Village Life in the city

What a lovely day!

This morning I visited the Young Mum's group that I will be teaching antenatal classes to from August. I'm really looking forward to being able to offer this group of parents to be some antenatal education and answer some of the questions that they may not have anyone to normally ask. It's not much, an hour a week or maybe two, but it's something.

The whole set up is pretty fantastic (although, as usual, it's under threat of being cut). It's attached to a secondary school and the girls are bused in from various parts of the City and suburbs to attend. There's a creche and many of the girls go on to achieve their Highers even after having had their babies.
It's a scheme that positively realises that these women can and want to be good parents and achieve for the benefits of their children and therefore provide the facilities in order for them to do that. I am there in order for them to have access to antenatal education preventing them from either attending classes designed for couples and generally attended by much older women, or foregoing any form of knowledge or information at all.

Of course, it is being threatened with closure as the secondary school it's attached to is dropping in numbers due to parental choice -the choice being - not that school!

Then I went for lunch with a friend of mine. She lives in this gorgeous rambling old manor type house - with its own folly in the garden - yup - a garden shed with ramparts!!
Anyway, she offered to show me her chicken and bee set up so that I'd be able to take notes for when we move.
What she didn't tell me, was that she owns over an acre of land, much of which is turned over to a small farm! The rest of their acreage was sold off many years ago and is now owned partly by the NT and partly by the community who have some fantastic land on which they are also growing veg, keeping chickens and bees.

It's amazing to think that this location, complete with marquee and barbecue (brick built), beautiful wooden benches (carved by one member of the village), cleverly engineered heaters (designed and built by another village member), constant supply of veg and eggs (with honesty box) is literally in the shadow of Arthur's seat and a 25 minute walk out of the city centre! A small pocket of tranquility and community spirit within the hustle and bustle of 21st century living!

Come away with a green hue? Much!