Ripples on a pond

The thing that has fascinated and excited me most about our change of lifestyle, is the knock on effect it has had into all aspects of our life, here. I had for a long time been interested in the VegBox scheme, so with our food bills being a cut by a third, due to Jacqui and I no longer eating meat, we signed up. What we got was a revelation! The fruit and veg were so much fresher than we had before and therefore lasted for much longer. That started Jacqueline wondering what it would be like, if we grew our own. So, a couple of small plastic greenhouses were purchased, a corner of the garden was cleared and dug and off we went. Because of my disability, I can do very little to help, but Ray and Jacqueline have worked very hard to get it off the ground and we are starting to see the results. I can't wait to harvest and cook it, in time so I will be doing my bit, as well.

Jacqui has suffered very badly from hayfever, over the years and it was, to be honest, the one downside that we found by moving here. We are in a deep valley here, surrounded by the Berkshire Downs, a lot of which are owned by the Jockey Club, but also many of the fields are sown with oilseed rape. This meant that as soon a spring started to spring, and the rape came into flower, then poor Jacqui would start to sneeze and be really unwell. But this year, it is all different, touch wood. Because she is outside almost all the time she is at home and it is still light and not pouring with rain, she seems to have built up a resistance to it and so far, is doing really well. Ray too, suffered really badly from prickly heat, as well and as soon as he was exposed to any sun, he would break out with the most horrendous itchy hives on the exposed skin. That has gone, as well. It would seem that a combination of eating more healthily and the gradual and regular exposure to the sun that working in the garden has given him, has built up an immunity for him, which I am delighted about, because it was very hard to see him suffer like he did.

And as for me? Well, I am starting to question everything we buy! Is there a cheaper, more healthy alternative? Do we really need it? Can we find a way to be more responsible as environmentalists, with the stuff that we do need? Jacqueline is very good at this and will bring me up short, at times, where excessive packaging, for instance, is involved. As much as is practical, we buy organic, now and I have been amazed at how it is often it will be only a few pence dearer, or in some cases, cheaper than non organic produce and products. We also look for Fairtrade products, as well. I have, at long last overcome the temptation to approach total strangers in the Supermarket and go "Look!" as we get to the checkout, because our trolley has no more junk in it! And again, because our food bills are less, when we do buy meat or fish for Ray, we can get much better quality for him and that is good, because we try to source meat and fish that has been raised responsibly and not factory farmed. Eating with a clear conscience is a really good experience, I can assure you. And although we are eating cheaper, we are most certainly eating better and healthier, as a result of which, we are all seeing the benefits. More energy, clearer skin, slimmer waists and shinier hair, all round in the Monument household!