THE EARTH LIVES AGAIN - A STORY OF TIM THE GARDENER - SAMUEL LEWIS

“In fact, we don’t need anything; everything we need is provided to us by the earth. And if we cultivate it properly, then we can live in a beautiful environment, a beautiful house, a beautiful garden, with good food.”

Discover here 4 poetic and instructive books, drawn by Samuel Lewis, the stories of Tim the Gardener. These books, entirely hand-drawn with great economy of words, are fully self-published and printed in Brittany. In essence, they retrace Samuel’s life, his daily work to live in total self-sufficiency, because he needs nothing; everything is provided to him by the earth. His goal is not to live as a recluse, on the fringes of society. His goal is to live free, in perfect harmony, and to be able to share his knowledge and experiences:

A YEAR WITH THE EARTH: Samuel’s first book, written during the lockdown. It retraces, month by month, life and work in his garden and home.

BRINGING THE EARTH BACK TO LIFE: “It’s a bit like my Star Wars; my 2nd is actually my 1st, the ORIGIN OF EVERYTHING.” This book covers the entire process of setting up and installing everything needed to make his land a living earth, and to live there in harmony.

THE EARTH LIVES AGAIN: The result of land that has come back to life, with topics covered such as fruit trees, grain cultivation and how to bake your own bread, buckwheat, beans and potatoes, how to build a hut, etc.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN: A more specific work on creating a vegetable garden, growing vegetables, the role of earthen banks, natural “amendments,” competitors, tools, etc.

“WELCOME TO MY MICRO-BOCAGE. TO MY LAND, AND TO ALL THOSE WHO WORKED IT BEFORE ME”

The Lewis family settled in France more than 30 years ago. The parents chose this place in Brittany, not for the house, which was in ruins, but for the quality of the soil.

The children do not go to school; they learn in the morning, and in the afternoon they play or help in the garden. It is in this freedom, connected to nature, that Samuel was shaped.

Samuel is rich, and free. He has everything necessary to live. He only works his land with manual tools, rediscovering the knowledge and techniques of the ancients. In addition to the earth, which provides all his food, he makes his own bread, builds his furniture, weaves his baskets, carves his wooden tableware; his sister spins flax and wool, weaves and knits.

The 3 hectares of land have been divided into 35 small fields, all separated by earthen banks, to recreate a micro-bocage, in which he grows vegetables, fruit trees, and cereals: “When the plots are too big, it’s discouraging... Because we do everything by hand, with a hoe (a lot), a hand cultivator, a scythe, and a flail.”

“I don’t draw for pleasure; I draw to convey a message.”

In his books, he wants to speak to people. He shares his techniques, his history, his daily life, and his discoveries with a great deal of poetry. Through Tim, his character (in reality, Tim is Samuel), he retraces all the tasks and events that take place on his land throughout the seasons, his successes and his setbacks.

Samuel is the dreamer of a world he has built; he sees all the limitations of modern society and protects himself from them to remain free and autonomous, and he wants to share all of this. He loves people, he loves to communicate; he publishes his drawings on Insta, writes a newsletter every month, offers free training, organizes open houses, garage sales, puts on concerts, etc.

“Ideally, I would like this place to become a living space. For the moment, there aren’t many humans... but there are a lot of insects.” - “Life calls to life; to bring humans back, we must start by bringing other species back to life; it goes together. I work on it every day.”

Samuel sells nothing of what he produces. He lives in autonomy thanks to his land; his only income comes from the sale of books and the monthly publication he writes with his father and sister Bethan, the "Central Brittany Journal," intended for the British community in his region with a print run of 2,500 copies. He refuses social welfare benefits.

“If you liked this little book, I invite you to come and see my micro-bocage. It’s so much more beautiful than the drawings!”