Rails Farm’s new resolutions for 2022
After the dullest December 2021 since 1956 with only 26.6 hours of sunshine and record high temperatures of 14.2 degrees Celsius on New Year’s eve in Yeovil, the Christmas break was a bit of a home bound imprisonment. The log burner was running almost permanently, the wine bottle was opened earlier than usual and chocolates were eaten quicker than ever before.
Shopping habit changes
However, this year has already offered a bit more sunshine and that delivers energy to start all the good resolutions for this year. One mission is to drastically reduce our waste production in terms of packaging. We take our own boxes, bags and nets to go shopping for veggies and fruit. That makes decisions sometimes easier because we only buy items which are not wrapped up. We have also changed from shopping essential items at Sainsbury to Waitrose because of their business practice and principles. Waitrose is owned by their employees and not partly by investors in undemocratically ruled countries. Fruit and veggies whenever possible we buy at small retailers.
Taking advantage of the wind
We purchased our first renewable energy generator, a second-hand wind turbine with four marine batteries. The challenge is: where to place and how to mount it and which components are needed to link it up to our house grid. PV cells are also on the list. There is no company in this country anymore which manufactures cells but fortunately one in Wales is assembling those. As soon as their new cells are certified they will contact me and we have another job to do. Anyone who has expertise in installing those energy generators we would be delighted to hear from.
210 new trees!
The woodland trust currently offers tree packs which are 60% subsidised so that a small tree + guard +stake costs only about 70 pence. Hence, we bought 210 trees, a collection of four different trees particularly suitable to our southwest region. Hedge laying and planting trees and hedges will keep us busy over the next two months. Let’s hope the weather is playing its part, so it will be good fun.
Finally, do not forget our German chat group meetings on Saturdays at 10am. Good fun with warm homemade rolls, jam, honey and coffee. Speaking, listening and playing scrabble.
We wish you happy longer days with more sunshine and less rain.
Christoph & Gaby