Free-Range Living

'Man creating-------'

  Creating here on the organic eco micro-holding (small smallholding) in the Uk midlands has been slow going in the cold  past month of March -potatoes went in under plastic in the ground treated with woodash and compost, as did the onion sets ('baby onions') in open ground, but not much is showing yet, although the home-saved broad bean seed has produced plants now (sown under glass mid February), and they are to be put out shortly - although it's still cold ( and very windy) hereabouts in early April, they above anything else can stand it.  Interestingly, though, the fertilised grass in the surrounding fields has grown noticeabily -although its been 'steadily cold', there has been a fair bit of sunshine, which has also mean't that solar electric production hasn't been too bad in March. The last two/three weeks the cottage has used 9kwh's/day from the grid,and produced 6.5kwh's/day solar generated electricity. In spite of the 'steadily cool/cold' weather the latter half of winter hereabouts, some fields of grass have really grown on, particularly after the nitrogen fertiliser went on. This morning only there was one field already been cut and rowed up, presumably for winter silage fodder, although it seems in early April, incredibly early for that - ?

'Pumped up --- '

The air-source heat pump installed last October has performed admirably -its effect is like a big blow heater giving good levels of warmth in the kitchen and adjoining day living room, and as a bonus acting as a pretty effective clothes drier. It seems to need around 450 watts to run it (to give out 2kw's at economy rating level), often though supplied by the solar unit, so in essence, 'free heat' (although there are still the yearly costs associated with its installation -around £175 pa here). In the afternoon it has a rest whilst the woodstove takes over, using a fair bit of wood this season resulting in a near empty woodstore - with luck and a prevailing wind there should be just enough to last out till the warmer weather arrives.The house renovation next door has continued to supply some burning wood, which is useful to mix with the bigger logs from the bought supply, and now it looks as though there could be enough in stack to supply the next couple of years -and all at no actual cost - just the physical 'cost' of hauling in via a trolley affair, stacking it and then at some stage cutting it up with the small electric sawbench. Such work, though, always seems to be 'meaningful' and satisfying, and so is in the main enjoyable.

'The universe provides ---- ?'

Somewhere or other were written the words 'the universe provides' and the implication was that if 'man' worked and created 'with nature', it'd be easier going in the long-run than 'working against'. It certainly seems to have been the case here on the micro-holding over the last few weeks - besides the free wood provision, there's been needed (for a revamp of the utility room) recycled kitchen units for free delivered to the door, as well as free greenhouse glass delivered again to make repairs needed in the two glasshouses, plus an economic source of stock and track discovered for a planned model railway. The 'mechanism' for these beneficial gifts has been community contact via the local community social club, maybe an old-fashioned method to some, but 'tried and tested' to others, and remarkably effective in helping solve current situations.

The universe may provide, but 'man' too has to do his bit - ? To this end now at the end of the first week of April, all the 'major' crops -potatoes, onions and broad beans are thankfully in the ground -'doing a bit and leaving a bit', as they say. Crops like peas, beetroot, parsnips and swedes will have to go in in the next couple of weeks, and the salad crops -lettuce, spring onions, radish and land cress need to go in shortly (some are already in the glasshouses). The black loam soil is easy to work with -the fork just lifts it and opens it up a bit, then to be 'hit' by the back of the fork, and hey presto, a seedbed in which to sow stuff - easy peasy. The early potatoes crop is still covered by clear plastic and one or two are making an appearance, poking up out of the ground..

'A rest from change ---- ?'

One recent analysis of the rapidly changing world and cultures apparently addicted to 'change', suggested that the 'baby could have been thrown out with the bathwater'. Western man has, it suggested, pretty much successfully ditched 'paternalistic' religion but had then gone on an 'unshackled' spree', not particularly recognising that there could be myriad longer-term effects and therefore in the 'freedom euphoria', not accepting/realising that if man is now 'running the show', then might some responsibility for outcomes need to be accepted-? Of course, such an analysis is probably inevitably an over-generalisation - the above may apply to 'those in power' but there are undoubtedly still many individuals in the world who's experience of it tells them that it could be dangerous ground and that respect for natural ways and forces as well as an innate sense of self-responsibility are important factors to be aware of, if a problematic and socially limited future world is to be avoided - ?

'Creating --- strife - ?'

