PURPLE PEAR FARM permaculture in action

Our weekend has been quite busy. It started with a birthday for one of our grandsons. At just one year of age it was a big day and he struggled to stay awake. By the time his cake was being cut he'd fallen asleep...

On Sunday we were invited to a local church for a blessing of the pets. It was a beautiful Mass celebrating the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assissi. We are not typically church goers but found this service particularly enjoyable. We took Aggie, our dog, a guinea pig and a hen. There were lots of dogs, but a cockatoo, a parrot and a goat were just some of the more unusual pets. We have become involved with this particular church due to the aspirations of the priest. Mother Moira is a enthusiastic woman who has devoted herself to feeding the poor. She is determined to grow food in the grounds of the church, and this is where we come in. We are endeavouring to facilitate the start of a community garden specifically aimed at feeding the poor with fresh organic produce. Along with this will be education in composting, propagation, preserving and food preparation. We are excited to be involved.

Monday, for us, was a public holiday. We took advantage of the day off to work on some of the things that will make life a little easier for our farm sitters. We are becoming more and more anxious about our trip away and the fact that we are asking so much of those people who have agreed to take care of everything here while we are away. A big ask and we are so very grateful. Our intern has been here now for just a little over a 3weeks. He has been on a very sharp learning curve but has stepped up to the mark and we feel confident that he will manage beautifully. We also have friends who will come and give support by taking on most of the care of the animals, a huge task in itself.

Today I mistakenly put on a Mums and Bubs Tour. Due to the public holiday Monday's CSA box was put back until Tuesday which meant I had to be in two places at once. Thanks to Luke, our intern, I was able to leave the boxes to him and get on with the tour. It was a great day with beautiful littlies and their mums, dads and even grandparents. We have such a lovely time with the animals and I just love to see the little ones interacting with them. The tours have become so popular that I've had to put on more each month to accommodate them. Next year there will be two a month.To see a young child cuddle a guinea pig or pat a horse or pig, while their mum looks on in amazement, while telling me that their child is too scared to do such a thing, fills me with joy.

This is why I do it. I want to give children the opportunity to interact with animals, to see how they live and what makes each of the animals happy. That pigs love to roll in the mud and dig the ground with their nose...

 That chickens love to scratch, eat grass, take a dust bath. That the pony loves to be brushed and patted. That the ducks and geese love to take a swim in the pond. These are the things children need to see if they are to become adults who refuse to see as normal the industrialisation of our animal. They need to see food growing in the ground. They need to see that eggs come from the hens. They see this when they come to our farm and we are really happy to see the happiness the farm brings to these families.