Berkeley

I spent the weekend with Andy and Sarah. Andy is an old friend form the UK and now lives in the bay area with his American wife Sarah.

We met up on Saturday on the eastern side of the bay, opposite San Francisco, had lunch and went on an amazing cycle ride along the bay trail, a pedestrian and cycle way running along the shoreline, stopping to enjoy the view, check out the renovated warehouses, do a bit of wildlife spotting and, of course refreshments.... We were out for the afternoon and probably covered a good 17miles which was more than enough exercise for anyone with a bit of a hangover.

Sarah created a wonderful meal and we sat and chatted about the old days and caught up on the last ten years until the early hours.

On Sunday, Andy took me to a viewpoint overlooking San Francisco bay, way above Berkeley, and then dropped me a small way down the hill at the Botanic gardens. They had a busy day and my plan was to meet Zach, Cynthias' son later in the day to take their truck back to the farm. Zach had been home for the week and is currently studying at Berkeley University which was still further down the hill from the gardens.

The air was clear and the view amazing. As was the botanic gardens. I spent several relaxing hours strolling through the flora of asia, australasia, europe and the US. The California natives was the most extensive and also the most surprising for me. I had no idea how many garden plants we commonly grow in England originated here. Ceanothus, Heuchera, Garrya, several sages to name but a few. Fascinating.

Hungry, i headed down the hill and through the university campus, full of grand buildings sponsored by the good and great citizens of California, towering trees, rolling lawns and open spaces. A wonderful place to study. There was a bell tower , the Campanile, it was open and for $2 i caught the lift to the top to be treated to more panoramic views of the city and the bay, under the threatening weight of 62 huge bells. Thankfully they didn't chime as i think that i would still be deaf today.

I eventually satisfied my hunger in a rather uninspiring Thai restaurant. The decor was erring on faded but the food was amazingly tasty and a very good price. I had time to kill so i read my book for a while and ordered the only dessert on the menu. Shaved ice over beans. I had no idea whaat to expect. It arrived and i was none the wiser except to see a sundae glass full of red beans, like chilli beans topped with plain shaved ice. Try to imagine what it tasted like, i did and was delighted by the first spoonful. Sweet and delicate, soft beans in a syrup sauce, infused with coconut cream and little chunks of coloured jelly for added texture, truly amazing, i wish now that i had taken a photograph of it to show you all.

I caught up with Zach a little after 8pm, got completely lost driving south and ended up navigating my way over several bay bridges and through central San Francisco in the dark, which was interesting. Eventually getting on the correct highway and heading back to Ben Lomond.

A hint of Chelsea

The Flower Show that is. San Francisco's 24th and probably final Flower and Garden Show opened yesterday and runs through until Sunday evening.


















I had to go and check it out. Not quite sure what to expect I was pleasantly surprised with the diversity and extent of the show, though i must admit the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) would have had a thing or two to say!!!!! I loved it, fresh inspiring show gardens and displays, loads of stands selling horticultural and garden accessories, dahlias, orchids and japanese maples by the truck load - they must be in vogue this year, at least in California, and that wonderful smell that you only get at horticultural shows. A mixture of damp peat, freshly sawn timber and the blended fragrance of hundreds of flowering plants.

The message, as ever, is conserve, reuse, recycle, save water, choose ecologically sound planting schemes and grow your own vegetables!!! There seems to be a fascination here with keeping gutters clear of leaves and debris, i must have counted six stands, and it wasn't that big a place.

For those in the know, the Franchi seed stand brought familiarity and a smile to my face, as did Tubtrugs and certain tool manufacturers. The world is such a small place at the moment.

Iron Chef America

I can't even recall seeing Iron Chef on the television in the UK, all i know is it originated in Japan and is now a huge hit here. Top chefs from around the US compete against the resident masters in a one hour culinary battle to produce amazing dishes from a mystery ingredient. Fast paced, informative inspirational and dare i say 'American' it is an amazing show to watch.

The Mystery Ingredient last night was the mighty cabbage and the challenging chef, David Kinch. David Kinch of Manresa restaurant who contracts Love Apple Farm to grow vegetables for his kitchen. He who turns up at the farm on a regular basis to collect the tidiest and freshest produce, chat about the weather and the surfing and a bit of world news.

