The first of Starvember

So the most exciting two months of the year begin today, Jacob starts school tomorrow and I get to focus more on an autumn birding strategy . The last few weeks have been great spending maximum time with him before the time in his life when he was mainly with us ends. That's unless we end up home schooling due to late stage system problems (disruption to global systems and necessary home schooling has already happened due to covid) . Unfortunately this time of year is also our busiest at work so there are lots of balls to juggle. Just to make it even more challenging I've decided to try and get healthy this autumn (it's a good opportunity for me as most active time) so I've also set myself a goal of only eating food from the garden (when it's practical i.e. not out on meals plotting with other rebels or on the road birding etc) for the whole of September and October. Then on top of all that it's the most important objective of all- to find some rarities! 

This is all part of our self sufficiency drive and ecological/climate chaos simulations (this is what treating an emergency like an emergency really looks like, aka deep adaptation). Also in a potential era of pandemic, it's good to build natural immunity (by not carrying excess weight and eating an organic healthy diet) and the ability to adopt deep self isolation (no contact at all with society including key workers/ delivery drivers in case of a serious deadly pandemic).  There's already shortages on the shelves and who knows what is lurking round the next corner. Deep adaptation certainly helps with dealing with global stress (as you feel like you are doing everything you can to existential threats)  and more than anything it's interesting, fun and even in the best case scenario (i.e. normality resumes and corporate controlled governments run by billionaires deliver peace, love, equality and happiness for all) , it's healthy for body, mind and soul. There's no way of loosing and everyway of sticking it to the system.  

Had a flock of waterfowl go over the garden this morning which anywhere else I would have assumed were Egyptian Geese but there were about 15 of them so very unlikely for round here. Also a few moths.

Willow Warbler in the garden

The garden Buzzard 

Frosted Orange- a new for year

Pale Eggars (above and below)- since my first a few days ago been getting a few of these great looking moths 

Rosy Rustic

Cabbage Moth- a new for year 

The moth trays are still packed (nearly 200 moths a night) but the diversity is less now- most of them are two species Setaceous Hebrew Character and Common Wainscot, with Large Yellow Underwings, Square-spot Rustic, Flame Shoulder and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings typical .

We harvested the runners today for my first day of Starvember and Holly made some tomato soup with the mini-farm tomatoes

Tomato soup and freshly squeezed garden apply juice. I made an apple crumble with the garden apples for pudding. 

Made up a load of 'ready meals' and ingredients to last the next few weeks.

From field to face - fuck the system

The mini-farm today, luckily we've preserved a load of food as a lot of things coming to an end now but still corn, potatoes, beets, pumpkins, courgettes, cucumbers, fruit trees and kale going