Sunday 28 August 2016

Making the World A Better Place

I like supporting charities. Amidst the chorus of bad news from the media, it really cheers me up to think that people are spending their time trying to do good stuff, and I love reading each charity's newsletter to hear how they are making the world a better place.

Which is, indirectly, why I found myself at Twyford Farm (below), in deepest Sussex, last week. 


Years ago,  I wrote an article about English hedgerows and met a man called Robin Page.   Journalist, countryside writer and sometime politician, he is full of energy and quite a character, and he's based in a farm in Barton, Cambridgeshire. The farm is called Lark Rise, and it teems with the wild creatures, insects and flowers that you'd expect in an old fashioned corner of the English countryside.

In the  long-ago 1990s, when I visited Robin, the land around Lark Rise had was being farmed as agribusiness, with pretty well every hedge, tree and natural feature bulldozed in order to create enormous fields. These were managed and harvested in the most efficient and profitable way, as if the fields were a huge outdoor vegetable factory.  I found it distinctly "Twilight Zone" to leave Lark Rise and walk into those huge, flat, boring, businesslike Cambridgeshire fields.   Not a bird singing, not an animal stirring, not a bee buzzing... it really did not seem right.


It was such a contrast, in fact, that I joined the charity Robin had just founded. In it, he planned with characteristic energy, to show that commercial farming could coexist with conservation and wildlife.  It is called The Countryside Restoration Trust (click the link to see their video). Over the years since I joined, the CRT has acquired more land in Barton and acquired properties in another 10 areas of  Britain.  

Somehow I never went back to Lark Rise farm, nor did I meet Robin again, nor visit any of the CRT's other properties.  But last week, it was sunny and I was looking through their latest newsletter, when on impulse I decided to go and stay in the b&b run at Twyford Farm, some 35 miles south of London in Ashdown Forest. This farm, previously used for breeding Welsh Ponies, was gifted to the CRT in 2013.  It had become rather run down in some ways, and I'd been reading in the newsletter how the tenants, Bob and Liz, had been working like mad to get it into shape.

After a rather long trip to Sussex, caused by getting lost, despite the GPS (my fault), we finally reached Ashdown Forest.  About 1,200 acres in size, it was a nobleman's hunting forest in the 11th century, but by the 20th century it had become famous as the haunt of Winnie the Pooh. Author AA Milne lived here when he wrote "Winnie the Pooh" and the illustrator, E.H. Shepard, visited the area to sketch his illustrations.  There's a website about Pooh locations here.



But we didn't go in search of Pooh. It was all we could do to find the farm.  Down a narrow lane we went, then up a track, and finally, there was the gate we were looking for...


It is not dilapidated any more. In the last couple of years has been repaired, redecorated and modernised just enough, but not too much. (This was a big plus for me. I like to be comfortable but hate it when old places have the authenticity taken out of them.).  There were several friendly, clean and obedient dogs who were very happy to make friends with us, sheep on the hillside, cows on the heath, lots of books on the shelves about nature and wildlife, even animal faces on the cushions...


As in many old farmhouses, there is a lot of space. Guests have their own dining and sitting room plus the use of an amazing south facing terrace...  but it must be confessed there isn't a great deal of head-room at times. As you can probably estimate from the doorway shown below, the folks who built the farm around the 16th century must have been little more than five foot tall.Still, you do get used to the door height pretty fast... a couple of bangs on the head each did it for us. 


We spent our time quite simply, mostly in chatting with Liz, Bob and a couple of other guests, and going for walks. We could roam anywhere on the farm, and the the exceptionally beautiful woodlands and heathland around was criss crossed with public footpaths and bridleways. 

Although something is known of the farm's history, there is still much to discover. About ten minutes walk from the farmhouse, we turned down a track and found ourselves by a large pond, surrounded by reeds, rushes, and both wild and what seemed to be naturalised garden flowers too. Beneath the trees, with the evening sun shining through the leaves, it was a lovely place to linger as the summer twilight fell.  






I noticed some interesting specimen trees had been planted around the pond,  making it seem even less like a regular farm pond and more like someone's private retreat. It was puzzling, because the land has been farmed for years, and farmers don't usually have too much time to hike out in order to sit  and contemplate such a scene. Perhaps I'll discover the story behind it some day.   

Twyford Farm has a small herd of cattle which it grazes in Ashdown Forest. Despite its name, the Forest contains quite a bit of open heathland, and cows have been grazed here for centuries.  One day we took a walk in an area called Chelwood Vachery.   Nearby monks used it for their cows in the 14th century, but now most of the area is overgrown with trees.  

