Free Friday

5 comments
 
   Now that the economy is not to be trusted and 'recession' is wispered out loud
   (or should I say, screamed out loud?), 'free' becomes a hot topic. More and more
   people cut their budget (by need or believe) and search for less pricy or even
   free ways. AKA: make, do or trade yourself!

   You might know that this has been a hobby of mine for quite some time and,
   I'm not alone. For instance, gardening: the veggie garden is growing in
   popularity (pointed out well by the 6 year waiting list for a cummunal plot in my
   neighbourhood!). I know not everyone has a garden, but... neither did I. And
   yes, you read it correctly, 'did', cause from of today I am the proud sharer of a
   small plot two steps out of my door.

   How did this happen? I live in a small apartment building with one, only one,
   garden. Ironically this garden is owned by a woman who's disabled and can't
   take care of a garden, which means it looks like a little jungle. I've been glazing
   at it the last few months with garden dreams in my head but no courage to ask.
   Untill my other neighbour told me she'd love a garden. We decided to join forces
   and asked the owner if she would like us to take care of it in exchange of a small
   part to design a veggie garden. And she said YES (I saw some relieve in her eyes)!
   (I'd like to add here that gardening and growing your own food means freedom
   to me.)

   Now, I'd like to encourage you to seek for simular trades for things you need.
   For example, one of my illustrator friends made a painting for his bookkeeper in
   exchange for a few months of 'free' bookkeeping. Seek for equal trades, so both
   you and the other party are getting something out of it.

   Also, about gardening, there might be little plots in your neighbourhood that are
   empty and waiting for you to grow some grub. Look around, it can be as easy as
   an area around a tree or a little triangle on the corner of your street.

   Free Friday is a weekly returning posttopic about everything free (free in every way: literal, 
    philosophical, physical and so on).


   

5 comments:

  1. Wat mooi om op die manier een tuin te delen! Bijzonder verhaal, zag/zie het voor me. Ook het contact, los van leeftijd, wat je zo met elkaar legt is mooi.

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  2. Kim, het idee is mooi, het verhaal is prachtig, maar wat ik helemaal geweldig vind is de illustratie! (Of klink ik nu heel oppervlakkig?) Ik hou zo van de combi foto en tekening...

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  3. This is such a brilliant win-win-win situation. My sister in England has a similar arrangement with her neighbour who doesn't use his garden, she grows vegetables next door and shares them with the neighbour.

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  4. 6 year waiting list, thats a long time. but so great you have the land to plant now. i can totally imagine the satisfaction of harvesting and eating your own produce. id like one myself but with all the moving around we do, farmers market works fine too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wauw, van die mooie kleine initiatiefjes, super!

    ReplyDelete

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