 One billionaire (the world these days seems full of them - ?) stated on the TV the other day that man indeed had to be very careful - he was concerned that the creation of cultures/a world that gave a few a lot and the many very little (sounds familiar -?) would have longer-term ramifications such as instability, increasing crime/violence and outright riots and rebellion, which he thought would do no-one any good in the longer-run.  There's a German saying: 'it's no good running if on a wrong road' - ?

 'It's hard to stay sane , in an insane world', as one eastern mystic had it. One person who was concerned about the way things were going (in USA back in the seventies) was the singer/songwriter Don Mclean, he of the acclaimed and until now esoteric 'American Pie' song. He's recently said that the song was/is about the concern that a cold, hostile world was in the making, one 'without poetry and with very little romance'. This is a similar theme to that of Robert Pirsig in his reowned book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance', who argued that 'quantity' was displacing quality and again a soul-less world devoted to materialism would be the likely result - ?

 Maybe it's right, we have 'got to get ourselves back to the garden' - ?

'Middle ground ---- ?'

Others have too  have had concerns about the level of moderm materialim eclipsing 'quality' (eg. deeper and longer-term human values - ?) John Cleese, for instance, said on TV awhile back, 'money has spoilt everything'. Money was invented as a medium of exchange - 'A', a thatcher, could then easily exchange his services with 'B', a bootmaker, - without money the exchange would be somewhat cumbersome -----. The pursuit of money may then be 'putting the cart before the horse' - ? Another take, considered old-fashioned no doubt these days, is to concentrate business efforts on giving people a good deal and good service, and in the end (i.e.longer run) profits will look after themselves (via repeat business, customer recommendation and so forth). Maybe it is time to take one of Fritz Schumacher's 'stop and looks', time to see if money works better as a 'means' rather than an 'end' -?

 With the modern rise of 'businessisation' trends, entrepreneurialism and 'billionaire-ing', the accent and pressure on money-making has been ratched up in recent times quite a few notches - ? Judging by the sayings of the time, there was a more 'sanguine' take on it in days gone by : 'money's like manure - in piles it stinks but spread around it does some good', 'money's the root of evil' and, of course, 'money is a good servant but a bad master'. So say some, but these days, not all ----?

'Soddy farm' (postcript) ----

One small 'high care' business that did seem to put the horse before the cart has been  featured in the last two blogs. Soddy, the giant 'meet-er and greet-er' freerange boar (male pig) on the farm eventually passed peacefully away in old age - what being had had such a gorgeous life as he? The family borrowed a digger from a neighbour to dig quite a big hole - he really was a giant - and he was buried in the place he loved, and to which he gave so much love. Every week the family made a point of pausing at his grave and putting fresh wild flowers there.

 'He was just such a great character, full of bonhommie and love, but woebetide any neer-do-wells, Soddy knew and wouldn't stand for any nonsense - we never had thefts occur whilst he was 'Head of Security', said farmer D.

 'We still miss our dear old friend, who was also a friend to quite a few - some used to pop up just to see him and have a chat to him -and then us. One old girl living accross the fields (she lived alone in a small stone cottage in the middle of a field and had to cross three fields to get to their farm track, her nearest 'road'), always came down on Tuesdays to walk down to catch the bus -her weekly shopping trip, and always bringing some titbit for Soddy, who seeemed to have a  special affection for her' (the family sent one of the children the 3/4 of a mile up to her cottage once a week, ostensibly to see if she neeeded anything, but also to check she was ok -community alive and well).

 'It was quite touching to see them together', said D, 'this tiny, frail old lady , totally unafraid, talking to and stroking her giant friend, who seemed to respond to her frailty with special gentleness. Good ol' Soddy!'

Micro creating ---

The micro-holding life here is pretty far removed from fame, excitement, 'big' life,  big bucks and the like.  On the other hand, it still seems to give oodles of 'quiet satisfaction' and a quiet, peaceful place well suited to reflection and 'naval gazing'. Anyway, is the modern 'big bucks' power culture doing all that well? Ok, good even, for the few, but maybe not quite so hot for many, and there does seem quite a plethora of problems associated with it - ? Maybe it is time to have one of Schumacher's ( of 'Small is Beautiful' renown) 'stop and think''s -perhaps even to look at 'different roads' -?  And, talking of getting back to gardens, getting perhaps more 'down to earth', it's certainly time to get the hoe on the go -----