I want a small holding!

Last Sunday we went to Holt Hall in Norfolk to the Smallholders event run by the Norfolk Smallholders Training Group.

We were blessed with a warm sunny day which was quite surprising considering the wet weather we have been having lately. I really wanted to go but I was a bit apprehensive as I thought that it would be full of real country types who would frown on us turning up in anything other than a beaten up 4x4. I didn't know whether to wear my wellies or not as the are flowery! It really was nothing like that. The people at the gate were really friendly and nice and it was really cheap to get in too - only £5 which I think is good as I have paid in the past £15 to go to a Country show. There were very few wellies in sight, mainly trainers which in hindsight was a little of a mistake as the ground was a bit muddy in places!

The show wasn't entirely what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be more of a show aimed at people who have or want a small holding so I thought there would be tools and equipment and advice etc. There was this to a certain extent but not as much as I thought it was going to be. The show was more aimed at people who already have small holdings or cottage industries selling their wares, which was equally lovely. It was in essence a large farmers market which was OK by me as we bought some lovely breads and veggies.

I loved looking around all the animals. I soooo want an Alpacca and a goat! It was a great show and I am glad we went. It was really inspirational seeing all the providers and what the have produced. It certainly gave us a lot to think about so we had to go for a lie down on the beach after!

Materialism vs Spiritualism

We recently had a mini break in Glastonbury. I love Glastonbury so much for the chilled out vibe, the scenery, abundance of vegetarian food.. need I go on!

Following on from my last post the time in which we went was during my really busy work period where I had more money than sense and it was burning a hole in my pocket!

If you have ever been to Glastonbury, you will know that the streets are lined with shops many of which are new age, hippy shops (I never know what the right term is!) and in those shops are trinkets and statues and bits and bobs that cater for pretty much every religion and practice known to man. Now if I had to define my religion I would say that I am Christian as I do go to Church (not very often I have to admit, a couple of times a year), I do believe in God and I do pray. However, I also believe in other religions. I believe that there are elements of other religions that are important too. I am very into Buddhism and Hinduism too, although I am not practicing in these areas, I do find them fascinating and live by some of the principles. I find religions interesting and inspiring. So these shops are fascinating to me. I have a few Buddha statues in my house already but I was looking at more in the shops.

Jon came out with a little nugget. I am not sure if this is because he was trying to stop me from buying more "tat" to fill up the house or whether he had an epiphany. I can't quote it exactly as I can't remember it now however it goes along the lines of...

"why do you need to spend your money on statues of deities in order to believe or confirm your beliefs. Surely being religious is more about spiritual beliefs and it shouldn't matter how many statues you have in your house. At the end of the day it is just 'stuff'. Having 'stuff' isn't going to make your life better or enrich it. Isn't it better to give that money to the church or a charity than to buy 'stuff'. Isn't that materialism rather than spiritualism?".

That kind of struck a chord with me. Needless to say I didn't buy any ornaments. Instead I bought a couple of books which had enriched my life. Jon can be quite enlightened although part of me wonders if he was just being tight lol! Either way it is kinda eco. We don't need stuff!

Building An Off The Grid Home

I came across this video on You Tube and I just wanted to share it with you. It is interesting and easy viewing. The only thing I would say is that I found it strange that they weren't building more "eco" instead they were using "normal" materials and also they hadn't put anything in place for food. It was literally just water, electricity and the loo yet with the land that they bought they could have done oh so much more IMO!

Just press play!!

Book Review: Eco Fitness

Now this book I believe is only available on Kindle. In true eco style they have saved on paper and ink! I literally had just been given a kindle for my birthday and I was flicking through a copy of my Mum's Vegetarian magazine when I came accross an advert for this book. I bought it because at the time it was only 99p and I wanted books for the kindle. It was the best 99p I think I have spent in a long time.

OK so the information in the book might not be anything new or that you haven't heard before. Afterall we all know that we are *supposed* to be more active and take more exercise. We know that already and the book does confirm and reitterate what we already know.

