We had some lunch at home, and then went for a stroll down to the local city farm, through what we affectionately call "hippyville" - full of allotments, and a certain atmosphere that isn't found elsewhere in the city. There is a guy that leaves free art out on the wall for people to take.
We made friends with the goats at the city farm:
I think I'm smitten. They're so friendly and sweet, especially the young kids.
We kept coming back to them, and then went to the lovely cafe at the farm:
Chai tea latte and apple+ginger juice. Yum.
After the slightly hectic cleaning session in the morning, it's been nice to slow down, notice the flowers, walk along and talk to the animals at the farm. I love finding little gems on our explorations of the local area. I've been here 4 years and keep discovering new things. Today we found a path up to a community garden maintained by people with learning disabilities as part of the farm's work. It's these discoveries which draw me to non-profits, and making a difference in our world.
Now to find somewhere to get involved!
A couple of other updates:
Today is the last day of our TV licence*, and we are going to be experimenting with not watching any TV at all (we will be unplugging it from the TV aerial socket), except for the occasional iPlayer session (TV episode catch up online, for those of you who don't know it). We have been thinking about our finances, and the £150 bill for the year is something we could do without right now. I hope the TV licence people don't hound us too much.
Today is also the last day of Google Reader before it retires. If you subscribe through Reader, you'll need another RSS service. I use Feedly - it's free, and a one-click import from Google Reader. I like it so far. Here is the link to my RSS feed.
*In the UK, the law states you need a TV licence to watch TV as it is broadcast. This is aside from any cable or satellite charges. If you want to watch TV, you need to have one. If you only watch programmes after they've aired, then you're exempt.
I hope you're having a lovely weekend... I'm off to do some crochet.
I'm glad you were able to finish ahead of your deadline. I know the lure of procrastination too well! This morning, I woke up at 5am before trying to get back to sleep. I'd planned to get up at 7am and leave the house at 8am for a 10-mile walk so that I could return home in time run my sister in to Bristol... I've been home about half an hour before writing this!! I awoke again at what I thought was 6.30am but turned out to be 8am! I could've been ready by 9am but, when I should've been searching online for a parking space, I found myself on YouTube and wasn't in my van until 9.45! :-P
ReplyDeleteIs that the City Farm in Bedminster? Apparently, I went there as a kid but I don't think I remember it. The suggestion of allotments though reminds me of somewhere close to where I went to college; further down that hill... If these people are there voluntarily and, presumably, donate so much of their time to the cause; it makes you wonder how they make their living and what's stopping more of us from doing something similar?
I befriended just about every dog I met today and even the small collie that 'bit' me, well, I'm sure she was just over-excited! Walking through a churchyard in Nunney, a larger collie from the farm next door jumped the wall and, after much barking and following of me, he fetched a skinny stick for me to throw for him... Later, I ended up circling back around to the same yard (I got a bit lost) where I found a chunkier but shorter stick! :-)
I'll write about it properly on my blog sometime this week. In case I haven't mentioned it before; I've started writing about some of my recent walks on there now.
Ah, I know what I was going to say - I like the new header! :-)
ReplyDeleteI use the computer to procrastinate too. We had a power outage today, which helped us get a LOT of packing/decluttering done! (We have cable internet, so we need power for it to work).
ReplyDeleteYou will LOVE not having television. It's such a distraction, and a time drain! And you'll see the world differently, when not being bombarded with advertising and pop culture. We pulled the plug years ago, and it's been nothing but great. If you want to watch a movie in the evening, there's always Netflix, etc. We pick out family movies occasionally, and make popcorn. :-)
Hey Olly!
ReplyDeleteoh yes, it's far too easy to procrastinate, read something interesting or update the news feed when the alternative is cleaning! I'm glad I managed to take control and tidy the whole house in one morning. Hope to reduce that as I put systems in place.
It's the city farm at St Werburghs, close to Ashley Down. They have a cafe, which I presume pays people to work there, but I guess the rest are volunteers. The community helps look after the animals. I'd love to get involved with community projects like that. I think I need to soon, or I'll go mad working in the corporate world.
I love dogs! We saw a Collie at the farm, so cute!
Sounds like you're doing some good walks, I've been reading along on your blog! :)
Thank you! It was an experiment, and I quite like it! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Bethany, thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteThat's one way to not procrastinate! Good job for getting lots of packing done! It's too easy to get distracted/sidelined by the computer.
I already love not having TV. The thought of our utility bill going down, and not having to pay for a TV licence is a great incentive! Plus the removal of trash TV for background noise. I'd rather have music.
Watching the occasional movie or show makes it a bit more special if you're not watching other rubbish every day! :)