Utopia?

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tortzblue
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Utopia?

Post by tortzblue »

What interesting things I read whilst making eco logs from old newspapers from the staff restaurant at work!
Sounds like an ideal place to live to me envy}}
(Not sure where to post this one though or if I've posted the link correctly)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... L-veg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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ChrisG
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Re: Utopia?

Post by ChrisG »

Many years ago, I visited Todmorden and was in the kitchen of a family where the husband was a kitchen fitter - he had done all the kitchen himself out of proper wood and it was lovely. I fell in love with the place at that time. The views from the top of the hill were amazing. The family (I cant remember why we were there now - they werent friends or anything!) told us that many people in the village did DIY or had trades that were useful to others and often helped each other out. It seems the population was in to looking after each other even then. This article indicates that spirit is still alive and well and has branched out further. Wonderful! )t'
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Linda S
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Linda S »

It must be lovely to live in such a place :-D Linda
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rhubarb93
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Re: Utopia?

Post by rhubarb93 »

Brilliant, and I think this sort of thing is catching on.
In Kingston, near where I live, there's something called Transition Town Kingston which includes, among a wide variety of sustainable-type ideas, a community allotment worked by volunteers and people sentenced to community service, which is growing fruit and veg for all comers. There is also an Abundance Project which gathers excessive crops of fruit and distributes it to people who don't have any. They also show people how to make pickles and conserves. In Sutton, our neighbouring borough, they have an Orchard Project and invite people to come and help plant donated fruit and nut trees, for the community to crop. They offer tea and home-made cake as an incentive.
All good stuff, it restores my faith in human nature. Not everyone is greed- and consumer-driven.
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ChrisG
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Re: Utopia?

Post by ChrisG »

The transition town movement (if I can call it that) is really beginning to expand, since its beginnings in (I think) Totnes in Devon. For the most part it is a good thing, and I wish people up here would be interested.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Meanqueen »

I've read about this before, I like the idea of sharing food out, with the community helping themselve to what they need. I would be a bit concerned about where they were planted though. It says a piece of ground previously used as a litter bin and dogs toilet now has vegetables planted on it, yuk. How do they keep the dogs off now? Also the pollution of traffic fumes doesn't sound very healthy to me, but is it any less healthy than spraying crops with pesticides? I don't know.

I noticed in my village that someone has planted lots of raspberry bushes outside their property, alongside a public footpath. Very public spirited I thought.
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HappyBob
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Re: Utopia?

Post by HappyBob »

What a lovely idea, growing and sharing comunity veg. There,s a lady on our allotment site who,s very involved with Transition , I agree it seems to be gaining momentum, she is often in our local rag with their latest acheivments etc.
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Lillia
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Lillia »

tortzblue wrote:What interesting things I read whilst making eco logs from old newspapers from the staff restaurant at work!
Sounds like an ideal place to live to me envy}}

Thank you for sharing; it's a wonderful story
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Re: Utopia?

Post by pavel131 »

What a coincidence, the lady in the picture "Estelle Brown" I sort of know her, byways of another forum that I visit on occasion. Her nick name when she used to visit the site was "Poppy". I am friends with her on facebook. She is a lovely person, a right Bohemian. But she always advertised her village. They have done so much there. They publish a paper, forgotten what it is named, The Todmorton Gazette, or something like that.
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Utopia?

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

I missed this link when it was first posted, so thanks pavel131 for bumping the thread back up to the top of the pile - and thanks Tortzblue for posting in the first place. :-D
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Stef
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Stef »

Great post, thanks for bumping it!

I read it originally and got to talking with a couple of neigbbours.

I live in an isolated little village (no shop, pub, bus etc) and there a a few oldies who don't garden as much as they used to and some even newer move ins than us. They all walk themsleves, dogs and kids passed our house as we are on the flat - two of the other roads have BIG hills on them!

They said they would like to grow veggies like we try to but don't have the time. So said I'd do my bit by putting out my extras, and I had forgotten, until now!

So my extra courgettes will NOT be going to work tomorrow but will go outside the front gate for a week first. I'll laminate a sign, what do you think, "Help yourself but please bring the pot back" or "Help yourself, all swaps welcome"??
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Utopia?

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

I like the 'help yourself - swaps welcome' idea - would be good for encouraging a more interactive attitude to the whole thing. I've been having a look at the main Incredible Edible site here.
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Stef
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Stef »

The site a good read.

My sign will probably read,

Please help yourself. All swaps (and pots) welcome
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Richard
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Richard »

I think it's a great idea and the way forward for a good community spirit.

Wouldn't worry about the dogs Ilona, I'm sure your veggie patch has been well covered with all those cats :-D :-D It's just cats are a bit quieter, reserved and hide themselves better!!

It's a valid point though, how many of us share some of our vegetables, grown in a compost with the help of a few 'toilets', would people turn them away if they knew?

The biggest problem with the scheme would be greed I guess.

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Meanqueen
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Re: Utopia?

Post by Meanqueen »

Richard, I put physical barriers around and over the top of my veggies, to stop my cats or any cats getting onto the raised beds. Plastic trellis, wood, old compost bags, anthing lying around gets used. I have also made them an area they can use, an old kitchen wall cupboard on it's back, doors taken off, filled with old compost. :-D :-D
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