The monks went long ago, but at the start of the 20th century, a wealthy MP called Sir Stuart Samuel built a grand, (some might even say overbearing) mansion in the Vachery. It seems he had a formal garden near the house, but a more naturalistic area further away, and by the 1920s the garden boasted a terraced area with a sequence of linked pools, complete with sluices, colourful rhododendrons, a folly bridge and a miniature version of the cliffs of the Cheddar Gorge winding down the hill - the latter was created using rocks brought all the way from Somerset.


But as you can see, these acres of garden were abandoned a long time ago and are now quite overgrown.  The area is being cared for by volunteers, but they don't attempt to bring it back to its former glory. Even in its overgrown state it is charming. It is certainly wildlife-friendly and is also a bit peculiar, really, since the water running through the valley is a chalybeate stream - so full of iron that it shines red as rust when the sun catches it directly. 


  Here is a photo of the folly bridge, which is far bigger than its role deserves, since it only spans this tiny river. Our footpath, however, winds through another arch in the bridge, towards stepping stones which cross the river again.   It was all very green and mysterious, with birdsong the only sound.


Can you imagine that bridge when it was new?  It seemed to me that in its heyday it could have been a great place to have 1920s fun


Just down the lane from Twyford is another interesting farm.   Plaw Hatch and its next-door-neighbour Tablehurst Farm are owned by a cooperative - a sort of crowdfunding farm ownership scheme.   Bob, with decades of experience looking after cattle, said that their cows are in pretty good shape, and the people there are businesslike as well as charming, friendly and welcoming.   If you want to find out more, please take a look at their extremely interesting website

We took a little stroll around the farm, and saw some of the cows waiting to be milked.  Like many farm animals in summer, they were troubled with flies, and were making full use of a brush fixed up for their use.   


 I didn't photograph a group of kids who were looking at the cows being milked in the little parlour, but at the sales desk, beneath a mural of a leaping cow, I was able to see through a glass window to the cheese-making next door,


 The farm buildings were old, and full of character...


We wondered what the peculiar little building was on the right, below.  It had a bell, so we thought it might be a schoolroom, but the near-circular chamber inside wasn't anything like a schoolroom - too small and such an unusual shape.   There was a Victorian date carved somewhere. Any ideas, anyone?


I think there's a pop up coffee shop at the farm on some days of the week, and possibly also a bar (they do sell local beer).  The farm shop sells all kinds of biodynamic foods, raw milk, cheese, and what we thought was the the best yogurt we'd had, ever.  Sadly, I think it's only available at the farm, but if you should ever happen to see any, do give it a try.


You could spend many days exploring Ashdown Forest, but there are also quite a few stately homes, animal attractions and National Trust properties nearby. (With, of course, those ever welcome National Trust teashops.) 


My favourite local NT property is Sheffield Park and Garden, designed by the famous landscape designer Capability Brown.   Only the parkland and garden belong to the National Trust, but the "Strawberry Gothic" style Sheffield Park House still exists (it is now private apartments). You can glimpse part of it below, overlooking Capability's landscaping.  It is quite a pile. 


Turn the other way, and this is the view that the people in the house see.


 I particularly liked the red water lilies, but then I'm always a sucker for water lilies.  


This summer we haven't had all that many consecutive days of good weather.  I was grateful that we used what we had at Twyford Farm, but eventually the clouds gathered and the rain set in again.  I returned to London, feeling pleased at having seen some of the work the CRT does and reflecting that I 'd probably never have visited the area otherwise.  Because it really is awkward to reach from our home, you know, even though I actually read the map just fine on the way back...  

60 comments:

  1. Lovely from start to finish. I do so respect the people who are joining in this seemingly world-wide movement to restore farms and pastures to what they used to be. It's happening around here, as well, and it's just such a respectful thing to do, it seems to me. And such work! There must be a lot of heart or the work would be too daunting, I think. Thank you for sharing this.

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    1. I'm glad it's happening in Florida too. I always feel heartened, and yes, you're right. If we don't live respectfully with the land we can't expect it to care for us. But the work in being organic always astounds me. When I think of how hard I find it to garden my tiny patch organically, it's the bugs which seem to make it their mission to destroy my plants....

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  2. Very interesting - I'd never heard of the CRT so thank you for the introduction.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. Good to hear from you - have you begun another blog at all? I always enjoyed it.

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  3. That yoghurt looks like it would be delicious! And that muffin looks delicious, too. I wouldn't mind one of them (or two) right now!

