I went to a Roman/Gaulish spectacle just over a week ago, here in central France. There was a tempoary post-office where I was able to some souvenirs of the event, but also a 10 euro legal tender silver coin for 10 euros. The spectacle wasn’t all that spectacular, but there was a recreation of a Gaulish dwelling, known as a black house. It was built of wattle & daub with spaces at the top of the walls to let the smoke out from the small wood fire burning in a hole in the floor. It was quite a cool windy summer day, and it was really nice to enter the house, really cosy, and no the smoke didn’t sting my eyes, it just smelt pleasant. They also had jacob sheep, alpine goats and a highland cow. So it seems Britain is still considered a good source for ancient breeds. But does England have good housing?

I’m not suggesting that the old Scottish style black-house should be brought back, but there aren’t all that many houses in England where you can light a wood fire, and keep a couple of hens. I shall be coming back many times to what I feel is more important than being rich, and it’s the right to be poor. It should be the right of the poor to gather fallen wood and burn it to keep warm if they can’t afford central heating fuel, and to keep small livestock if they can’t afford eggs milk or meat, and not the right of the rich.