However what the book also does is give you a bit of encouragement and motivation for doing more exercise or should I say, increasing the movement in our everyday lives which in turn equates to exercise. Exercise with a difference though, exercise which has a positive effect on you and not a negative effect on the environment. Eco fitness but also I would say frugal fitness. Whilst reading this book I realised that I am actually quite a lazy toad and lead quite a sedatory lifestyle. This book made me think about ways in which I could increase activity into my daily life. Simple things which I didn't even think about actually are exercise and we don't have to spend pounds and pounds at the gym we just need to increase the little things that we do at home.

 

The writer of the book also has a blog about all things eco so you should check that out too as there is some really useful information: http://theeco-fitnessbook.blogspot.co.uk/

So what are you waiting for? Get moving that body!

The Kindle

I read alot. Alot alot. I read so much, in fact we both read so much that we must keep the local charity shops going just by the number of books we buy and give back to them. I don't always give the books back, some I like to keep and read again and again. We don't have the biggest house in the World so we can only keep so many before our house starts looking like a library. We already have quite a few shelves.

I thought the answe to the issue of not just storage of books but also the eco credentials of books i.e. the cost to the environment in just the paper along must be huge so I asked for and received one of these little lovelies for my birthday...

 

Amazon

My hubby just doesn't understand how I could and it is a bit of a joke between us in our household. Jon says that he could never make the switch, he likes the look and the feel of a book. I do too but I read so much I just thought it made sense one little device for shelves and shelves of books.

So..... to keep the banter alive my husband sends me this link to an article....

 

Despite the notion that if you read enough books on them, they'll have a lighter footprint than printed books, the reality is something less appealing altogether.

"Necessarily, the increased consumption of print and digital books has led to an ever-increasing demand for the materials required to create, transport, and store them. In the case of eBooks, though, vast amounts of materials are also necessary for the eReaders themselves, and this is something typically overlooked by proponents of digitization: the material costs are either ignored, or, more misleadingly, they’re classified as the byproduct of the tech industry instead of the book industry... In other words: the carbon footprint of the digital book industry is mostly growing in addition to, not to the detriment of, the growing carbon footprint of the print book industry."

Read the article for yourself here: Treehugger

So what do I think? Hmmmm now I am not so sure. Man it is hard trying to do the right thing. I have no intention of getting rid of my kindle any time soon, I am not really a gadgety person so I can see myself having it for a long haul and I will look after it so I can't see it going off to landfill any time soon. This bit is me:

Unless you are both an incredibly avid reader as well as someone who cares for their gadgets and does not replace or upgrade to new models, e-readers just simply don't live up to the lighter footprint they promise. Instead, we should stick with our library cards.

 So I guess I am OK.... for now. I so know where the phrase comes from.....

 

National Vegetarian Week

Did you know that this week marks the start of National Vegetarian Week? I did but that is only because I saw it in a magazine so decided to find out more about it. We are vegetarian's 99% of the time anyway so I suppose there is not much change for us other than to shout and be recognised this week.

Unfortunately all the events that seem to be happening, that I can see so far are all in London. One thing I have found out though is that there are lots of lovely recipes on the website so go check it out.

So how will you spend your week?

A HUUUUUUGE Inspiration - Lammas & Living in the Future

I just wanted to share with you one of my inspirations and what has sparked off the change in the way we want to live a more ethical sustainable life. Jon and I are constantly talking about where we want to live and how and this is a topic that we are always talking about with our friends too. We are not certain what the answer is but we keep on discussing it and looking at ways in which we can change our lives.

We came across the Lammas Project and their podcasts on itunes and youtube "Living in the Future" and we were simply blown away by it. If you too are interested in sustainable living and all things eco you too I am sure will be blow away. The pod casts are no more than 10 minutes long, averaging about 5 minutes actually and there are 42 in all (I think unless they have created more). It might be a bit "bitty" to watch but I urge you to watch all of them in order, I think you will be glad you did.

My writing skills don't let me write about how much this has inspired us. I so want to live there, Jon is not ready yet but we are working our way towards being more eco friendly.

Please do watch the first installment below then watch the rest.... there are some really interesting hints, tips etc on how you too can change your life. You don't need me to tell you about it, just watch it and enjoy and we'll see you in Wales!

