The activities that took place included lectures by expert speakers on various environmental topics, plus workshops teaching skills such as bread making, foraging and the art of peaceful, non-violent demonstrations. (And yes, the last one really did exist, although I am aware it sounds as if I made it up for a joke.) Unfortunately the bad weather meant some activities couldn’t go ahead, but the good thing about being confined indoors was that people drank a lot of tea! Overall the food and drink far exceeded my expectations – breakfast was fresh fruit and organic muesli, lunch consisted of home-made soup, fresh bread and local cheeses served on massive rustic bark “platters”, and the most memorable evening meal for me was the hog roast followed by a party with lots of local beer!
The high points were too numerous to mention – escaping from the urban bustle, sitting around the “fire pit” and chatting to others in the evenings, and, of course, not having to deal with Nimbus and her nonsense for a whole 4 days. The lows were non-existent – not even the weather ruined it for us. In fact, everyone was surprisingly good-natured about being wet and dirty, because it was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of something so special. I came home buzzing with ideas for change, such as making our own bread, mowing our lawn less frequently and letting the clover grow as it’s so important for bees, using organic toiletries (Willow has, apparently, been doing this for years but has kept it from me in case I flip out at the cost), and so on.
The first thing we want to do, sooner rather than later, is start a campaign to preserve urban gardens and to stop people cutting down trees and concreting over green areas, which first came to mind when Phil destroyed his garden but has since fallen to the wayside due to life getting in the way. I might even talk to Willow about us having an eco-friendly wedding, from gift wrap to transport; if nothing else it would give me a giggle to see her teetering on the tube escalator in her signature silly high heels …
[To view the lectures Nicky attended, please visit www.dolectures.com and click on the relevant speakers.]
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