We watched, of course we watched, but as invited guests to Manresa. (We being Cynthia and three volunteers) On a huge tv, with fine wine and delicious canapes, with all of the restaurant crew and their families and an explosive atmosphere. When chef appeared, everyone cheered, when he chopped, they cheered when the hour was up, they cheered. During the judging, much cheering and booing as the judges tasted and provided verdicts on meals the two chefs presented and the finale, when David and his team won, the whole place erupted in the most almighty roar. Then the party really began.....

The episode is taped and ready to watch again at the farm, without the reveling and cheering and conversations. I'll try and take in a bit more detail of what he actually produced next time. It was a spectacular show and a great evening. Congratulations to David and his Iron Chef team, Jean Paul and James.

I guess we'll be picking cabbage all next week!!

Down on the farm

I'm back in the swing of things now. It's been just over a week since i arrived and tried to blog and my mind has had chance to catch up with me now.

As back home, spring is an amazingly busy time in the garden, it just starts a bit earlier here in California. Seeds are being sown by the thousand for the summer garden and more urgently, the tomato seedling sale. The sale starts this coming weekend and runs for ten weeks, it is an important source of revenue for the farm. 126 different varieties of tomato will be available, batches of 50 or so, all sown and potted on by hand. I am so glad that there is a good team of volunteers here to help. It is great fun and interesting hearing everyones stories and reasons that they come to help out at Love Apple Farm.

Around the farm, overwintering green manure crops are being dug into the beds. Compost heaps turned and the oldest heaps incorporated into the beds in preparation for spring planting. Direct sown areas of numerous crops are flushed with young colour. Flats (seed trays) of seedlings are being hardened off and will be planted out as soon as the weather is warm enough and the ground is ready.

The lettuce, chard and pak choi that i planted in November are being harvested weekly and have grown steadily throughout the winter. Most of the winter crops, cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts have gone, their time over for another year.

I have been busy with my own project too. A very informative meeting with an Immigration Attorney, last week, has confirmed that my venture should be accepted by the powers that be and sees no reason why my visa application would be turned down. I am now knee deep in the paperwork and the unfamiliar jargon of US business regulations, visa applications and learning how things work in this new land....so many little things are different and have to be checked out. It is all quite amazing. When it all gets a bit overwhelming i check outside just to see that the Magnolia tree is still looking beautiful, listen to the rain on the roof and hope that tomorrow will be a sunny day.

jet lag

Hello and welcome back.

I have just sat here for a stupid length of time trying to write the first blog posting for this new journey and failed to string more than a few words together.

So, this will have to suffice: it is 7.30 in the morning here and 3.30 in the afternoon back home. I have been up about an hour after an interesting flight back to California, and am embracing all that is good about jet lag, knowing full well that it will clear in a couple of days.

I had wanted to write about Love Apple Farm and bio dynamic gardening and the new plan for life on the farm, but i cannot concentrate for long enough just yet, and, on reflection, there will be plenty of time for all of that.

For now, just to let you know, i am here in one piece, healthy and happy and it all feels exceedingly the right thing to be doing at this moment in time. Am missing all my friends back home and sending them love and thanks for the help, laughter, fun, hope and support that we have shared this last few months.

Am looking forward to your comments and discussions too..........

some photo memories from this last year

How long ago?

Yes, i know, i haven't written in here for quite a long time. Apologies to those who keep logging on to the same post, but i got a bit despondent with traveling back to england so i didn't bother.

I have had the most amazing year, i left for on my trip around the world just over a year ago and have been back in the UK for just over two weeks. No idea of how far i have travelled in miles but in knowledge and experience a very long way indeed.

At one stage i thought that i was about to settle on the other side of the world and got all excited about a new job and living down under but it wasn't to be. On reflection, not the right time at all. I was on a journey and tried to curtail it too soon, causing myself all sorts of turmoil, though, through this, got to know myself a great deal better and am now more prepared to face the rest of my life.

I continued my journeys through New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and California meeting some amazing people, enjoying the most beautiful scenery and having a wonderful time. I enjoyed being a tourist and doing all those tourist things, traveling and exploring out of the way places miles from the maddening crowd and probably the most fulfilling places were the homes of my helpX hosts, where i helped out for several hours a day, using and sharing my wealth of knowledge to improve their homes, make their properties more enjoyable and do the best i could to contribute whilst i was there. It gave me a sense of purpose and a reason for visiting some out of the way places. Kept me fit and provided me with countless experiences that i would never have achieved on my own.

And now? i have no idea, i am spending time with friends and family until the new Year, then will head off to europe to discover more of the world, improve my foreign languages and continue with my helpX experiences. Watch this space for more...............