I am sorry to say that I have left the writing of this Wellness Alamanc article to the very last minute. It’s an effective, although perhaps not very innovative way to generate extra stress in life. I don’t think I could handle the pressure of trying to come up with brand new ways to mismanage … Continue reading The pros and cons of downtime
On the chance that anyone else is trying to figure out why they find term “science based” is so instinctively irritating (it’s hard to argue with it) and even exclusionary (since when did science get it right all the time?), I share this quote, attributed to Albert Einstein: The intuitive mind is a sacred gift … Continue reading The tired farmer falls down a rabbithole and hopes you value honest hard labour enough to pay for organic local carrots
This article will take the form of unapologetic “Dear Diary”. Sometimes a writer is well advised to embrace the obvious in place of more sophisticated inspiration. Indeed, in place of it altogether. The following entries are mere highlights from the last month or so. Dear Diary: I need new work pants and I think I’ll … Continue reading Dear Diary – a month in the life of an organic farmer
After 3 years of writing weekly articles for the local paper I feel confident in my ability to make a 600 word article out of just about anything. The first step is to sit down and begin typing. A lot can happen in a short amount of time - usually within 15 minutes my interest … Continue reading Handling crop-flops with aplomb
Well here it is: the annual sinking feeling that the overly-worshipped scales of work-life balance are tilted heavily to the side of stress, over-work, and bone-tiredness. Pretty certain the situation is not unique to farming and no-one requires elaboration on the actual sensations? If by some chance you don’t know what I am talking about, … Continue reading Pemberton’s favourite farmer strikes again: Anna Helmer wants you to whack some weeds, by hand, even if you’re worn out. Even then.
This May, at the Women’s Institute Plant Sale, I picked up one of Anna Helmer’s marigold starts. I have managed to keep it alive, despite the toddler’s attempts to eat it, deluge-water it, and dig it up. And it is now a monster of blooms and vigour – nothing like the tragic little marigolds one … Continue reading Seasonal Observations: a monster Marigold with seeds worth saving
The Wellness Almanac 