A gift from the Potting Shed

Even though it has been raining for what seems like forever, we still have major problems with our water reserves and we need, like it or not, to start doing something about it. We can all do our bit to help conserve water and use less than we currently are. The government wants to help us too as does the local water board.

We sent away for our FREE kit from Anglian Water.....

We have used the contents now, it's not massive but it is FREE after all! At the end of the day though every little bit helps as they say so it is just a small step to using just that little bit less water.

Inside the kit there were two bags of gel crystals which you add to your compost, these then swell up when wet and help to retain the moisture in the soil thus saving the need to water, at least as often anyway. Apparently they swell up to 400 times their size and you only need a teaspoon or two in a large container. We have used ours so it will be good to see how efficient they are. We certainly managed to spread them along way.

Also in the kit which we haven't used yet are some mats to line hanging baskets with. Hanging baskets are notorious for needing a lot of water. Again these are supposed to help with water retention.

If you are in our Area and want to claim a kit for yourself all you need to do is go to: The Anglian Water Website

In fact Anglian Water really want us to reduce the amount of water we use so much that there are a whole host of goodies available for FREE here. I am going to be sending away for them to see how much we can save in just a household of two and will let you know how we get on.

At home, we each use an average of 145 litres of water a day. Some of that could easily be saved. Imagine if everyone in your house, your neighbours and in your community dropped that amount by 20 litres, every single day. That’s a lot of water saved for tomorrow.

Our homes aren’t always as water efficient as we imagine. An average toilet flush or  a leaky tap can waste lots of water. Have a quick check around your kitchen and bathroom and you could be dropping 20 litres before you know it.

 There is also lots of information on ways you can reduce how much water you are using. Check out the Anglian Water website to find out how!

my new little business

In keeping with my principles I have created a little side line which I would like to introduce to you...

 

Mrs Brimbles - A little bit of curiosity mixed with a love of life, of whimsy, eco, shopping from small independent traders and a bit of up-cycle to boot!

So what will I be doing? I will be making and selling things. Lots of lovely things that I have made and up-cycled.  First in my repertoire is these lovely Soy Wax candles.....

WHY SOY WAX?

1. Soy wax in kinder to the environment as it not made from petroleum as the usual paraffin candles are.
2. Soy candles can last almost 50% longer than their paraffin cousins
3. Soy wax melts evenly and can burn evenly all the way down – it produces a larger melted wax pool around the wick
4. Soy wax can be cleaned up with soap and water
5. Soy wax does not produce as much soot so you won’t get any of those dark patches on the ceiling and you are not inhaling it either!
6. Soy wax burns at a lower temperature which means that the fragrance lingers and does not get burnt away as fast.
7. People have even been known to rub the wax on their skin as a moisturiser (Mrs Brimbles does not sell candles for this purpose so does not recommend it on this basis)

So most of my jars and containers for the candles are upcycled as are the materials I used to embellish them with.

So what do you think?

I have a facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MrsBrimble and it would be great to see you over there!

Book Review: Living Organic

I have read so many books over the past couple of years and some of them have been really useful so I wanted to start sharing these with you and doing a bit of a review. I am going to intersperse the review posts with other posts.

So here we go. The first every book that I read around the topic is:

Living Organic

This book provides a clear and sensible introductory guide to a complete organic lifestyle. It explains how you and your family can tackle the toxins that surround you and take a healthier, holistic approach to everyday living. Organic food - what's it all about? What's in season and how to cook organic meats and vegetables to get the best out of them (and find out what to do with those nobbly vegetables at the farmers' market). In the home, you'll be amazed at the simple alternatives there are to chemical cleaning products and toxic toiletries that you can buy or make for yourself. Whether you want to grow your own vegetables or just look after the pot plants on your verandah, the organic garden explains everything from the lowly compost heap to natural weed control. Contains information on how children can lead a low toxicity life from conception through to childhood and beyond. Whether you live in a flat in the city or a house in the country, the low toxicity lifestyle is the essential choice for the future. 

