the morning. Doubtless he had his own reasons.

And this is his constant companion Mac

A Very Simple Chair

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:32:00 +0000

I saw this garden seat in my friends garden and felt just the teeniest bit envious . They had previously removed some branches off an Ash tree that had gone a little out of control and this is what they did with just some of the wood.

Probably if you went to buy something like this, the wood would have come from the far side of the world, it would probably be covered in some nasty preservative and because we live in a throw away world it would have built in obsolescence. Guaranteed to rot and fall apart within eighteen months.

This one had brass screws and even if it does fall apart the screws can be reused and the wood composted.

I am waiting for the wwoofer who is going to walk into my life and spend the summer constructing seats like this for our garden ! I know you are out there somewhere ...get in touch!

Flatlake Festival and Together One Voice

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:14:00 +0000

If you want to see what I get up to in my spare time have a look at this! About 3 minutes after we finished the marquee collapsed due to a build up of water on the roof from the torrential rain that fell all day. Prize of a punnet of strawberries to anyone who can clearly describe where I am standing amongst this motely crew.

The Gardening Story That Is Never Told!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:32:00 +0000

You know the way at this time of year when browsing blogs like this and all you see is wonderful vegetables and fruit bursting forth from nature. Gorgeous images of beautifully tended potager gardens. Well I thought I would take you round my garden and show you all the things that us gardeners never tell anyone .

Mildew doing well on the gooseberries!

This is a sad story about peas that are in suspended animation. Potatoes crumpling with leaf curl , tomatoes sulking with the same affliction. Artichoke that have all but been annihilated by slugs. Onions that have up bolted and run like hell, or at least gone to seed........ gooseberries that have a mysterious mildew beard. Baby beetroots that have given up all thoughts of growing. Duck eggs abandoned due to attack from grey backs and magpies.
The good news is we have a great growth of dock weeds in the forest garden. Fantastic crops of glowing yellow buttercups . Colossal colonies of greenfly on the Calendula. Cars worked on............ by grown up children....and forgotten! I KID YOU NOT.

Why I ask would you want to even try to become a little more resilient around food in the home.....??????

Sad leaf curled tomatoes

The Great Egg-scape

School Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 06:17:00 +0000

Have been working on the most delightful project in one of the local schools. With the help of the Parents Council the children in this picture along with the rest of their friends have been working really hard one day a week to set up a new vegetable garden in their school.

Starting from scratch they constructed raised beds, filled them with soil,planted them up and now are helping to maintain the garden in anticipation of a bountiful harvest. The enthusiasm of the children is a joy to behold and the outdoor class room is a place where each child can be brilliant! Every school needs to have gardening as part of the curriculum.

Wake up call on Climate change

noreply@blogger.com (Marella and Billy) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:45:00 +0000

A good friend of mine was directly responsible for bringing Father Reginald to Belfast recently. He embodies the daily reality of climate change for the "two thirds world"

If you feel like helping go to Margarets website here