    Spontaneous is so often the best...and this spontaneous trip of yours appears to be one of the best....great post...great photos. Now I want to pay a visit! :)

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    1. Definitely some of the best yogurt ever, it rather spoiled me for the stuff we get locally here!

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  4. Your acting on impulse after reading the newsletter was really a very good idea, Jennifer! Thank you for taking us along, I enjoyed this post very much. So full of interesting things! I could write a comment twice the length of your post :-)
    Pleased to see the "Demeter" logo on the yoghurt tub. It is a well-known and popular organic brand here in Germany.

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    1. I wonder if Demeter sets standards and kind of franchises out the right to use the logo to products which meet the standards. They made a big deal of being biodynamic (I think was the word) and it could be something to do with that as it is not a word generally used all that much in supermarkets here.

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  5. I too would love to know what that curious little building is - could it be a Folly, a lock-up, or perhaps a detached bell tower for a nearby church or school?
    It seems that you had a lovely trip, filled with lots of interest to both learn about and see - I really like the ethos surrounding these projects.

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    1. It could perhaps have been a lock up or a storage place but it rather begs the question of why a tower and bell... I don't think there's any school nearby!

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  6. Thank you for taking us along on your journey to Twyford Farm and Ashdown Forest, Jenny. I enjoyed every bit of it! Preservation of the traditional landscape is so important, and I love the idea of the fields with hedgerows. We rarely see those in Australia. What fun to know you were in Winnie the Pooh's place, and fun to find the Folly Bridge and the little room with a bell tower. Could it be a religious chapel, perhaps? Capability Brown has never been surpassed - what a fantastic view he has created here. Not long now and I will be back in London - woo hoo, can't wait :))

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    1. I guess the fields are too big in Australia, Patricia. As you know everything in England is rather small scale, which is one reason that the "prairie" fields of agribusiness look unnatural. I have been reading about your preparations for the English trip (and Irish) but can't remember the exact dates, except that it is not long. I hope the weather is good for you but I am sure you will have a great time whatever it is like!

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  7. An impulse outing and an enjoyable one. I am pleased you shared this with us. Such areas are soothing to visit as well as interesting.

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  8. It always makes my heart sing to see and hear about such lovely places being preserved and well managed.

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  9. Jenny, thanks for telling about such interesting history and landscape. I liked all and now this place is in my to-visit-list. I especially would like to see Sheffield Park and Garden, very nice park and pond with water lilies.

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    1. I think you would like it. It is all on quite a large scale, and there are particularly wonderful groups of different trees all chosen to fit beautifully into the view.

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  10. it is so good to read about a charity that does what they promise. How nice that you could go and see the results of your generosity. Mother Nature, with the help of humans, can make beautiful scenery together when they cooperate.

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    1. Yes, I do believe humans and nature need to work together for the benefit of both. Nature will always win, so it is as well to try and work with it!

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  11. It seems Hyacinth Bucket commandeered your GPS on the way down. Part of the adventure. Beautiful, beautiful place.

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  12. It was like entering a secret corner of England to read your post ans see the pictures. It is great to know that old forests and old homes are being kept while progress takes place in some of the fields.

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  13. What an interesting part of England and unfortunately not one we've visited. Loved your photos. We're always threatening to go looking for Christopher Robin and Pooh, always play Pooh sticks whenever we cross a small bridge.
    What corporate farming does to the land is a crime. We still have many family farms here in Georgia and we're supportive and try to buy local.

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  14. It's good to hear about all the more natural alternatives to large-scale commercial farming. As you say, farms without any sign of animal, bird or insect life are rather creepy. And yes, it's good to be reminded of all the 101 charities that are trying in their different ways to improve people's lives, often kept going by just one or two passionate individuals who believe wholeheartedly in their particular cause.

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  15. Could the tall building with a bell house some sort of fire wagon? Did they have such things back then?

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  16. Oh, I do so love traveling with you! This was glorious! Loved every minute of it.
    Glad there are lands and farms that are not being taken over my corporate farming. We have a lot of that here in the midwest US. Sad to see. Does not seem sustainable.

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  17. Ah, to be back in the English countryside, how lovely that would be. Coincidentally, I'm just watching the BBC series, Lark Rise to Candleford on my Kindle Fire. That takes place in Oxfordshire, but still, so lovely all of it.

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  18. You are always so very nice to take us along when you go exploring. The water that is so red is quite amazing and what a great photo of it. I also love Water Lilies, so mysterious. I would love to visit the forest of Winnie The Pooh.

    Lovely blog today.
    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  19. What a lovey post. I'm fascinated by the building - if you put some holes in it it would make a good dovecote!

