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In this issue
Silly Season Website Sale
We are having a bit of a clean up at the Good Life Press HQ and have got some books on sale, some over 50% off PLUS remember we don’t charge postage. Check it out.
Book of the Month
No Time to Grow
At the printers now.
Our latest book dispels the myth that growing your own food is a luxury reserved for those who lead a life of leisure. It demonstrates how with good planning, organisation and a little patience anyone with some ground to work can make a significant contribution to their diet. The philosophy is always that it is better to give it a go and produce something than not try and hence to produce nothing. The author sets out to demonstrate ways of working and thinking to enable the production of a relatively large amount of fruit and vegetables with minimal time investment. The objective in doing so is not purely an economic one, or even purely environmental, but one of offering a degree of independence in a world where the individual is so dependant on large organisations for most aspects of life
This months issue out 3rd April
Click here for contents
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CALLING ALL DECTECTIVES
Later this year we are publishing the diary of a farmer’s wife, originally written in 1796-7. Eager to track down more information the inheritors of the diary have set up a website www.annehughesdiary.co.uk for anyone who wants to get in touch with the Research Team.
Competition News
Last month's Caption Competition winner is...
"Geraldine was fed up with the pecking order on the garden bench and decided after reading Home Farmer, she was going to do her own thing!"
Congratulations to Rachel Woodisse. £10 book token on it’s way to you.
This months caption competition
Photo kindly provided by Joe Jacobs sitting on a chair he made from pallets during writing his next book, Build It…with Pallets! Due out in early May.
Please email your entries to ruth@goodlifepress.co.uk.
Not forgetting our chosen charity
As you know this year we are raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. Our aim is to not only raise awareness but to raise £5,000 for the society through fund raising events.
Click here for information on how to run your Victorian tea Party to raise funds for this worthy cause.
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Hi,
Spring has sprung everywhere but Preston, it seems. Whilst the rest of the country enjoyed lovely spring days we seemed deep in drizzle but it doesn’t stop us from feeling brighter and somewhat lighter when we leave work in daylight. We are looking forward to a fun packed show season and hope to meet many of you on our travels. Don’t forget to forward this email to take advantage of our competition to win an Egg Skelter.
And come on people – send us some snaps for our competition!!!! We don’t want any Jackie Smith hubby dodgy stuff either – just things that make people chuckle. Finally, for all those who read Home Farmer please find some time to fill in our reader survey. We are a young magazine and have to keep making sure we are on track.
Manchester’s Concrete Gardens
Editor of Home Farmer, Paul Peacock, has been working hard with Manchester City Country on the initiative – Concrete Garden - to encourage workers and residents to grow some food in the various free growing spaces and to teach school children to do the same.
So what’s happening in Manchester?
The Park’s department in Manchester is taking on board the need to integrate schools and local parks in the growing of vegetables, fruit and providing a haven for bees and other wildlife.
In parks, flower beds will be replaced with fruit beds and what has become known as ‘municipal planting’ will be replaced by fruit canes and vegetables. There will be an increase in fruit trees, and the city has already planted mini orchards in urban spaces.
Manages spaces outside the parks will also be planted up with various fruit and vegetable plants.
People will be able to walk around the city parks and take something to eat. It is hoped that this growing ethos will be replicated down to ordinary street level by planting up their own mini allotments in rubble bags and other containers, something to be replicated in the schools.
Foraging walks will be provided near schools and information for teachers will be provided so that children can forage safely.
Very much in its infancy, this program also includes providing spaces for bees on Manchester controlled allotments, a complete reversal of previous policy. Interested allotmenteers as well as Manchester council staff have volunteered to be trained in beekeeping and the CO-OP have indicated their willingness to fun the bee part of the funding as part of their Plan Bee program.
Local parks, council offices, council sub-contractors as well as individual allotment sites are looking forward to their bees and the training that goes with it which will begin early summer 2009
2009 Shows
We are all looking forward to getting out of the office and getting some much needed fresh air at the shows this year with our mobile unit. Paul M is gearing himself up and in training for putting up the stand, lugging heavy boxes of books and getting flooded out..
