Why is Earth my home?Why is the night dark?Why is the moon a whitenessthat swells up, then shrinks?Why does one star joins with another as in a drawing?And why the rosehipis from the rose and from the sea?

I live to askTo know cannot be a luxury I live to askTo know cannot be a luxury

Escaramujo in Spanish means rosehip but is also the Cuban name of a small crustacean.

Porqué la tierra es mi casa? Porqué la noche es oscura? Porqué la luna es blancura que engorda como adelgaza? Porque una estrella se enlaza con otra como un dibujo? Y porqué el escaramujo es de la rosa y del mar?

Yo vivo de preguntarSaber no puede ser lujoYo vivo de preguntarSaber no puede ser lujo

Silvio Rodriguez

On Saturday 14 May 2011, Rosalie, Ana Laura, Jonathan, Geoff and Djelikani walked around Tulse Hill Estate. On our way we met the gardeners at Tendring House Community Garden, Alvin at Tulse Hill Adventure Playground and two girls building a bug house. We wrote down questions as they were asked, and took pictures. We finished with a picnic at Our Garden (the community garden behind Purser House). Tom, Paula, Linda and Helen joined the picnic, and we made friends with two volunteers from the Hyde Farm Community Garden in Balham, who stopped by to look at Our Garden.

The book in your hands was made for the open day at Our Garden. It would be nice if you had a go at answering the questions.

The walk-picnic-book is the work of artists and local residents Ana Laura López de la Torre and Rosalie Schweiker. It is connected to the Open Engagement Conference in Portland, Oregon.

If you want to get involved in Our Garden please drop a note with your contact details to:

Diane, Flat 22, Purser House, Tulse Hill Estate