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  20. Thank you for all the wonderful links and information
    The photos tell a charming story that's vacation worthy all on its own. The little stone bell house is adorable cute. I hope somebody posts what its for. The bridge I see in a Gothic tale, perfect for a film set.

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  21. What a lovely post, Jenny. Really enjoyed the trip you took us on. I used to live not far from Ashdown forest and visited often, though never explored Chelwood - on the list for next time. You weren't far from Hundred Acre Wood though! You could think about taking a trip on the Bluebell Railway, not far from Shefield Park, next time. I think it runs to East Grinstead now - so you could hop down from Victoria?! Strange building - a folly, or perhaps a lock-up? There is a similar building in Lingfield that used to be used as a lock-up. Wonderful photos - and great to be spontaneous!

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    1. We did think about the Bluebell Railway, Mike, although in the end there wasn't enough time. But I am not sure there is room in my heart for another steam railway than the one at Swanage. I love that not only because it has a lovely route but also when I was a young thing I had one totally magical journey to Wareham on it, one blazing hot June day, which even then I knew was like going back in time, entering a fantasy.
      However ... having said that I do hope to go on the Bluebell - and was in fact thinking of taking a friend from abroad on it at bluebell time next year!

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  22. Jenny, you never fail to find the most fascinating places to visit. The concept of combining commercial farming with conservation and wildlife is brilliant.

    Where to begin? I'll try to be brief. First - I never knew where the author of "Winnie the Pooh" lived - very interesting.
    I'm wondering if that small structure with the bell (schoolhouse?) was some kind of a chapel.
    I love the folly bridge - it has a haunting, enchanted look about it.
    And the Sheffield Park and Gardens is gorgeous.

    The black currant & rhubarb yogurt looks delicious!!! I just ate some vanilla yogurt this morning.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Jon, and funnily enough the idea of a chapel had not occurred to me. I suppose it COULD have been, though a chapel in a farmyard is a slightly odd idea (well more than slightly, I'm imagining some kind of St Francis scene with the animals coming in too )... but hm... I'll go back and look at the orientation. If it is a chapel then the altar bit would face East.

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  23. What a wonderful little adventure!!! You always go to such interesting places.
    We have a few restoration areas around here. They reannexed 1000's of acres back to its original state. It's wonderful.

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    1. That is such a fantastic thing to do. I'm all for it. Makes me think of a postcard I still have done by this guy who imagined London taken over by nature. Red buses covered in creepers and vines ...

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  24. What a wonderful getaway -- and with such good purpose. So interesting to see the good work being done. (And I loved the pillows on the bed, too.) I hope you brought a bit of a cooleer so you could take home some of that delicious sounding yogurt. And the bridge -- how magical. Oh, I'm so glad you went -- and shared it with us.

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    1. No, we didn't bring a cooler, but the yogurt was very fresh so it lasted till we got back to London - which didn't take as long on the way home since we didn't get lost on the way home! :)

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  25. Twyford looks too lovely, Jenny, and sounds it too! I only know of the CRT as the Canal and River Trust, but this CRT sounds very well worth supporting. I think I would also feel joy at knowing what they were doing to restore the countryside!

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    1. I am starting to feel that looking after nature is the best thing that any of us can do, everything else is a sticky plaster

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    2. Funny, I thought I had just replied to this and now my reply has disappeared. I have however just left a comment on YOUR blog! :)

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  26. What a great weekend that was!
    I loved the woodlands around the farm, the bridge and the imitation Cornwall. Great places for someone living in London.
    A look at the Google maps show where fields near me have been enlarged. The lack of birdsong near some of them rang a bell in my head. I have noticed that before but with some bushes at the roadside there are still some birds heard. This old fashioned idea is better for the crops and us, and also those cows scratching themselves.
    The tower thing looks like a folly to me, just to give unemployed some work perhaps?
    The old windows look great, it is fascinating how a few old bottles of various sizes can look attractive in the right window.
    Super read, took me right into Ashdown Forest.

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    1. Thanks for the mention in your blog about the birdsong. Another thing is butterflies. Sometimes you see loads, other times there isn't one to be seen. There were loads on the heath land of Ashdown forest. (When I think of it I always wonder how wild creatures keep going, their lives must be so hard and so much at the mercy of man's stupidity. )

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  27. Twyford Farm sounds like an excellent find - I must keep it on file for our next visit to Sussex!

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  28. Lovely post and your photos are fabulous!

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  29. I did enjoy this post and I agree about preservig the landscape. We actally managed a visit to a NT place when we were staying with friends a couple of week ago. Its called Hanbury Hall, near Droitwich.