I had heard quite a lot about organic living but wasn't really sure what it was all about. I picked this book up whilst on holiday in a bargain bucket but you know what, it has been one of the most useful books I have. There is lots of really useful information inside that will transform your life and the way you look at the way you live. I read it really casually and dipped in and out not really reading it on a continuous basis but it was really easy to do so. I read snippetts at a time and it was easy to pick up and put down. The information was really clear and a real eye opener. I was shocked actually to read about how toxic our everyday lives have become.

If you want to kick start yout eco, organic and ethical lifestyle this is certainly the book to get you started with. There are small easy steps that you can put in place to get you started and believe me after reading this book you will want to get started and let go of those harsh chemical induced cleaning products.

Read, enjoy and implement!

Coping with the strain. The over the shoulder boulder holder!

Now my bras bless 'em do have to take a lot of strain. I am not a skinny minny that is for certain.

The other day I heard and felt an almighty SNAAAAAAAP!!! There goes one of the wires in me bra again. This happens alot which is a real shame as the rest of the bra is in really good condition like new really and it seems such a shame to throw it away because that is all it is good for, landfill. It's not as if you can give it to the charity collection.

Well that is what I thought anyway until I put a post on a forum asking for advice on what to do with used bras. One of the ladies suggested that I repair it. I didn't think you could buy new underwires but oh yes indeedy you can.

Here: http://www.sewing4u.co.uk/47-bra-underwires this is just the underwire for approx £2
But here: http://www.thebraangel.com/#/the-bra-repair/4541283568 is a kit for £2.99 which for the not so good at sewing as me is the perfect solution.

Brilliant.

Not only a few pennies saved but also an environmentally friendly answer to a throw away culture.

Death of the Domestic Goddess

Whilst writing the blog post for my chutney and knitting and searching for info on Domestic Goddesses, I came across this article on the Daily Mail website. 

Death of the Domestic Goddess! Baking and sewing skills dying out as modern mothers claim they are too busy to learn - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2114842/Death-Domestic-Goddess-Traditional-baking-sewing-homemaking-skills-dying-new-mothers-busy-learn.html

Image credit: H Armstrong Roberts, Getty

I have for a while now thought that some of the old skills are dying out. For instance I am 31 and at school in Home Economics classes we were only taught to cook. That is fine but learning other domestic skills like sewing and knitting would have actually been quite useful. I am all for equal opportunities and learning new things and it was great to be able to do wood work at school but actually the pencil pot I made is just sitting gathering dust somewhere where as I would have no idea where to start with darning socks but it would be handy to know.

Are these skills dying out for a reason? Well quite frankly yes.  As sad as it is, it is easier and possibly cheaper (especially when you take hourly rate into account) to just go to the shops and buy a new pair of socks than it is to sit and darn them. It goes back to one of my other rants that people go to work to buy stuff so that they can go to work.

In fact I am going to let Tom from The Good Life say it (from series one episode one):

"You know that ‘it’ business I was talking about? I think I’ve defined what 'it' is. It’s breaking the cycle: Going to work to get money to translate into things which you use up which makes you go to work again etc etc; in other words, the norm. What we should be doing is working at the job of life itself!"

The same is true for say jam making. You can go to the supermarket and buy a jar of jam for the same price or less than you can the fruit to make it. That is before you factor other ingredients and time in. In the olden days people made jam and chutney from the stock or surplus they had grown thus making it cheaper or free and very economical and actually a necessary way of preserving your crop. That just isn’t the case anymore so making your own has become a nice hobby or leisure activity rather than a must have or a part of everyday life. 

I can totally emphasise with that though, I mean I am really lucky that I work from home so I am flexible over the hours I work. I can fit nice things into my day because I don’t have to waste two hours a day in a car and an hour for lunch sitting at my desk. I already therefore have three hours to play with that is without working in the evening and using the daylight hours when I am more energised for kneading bread dough. I can make time for chutney making or baking. I used to work full time in an office and had no inclination for pursuits of this sort when I came home. I wanted to do it for the nicety but was just too blooming knackered mentally and physically.

Am I trying to make a point? I guess so but I don’t know what the right answer is. I think you just need to do what is right for you and your circumstances, your budget etc.

