Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Friday 17 April 2009

Coincidences, Freecycle and the power of love.

I answered a post on Freecycle Hereford which popped into my inbox a few days ago offering a roll of weed suppressing fabric and I was in luck!

Both I and the person offering the fabric have been having email issues, so on Tuesday I got an email from another person, who turned out to be the wife of the offerer.

At the end of the message telling me how to collect the fabric she asked "how are the hens" and signed the message "Kim".

I wondered for a bit, then thought maybe the lady was "Kim from Hereford" who sometimes leaves comments on here....so would know about my hens...as I couldn't think of ANYONE else called Kim who I know...

I called her number and it WAS! She had recognised my email address and thought it might be me!

So I went into Hereford with Compostman and Compostgirl on Wednesday, to have a family medical appointment and then we walked across town to a lovely little craft knitting and fabric shop called Badder, where I met the lovely Kim and got my weed suppressing fabric and handed over some eggs from "the girls" as a thank you. Compostgirl was enchanted to meet a 9 month old Labradoodle called Bruno ( who was SO cute, just like a big sheep and so friendly!)

We had a good old chat with Kim and then we left, to go back via High Town. Compostman went off to collect some AV kit ( more on this anon) and Compostgirl and I walked through the very lovely Hereford High Town to look at a Council run Safety fair, Safe, Sound and Sorted, with advice on car seats and bullying and fire safety and all sorts of things...Compostgirl got given a very nice rucksack and some traffic leaflets and stuff, I got an anti bullying t shirt, we both had a go at plate spinning, then we met up with Compostman and all three of us had our photo taken by Wyvern FM look at number 323 in the gallery for a bigger image!





and we admired a stilt walker....



So despite it being a very sad sort of day for me, we all DID have a good day...and being with my family made me feel much better about everything ...

Love....as I said in my last post, that is what it is all about. I love my husband and daughter very much. I treasure the time we spend together and the small, everyday things we do. I love to see Compostgirl laughing at a ridiculously tall stilt man, and see her delight at a circus trick. I love the smile I see on Compostman's face when he spots us in a crowd, when he has gone off to do something and then come back to meet up with us somewhere.

Love....the best thing in the whole wide world and something to be said to our loved ones and to be shouted about.

10 comments:

  1. Wow isn't it really a small world! Glad to hear you had a good visit with Kim, and a good day with your family.

    K

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  2. K. it really made me feel SO much better..

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  3. I'm glad you had a good day. Connecting with others, old and new, helps us get through.
    Judy

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  4. It was really great to meet you all and Bruno was as taken with Compostgirl as she was with him.
    Please say thankyou to the girls for their lovely eggs.
    I hope you don't mind but I shared them with some really special customers who came in just after you, and we had some for tea that night.

    Kim
    Hereford

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  5. lovely to see a pic of you before we visit. Sounds like you had a lovely day and that compostgirl is on the mend

    Margaret

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  6. Hi,I have been reading your blog for a while and find it very interesting and informative. It really is a small world, I am from Hereford and know Kim too. I just missed getting some onion sets Kim and Dave were offering on freecycle recently!
    Sue

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  7. Hmm my own blog isn't doing what I want!

    Sue I posted a comment? If you would like some organic onion sets email me..as I have some spare and you could have some?

    Everyone else!

    It was never going to be a wonderful day on Wednesday BUT my family and friends both old, new and virtual ( ie from my blog!) made sure I had as good a day as possible...

    I thank you all for your good wishes and messages ...

    I spent Thurs and Fri at work in the woods with children... ( and I actually got paid !!!) so am much re vitalised from doing that!

    Will post about it asap..but am off to bed now!

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  8. Glad you all had a good day :o)
    I noticed in your side bits you have courgette from the freezer,how did you freeze this?just in chunks?does it cook up ok? I didnt think you could freeze it so all mine were made into courgette & tomato sauces,nice but sometimes I would love to just have some courgette on it own!
    GTM x

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  9. So glad you enjoyed a positive day with your much loved Compostman and Compostgirl. The photograph is gorgeous!
    Thinking of you, With Love, Jane xxx

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  10. GTM, cut them into thick rounds, and then halve or quarter, whatever size you like to use in cooking...

    and then blanch for a min ( or less if small) and cool, then open tray freeze...and when frozen bag up

    TYhey will be fine in stews and cooked with a bit of liquid
    but they perhaps are not as firm as fresh slices, so won't fry in olive oil and garlic like fresh ones do.

    We bake them with rehydrated tomato and a bit of stock, with breadcrumbs and cheese on top, mmmmm yummy

    You CAN just freeze them without the blanching and I have found they are just as good....but we tend to have "blanching evenings" so they get done along with all the other veg being prepped....

    eiher way they keep ok until the vext years are ready to eat!

    Hope this helps!

    S x

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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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