From Exeter Flying Post issue 306 Aug-Oct 2008

Nicola Beglin reports on an exciting initiative in the city to forge a new alliance between farmers and the local community.

An exciting new food initiative is setting up on the outskirts of Exeter. Following in the footsteps of many similar projects around the country, this initiative bases itself on the concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - a term first used in the USA to describe a partnership bewteen farmers and the community.

Why the need for such an initiative? Food production in the UK and beyond has become increasingly intensified with centralised distribution and sales – mainly through supermarkets. Small farmers and growers are struggling to survive. At the same time we have lost connection with both the land and how our food is produced. Although we can buy almost any food we want at any time – at least in Europe – we no longer recognise the seasons.

Fresh, nutritious, affordable locally grown food for local people is at the heart of this project. So much of our food is transported thousands of unnecessary miles around Britain, whilst at the same time we face the challenges of increasing carbon dioxide emissions and oil depletion. Figures vary on the contribution made by food production to CO2 in the atmosphere – but it is significant.

The project aims to create real partnership between producers and consumers – where the responsibility and rewards of farming are shared. It is an opportunity to create a pioneering economic model that will supply local food to our tables. It will also give people the chance to re-connect with the land, enjoy the health benefits of fresh local food and provide security for the farmer.

It will enable people with no farming experience to have access to the land, and, in the longer term, training possibilities. At present our agricultural system does not encourage young people to get involved in farming and with the average age of UK farmers being 58 this is one aspect of farming that needs to change if we are to rise to the challenge of producing more of our own food.

A small group of people concerned about these issues came together in January and has been working with two local farmers on ways to turn this vision into a reality. The group has been offered 4 acres of high grade, uncultivated, organic land to rent on the outskirts of Exeter – equivalent space of 100 standard allotments.

We will be involving the community in its evolution, growing a range of produce according to the needs and interests of the members. Members of the project will be able to contribute to its development in whatever way they choose. Some people may wish to subscribe a receive produce; other may wish to help formulate the direction of the project and/or work on the land. by joining this project you'll be able to know where your food comes from; support the local economy and help build a future based on sustainable agriculture.

A launch meeting will be held on Tuesday 16 September 2008 at Alphington Primary School, so come along to find out more. In the meantime for further information please email: nbeglin@ukonline.co.uk

Yes, well that was Time Team meets the Da Vinci Code! They've tried a lot too hard to make archaeology really dramatic for non-archaeologists. I'm sure archaeology is fascinating for people who know all about it but dramatic? not often I would think. And is it just me or could you drive a bus through some of the plot holes. First of all this fight between the Knights Templar and the 'Saracens' in Bath was an amazing discovery and then, all of a sudden, everybody knew about documentary evidence and where to find it from the Grandmontine monk, written in books, and the fact that the 'Saracens' were English mercenaries. So how come the fight was such a mystery in the first place?.

Young archaeologist gets trapped in flat by modern day Knight Templar with huge sharp sword - and she didn't grab her mobile and ring the police?!!

Group of moslem students seriously threatened by guys with big sharp swords in a mosque - and neither did they!

Heroes win in the end by trapping the baddies burning to death in a newly discovered vault and decide to go to the pub - even in Midsomer Murders Barnaby would have required a few statements before people were allowed to get the rounds in.

Kinghts Templar (the originals) collected loads of crucifixes from the Holy Land in case one was the true cross - OK but the KT's were collecting at least 1000 years after the event - masses of crosses had been lying around that long? and the locals hadn't incorporated them in buildings or cooking fires in ten centuries?

Ah well, I like a new drama - unlike a school report though I think we should say 'don't try so hard'. Think its about slavery next week.

Among various little jobs yesterday (shopping - with list to save money, dying my husband's irretrievably stained polo shirt chocolate brown) I took my Mum's old sewing machine up to the repairers. I'd tried to use it to stitch something up at the beginning of the year and suddenly smoke issued from the foot pedal and it started sewing by itself (bit like Close Encounters). Anyhow I finally got around to contacting the repair shop and asking if they were up to repairing a 30 year old sewing machine. They were calmly confident that they were, knew what the problem was, and that it would probably be a breeze - so I dropped it off and now they're finding out if it is a breeze and I'm awaiting a phone call.

The main reason for this lurch into domestic science is that I like to wear baseball undershirts. But I'm picky about them. I like them with three quarter length raglan sleeves, lowish neckline, scooped hem and made of heavy cotton jersey. A company called toxico used to make some I liked but they've stopped. Also, recently, my work colleague came in with a couple of baseball undershirts he'd ordered for his 3 year old daughter and the contrast sleeves were made of patterned print cotton jersey which was really nice - and which don't come in adult sizes. Only one thing for it - make my own. Over the next few weeks I will be attempting to rediscover my Home Economics skills from sec school - I'll let you know how I get on . . .

You know how useful a sarong is on holiday – you can use it as a skirt, headscarf and we’ve all seen people do that thing where they make a top out of it by twisting the ends round their neck. What if you could do a lot more with it?

The idea following occurred to me on holiday one time, but fashion design isn’t a strong point with me so I thought I’d just put the idea on this blog so anyone who wanted to run with it could, might be useful as a project starting point for a fashion design or jewellery design student.

