40 years ago a group of women marched from Wales to Greenham Common in Berkshire to protest against the siting of 96 American made cruise missiles on land loaned to the Americans during WW II. Each nuclear missile would have four times the destructive power of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. A women’s peace camp was established around the perimeter of the RAF base on Greenham common and became a focus for anti nuclear protests and actions. It was also a potent symbol of what women could achieve on their own and in their own way in peaceful non violent cooperation with each other and without men taking charge. The women were outside the fence and the “boys with the toys” were inside on the base.

After I had my son in 1980 I was increasingly worried about the proliferation of world destroying nuclear weapons and I became involved with a CND (Campaign for nuclear disarmament) group in Devon. When we moved back to London I was inspired by the women at Greenham and joined the “Embrace The Base” action in December 1982. I was a month away from giving birth to our daughter and it was an uncomfortable coach journey but the atmosphere of solidarity and purpose was inspiring. Many of us took banners and photographs of our children to tie onto the wire fence. It was a demonstration like no other and as such commanded a great deal of media attention.

Later, with two young children, I became part of a “Greenham support group” very occasionally visiting the women’s camp overnight to keep watch at red gate (all the gates into and out of the base were given colour of the rainbow names) whilst the permanent campers slept. The presence of “the watch” was to alert and mobilise the women at Greenham and beyond to any potential movement of the cruise missives, day or night. This was a time before mobile phones and social media. The military had boots on the ground and the women placed their benders and tents in the mud of the common around the base

My lovely parents would look after our little ones to enable me to go on night watch. I only did this a few times but it was a special experience speaking to soldiers through the fence, questioning them about war and weapons whilst standing in the moonlight with the sound of owls penetrated the near silence of the common.

Back in London our women’s peace group was active on the street with regular protests that were designed to get coverage in the local papers and to engage with passers by

In 1991 Cruise missiles were removed from Greenham common and Newbury council petitioned to have the land returned for common use. It was opened to the public as a nature reserve in 2000.

I still love the chant “Take the toys from the boys” and I think of it daily as I watch the Taliban parading their guns through the streets of Kabul as if they were toys. in my head I spit back at them “take the toys from the boys” and I pray for the women subjected to their power games with such powerful toys. Take the toys away and they would not have the power. “Take the toys from the boys!!!!!!”

and then I went to put the Silkies to bed and to check the food and water of the two Silkie hens that seem to have been sitting on eggs for weeks – and I heard a faint “cheep”. One little chick

And then I saw a second chick. There might be more by morning. Good girls!

It’s gratifying to feed a hungry lamb

There are so many windfall Bramleys that I look for easy apple cake recipes. I make a standard apple cake but fancied trying a different one today

As my dear friend Clint reminded me yesterday, after a tooth extraction it’s important to rinse the mouth with salt water. The dentist also gave me these instructions. As I made up the solution this morning I thought of my late grandma Katy. She gargled with salt water every morning and was never ill and rarely ever caught a cold. She died just before her 94th birthday after just one month of sickness.

Born in Odessa she arrived in this country as a babe in arms. The journey on a ship alongside other poor immigrants would have been uncomfortable and frightening. As I watch those fleeing Afghanistan I think of grandma’s family fleeing life threatening pogroms and poverty and travelling to an unknown future in a strange land, leaving so many relatives behind that they would never see or speak to again.

Grandmas family crowded into a two up two down tenement in the East End of London. Katy went to school but left as soon as she could to earn money hand rolling cigarettes in a factory. All the children had to contribute to the family finances as early as possible. During the First World War grandma met a young New Zealand lad at a dance. He was en route to fighting in France. These are two cards that he sent grandma.

I don’t know if grandma would have married him and gone across the water again to another new, strange land to live on a sheep farm. She wasn’t a great animal lover so the thought of grandma being a farmer’s wife seemed a bit far fetched. As it was she married Sam and they stayed together through a difficult marriage which produced a precious only child, father of my brother and me.

Kate adored her two grandchildren and then had the bonus of two great grandchildren

Grandma outlived Sam and she was often a visitor to our East Finchley home in London for Friday night dinner. She would surreptitiously feed bread and crisps to our dog, Peggy, under the table all the while professing not to like animals!

It’s strange that rinsing my mouth with salt water brought back so many memories of grandma. I would sit at her feet and beg her to tell me “about the old days”. Then when my grandson started asking me to “tell me about when you were young” I realised that we all want to know about the past to understand the present. My brother remembers that she always told us to “look after your eyes”. Sensible advice. My mother always quoted grandma as saying “if everyone put their dirty linen into a big pile then they would take out their own dirty clothes”. So true. We deal with what we are given. She didn’t have much, she didn’t ask for much and she loved us unreservedly and I think I might take up gargling with salt water every day even when my mouth has healed!

J spent an hour or so this afternoon picking plums, greengages, pears, apples, runner beans and tromboncinos. They are going to the local farm shop tomorrow

Di was here this morning. She bottle fed “Surprise” as mother Pinky stood guard

Lucy and Lola slept in the same house as the four other ducks. No blood was shed and all seems well. It’s a bit “us” and “them” but all seems well

When I was at primary school my parents gave me sixpence a day for sweets. I could buy four chews for a penny, any number of gobstoppers and aniseed balls, licorice sticks, sherbet dib dabs, flying saucers and so much more. We also had a sweet tin at home and numerous treats from doting grandparents. I only really stopped eating sweets during the first major covid lockdown. I was frightened because the legacy of my childhood and adult love affair with sweets (I swoon over sour sticks and sour jellies) is regular and very expensive and extensive dental treatment. During lockdown dentists shut up shop. I was terrified.

After a really lovely visit with mum this morning I arrived home in time to feed the lamb and then drive to the dentist in St Neots for an emergency extraction. Ouch. He told to go home and put my feet up until the bleeding subsides. Bed seems like the best option and J will feed the lamb later and put all the other animals to bed.

Some time ago our friends in Bedford offered to use their new incubator to hatch some Call Duck eggs for us. We sent away for a batch of fertile eggs but only one hatched, Lola. They also put a goose egg under one of their broody hens. As the gosling began to hatch their hen took fright and pecked at the beak of the emerging bird. The result was a deformed bird who was, none the less able to feed and grow. The family named her Lucy. The gosling and the duckling grew up together and became inseparable and very tame.

Yesterday our friends brought Lola to The Gables. Call Ducks (as their name implies) are very noisy little ducks and as the family live in town they didn’t want to annoy their neighbours. I had offered to take Lucy too but the family thought she might manage without the duck. She did for about three hours! Then they brought her over late yesterday afternoon and the pair were reunited

Our four existing Call ducks are not quite sure what to make of this strange pair. Luckily there are two houses in the duck run. One for the existing flock and one for Lucy and Lola.

The lamb drank all her milk today

And J gave Pinky and the others some concentrates before nightfall. Everyone is happy