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    1. Not only have I never been there, I have never heard of it. The Droitwich area is one I have only ever passed through. I'm starting to feel I'm saying "I don't know that area" rather a lot about England. Perhaps it's time for another road trip....

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  30. I like my forests like I like my coffee - green and mysterious. No, wait, perhaps not... ;-)
    Thank you for introducing me to my next home. I am definitely planning to move into a Strawberry Gothic apartment. I'll start packing tonight.

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    1. It sounds so nice, doesn't it, too - "strawberry gothic" I think it is called that because the first major building in that fancifully Gothic style was at Strawberry Hill, in London. http://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk/ Wow, come to think of it that would be a great outing on the bike from here if the weather cheers up.

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  31. It sounds like a perfect place for a relaxing weekend getaway!

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  32. Like you I joined the CRT when Robin first started it , my membership number is around 300 I think. He wrote a regular column in the Daily Telegraph which is how I heard about. I've visited Lark Rise several times though not in recent years. Twyford looks a delightful place to stay, I've never been to the Ashdown Forest area so it would be an interesting place to visit. Maybe next year.

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    1. Oh, that is nice, Rowan, believe it or not I haven't met any other people who joined the CRT except for the other couple staying at the b&b! I hadn't been to Ashdown forest before either, or at least, not to stay - and it really is worth a visit. I would guess it would be particularly nice in autumn when the leaves turn, and in Spring, too.

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  33. That sounds a perfect jaunt! I'm glad you had good weather, your garden visits look beautiful and I too am a sucker for water lilies. Jane xx

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  34. Dear Jenny - Your trip to Twyford Farm and Ashdown Forest seems to have been lots of fun. I also enjoyed it through the photos and your words. The architecture in the first photo is so British, I love it. As you know, I’m a sucker for reflections, especially on water. Your red water lilies photo is perfectly lovely with the reflections.

    Preservation of the traditional landscape is so important. There is National Trust of Japan but I’m not sure if there is an organization like The Countryside Restoration Trust. Sometimes local residents can be powerful. In Nara-machi area, Nara municipality decided to widen the roads for the sake of commercialism and convenience but residents started a movement opposing it and changed the plan of the city to preserve the views of the time-honored streets.

    Regarding charity in general, I so welcome that the super-rich tend to be philanthropic as I think wealth comes with social responsibility. Equally or more importantly, small act of goodwill of each person can change the world. When the same-minded people get together, they can make a big change.

    The weather is gradually cooling down here. Today the hottest was barely below 30.

    Yoko

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  35. I agree with everything you said in your comment, and I do agree that people when grouped together can be powerful and make a difference. In Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, so many interesting and beautiful old houses were knocked down and whole areas were levelled to make traffic-flow more convenient, etc. etc. and it was really a popular feeling which changed that. That involved many conservation organisations working tirelessly. But equally importantly, developers became aware that there was a certain commercial value in places being charming and beautiful. I think a decisive moment came when the plan to demolish the whole of London's Covent Garden area was put forward. It would have been a terrible place, all concrete, with the old winding roads reconfigured in a grid pattern with large towers and offices, and big roads. After much argument, the existing buildings were restored and re-used and the area has now become one of the most popular in Britain.

    Actually, part of me is nostalgic for when it was old and crumbling and forgotten, because that made me feel as if I was back in the time of Charles Dickens.... but that could not continue and renovating it was the best option.

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  36. What a fantastic trip to a great farm. I’d love to experience it for a couple of weeks – I think all my stress would fly away. The scenery is so lovely and old-fashioned in a way – nothing like it around here! The yogurt looks very tasty. Blackcurrant is one of my favorite flavors of all time and do you know that there are no blackcurrants here? Whenever I find some blackcurrant jam I buy it. It is usually imported from the UK, France or Poland. I also did get one from Scotland once. I really enjoyed following you on the farm and loved all your pictures.

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  37. What a beautiful place, and so wonderful how people have come together to make change for the better. More of that I say.

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  38. Looks like a very interesting and beautiful place.

    We give money to Tearfund and the Oasis Trust that help the homeless in London, plus other charities too. It's important to give back.

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  39. Interesting post that highlights some of the issues I have often thought about: commercial farming vs aesthetics. There should be no versus. Beautiful pictures.

    Greetings from London.

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  40. Great account, but I was disappointed with it not including an interview with Piglet. Maybe next time?

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  41. What an absolutely gorgeous place!!! Thank you so much for sharing this lovely tour! :)

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