Autumn Equinox Anarchist Talk and Apple Pressing at Bramley Organic Farm in East Sussex with an Olympus Evolt E1

1. In September last year I was invited to join my friend Paul Cudenec for an Autumn Equiniox talk he was giving at Bramley Organic Farm in Sussex.

I of course had my Olympus Evolt E-1 the Zuiko 14-54 f2.8 – 3.5 and the Zuiko 50mm f2 Macro to keep me company and to see if I could document the day in colour, providing something as to the vibe and the events, the people and the enjoyment. I shot almost exclusively at ISO 100 and edited afterwards in LR5. I was quite pleased with the results and what you see here are almost all of the photos I shot. I used the 14-54 which I’ve since sold and replaced with the heavier yet superior 12-60 f2.8 – f4.

Paul Cudenec is a writer, a mystic and recognized for his development of an alternative political philosophy called organic radicalism, which challenges traditional political categories and assumptions

Author of books such as The Withway and The Anarchist Revelation, like me he is Anarchist but now distanced from the English Anarchist movement which has more or less merged with modern Leftist Marxist thinking and to all intents and purposes is indistinguishable from The orthodox establishment.

I used to think anarchists were Antifa types in black with bandanas who’d spray graffiti under railway arches and vandalised cars!

He has been a very positive influence on me since I discovered that I was not alone in the way I’ve always thought. I found myself neither Left nor Right and viewing all cliques with suspicion and disagreeing with much of what both sides of the dialectic espoused. I have been more or less truly anarchist all of my adult life – I haven’t voted since the General Election of 1992 as a young naive 18 year old, but never again for any war monger on any side and of any sort.

People are not intolerant by their nature, but put the serfs into groups and they’ll be at each others throats.
I won’t go deeper into my opinions about politics but I imagine you get gist!

Some links if interested in learning more.

Books by Paul Cudenec on Amazon
Winter Oak Press
The Acorn
Organic Radicals 

So it was a pleasant surprise to receive his call, as he lives in France he seldom gets to visit and we (me and my small family) couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

We drove 72 miles to the Sussex Countryside from the East Coast of East Anglia and arrived in the evening, the drive was very very nice, the English countryside is a beautiful thing to behold and to experience and this part of Sussex is especially tranquil. The farm is near the village of Bodiam, about half way between Royal Tumbridge Wells and Hastings near the South Coast.

The owner of Bramley Organic farm is a guy called Martin who recently acquired it, he is currently turning it into something quite special, as it has acres and acres of Apple orchards and living quarters (where he has Students living and working the farm) along with many other trees so Apple Juice, cider and Oak leaf Wine are made there. It’s a beautiful idyllic place where he has sheep roaming and a peaceful silence filled with the sound of the wind in the trees, birdsong and the occasional bark of a fox. What a lovely place.

That evening we sat under the stars and drank Oak Leaf Wine until I completely smashed joined my already sound asleep wife and son in our family sized tent.

We woke bright and early to bird song and joined the rest of the guys for breakfast (and no hangover!). Then we got ready for the day Apple picking and pressing them into what has to be the most delicious Apple Juice I’ve ever tasted.

It was great, loading up the pickup with crates, then traipsing down to the orchards where everyone joined in cleaning away rotten ones and collecting ones now harvested from the trees (and eating ones fill). Everyone enjoyed themselves, kids loved it and as did the dog and farm cat!

We then made our way back to the Farm to get them all pressed and ready. Needless to say I was busy pretending to take photographs so luckily missed out on all the hard work! hehe!!

Then we all sat and enjoyed “The Withway” talk which Paul gave under a pavilion.

This was followed by a BBQ, food and more food, drink and music by the fire as we watched the Autumn Equinox sun set over the sleepy countryside.

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