March Again, Who Would Have Thought!

The months just keep on hurtling by.

Today is the first of March and coincidentally also the start of lent. Well, at least in our neck of the woods a few villagers will engage in some form of denial. The usual suspects of no alcohol, no sugar and no fun will win the day. And I mean the day, because seeing through the six weeks until Easter is not as easy as imagined.

Bob and I, at least I hope he'll join me in my new idea, will try to buy some groceries which are made and produced locally or regionally. It might not be so easy as cheap alternatives are firmly entrenched in supermarkets across the area. Why buy garlic from China when there are farmers growing it in Steiermark?

The last few weeks we've made sure to only buy milk that ensures a fair living wage for the dairy farmer and apart from feeling good to do such a small change, the milk tastes much better too.

We have been doing the same for potatoes, which can be awfully cheap but does one know how they were grown in regards to pesticides etc? Again, we've bought potatoes grown less chemically in Steiermark which of course were more expensive but they tasted out of this world. How often does a cold, left over boiled potato taste like ambrosia?

Most of us are so thrilled at garnering bargains that we don't give thought to how it might affect the average local farmer. Oh, but we are great at bemoaning the lack of local jobs available...

The last few days have blessed us with warm weather, sunshine and blue skies. A feeling of Spring euphoria permeated the village although we should have know better when a strong wind arrived yesterday and somehow blew the warm weather away...today it is rainy, overcast and grey. Never mind, at least the big freeze has gone for now.

As for the real reason of lent, at least I tend to think it is, we should try and do the right thing even when nobody is looking. To be the better person, to take the high road and to know at the end of each day that we've done our best.

Biggi