The G20 Climate Camp was a peaceful well organised non-violent protest – at least on the side of the protestors. Watch this shameful, unnecessary and unprovoked attack by police and listen to the collected calls of ‘shame on you’ and ‘this is not right’. This is not right. The protestors are holding their hands up in the air and are doing nothing to provoke the police. This really is shameful shocking footage. Why has this not been shown on the BBC?

Those of you who have been following the story of Babs Haddrill’s overland journey from Wales to Australia will find the following links interesting. Her story is featured in The Telegraph today. And also in the Shropshire Star. Check out Barbara’s website www.babs2brisbane.com.

Michelle Obama has started growing vegetables in the garden of the White House. She was seen starting the organic kitchen garden this week. Michelle wants to put healthy eating top of the agenda in America and the Obama’s hope to become locavores – eating food that comes only from their local area. Local freshly picked food eaten straight from the garden is much better for you.

If you’re in the Machynlleth area on Wednesday March 18th come along to the book launch for Babs 2 Brisbane at the Tabernacle and listen to Babs talk about her amazing overland journey from Wales to Australia. Includes unseen footage of her journey, music and a chance to ask Barbara questions about her trip.

Babs 2 Brisbane book launch
March 18th
The Tabernacle, Machynlleth

Daytime drop-in session
Meet the author and watch film, hear music and listen to book readings through the afternoon.

2–2.45pm Travelling music duo on the accordion and fiddle.
Barbara Haddrill reads
‘tasters’ from her book.

2.45–3.30pm
Film footage from the journey.

3.30–4pm Travelling music duo on the accordion and fiddle.
Barbara Haddrill reads
‘tasters’ from her book.

Evening 7.00 – 10.00 pm
Music on arrival by Finikity Charos,
aka the Gypsy Band.

Introduction by author Barbara Haddrill.
Music from Slater’s Arms Folk
Session musicians.
Short film – Landscapes of the journey.
Aussie inspired music by Moonshine Claud.
Short film – People and Transport.
Music about travelling from
The Blithering Idiots
Barbara Haddrill reads an extract
from her book.
Questions and Answers
Music from Ember.
Book signing

Low carbon drinks and local snacks available.

Barbara Haddrill’s Babs 2 Brisbane – the story of her overland journey from Wales to Australia to be a bridesmaid – has been published and is receiving widespread coverage. Last friday John Ingham featured it in his environmental column in The Daily Express. Babs 2 Brisbane is an amazing book. Even if you are not that interested in overland travel you’ll find it an interesting account of the type of decision making you have to make as a committed environmentalist. What is the right thing to do? Fly or not to fly? If you are interested in travel you’ll enjoy the story and be interested in reading up on how to make the same or similar journeys yourself. You can get copies at www.cat.org.uk/shopping and find out more about Babs at www.babs2brisbane.com.

Blimey. It’s been a long time since I blogged. I’ve even missed the launch date of my own book! The paperback version of The Organic Garden came out last week. Hurrah. It’s exactly the same content as the hardback but as the hardback is no longer available but for a handful of discounted copies at www.cat.org.uk/shopping it’s great to have it back again. The book took about 18 months of hard work to get together and I’m really pleased Collins decided to reprint – especially at the moment with the economy as it is. You’ll actually find it full of home made garden solutions and a great resource if you want to start gardening organically and don’t want to spend lots of money. I’m very much into recycling, DIYing and using natural resources when they are available. I’ll put some extracts up over the next few weeks to give you a feel for the writing style and content, and hopefully provide inspiration as spring comes along! The book costs £12.99 and is available from all good retailers. Bye for now. Allan

Gardening Which? magazine has given the thumbs up to a peat free organic compost. In their yearly analysis of the most widely available composts on the market they gave their Best Buy Award to New Horizon Organic And Peat Free Growbag. It performed slightly less well overall against the best peat free alternative assessed by Gardening Which? but in some categories – for example in growing potatoes – did better. Overall it scored 74% compared to 83% for the peat based alternative. With only a year to go till manufacturers are obliged to produce potting compost that is 90% peat free the race is on to deliver a truly great and widely available bagged organic compost. Of course you can make fine organic peat free compost at home using various recipes, so you don’t necessarily need to use bagged compost. But for those who need to get started without a ready supply of home made compost a bag of New Horizon looks like a pretty good alternative.

Collins sent me a copy of the paperback edition of The Organic Garden through the post the other day and I’m pleased to say it will be published on March 5th. Its the same content as the hardback edition so if you already have a copy don’t be confused by the new strap-line – Green and Easy. If you want a hard back copy of the The Organic Garden there are still a few available at a discount from www.cat.org.uk/shopping. The paperback edition of The Organic Garden will cost £12.99.

Check out the website of an American campaign group who would like to see Obama dig up the White House lawn and plant it up with vegetables. Who knows it could happen. Obama hasn’t proposed any radical gardening policies yet but he (being a lover of history) must know that some of his great predecessors were gardeners.

Carol Klein has spoken out against those who do down organics in order to promote chemicals. Her comments appeared in her regular column in the guardian which you can view on-line at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/10/carol-klein-gardens-organics-lifestyle and come as the back lash against organics gathers pace in the gardening media. The attacks on organics seem to have got worse since the European Union announced that they wanted to ban many commonly used chemical garden remedies. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog most gardening magazines rely on the advertising revenues provided by chemical companies but it seems that the editors of some magazines have decided to take a hard line editorial stance against organics to support the chemical companies in their time of ‘crisis’. Don’t they know that the chemical companies will simply switch the attention of their sales teams to developing world nations, where safety regimes are less demanding. I think its time Europe insisted that all the food it imports is grown with the same rigorous safety standards and worker rights standards it sets for its own people. There should be a universal right to be free from poison.

Jane Perrone has set up a new blog on the Guardian website. Check it out. She already has a regular blog of her own but this one will be bringing lots of new material from authors associated with the Guardian and some old material from writers such as Christopher Lloyd, which would otherwise be locked away in an archive somewhere. I think it will be another great on-line gardening resource. As you can see through this link the blog already has plenty of users http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2008/dec/03/1.

Check out the website of my friend Barbara Haddrill, who took an overland journey to Brisbane Australia from Wales to avoid taking the plane to her best friends’ wedding. She was dubbed the low carbon bridesmaid by the press and kick started a media debate about the environmental impact of aviation. With a decision about the third runway at Heathrow due to be announced today the book she has written about her experiences is extremely current and relevant. It is published by Centre for Alternative Technology Publications on February 12th but you can see extracts and details of the book on Barbara’s website at www.babs2brisbane.com.

Check out this video. The coolest Energy Saving video ever. I’m loving it! Have a great Christmas and I’ll see you soon. Thanks for visiting and for making a contribution.

The Organic Garden (written by Chloe Ward and I) is now available at £8.99 plus free postage up until Christmas from CAT Mail Order – www.cat.org.uk/shopping or 01654 705959. A big saving on the £17.99 cover price. It is not available anywhere else until March when a new edition in paperback is published by Collins.

You can now get a print on demand version of Lawrence Hills‘ classic book on Comfrey and Its Uses. Its published by Faber on December 11th and is available through their website. You can also get other Lawrence Hills’ books – Down to Earth Gardening and Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables. All previously out of print. These are all great books with I think some useful if forgotten organic information.