Low Carbon Celebrations 1

This weekend all the neighbourhood phone lines went down in a lightning storm, and then a rogue anti-spyware programme appeared on the laptop whilst I was in a local hotel. So it was a huge relief to read Simeon's piece The Monetisation of Health yesterday down at the library: one, because it was really good and two, I was happy for it to go over into my slot if I couldn't get access to a computer. I think I've actually fixed mine now (I hope I'm not speaking too soon!) But we're still phoneless and so we're blogging down at the local community centre right now.

My first two posts this week are about celebrating, low carbon style. Today is Charlotte's birthday and here, in pictures, is how we've been spending some of it. All of the places we visited are less than ten miles from where we live and as much of our food as possible is from local sources.

Some fresh herbs and flowers collected early in the morning. These go in the medicine jelly, today renamed birthday jelly.

Breakfast. Whoever's birthday it is, the other buys the ingredients and prepares and cooks the meals that day. This was my birthday breakfast in May with a mix of local, organic and freegan delights.

Picnic lunch. Tortilla made with local allotment eggs. This is one of my favourite dishes to cook and the recipe will be included in the Low Carbon Cookbook - any publishers out there for a great resilient topical classy collaborative ethical food book!?!

Off to the shingle beach at Walberswick for a swim. The water still hasn't warmed up quite yet!

Picnic lunch of said tortilla and salad at the old quarry, now part of Westleton Common, and full of heather in bloom.

Relaxing under the flowering lime trees after lunch to the buzz of a thousand bees