We met and the sun shone
Yesterday we attended a barbecue. It was arranged as a get-together for smallholders, so we felt a little bit as if we were gatecrashing (although we had been invited). However, the general consensus was that, in essence we do have a smallholding… it’s just very small! The key factor seemed to be our chickens – everyone felt that livestock tipped the balance from garden to smallholding! And, indeed livestock were the focus of the barbecue – the other smallholders provided lamb, hogget, burgers, rabbit and pork. All most delicious and all home produced, with the animals lovingly cared for (except the rabbits!) and slaughtered either on the holding or at a local small slaughterhouse with minimal stress. It almost goes without saying that there was plenty other home-produced fare too: bread, salads, egg, brawn, cake, Eton mess, brownies and, of course, our cheesecake.
It was an absolute delight to share time with like-minded people, eating good food, plus we got a tour of the host’s beautiful (full-size) smallholding – sheep, river, Edwin the dog and some fabulous old trees.
As seems to be increasingly the case in my life, this was another gathering resulting from social media contacts. It has become remarkably easy to make connections with like-minded people if you put a little effort into it. Almost everyone who attended had connected via Twitter… who would have thought that 140 characters could lead to so many good things?
So, back on our “tinyholding” today we return to harvesting and tidying up the garden and limery in preparation for the winter, but feeling that we are part of a community doing real things to make a difference to food production and leading lives that are a bit kinder to the planet.
The Snail of Happiness 
katechiconi
/ September 12, 2016I love the idea of a ‘tinyholding’! By your definition, I could have classed myself as a smallholder when I had hens, sheep and meat rabbits. Cool!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 12, 2016Absolutely… and if/when you feel well enough to sort out Chookonia you will be again 🙂
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katechiconi
/ September 12, 2016🙂
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ayearinredwood
/ September 12, 2016Hey, was watching your gathering via Twitter yesterday….looks like fun and you had sunshine while we were being blown away with a storm here.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 12, 2016I actually got slightly sunburnt yesterday… and woke up to rain and drizzle this morning. Oh what a shame you couldn’t be with us in person.
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cambridgearomatherapy
/ September 12, 2016We call our set up a smallholding with chickens, bees and two wormeries, even though most of it is on allotment land! I think it is more about attitude than size.
Dave
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 12, 2016Hundreds of ‘livestock’ in a bee hive!
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Nice piece of work
/ September 12, 2016beautiful trees 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 12, 2016There are so many lovely trees there – I really wish they were mine!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ September 12, 2016It is so nice to read of your relationship with Twitter – what a wonderful outcome! And I love the photos of that aged tree with the wonderful roots! Fabulous!!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 13, 2016It’s such a beautiful tree.
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katythenightowl
/ September 14, 2016I’ve always loved the Tiny House movement, so your ‘Tinyholding’ would go marvellously with that! Lol
Glad you had such a good time with so many like-minded people 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 14, 2016Yes it was lovely… and then my sister arrived and now it’s over half way through the week and I still haven’t been to visit you as I had planned… it will be soon, I promise!!
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katythenightowl
/ September 14, 2016Awww, it must have been nice to have her there 🙂
We’ve saved you a bag of apples for when you do come, Hun 🙂
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