If you’re going to any of the following be sure to look us up – if you subscribe to Home Farmer don’t forget to bring your card to make sure you get your discount.
We must give The Smallholder’s Show at Ardingly a special unashamed plug as we are sponsoring the show. Click here to for more information.
COME AND GET A TASTE OF “THE GOOD LIFE” AT THE
SMALLHOLDERS SHOW HELD AT THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND SHOWGROUND, ARDINGLY, WEST SUSSEX, RH17 6TL ON 4th and 5th July 2009
The show is sponsored by Home Farmer magazine who will be there together with their stand full of books aimed at anyone who wants to grab a slice of the good life.
The show is a family affair, founded by smallholders for smallholders. It has grown over the years, but still sets out to provide an interest show for smallholders and self-sufficiency enthusiasts. The show is unique in this area in that it caters for the small scale farmer or the backgarden enthusiast by bringing together over 150 exhibitors and traders giving information on everything from keeping goats to specialist machinery.
There is a full day of entertainment planned this year in arena events, demonstrations, talks and amusements for all the family and this is also the best show to come and buy your poultry and waterfowl. There will be demonstrations of country crafts including basket weaving, trug making, cane chair restoration, willow weaving, knot craft, axe and chain saw skills, pottery, blacksmithing, coppicing, spinning, weaving etc., together with demonstrations by the Wealden Craft Workers. There will also be a Fun Dog show for the family pet to enjoy and a Lurcher and Terrier show (Saturday only). There will be a number of displays and exhibits from firms providing alternative technology and green solutions, including rainwater purification, waste disposal, composting, recycling, solar and wind power. Oh………………..and the Food Hall for specialist and organic foods.
Visit the web site at www.smallholdershows.co.uk
Both the editors of Home Farmer as well as Paul and Ruth from HQ will be there so come and join us.
We are also going to
Leicester Show 3rd – 4th May
Smallholder and Gardening Weekend 16th – 17th May
The Royal Cornwall 4th – 6th June
The Royal Highland 25th – 28th June
Royal Norfolk 1st – 2nd July (We will have a reduced presence thanks Mike Woolnough – The Urban Farmer’s Diarist and author of Raising Chickens for Eggs and Meat with Home Farmer and a selection of our books)
Goosnargh and Longridge 11th July
Royal Welsh 20th – 23rd July
Garstang 1st August
Westmorland 10th Sept
Melton Mowbray Rare Breeds 11th – 12th Sept
Carlisle Rare Breeds 19th Sept
York Rare Breeds 2nd – 3rd Oct
Cheshire Ploughing 30th Sept
English Winter Fair 21st 22nd November
IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS A STAND AT A SHOW OR EVENT WE ARE NOT ATTENDING AND WANTS TO BE AN AGENT FOR THE GOOD LIFE PRESS/HOME FARMER, LIKE MIKE, PLEASE CONTACT US ON RUTH@THEGOODLIFEPRESS.CO.UK
READERS SURVEY
Like any company we have to make sure that we are on track. If you are a Home Farmer reader please find some time to fill on our online survey.
Click here to take part
WIN…WIN….WIN…EGG SKELTER HAVE KINDLY DONATED 3 OF THEIR WONDERFULLY INNOVATIVE EGG SKELTER’S FOR PRIZES.
Now another unashamed plug Kay and Phil Bromhead run Egg-Skelter, a business making stylish egg-holders created 18 months ago in Buckland Brewer. Originally Phil, who is an Agricultural Engineer, made one as a present for Kay, but they and their friends liked it so much, they decided to make some more and launch it as a product. Kay said: “It has been a real learning curve to construct a new retail business, and great fun. Everyone has been really supportive, and going into "colour" has been exciting! www.egg-skelter.co.uk to enter the draw Click Here
Top 5 Best Selling Books in March
- Precycle! (Still)
- The Frugal Life
- The Urban Farmer’s Handbook
- Build It!
- The Sausage Book
Finally. If you’ve made it this far down, well done and we really appreciate you finding the time.
Until next Month, Bye,
Ruth and Paul
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