earth day..

Today is EARTH DAY!!! I don't know what it means - it's EARTH DAY whatever thingie! Ungaaz! I just know that it is. So last night Nick and I had the priviledge of being invited to the "Wilderness Leadership School" Gala Dinner. To say that I was moved BEYOND measure by the presence and speech of one of the world's finest speakers on wildlife and conservation, namely Dr Ian Player, is an understatement. I sat in the audience and made a promise to myself that I would do my part for this cause, for which so many remarkable people have sacrificed of themselves to make a difference - like save the Rhino and the St Lucia Wetland. I asked myself how so few managed to accomplish so much? - and felt encouraged by their testimony that nothing was insurmountable.

As guests of Lewis Gordon Pugh, who was the keynote speaker for the evening, and a remarkable, intelligent, humble and driven man, Nick and I felt so blessed to have been able to enjoy the company of these "warriors of the earth" as I like to call them. Now whilst black tie and diamante have NO PLACE in this blog (no JUDGING me TIEDYE people!!), I just had to post this photo of 2 men, whom I feel are SO NOTEWORTHY of mention. Here are two South African's who have a. (Lewis) swam in a number of challenging waters, but most known for his 1km swim in -1.8 degree water (HELL THAT'S COLD) in the North Pole (to put the temperature in perspective - the Titanic went down in +5 degrees, with only 2 survivors - if you're not thinking OMG!!!! you obviously haven't done the math correctly!) - all for the cause of creating awareness for the plight of our precious polar bears, and b. Braam having run the great wall of China - 98 DAYS PEOPLE!!!!!! makes the Comrades Marathon look like a walk in Central Park! So I guess my occupational hazard is that working with people like this, you can't help but ask "What the HELL am I doing with my life?????"...stressing about getting 1 x vegetable garden going - OH PLEASE!!! (how embarrassing!!! - God forbid they ask me what I've done today!!)...plant seedlings?? (sheepish)

So in celebration of our commitment to EARTH DAY, the kids and I spent a wonderful afternoon in the garden, PLANTING more seedlings into our "kitchen garden". Having some herbs and the basics close to the kitchen, seems easier than planting them all into the veggie garden, which is ideal for the more staple VEG. We all chose a tray of seedlings - Dom = tomatoes, Sabrina = spring onion, and Bee = variety of lettuce. We planted them together with our lovely dark chocolate compost, which I'm DELIGHTED to say included EARTHWORMS....MUCH EXCITEMENT!! (I do believe our Scottish neighbours think we have gone POSITIVELY MAD!!)

TIP OF THE DAY: Buy this book which is not only a WONDERFUL read (like a story) but has become like my Bible of organic gardening - Jane's Delicious Garden.

In the beginning....

A new earth. I wish it was that easy - wouldn't it be wonderful if acquiring a new earth, was as easy as getting a new sofa, or a new car. Sadly, in many respects I feel so many have turned their backs on this wonderful place we call home. When did we stop trusting the earth to provide us with the best that life could offer? - in every aspect, but for the purpose of this blog, particularly when it comes to the goodness we require on a daily basis in the form of sustenance and nutrition. We ask God every day to "give us our daily bread", and yet, I have no doubt that God often wonders why we have failed to see that he already has.

How true are the words of Mahatma Gandhi when he says - "To forget to dig the earth, and to tend the soil, is to forget ourselves". Beautiful.....

I have always been in awe of nature and the miracles we see and experience on a daily basis. I'm passionately green, but as everyone does, I often feel overwhelmed by the reality of HOW MUCH there is to do. Living in a country like South Africa however, has made me realise that just as we tackle problems like extreme poverty, a long and winding road, is best approached with that good old saying that "inch by inch, and elephant's a synch", and that as long as you're moving in the right direction, one step at a time is good enough. A start is all you need. Being environmentally conscious and aware, is a mindset and a lifestyle change that doesn't happen overnight. I made my start 2 years ago, with the following:

- recycling kitchen refuse into our wonderful compost heap, which provides us with free food for our garden, in the form of rich, dark, nourishing organic material.

- recycling and reusing paperwaste etc.and glass jars (glass jars are the ONLY way to go when it comes to keeping things REALLY fresh in the grocery cupboard - for me at least).

- acquiring my very precious "feathered friends" who have done a wonderful job of rehabilitating the soil in what was at the time, a very neglected vegetable garden, and providing us with fresh eggs, righ in Omega, with beautiful bright orange yolks, the colour of the sun.

It is now 2 years later, and I am more inspired than ever, to continue and perservere on a journey that to me is in a sense an "awakening", to the wonderful way that mother nature can take care of us if we let her, by trusting the natural process of growing food. This will serve as a diary as I stumble and learn along the way (just as I did with our chickens), in order to take this passion to the next level.....