Party In The Field

At least my cucumbers are growing well

One of the nice things about living in the depths of rurality is that an invitation to a birthday party does not necessarily equate to an evening squeezed into a corner of a crowded, pricey and painfully hip restaurant, shouting to be heard over the music, and wondering if it is socially acceptable to duck out of the dancing at a club afterwards. Last Saturday's party was thrown by my friend Marga* at her home, which happens to be a caravan on a 30 acre site of fields, woods and a dilapidated farmhouse and barn, a few miles out of Machynlleth.

As her caravan would probably only fit about four people at a push, and the farmhouse a construction site, we congregated around outdoor tables set up under what would have a good shot at winning the Mid Wales Large Awning competition, should such a thing be organised.

The caravan's original awning was extended by about four times its width by large square heavy canvas sheets ingeniously attached to metal ladders and ropes which were hoisted up over the caravan and tied off on the other side. Despite the evening sunshine the forecast was for rain around 10pm and we were intent on staying dry, apart from those who decided to go for a dip in the fast-flowing stream that bounded the field we were in. Others opted for the outdoor bath, heated by a woodfire beneath it.

A sunny afternoon in my garden

Marga bought the farm this spring and is attempting to get the tumbledown house into a liveable condition by Christmas, a major building project. She has plans to let some fields regenerate with native trees and use another to grow food on. A local farmer has already dumped a huge pile of manure there, so that's where the polytunnel will be! Her idea is that it'll be a place where people are welcome to drop by, stay for a while helping out with whatever needs doing, or maybe use the space for some artistic endeavour or rehearsal. 

As the global stock market appears to be crashing around our ears again it is an apposite time to reflect on the urgent need to establish better food sovereignty. The less reliant on imported food we all are, the better we will all cope with any economic shock to the global food distribution system. In late October the annual gathering of the National Food Sovereignty Movement will take place at Hebdon Bridge to discuss these issues and figure out what can be done.

And later today the Green Isle Growers veg box scheme that I'm part of will be giving a talk in Machynlleth about local small-scale veg production. I have a slot where I'll be examining the actual value of organically-grown veg compared with the amount of effort taken to produce it, based entirely on my own experience of the last couple of years. If you're lucky I might include a few titbits in next week's blog. 

A new Edible Mach site I helped construct last Saturday. It's modelled on a Victorian fruit garden and will have espaliered apple trees.

* Not her real name