Filming

Of course I’m going to see Akenfield in the village hall. Friends come first. Portrait of an English village. Peter Hall made the film in 1974. I still haven’t read the book. Collection of stories from the people in a village probably based on Charlsfield about an old way of farming. And a mardle.

I’ve interviewed the farmer’s wife. John Pole at Friston has lost his whole farm to National Grid. I drove along there yesterday with beautiful corn flowing as far as the eye can see along a winding road, a popular cut-through for locals, taxi drivers and Christmas tree shoppers. Ugly humming dangerous wiry sculptures will replace arable fertile land. Another farmer whose land was compulsorily purchased bought more at Westleton thinking he would be safe and it has now been compulsorily purchased by Sizewell C for them to recreate a Nature Reserve after the destruction of the Wetlands Site of Special Scientific Interest. There’s a sort of sick irony to everything SZC does.

We import 40% of our food at the moment. How much will this go up and where will the food come from? Ireland? – they grow potatoes, onions, cabbage, rape. Not sure about raspberries, strawberries, asparagus. GROW YOUR OWN! says the dog-walking, bird-watching ex-Nurse who used to volunteer at Snape.