Page 25 - C.A.L.L. #28 - Spring 2007
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Niederkaufungen, Germany - Dec 2006
At present, I am busy milking cows and came from Italy, which gave me a chance to
making cheese, feeding and mucking out. (I keep practicing my Italian. Plus one guy came
try to think of the muck as a valuable natural from Sweden (actually from Albania on his
product that is essential for soil fertility, but, way back to Sweden) and a month ago I was
in the end, when you fall over in it, it is still host to Yolanda, from Amsterdam, who is
sh……!) At the moment, my colleague, writing her degree about communities. In
Volker, and I are alone with the farm work, addition, I try to keep up email contact with a
which is a bit stressful. So not much time and few other people “overseas”. I think it is both
energy is available for other things. interesting and important to meet people
who are either from other projects or who
On my return from holiday to the commune are interested in starting something new. I
last January, it was clear that our colleague, enjoy giving guest guided tours of the
Marion, would go off on a sabbatical starting commune (in German, English or Italian) and
in the spring. Someone had the idea to ask a have also given a couple of “talks” with a
friend of ours, Carla, if she would come and slide show outside the commune. This sort of
help us for six months, milking and making publicity/educational work is something that
cheese. She agreed, so we had her support for I want to do more of in 2007.
much of the summer and the start of autumn.
During that time I learnt a After over 8 years, I feel quite
couple more cheese recipes, settled here. It was no problem
and began to take over much for me to invest the money I
of the cheese making. My first got from the sale of the house
attempts were not so good, but in Rugby in the commune. This
in the meantime I am quite is being used to buy an old
satisfied with the results. farmhouse directly next to the
However, Marion has not yet complex of commune buildings,
decided if she will return to the so that we can expand. We
commune (she has up to next have been stable at just under
November to decide) and 60 adults for a number of years,
Volker and I have been partly because there was not
unsuccessful in finding people enough space to fit many more
interested in joining the commune and doing people in. (Although, in the last few weeks,
farm work. Within the commune itself there my living group has shrunk, as two men are
is also no one who wants to join us, and little away on sabbaticals, and one guy has just
chance of getting much help. Some other started a new living group).Occasionally, I
commune enterprises, such as the market- think that it might be nice to go back to Italy,
gardening collective and the carpentry and but 99% of the time I feel that here is the
joinery are also under-staffed, and most right place for me. From visiting a few other
people have more than enough of their own intentional communities, I find that it is the
work to do. Initially, we will try to get by project closest to putting my ideals into
through reducing the number of cows and practice.
the quantity of cheese made.
Of course, there are always problems where
In July I went with a group of communards to lots of people live and work together. There
do our coffee and cake stand at the Burg are a few people who are on different
Herzberg festival. This was great fun, with wavelengths and I wonder why they are here.
wonderful weather and some good music. It On the other hand, since the summer my
is a hippy festival, with quite a lot of bands contact with one or two “problem” people
from the sixties and seventies. It is good to here has improved.
see some of these bands, but some others Love,
should give up and go into retirement.
Frank Richardson - Schäfer
ausmister.frank@web.de
During the year, I hosted quite a number of
visitors to the commune. A couple of people
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