Thank you SO much for being here. My name is JoJo, one half of , the ‘feasts’ part not the ‘writer’.
I am not the most natural storyteller so these updates make me nervous … and when I’m nervous I maybe say a bit more than I mean to! And it all comes out a little bit fast too. But this is about slow living on a small farm in the Vienne Department of France so perhaps I just need to take a deep breath and tell you what’s been happening since I last wrote to you.
If there are too many words, fear not, there are pictures too!
First things, first
How are you doing? I mean, it’s a new dawn, a new day, a new month, a new year. Welcome to 2024, and it’s looking to be an adventure-packed one for us here at Encouragement Farm. We’ve been planning and plotting behind the scenes in recent months after we reminded ourselves that this home is meant to be our ‘base camp’, a place from which to launch our life-well-lived.
We got to chatting in more detail, most likely over some wine (well, we do live en France) and we decided to book some stuff. We have had no car or van since last July (by choice), so any plan needs to involve trains, bikes, or both. In February, we will cycle to the coast for some Vitamin Sea, probably in and around Royan via Saintes. In March I will attend Glow Sew at Fforest just outside Cardigan. It looks like hiring a car for this trip will be the most cost-effective and convenient transport solution. In May, Mr Fables will be in the Lake District for the Ember Sessions as he tops up on uncertainty and discovery. Then, the pièce de résistance (or however they say that in French). We are cycling to the Love Trails Festival in July. Yep, it’s on the Gower in South Wales, a mere 1000-odd kilometres from our home in mid-west France. It’s one heck of a long way but how brilliant will it be? If we make it back from Wales in one piece, then there’s a fabulously nutty idea to cycle the 21-hairpin bends of Alpe d’Huez, a 14-kilometre Tour de France climb. We will pedal it in August, a day or so before the Tour de France Femmes finish their tour on the same mountain. Do check it out if you’re not familiar with this crazy hill. We are actively seeking hills to train on in our notoriously flat region of France; what could possibly go wrong? We’re booked into a campsite already, so it is happening.
There you have it. That’s our ‘year of adventure’ sorted, up to and including August.
But what about the potager?
Ah yes, the potager. It’s looking bedraggled but so are all the surrounding vegetable plots. We are not alone. Almost as soon as we harvested the last of the veg, the heavens opened. Every single day through October and November there was wind and rain, hardly conducive to tackling the outdoor jobs. There was the small matter of being back in the UK for 17 days on a crazy, exhausting, people-filled road trip.
December was gentler (and drier) so we made a start on pruning the fruit trees, some more than others. Fingers crossed they come back. The offcuts are useful kindling for the fire. The verger (our little orchard) waits its turn, and there’s a lot to do in there.
The potager will most probably be tackled differently this year. First up, a review of Compost Corner. We’ve been scratching our heads trying to work out why there’s not much compost to talk about, but we looked the other day and, quelle surprise, promising signs, worms and all. It is not a huge amount but it’s a start. However, we plan to build it better and to try to be more consistent. The trips we’re planning will not leave a huge amount of time in the garden so what we grow will have to be exactly what we want to eat. We also need to start off the right amount of seeds at the right time so harvests can be planned for (so we are around for the gluts and the work that ensues). We are wondering if anyone fancies a house sit in the French countryside while we’re away. We’re gathering rainwater but getting it to the growing is the secret.
Do get in touch if you’d like to spend some time here. Seriously!
Speaking of sowing, I’ve also been sewing!
I’m a novice, but you have to start somewhere. I made some under-sink curtains for the kitchen (old French farmhouse-style for an old French farmhouse). There’s a baguette bag, naturellement. But now for the serious stuff as I turn to my wardrobe. I have a studio tunic pattern cut out and the fabric is washed and ready to cut.
Wish me luck!
So, what is my sewing story?
I had a fabulous few hours with Lizzie Everard (of Sewing Bee fame) in Bristol. We hung out at the Bristol Textile Quarter, a wonderful co-working space with workshops for Bristol’s sewing and mending community.
We hadn’t seen one another since a previous creative event at Fforest so imagine my surprise and excitement when I learned about Glow Sew in March; this is Lizzie’s project and I am thrilled to be going. What’s it all about?
“… come and be inspired by one another’s ideas, laughter, comfort and kinship. It doesn’t matter if you are new to sewing or have lots of experience - these sessions will have something for everyone. We have many comfortable spaces for creativity or to simply relax into a chair, listen to the birds and knit, or read a book. There is no end product, the goal is to leave glowing and refreshed …”
Glow Sew, Fforest farm, 7-10 March 2024
I’ll be taking my sewing machine, so who knows what I’ll make?! The space at Fforest* is magical - it won’t be all about the sewing; there’ll be repair and mending workshops, memento-making, darning, amazing food, and the best accommodation. I will spend a long weekend in the company of like-minded souls, kindred spirits guaranteed.
There will be time to chill, switch off, make do and mend, dance, and enjoy a glass (or two) in the Fforest pub, the Bwthyn. I’m hoping to sneak off for a dip (and a dook) in the River Teifi.
* I should say that if we link to anything in these posts, it is because we love them - we have no affiliations and there’s never ever going to be anything in it for us if you follow the trail of breadcrumbs
Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know I have come to adore cold water swimming, (better described as dipping) in recent years.
I don’t remember how or when it started … it just happened. I love it.
I’ve been trying to describe how it makes me feel, and it’s really difficult to put into words. The easiest way is to say it is 100% consuming. For the length of time you are immersed, nothing else matters, the mind empties and it’s just me, in the cold water, slowing things down and controlling my breath.
I remember when I first started dipping. The first step into cold water would literally take my breath away and I would be almost hyperventilating. Nowadays, I accept the cold. No, more than that, I relish it.
I have always been curious how it would feel if the water was colder. Late last year, I decided to invest in an ice pod as a way of getting my ‘cold fix’ in the mid-winter. The alternative is a 33-kilometre round trip by bike; the risks of getting cold and then pedalling home with a chill are all too apparent.
My first dip at 6.0° felt so chilly. It had been over a month since I had been in the river (the water temperature then was 8.5°) Last week, the mercury nose-dived as forecast and so too did the water temperature in my pod. The next two dips were nearer 3°, not difficult when the air temperature is in the minus. Then this morning, after my run, I decided to head in again. It was a bracing -2.5° outside and only 1.4° in the pod.
Oh my.
It was just me, the birds, and my steady breathing. No thoughts. I could feel the chill and yet I didn’t feel cold. But ‘Note-to-Self, it is probably time to dig out the neoprene gloves!
Until next time, à bientôt
JoJo x
In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.
~ Alice Walker
Oh MY!! I am thoroughly exhausted just reading about your plans for the upcoming year!! But also very excited to read about them as you complete them. Thai cold water swimming business...I’m rather interested in it myself as I’ve read from some others that it can sometimes help with chronic pain. You might have inspired me to look into it further 😊
A marvellous read, as ever. Such great plans and intentions