You may also want to read "The Good Life Challenege" blog that is written by my friend Nicola. She has a take on this subject too.

http://thegoodlifechallenge.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/make-do-mend/

 

You've Got Mail and the death of the independents

In my previous post I touched briefly on one of my all time favourite films "You've Got Mail".

 

I have always loved the film, it has always been one of my favourites. It is one of those snuggly type films that you can put on and slob out with. I have always dreamed of owning a little shop like hers, so cute and quaint, I suppose that is coupled with my love of books especially children's books and the fact that I haven't quite grown up yet!

 

I watch the film alot but usually just watch. I watched it again today and it suddenly occurred to me that for years I have been watching a film about the death of a small independet shop and the rise of the chain store offering cheap alternatives. This film was made in 1998 so it has been a prominent topic for some while now. The sad thing is though nothing much seems to have changed. Chain stores and out of town shopping parks are still taking trade away from the town centres and the independent shops.

"Fox Books threatens survival of a temple to one of the twentieth century's most profound truths: You are what you read." 

I think in our minds we are convinced that chain shopping is going to be cheaper even though this isn't always the case. It has to be said though it can be far more convenient to shop out of town in shops with longer opening hours. I am managing OK at the moment but then I can juggle my hours and be flexible. What do you do if you work 9-5 the same time as the shops are open!

I guess it is just hard for everyone and we just have to do the best we can.

http://www.channel4.com/news/death-of-the-high-street

My internal conflict eco vs niceity: National Stationery Day

Through the wonders of Facebook I found out the today is National Stationery Day. I love the initial paragraph on the promoting website:

The bit that actually got me is "Do you believe in the importance of writing by hand?". Now this is where I am torn between niceities and Eco-ness. I don't know where my heart lies. It is true that we never get any post these days. We don't even get bills anymore. Banks and utility companies have switched to e-statements under the pretence of being environmentally friendly, it is but call me an old synic but somehow I can't help thinking that the cost saving behind e-bills is more of a reason that the eco one!

When was the last time you received a letter in the mail?

So part of me with this blog and journey wants to get back to doing nice old things that are dying out, like the chutney making, things that will give me a feel good factor, enhance my life and make me appreciate where our consumables come from. So from that point of view I am all up for the letter writing business. It is more personal and has more meaning that wizzing off an email. On the rare occassion that I do get post, I love it, it's so exciting and I think it shows people you care far more than an email. So for all that it gets my thumbs up.

So where do I stand from an eco point of view? This is what I am struggling with. Sending letters and cards is encourgaing our use of paper and card. What are the environmental implications of that? I did a search and came accross this website: http://www.secret-life.org/paper/paper_environment.php it's probably best if you go there and read it for yourself rather than me paraphrasing.

Paper making does seem to be quite intensive though.

Image credit: http://www.secret-life.org/paper/paper_environment.php

I have to say in the past I have been a bit of a stationery addict, I was always buying something or other but have cut back these days, in part mainly because I haven't been anywhere to buy any!

I am still learning on our little journey and I need guidance from time to time. I love what the campaign stands for in terms of sending letters but it conflicts with my eco point of view. Arghhhhhhh!!!!!

Life. Is it just a game?

Game of Life?

My Mum and Dad have been having a bit of a sort out of bits and pieces and the other day gave me some bits they thought that I might like. In it was the 70’s could even be 80’s version of “Game of Life”. I used to love playing that game as a family. Of course I was going to keep that and I bought it home with me and put it in the spare room.

A few days later it was early evening, it was bright but had been raining, we had eaten our dinner and were sitting on the sofa. Jon said to me, “what do you want to do this evening then”. Not a question that was out of the ordinary but one not often said. I guess like most of the UK, our evenings are largely consisted of eating dinner, having a small conversation and then vegging out on the sofa watching TV, little cause for discussion or negotiation. When the weather is cold and grey in the winter this can be a comfort but now the nights are getting lighter it can become seemingly boring, like you are striving for something else to do. Thing is I work from home and life, work wise and my days are not that taxing so I don’t like to push Jon into doing anything after he has been at work all day. I know how draining that can be let alone the 45 minute drive home so I kind of let him chill.

