What a jolly busy week, hurrah. Spring at last, well for a few glorious days anyway. I had a list of all sorts of jobs we were going to get done this week, but spent the whole week zipping about delivering plants, even on Friday which is usually our odd job day. At least the extra activity will help the cash-flow in a few weeks time. It’s always a tricky period as sales kick off and we start spending again (mostly bodies to get through the extra workload) After a long autumn and winter with little dosh coming in, we reach our bank limit in Feb/March and spend a few weeks juggling everything. It all adds to the fun!

The most impressive & inspirational thing I saw this week was the conclusion of Eddie Izzard’s amazing marathon running in aid of Sport Relief. A relatively unfit non-runner, he ran 43 marathons in 51 days, followed by a rickshaw (with camera crew), a minibus with support crew and an ice cream van giving away ice creams and collecting donations. It was a relatively low key but awe-inspiring effort, often running alone in appalling weather on roads with no pavements and in heavy traffic. The physical achievement itself was unbelievable but the way he did it was delightful. I am a great admirer of Eddie anyway, he has such a great relaxed style and honest approach to life, even if his dress sense isn’t quite my cup of tea, he carried his style into his marathon running, often ignoring expert advice and doing it his way. The diet of Calipos and 99 ice creams, diverting through a McDonalds drive-thru for a burger and fries and stopping at the pub for a quick pint, did him no favours nutritionally, but did demonstrate a freedom of thought and incredible determination to complete his task. He would regularly get distracted by things that caught his eye, a stately home, an array of dead moles hanging on a fence and the troubled districts in Northern Ireland to mention a few. He also passed through several places holding a lot of childhood memories which obviously brought back mixed emotions and added another dimension to the run. Well done Eddie, I wish I had more money sloshing about to donate, but it would never be enough to right all the wrongs or fully recognise his effort and achievement. It is one of those things that makes you realise just what you can achieve if you really want to.

Eco Update

Wind turbine planning still not gone in, but it is very close. These things always seem to take longer than expected. I attended the local village Parish Council meeting on Monday evening expecting a bit of a grilling. But to be fair it more like being lightly poached! I arrived as arranged part-way through the meeting making a rather laboured entrance by having to rattle, push and pull on three doors before I could actually get into the room (I couldn’t help picturing myself making a dramatic exit at the end by entering the cleaning cupboard!). After making a very brief pitch I was questioned for nearly one hour on all aspects of the turbine plans and efficiencies, alternative energy generation options and political and economic pros and cons. Generally it was a very jolly meeting with everyone able to speak openly and frankly but in a nut shell, there are several villagers unhappy about the visual impact of the turbines so are likely to be objecting. One of the villagers came up to the nursery on Friday and we spent a further hour and a half looking at the nursery and turbine site as well as discussing further some of the points raised at the meeting. It all comes down to how they look, and people’s perception of the visual issue. Those that don’t like them certainly struggle with the concept that others might like them. There were a couple of interesting views, one was that if they looked like the old big chunky wooden traditional windmills that would be ok, and another was a question asking me if I had been to Cornwall and seen the large farms there. I said I had, and every time I see them my pulse quickens and heart soars because I see so much good stuff happening and I also love the look. One interesting question that did come up was about how quickly the turbine repays itself in energy terms. I have now found out that it should be about 14 months of operation to cover the energy used to manufacture and install it.

Don't forget to do your bit. Have a good week.