I've been Grow Zoned!

Yesterday four members of the Grow Zone project descended on our garden and helped us transform it from a rather untidy yard into a potentially productive mini allotment.

The Grow Zone project is part of Earth Abbey, a movement of people helping each other live more in tune with the earth. Half a dozen or so households have taken the challenge to grow at least some of our own food following permaculture principles.

So to get back to our garden. Two of us dug up the tired looking shrubs from the narrow bed outside our front window and replaced them with hardy herbs - a variegated sage, Russian tarragon, bergamot, Moroccan mint and hyssop. We replanted a rosemary bush from a pot in the back garden and finally added two giant sunflower plants which will look magnificent standing proudly against our new sky blue wall. We filled three window boxes with compost from our compost bin. I sowed mixed salad leaves in two of them and will transplant a couple of trailing tomato plants into the third as soon as they are hardy enough.

Meanwhile out at the back the rest of the team uprooted an overgrown rosemary bush in the rockery and removed a couple of the larger rocks to make space for some runner beans to be trained up the back fence and some spinach and rainbow chard which will nestle among the alpines. The rocks were piled up against the raised rockery wall to enable any frogs who leap down into the back yard to find their way back to the pond. Our old rubbish bin and two large containers were planted with the potatoes we've been chitting in our dining room doorway for the past few weeks. A growbag was planted with a miniature squash and two bush courgettes and various other containers with peas and broad beans. A second growbag awaits three bush tomatoes.

The sun shone brightly, tea and conversation flowed freely and when we were done and tidied up we shared a simple of lunch of soup, bread and cheese and chutney, salad and cake (much of it homemade), before heading off home.

I don't know what it was; the sunshine, the friendship, the labour, the food, the fresh air, but my spirits were uplifted and I spent the rest of the day on a high. This morning I came downstairs and felt compelled to go out into the garden to see how it was. It looked lovely.

Beth Terry - Where she leads, will we follow?

Almost Mrs Average on the Rubbish Diet directed me to this very moving video from Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish. I would urge you to watch it ... and then challenge you to give up one plastic item for ever.



I've bought myself a small aluminium water bottle which I have begun carrying around with me to avoid having to buy bottled drinks. I am now going to follow Beth's example and invest in a travel mug for those occasions I pop into a cafe for a latte.

Why don't you let me know what you'll give up?

The Angel of Trafalgar Square!!!

One & Other

This evening I applied to occupy the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square for one hour as part of Anthony Gormley's One and Other project.

There are four plinths in Trafalgar Square, one in each corner. Three of them are occupied by statues of military men. The fourth was destined to feature an equestrian statue of William IV but was scrapped due to insufficient funds and remained empty. Then, in 1999, the Arts Council set up the Fourth Plinth Project which used the plinth to showcase the work of contemporary artists (Ecce Homo, by Mark Wallinger (1999), Regardless of History, by Bill Woodrow (2000) and Monument by Rachel Whiteread (2001). The project is now managed by the Greater London Authority who commissioned Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant and Thomas Schütte's Model for a Hotel 2007.

The latest work, One and Other, was chosen from a shortlist of six. We were in London during the public consultation and I voted for Anthony Gormley. His concept of elevating everyday life to a position normally occupied by monumental art appealed to me and I knew that if he won I would apply to be a part of it.

I realise that encouraging others to apply will reduce my chances of being selected, but hey, life's for sharing, so log on and sign up. You've nothing but the coach fare to London to lose!

But if I can't convince you then maybe the man himself can ...


Antony Gormley on the Fourth Plinth from One & Other on Vimeo.

Now all I've got to do is decide what I'm going to do for an hour! Any ideas?

Love Life Live Lent

Although Lent doesn't begin until Wednesday of this week I'll commence my observance of it tomorrow. I'll be following a book produced by Love Life Live Lent. It's traditional to give up something for Lent, but the CSMV nuns at St Mary's School in Pune which I attended, taught me to take up something instead. This year I'm going to do both.

Stitch & Bitch

This evening the girls and I attended a Stitch and Bitch session at the Tobacco Factory. The group meets every first and third Monday but this evening was devoted to the creation of an Oxfam blanket. The campaign to raise awareness of maternal mortality has been running for some time now. Volunteers have been knitting hundreds and thousands of squares which are now being assembled to form blankets. The blankets will be sold to raise funds for Oxfam.

We passed a very pleasant evening drinking coffee, sewing squares and chatting. The only bitch was about the poor service offered by First Bus!

One of my 49before50 challenges is to knit myself a scarf. Once I have picked a pattern and bought the wool, Stitch & Bitch may provide the required encouragement to finish it off.

Bon Appetit!

Today we began using something which I am hoping will revolutionise our packed lunch routine. Some time ago I read about bento lunchboxes. Both the girls and I were excited by them and last week I ordered them one each. As you can see, they are plastic versions of the traditional Japanese bento boxes. Inside the case there are five containers (two with lids) and a fork and spoon. The idea is that you fill each container with different food to make up a balanced meal. You could, of course, carry several separate plastic boxes to school but the bento box is much more compact - and leak proof.

I have grown to hate packing lunches. I get bored of sandwiches, no matter how many changes I ring with various breads and fillings. Then there's the waste. Sandwiches need wrapped, biscuits and cakes need to be protected against crumbling and fruit against squashing. Yoghurts and crisps come in individual packaging, invariably plastic. I'm hoping that these boxes will help me pack more exciting lunches and cut down on waste at the same time.

Today the girls had pasta with tuna and sweetcorn, grated carrot with vinaigrette, a crunch jumble (biscuit) and an apple.

Who knows what they will find in their boxes tomorrow!

PS If you would like to find out more about these boxes, including idea on what to pack them with, go to Laptop Lunches.