Anyway, we decided to have a TV free evening. We decided to expand the mind and have some time to talk and actually spend time with each other. It has to be said though that we were at a bit of a loss as to what to do. In the end I said “let’s play Game of Life”. So we did!

We actually ended up playing two games. I know steady huh! It was a bit of a laugh, we had fun and we really connected. We had what I would call quality time and the evening seemed really long. We did sneak half an hour of TV in but it was a DVD actually.... an episode of “The Good Life”. If anything this seemed the most appropriate AND it is our all time favourite TV programme ever and I mean like EVER!

After doing our talking and soul searching, we agreed that we should turn the TV off more. We don’t really know why we watch so much, we just seem to get sucked in really. We have decided to have at least one night a week where we watch no TV whatsoever and we do something together, either go out or stay in but what we do we do it together, to connect and to have fun. All suggestions are welcome! I have a few ideas and we have agreed to be open and try new things and be open to each others suggestions. Who knows what we will end up doing but I am looking forward to finding out anyway.

As a side note the “Game of Life” tickled me abit, although it is fictional, there are elements that do transfer into everyday life. Jon ended up not that wealthy but with a wife and three kids and a comfortable home but he had done things alone the way. Me, well I was a high flyer career person, had a racehorse, Rolls Royce, Villa in France, Mansion but had no kids and the only reason I had so much money to buy expensive things is that I missed out on doing other things through my life. Was this trying to tell me something or was it purely coincidental? I don’t know, I will leave that one with you!

Ok so how did this all start then?

Ok so how did this all start then? Has it happened has Anna really just flipped out and gone totally nutty? To be honest we knew it was on the cards. Well no Anna has not gone nuts. For a long time now we have been doing a bit of soul searching and trying to work out what it is that we want. 

1. ·         Where do we want to live
2. ·         What do we want to do with our lives

These are the two questions that we keep asking ourselves over and over again. We are both very clear on the idea that neither of us wants to work for “the man”. It’s funny because you look at TV series’ such as Reggie Perrin and the infamous The Good Life and these were issues that were bought up in the 70s yet for some reason it is still instilled in us that this is the norm and that this is what we should do. Work for “the man” and join “the rat race”. It is not that we are adverse to work, far from it we actually quite enjoy it, I mean after all it does give you a sense of worth and of being alive but not slogging your guts out for someone else.  The both of us just have a desire to work for ourselves but also to pay the mortgage off as early as possible and live as near as self sufficient as possible.

In fact at the moment we feel anti “big guy” in general. We were just getting to the stage where we were fed up of going to work to pay for the things we had to have because we were at work so couldn’t do them. Then having to go round a big supermarket with everyone else at the weekends. I am not saying that people who shop in supermarkets are stupid, mindless or soulless, but it just feels like that when you are walking around sometimes. It just feels like you are another lemming pushing the trolley around the aisles and then when you get to the checkout you get a young kid who can barely look at you let alone talk to you. I am not an old fogey either, I am only 31 but it would just be nice if the person at the checkout could at least smile! Anyway it is just a feeling that we have. We would like to get back some form of customer service, politeness and the really nice feeling you get when you shop in small, local independent stores. Trouble is there are not many of them and it is oh so convenient to just get everything in the one shop at the supermarket. It’s going to be tough but we are willing to try it for a while at least.

So as part of our journey to live greener, more sustainably, free-er, healthy, vegetarian lives, we are going to try and do as much of our shopping in those small independent shops. Have you read Dave Gorman’s America Unchained? Do! It is basically what we are trying to do only through the eyes and ears of a comedian oh and in America.

St Neots has a weekly market on a Thursday so I know I can shop there for my veggies. I also know that there is a family run farm shop in Little Paxton so that is veg sorted. Toiletries and cleaning products we will get from the Health Food Shop in St Neots, which is on Church Walk just off the high street. They also sell store cupboard items too so that should be us sorted. I think. I hope. I don’t know let’s see. I am actually looking forward and interested to find out what the flaws in the plan are. I am not a sadist, it’s just that I am looking for a little adventure and I am looking forward to actually living.

As for the other stuff, man who knows!