Londres & beyond

A little over a month ago, I had a change of life & travel plans (at least for the immediate future), but I am a firm believer in the saying that "when one door closes another one opens." And in my case it was true! So at the very last minute, I decided to come to England for a bit, before meeting up with my Vegan Muffinface friend to walk the Camino together.

London was fabulous. Filled with rides on the Tube, chats with friends (both in person and via multiple Skype parties!), bike rides all over town, naps/people-watching in Regents park, eating lots of tasty food, stumbling upon the movie premiere for Anna Karenina (as they were finishing up, disassembling the red carpet, but still!), watching a live recording of the BBC radio show "Party," and general toddling around. Lovely, absolutely lovely.

Now I'm in Clacton-on-sea, Essex, WWOOFing on an urban homestead. The family that has opened their home (and massive garden) to me are so wonderful, and I had the pleasure of being here for one of their "open weekends." Each year they open up their home to the public for a weekend, to share information about their eco-friendly home installations (solar panels, wood-burning oven, wood stove, to name a few!) and their homestead garden. Please check out their website, they have a lot of interesting things going on! http://www.ecodiy.org/

At the open weekend I got to meet lots of interesting people who are living earth-friendly lives around the UK, including fellow avid gardeners and eco-dreamers like myself. It was really inspiring, and I was grateful for the conversations and questions. And lots and lots of tea!

Each day has been slightly different because of the special events of the weekend followed by my two "days off" that I've had. But there is still a rhythm to life here that I just love. I don't know if it's being on holiday, staying at EcoDIY, being in England, or a combination. Most days I assist Chris, since he is retired and his partner Rosie works for NCT (a national children's charity). I've harvested & processed fruit (lots of raspberries & even wild blackberries), watered, helped clean up around the property, tasted my fair share of delicious, fresh treats (one of my favorites has been Rosie's homemade elderflower cordial... nectar from the gods! Oh did I mention she made me gluten free, vegan scones? The woman is my hero), I take the dog for long walks in the woods, and I help out with dinner here and there. But the days are relaxed, even when there is lots to do. We have regular breaks for tea. Meals are around the same time each day. There's time for rest. It feels healthy to be here.

I have loved spending time with Chris & Rosie, and Rosie's teenage daughter Merri. (Also Zero, the friendliest, smartest black lab you'll ever meet!) Chris lived in intentional community for over 20 years, and Rosie is trained in permaculture, so I have been gleaning them of their wisdom and experience. I've even been lucky to sit in on some of Merri's gossip with her friends!

The permaculture concepts I've been learning about here have really resonated with me. The idea of everything being in relationship, nature as a web of interconnected systems, and if you upset one thing you will see its effects in different areas. But what I've really loved reading about is the idea of and "ecology of the self" -- applying permaculture concepts to our relationships and how we live out community, as well as to our own physical and emotional well-being. Permaculture as self-care. Rosie lent me a book called People & Permaculture, which I'm super interested to browse this week. It struck me as a very Jubilee House book, we would have eaten that up with a spoon!

On Monday I biked down to the beach, walked along the coast, dipped my toes in the ocean, and thought long and hard about how badly I wanted a basket of chips on the boardwalk! It was beautiful weather, windy but the sun was shining. It made me a little nostalgic for summers in Lusby, full of late nights, tan skin, rides on bikes & boats. They seem like distant dreams now.

Probably my favorite aspect of staying at EcoDIY is that almost whatever we harvest goes straight into our bellies at the end of the day! Salad greens picked immediately before lunch time, fresh fruit with our breakfast or chopped up and simmered for an evening dessert, onions, potatoes, cabbage, beans, greens, you-name-it cooked up in some tasty fashion for dinner. Food has never tasted so delicious!

Grateful for the green goodness, the solitude, the fresh air...

[p.s. I have lots of photos to post but can't currently upload them, so that will have to wait...]

Vegan Camino Blog!

As part of my trip, I am walking el Camino de Santiago with a dear friend and fellow vegan. This entails walking almost 500 miles through the back roads of Spain, which will take us about 5 weeks!

While preparing for the journey, we had a hard time finding centrally located info for vegetarians or vegans who hike the Camino. Although this is an increasingly popular pilgrimage, feeding ourselves will probably prove to be a bit of a challenge. (Adding to the challenge is my unfortunate gluten intolerance, meaning no wheat products for me.) So, to document the adventure and hopefully encourage other vegans along The Way, we have made a blog!

Check it out, and please follow us:
www.vegancamino.blogspot.com