Editorial

Let me say, it is nice to be back. Unusual as this may sound whilst many of us are experiencing lockdown, I also write from sunny Catalonia from the farm where we have just had a perfect Spring. It's wonderful considering the drought we have been experiencing for 6 years. The Ark (food tunnel) has been giving me green shit as I consume raw the broad beans, kale and lettuce for the last 2 months. I made a short video of a tour of the land the other week indicating something like 16 varieties of vegetables and fruits, but obviously the system is a long way from being fully mature. In fact I envisage a living structure in 5 years time as now the woven cane surround of the tunnel will have fig, apricot, vines, kiwi, passionflower, borgainvillea and various other climbers working their way through it. It deserves an article in the following newsletter as does the many other activities on the farm demand, including the highly efficient biochar production, the greatly increased success of the beekeeping this year with an additional 12 hives and growing, the hand-pruning of every tree on the land whilst lockdown takes its toil, and the slow erection of my outdoor kitchen being made from felled pine and anything useful that passes my way. As such I think the next newsletter will be solely dedicated to the farm. Members especially are encouraged to write an article.

As a farmer I feel even more liberated under the current lockdown issues as many urbanites suffer at the expense of loss of empowerment. These have been central permaculture tenets and living on the land is key towards a future sustainable society. I have freedom here to exploit my creativity and limited resources, especially since I live on a very low budget and rely on travelling back to the UK to earn what money I need to buy equipment and resources. In the meantime nature keeps presenting me serendipidous occasions to flex her raw materials a little further. In the latest saga I discovered a perfectly-sized double-basin sink unit abandoned in the dry-river bed as my dog-walking and voluntary litter-picking uncover useful junk. As a further point, having lost 3 dogs in the last year they all got a green burial to remind me something of their personalities. Check out these photos.


I know this does not sound very South London-y but along with the increasing activities in Catalonia and my long-distance bike rides (the latest to the north of Poland - see Destination Poland) all this is material and opportunity to return back to the UK with a handful of publications and presentations and a lot more skill in imparting my knowledge to other community groups who could welcome me. One of those is the Oasis urban project in Stockwell, London where I have been assisting in the resurrection of the Big Hanna biodigester. An article for this appeared in my last newsletter. Also, I have been stockpiling my olive oil which produced an incredible conversion of 24% last year, that is just over 4kilos to make 1ltr of Extra Virgin, ecological and delicious food. I would like to add honey this year too, so that if I can get transport back to the UK I know I can sell it all almost immediately. See this video for a quick message and this weblink Molí d'Oli Tradicional for more in-depth historical information and the location where we press for our oil. Oil and honey are natural anti-bacterials so that keeping them on the shelves a bit longer does little harm to the product.

There is a lot more I can say here but my website is hopelessly out of date, and I need to move on. Remember, get your advanced orders of olive oil in, prices have gone up with the current predicament of shortages in the world and the need for me to reside longer on the farm. Go to the Market page to buy. Only Extra Virgin is available. Secondly, on my News page there is an link to my new book entitled 'My Confessions - A personal psychoanalytical study of the spiritual relationship between genders and its historical juxtaposition in a milieu of patriarchy' and I present here a half-sized bastardised form. It will shock to say the least, but it keeps in the theme of anthropology, psychology, spirituality and literature.

Of a note, it took 2 years to produce. In the meantime I ceased writing the journals and any additional newsletters that I could have produced. Nevertheless, I penned some extra music and lyrics that my journeys always inspire, and so I leave you with these Spanish words the music of which can be found here performed in The Ark on the farm in Catalonia.

El Propheta
Como demoro en el muerto de los héroes
Una visión de llamas lentamente estar extinguido
Veo la cultura muriendo mientras estoy en pie al lado de ella
La raza de seres humanos hunde de unir con las civilizaciones perdidas de antigua

Una sombra lanza mas lejos que como hace mi brazo extendido
Ni pueden los dedos míos tocan los ángeles ardientes
Necesito devolver a dar la cara al sol
Y mis labios necesitan vibrar como una caña en los vientos
Sino mis pies siguen chapotear en las mareas subidos

Puedo nadar solamente tan lejos como vea yo
Antes lucho a mantener la cabeza sobre la mar
Y encontrar a los demás que ya han hundidos
Que esperan la caída del héroe
Para que no se sintieran solas en sus fracasas

Dios es un pescador
La mano Suya me jala siempre
Dios es un marinero
Sus redes me lavan con el resto

Estoy rozado junto con los sedimentos del tiempo
Me pican la superficie a dejar la piel cruda
Pero el lavase es profundo y significante
Me prepara para la ascensión mía
Hacia la boca de edades antiguas

Allí canto con miles de voces
Soy la voz del futuro
De la vida que debes seguir
El profeta asciende otra vez
Con puños llenados de los perdidos

Keep looking at this space for news about current affairs within SLP, and especially how it concerns other groups, in particular our suporters.