Taking matters into your own hands

For many years, the vegetable gardens in our little hamlet have been on the other side of the road. The water from the spring flowed first into the laundry room and then into a large reservoir that was connected to a canal system that supplied water to all the vegetable gardens. 

In the summer, children could take a refreshing dip in this spring water. 

For 15 years it has been abandoned. The pipes of the spring broke, blackberries took over the whole area behind the laundry place and around the basin, the water channels were broken and the water and the possibility to grow fresh food was lost. 

We decided to clean up the area ourselves. This is the first step in reusing and cleaning the old vegetable gardens and transforming them into natural farming vegetable gardens.

We informed the town hall of our actions and started to remove all the bramble bushes. Gradually the trees and vines were freed. Days of hard, unpleasant and prickly work, but so worthwhile. 

So relevant in these times, this little example of deciding to take matters into your own hands, rather than relying on institutions, government or others around you. If we want to make a difference, we have to take practical action ourselves.