Our life is not a movie, or maybe

In the future, when some cool indie company decide to make a film about the early days of Filling the Gap N15, the scenes depicting this week will definitely be a high speed montage.  It will show Renee and I looking tired, but determined as we leaflet, bake, promote, email, blog, cook some more, do PR , recover from the Harvest Festival and juggle family, life and general autumn coldiness to an upbeat guitar-based rock song which conveys that we are exhausted, but understand that there is merit to our grafting.  I am thinking something along the lines of ‘Times Like These’ by the Foo Fighters or ‘Hold On’ by Alabama Shakes to keep it contemporary!  I wonder if Kristen Stewart will be prepared to go blonde to play me?  Even her recent cheating nastiness hasn’t quite spoilt my giant girl crush on her, or on Bella anyway!  Maybe Emilie de Ravin? Am sure she could handle my accent!  Ellen Page would be a perfect Renee; petit, pretty and sarcastic. This is not a cuss, I adore sarcasm.  Delivering 500 leaflets has given me a little bit of time to daydream, can you tell?

The City Harvest Festival was a fantastic experience.  It must have been the official last day of summer; he sun shone, the people were friendly and the animals were beautiful.  We sold out of everything! 100 sausages in wraps, 122 portions of cake and innumerable teas, coffees and cups of juice!  It was fabulous; exhausting but fabulous.  Now that it is done, we are focusing all of our thoughts on Friday and the re-opening.  Party plans are still very much in the pipeline for when funding is secured, but for now it is full steam ahead with the help of the wonderful Fareshare. 

If felt like Christmas morning last Wednesday afternoon as Renee and I unloaded the crates of goodies.  We both found it hard to believe that any supermarket in its right mind would reject any of the perfectly lovely produce that we now have squirreled away for Friday.  Based on this delivery, we are pleased to announce that Friday’s menu will be:

Main: Sausage, chorizo and bean stew with flatbread and couscous.

Dessert: Sweetshop cake or butternut squash muffins.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get.  I cannot wait to get the tablecloths out, don my apron and throw open the doors.  There has been so much necessary pen pushing and hoop jumping, that it will be great to get my hands dirty again.  Serving food and creating a community space is what we set out to do, after all.  We hope you will be able to join us.  Future box office smash or not, this is what I want to do.

What have you got for harvest time?

Sing it with me:        ‘Somebody’s got some local, organic sausages,

                                Somebody’s got some local organic sausages,

                                Somebody’s got some local organic sausages,

                                To put on the harvest table’

Ahh that song brings back some memories; the parquet floor, my grey pinafore dress, Miss Sutton hammering away on the out of tune piano as the September sunlight streamed into the lunch hall.

I dearly hope that it was not just Liphook Infant and Junior Schools who sang this song every year for their harvest festival, in my mind it was as common as ‘We plough the fields and scatter’, anybody with me?  Back then it was always tins of beans and chocolate biscuits on the harvest table anyway.

That has all changed, thank fully,  as we will indeed be serving delicious local, organic Lambourne sausages and very local free range eggs in hand made flatbreads with salad, onions and homemade ketchup at the City Harvest Festival this Saturday (22^nd) at Capel Manor in Enfield.  Renee has skilfully hand made nearly 200 delicious flatbreads this week and we are keen for you all try them along with some wonderful, local as you can possibly get organic meat.  Yummy.  In keeping with the Harvest theme I will be preparing some fruit and veggie themed cakes: Velvet chocolate beetroot, lemon drizzle, feisty ginger squares and squash muffins.  Our old favourites tea, real coffee and organic apple juice will, of course, be available too.  If you prefer vegan cuisine, come and visit our friends at Norman Loves Soup who will be serving nearby.  Who wants digestives and tins of mushy peas when all this is on offer?  There will also be lots of family fun and chances to meet the animals. 

http://www.capelmanorgardens.co.uk/events/city-harvest-festival.html

Renee and I are very excited to be part of this. It is going to be a wonderful day. We hope to see you there.  Now it’s back to planning the baking….only 150 portions to make by Friday…good job I love it!

It's not about the ..........

No offense Jessie J, but I am inclined to think that you are left to simply ‘make the world dance’ because the ‘money, money, money’ is already taken care of, by your record contract presumably.

Although our little company was born out of a passion for change, we are very much beholden to the bank, or rather the grant, in order to get it off the ground.  My kids love that song and I am very taken with the sentiment; being motivated by belief, not image and cash is admirable, aspirational even, but you sort of need the cash stash too, or it remains just a just a dream.  I am sure this is no revelation to you!

Yet there is a beacon of hope on the horizon, we have been provisionally awarded a grant by the lovely folks at Awards for All.  Hooray, cue the music, balloons, dancers and most importantly…. the dishwasher!  Renee and I are extremely excited and mentally spending it on delightful equipment for the kitchen.  No more ‘crazy cat lady’ stares and comments as we drag our blenders around the corner in shopping trollies, no more piling the dishes high on the tiny draining rack, HUZZAH! Of course we must be more measured in reality.  The money is not ours until it is in the bank and there are strict parameters about what we can spend it on, but each and every item will be needed and cherished. We can also set about planning a celebration event with games, merchandise, free food and entertainment, just as we dreamed.  I am feeling blessed.

Please do not think that my opening rant is change of heart on my part.  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I am as much now as I have always been and always will be a believer in living according to your beliefs and morals; my ideals, my faith and my family will always be my motivators.  I guess my point is that you have to work bloomin’ hard to put the wheels in motion and get the help you need, financial or otherwise.