The Good Life was a popular British sitcom about a couple living a life of self sufficiency in 70s suburban Surbiton. 35 years on, Sue Perkins and Giles Coren (comedian and foodie) set about recreating this world, documented in a 3 part series, where they grow their own vegetables, bake bread and generate their own power, all while dressed in dungarees. It’s light hearted and messy and it won’t serve as a guide, but if you’re curious for a sly giggle and need to feel better about your own growing endeavours, you many want to peek. The series will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer for another week.
On the other hand, for something a more historically impressive, educational and down to earth, Edwardian Farm documents the journey of two archaeologists Alex and Peter and historian Ruth as they set up an Edwardian Farm in Devon for a year. What kept my interest was their dedication to seeking out original hand crafts and skills which are frighteningly on the decline. Edwardian Farm will be available for longer on BBC iPlayer – until the first week of January 2011.
This is a really lovely 10 minute documentary about the work of coral gardener Austin Bowden-Kerby, who has dedicated his life to the ‘reforestation’ of coral reefs in Fiji. Available on BBC iplayer until Sunday 10th October, alternatively you can find out more at the Corals for Conservation website.
Apologies for the tardiness in this post~ admittedly, it’s been a manic set of few months. The bean seeds in the end were indeed dead on arrival, and the courgettes I thought I was growing turned out to be cucumbers~ and prolific ones at that! The strawberry plants were equally fruitful and deliciously sweet. Next year they’ll be in their third and in the meantime they have been happily spreading across the plot.
Recently I’ve been watching a show on the BBC about using plants and herbs for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. ‘Grow your own Drugs‘ is a show hosted by the ethnobotanist (appearently ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between plants and people) James Wong and is really quite engrossing. It has a Blue Peter crossed with Jamie Oliver twist to it’s style which makes it easy to watch and encouraging to follow. Wong shows us how we can use various plants, flowers, trees and shrubs to create ‘natural’ medicines and cosmetics, ranging from gentle moisturizers and bath milks, to throat soothing jellies and vitamin-packed soups. What’s so brilliant is that all the ingredients are so easy to get hold of and almost all of them are ones we’ve heard of before – lavender, roses, eucalyptus, willow, honeysuckle, camomile and St. John’s wart to name but a few. Wong reminds us of the origins of modern medicines, but more importantly, provides us with yet another reason to love and respect the awesome power of the natural world.
