Another amazing week! My good friend Brigit Strawbridge whom I have known for many years since we were neighbours in the same village came to stay overnight on Monday. She and her family have been at the forefront of getting folks to think about greening up their lives on the BBC2 series 'Its not easy being green' . An amazing spin off from that has been a forum where people can find out information about how to make their everyday lives more sustainable...........it now has over 4000 members!
S o many people are puzzled as to how they can make a difference and to address that The Big Green Idea came into being and was launched at last years Big Green Gathering, a festival that takes place on the Mendip hills in Somerset near Cheddar (where the cheese was invented!) The basic idea is to take a bus or a van packed with info out into the community....but don't just listen to me, check out the website above and even more exciting see the film about The first bus ...........its now in a hangar about to be 'converted'!!
We went off to an event run by Unltd yeterday to apply for funding for the bus and I am applying for funding for the felting.....sooooooooo exciting!
On Tuesday the BBC came down from Bristol.........armed with all their filming stuff and some lovely lavender shortbread....to film me and Brigit for the pilot of a possible new series of 'Its not easy being green' that might be due out in 2009, nothing fixed yet.........It took about 2 hours to film sheep and dyeing in my wool room for about 25 seconds worth of tv! We kept forgetting what we were going to say or falling into fits of giggles, but it was good fun!
I have just dyed some wool for a person known as Lakshmi on the INEBG forum and here it is.........very bright as for a baby blanket with a difference!!

Our wonderful helpers from Helpx moved on this week! Tom and Bec a lovely young couple from Melborne Oz who were travelling around the world came to help us for 3 weeks. In that time we have taken down and cut up most of 2 large trees, cleared an area of about a third of and acre which was full of brambles to plant a cider orchard, laid some hedges, collected a lot of free stock fencing (second hand) and sturdy fence posts from the National Trust who have removed several miles of it up along the A39 from Porlock to Lynmouth, and we now have a nice sturdy fence dividing up our home paddock with another under construction!.........pictures will follow soon! This was very lucky and saved us a fortune but as my eldest son is working for the NT in North Devon we knew about it going free! My son, George, is having a great time working for the NT.....its good to be able to enjoy your job!
I am also in the process of constructing a willow fence/hedge called a 'fedge'! I pic of that will follow too when its finished. I collected my apple trees yesterday and must put them in during the next few days, they are old west country varieties such as Payhembury, Browns, Duffin, Black Dabinett and Somerset Redstreak........wonderful names!
I have also come across this wonderful thing.....a greenhouse made of plastic bottles.....I am determined to make one and will need to find 550 plastic lemonade type bottles!!!
I have a couple of Ouessant ewes that look due to lamb any time now and we are soon taking delivery of an in pig Kune Kune sow to add to the sausage empire!
Other exciting good news is I have secured the funding for the felting machinery (hooray!!) Now waiting to see if funding has been secured for installation and rent.......will update as soon as I know!

............and here are my tagged blogs! Check them out in the links at the side

1. Permaculture in Normandy
2. A Shepherds Tale
3. She who digs
4. Auntie Plastic
5. Amazing Artists

Tree Surgery.........on a very big tree! We have opened up our view by taking down to 8ft and 12ft respectively a sycamore tree and a lime tree. They were also shading out the grass at the top of our field and we needed to get more light in there, so down they came. Of course pollarding, which is what leaving the trunk is called does not kill the tree and indeed helps to prolong its life so in a few years time we expect a nice head of regrowth on both of them.
Now we have a couple of years worth of logs to cut up and move, for which we are very grateful to have 2 helpers from Melborne Australia called Tom and Bec who are working with us and sharing our lives whilst working their way around the world.
They came to hear we needed help through Helpx which is similar to Wwoof
Pics are of the lime tree, at the start, being reduced in weight and just before the final felling cut.

I have also been tagged by Clarice of the yummy Eating Brittany blog!! I have to provide 5 facts about myself then tag 5 other sites who will all provide a link back to the person who tagged them!!!
So 5 facts....
1. I love beer....especially Pelforth Brune!
2. I am very untidy!
3. I drive a bright yellow car
4. I make my own bread
5. I also save small children from tooth decay by stealing sweets

Sites I am going to tag will follow tomorrow.......!!