The idea of Flat Fashion is to design a set of accessories so you can make more interesting creations with sarongs (and other flat pieces of material). As I said, I’m no fashion designer so I haven’t tried to do this, but I’m thinking along the lines of possibly a ring that would convert a bandeau type bikini top (made from a sarong wrapped round your chest) into one with more shape. Maybe buckle shaped pieces, would an S shaped piece help to make interesting sarong creations? I also got the idea from the intricate folding that makes a sari stay where its put and the fact that Romans and Saxons wore quite simple clothes held in place with decorative brooches, buckles and pins.

So, first thing to do is to research clothing past or present, that relies on folding or brooches/pins. Then, start experimenting with interesting ways to wear a sarong (you could also use smaller scarves for variety) and design maybe half a dozen attachments/accessories which could be used to help create a variety of ways of wearing a sarong (scarf etc.) You might not want to stop at clothes but design attachments to turn a sarong onto a bag for example.

Produce a leaflet/booklet of the ways you’ve invented (or a downloadable web pdf) and then the basic set of attachments can be customised to various styles. There could be for example a bling set, or a carved wood set, the designs are added to the basic set of attachments (like, for example in jewellery, you can have a gold bangle or a silver bangle or a wood bangle – but it still basically a bangle).

From the marketing point of view the designer just needs to sell the rights to make the patented attachments to various costume jewellery and fashion chains. There’s scope to have them made in craft collectives with Fair Trade certification if the designer wanted to give the rights to them. Or sets made in pewter or copper or ‘celtic style’ (for example) from the various tourist boards. It would be possible to make a larger set of attachments if a company wanted to put matching flip flops with the attachments for example.

There are other advantages to wearing flat pieces of material. Cheaper, easier to iron, fold and pack and you can wear all that beautiful ethnic material you bought on holiday as a souvenir.

And that’s about it for the idea. Anyone who wants to run with it is more than welcome – good luck.

Took my nephew and his mate (15 and 16) up to the Mansell Raceway in Dunkeswell in east Devon (the Blackdown Hills) yesterday. Can't recommend it highly enough - 800 metre outdoor track, 40mph karts and computerised timing (£25 for two 15 minute sessions). The staff were great and really friendly, happy to give advice and tips. Its the home of the Devon Karting Club and at the moment doesn't advertise much as they are going to build a restaurant etc. Currently all the offices and things are in portakabins. A great afternoon the boys had a whale of a time.

Its just up the road from Dunkeswell Airfield which has a flying club with a restaurant open to the public, flying lessons and flights, and a privately run wartime museum. (Must be the largest flat area in Devon which is otherwise really hilly).

Excellent - the magpies I watched building a nest earlier this year have been hopping around with a young one (still a bit fluffy, shorter tail). There were also three wrens around yesterday so a couple of those were probably young ones. And there was a young robin without its red chest.

What a cheek! Not content with the milk bottle trick our local bluetits are helping themselves to bits of the fibrous liners in our hanging baskets to make their nests.

For two or three weeks now I've been watching a couple of magpies building a nest in a large tree near the path that runs between Northernhay Park and Central Station (in Exeter). Keep trying to see if they have chicks yet but both are still off the nest at the same time, hopping about together and squawking to each other, so I suspect they still haven't laid eggs. Soon there will be too many leaves on the trees to see them clearly. There's been a recent complication in the shape of a couple of carrion crows - also collecting nesting material - who seem to be encroaching on the magpies' territory. One magpie hops around a nearby pine tree presumably distracting the crows from the magpie nest site and there are chases through the trees both crows chasing magpies and vice versa.

That path is a good area for birds it's also the usual haunt of three or four wood pigeons, a few longtailed tits, blue tits, great tits and a coal tit, plus a wren, a robin (the remaining robin from three or four earlier in the year - presumbably the winner in the territorial fight), blackbirds, a songthrush and on one occasion a goldcrest. At least three grey squirrels as well.

Spent Saturday dodging the rain and doing more planting. Strawberries into the strawberry planter that we'd been using for herbs up to now (now we have a garden we have a herb patch). A row of peas to grew up the trellis on the side of the shed, two rows of beetroot. Garlic in between the broad beans (thought the broad beans would have cropped by now - need the space!). Earlier on I put in a horseradish root and two rhubarb crowns - leaving space for a courgette plant currently growing on in the conservatory. Also growing on ready for planting out later are french beans, tumbling tomatoes for the hanging baskets and a chilli plant - going to get some that will go outside too. Oh and there's spuds in the potato planter round the back - and a large basil plant on the kitchen windowsill. Lots of little gnats appearing in the garden now the weather's warmer so hopefully we will get house martins and swallows later. We get lots of sparrows - the houses here have these square section plastic edgings on the roof tile edges and the sparrows nest up them.

If the government are keen to stop people smoking why don't they take a leaf out of the tampon manufacturers book and cut down on the number in the packet. A year or so ago all the tampon manufacturers kept the prices of their product down by cutting a ten pack to an eight pack and a 20 pack to a 16 pack. If the tobacco manufacturers did this they could appear to keep their prices down and at the same time keep the government happy because most people would end up smoking four less fags per packet. One or two might buy two packets where they would have bought one but a lot of people would continue to smoke the same number of packets per day as they used to.