To just say let's go - fuck it !

[stillvicarinatutu]

My fantasy - and I can't actually see why we couldn't do this .....

Group of us me be somewhere remote . Farm our own veg , keep hens and cows - eat our own eggs and milk , live a good life without killing anything, build yurts , teach our kids the really important things in life - nature , kindness, spelling and basic maths and science , share with our friends and neighbours and embrace our kids with differences as well as our nt kids - basically start a bloody hippy commune where we do t have to worry about our kids being bullied or our gas bills .

Anyone with me ? I'd go tomorrow. Had enough of politics and idiots . I just want to live a good life , love my animals , nurture my friends and cook and share.
Fancy the highlands of Scotland or somewhere equally off grid . We could club together. Fuck off . Forget liz fucking truss and that whole shit show and just live . Love our dogs and our cats and our cows and our hens , look after each other , raise kids as a village , live a bloody amazing life.

Sign up . I'd seriously do this if we had enough interest, people , and yurts !

crystalwaters.org.au/

They have quite a few here in Australia. Climate is ideal for this sort of thing on the east coast. I see the appeal...but wouldn't do it in a cold climate.

I'd just like to point out that Yurts actually come form countires where it is seriously cold all winter (and winter is usually a good 5-6 months long)
So in Mongolia, people live in yurts (gers in Mongolian) all year round, midday temp in winter -20 or below.
InKazakhstan they only live in yurts in the summer. In the winter they live in small villages. Again, midday winter temp -20 or below.

I grow my own veg and keep chickens.
I got precisely 10 tomatoes and 2 cabbages this year. No beans, pumpkins, courgettes or beetroot. (probably not enough water)
I did get a handful of apples and strawberries.
and a crop of leeks.
All together probably enough for 2 meals for a family of 5. We are not going to last the winter in your commune if I am doing the gardening.

And chickens ..... let's just say I spend a lot more on food than I would on Sainsburys eggs.

But I love the idea of travelling round in a van for a year or two.
Not sure if my dog would fit.
Yurt/van/tent etc the only issue is - where's the loo?

No thanks. I love modern life.

I'm in! I'll bring the family and elderly parents too

I joke all the time about just taking my dog and fucking off-grid. Sometimes it sounds heavenly. But I'm sure in reality I'd hate it after 24 hours!

I'm going camping for 2 days next week with the kids and some friends...will let you know after that

We have a similar plan. Mainly getting animals and growing as much food as we can. Not quite off grid but more self sufficient

Ah well it's a nice fantasy.

I think I'll look at some of the links

I think it's more likely I'll just buy a camper van and travel . My little dog will still be around when I retire. I don't want to pay rent . I live alone . I'm happy being a hermit . I might just go find a cave

Turkish villages are very much about living in this simple natural way but even they arnt completely off grid. They still have electricity although it can go off for hours at a time! Many villages have mountain spring water which is free or Artesian Wells. The water tastes so clean and fresh. The climate lends itself to growing fruit and veg but you still need a decent sized plot. My inlaws have a walnut tree in their garden and think its normal. There is alot of sharing and swapping of home grown produce which is lovely. When I'm there I seem to sleep so well. I think its the clean mountain air.
Life for the villagers seems to revolve around the production and preserving of food. Gluts of produce is preserved for the winter and it seems to keep everyone busy. I think its a lovely lifestyle and I hope to do it soon but I dont want too much hardwork so I will do the bits I enjoy and outsource the bits I dont.

keep hens and cows... but not kill anything

What happens when you have to cull them; which you will eventually>

Shetland has found itself cut off today. Not for me thanks.

But I do some days cut back on social media. It can all get a bit much.

Look folks - I'd had a drink , and was musing about what my fantasy life would be . A natural , sustainable simpler way of living appeals and yet at 50 I'm probably not going to go join a kibbutz, the Amish or a cult .
I gonna blow my pension in a camper van for one, with a toilet and a portable heater , sell everything I own and bugger
Off with my dog . Maybe round the world . Maybe not . Yes I'd like to start a commune with fluffy bunnies and spin yarn and knit - except I can't do any of those things - it was just a bit of fun . I do t want to kill calves , I've got a dodgy knee.

Sure it's not Lord of The Flies?

I'm with you.

Well I have the chickens I can bring and am veggie can I come ?

I want to go To wales though

I grow 80-90% of my own veg (I dont eat meat) and have hens for our own eggs

Its hard work, every single weekend for 9 months of the year. Sowing, weeding weeding weeding, harvesting, preserving, weeding, weeding, weeding

We both work full time because buying a house with land was expensive etc

I love, it I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I have also seen people try this and fail at it and 99% of the time its because they had a dream of sitting in their garden sipping their handmade cider, and they dont realise the sheer amount of hard work it takes to get there.

I also knit most of our knitwear, spin my own wool from my neighbours sheep and dye it myself from plants from the garden or local area. I also trade my knitting for homemade tools, jam and wine. We used hand carved spoons, in hand turned wooden bowls and have a life that would seem very simple and back to basics and it is bloody lovely.

But don't underestimate the work.

In terms of the van idea though I do have a suggestion. Most of the farmers and small holders I know struggle to get people to look after their animals whilst they are away, and they cant afford to pay much. But if you got yourself some big animal experience what you would probably find is a load of people who will let you park up on their land for a few weeks at a time, with some water and electricity thrown in in return for helping out/looking after their animals.

TBH I seriously consider letting people stay on our drive on a van in return for a few hours gardening a week. So that way you get the good life without paying much for it

@Greennetting with zero ‘snide’ as this all sounds lovely and satisfying, can I ask why when it comes to spoons and bowls? Why not normal cutlery and crockery?

Because we can make them ourselves and we don't make ceramics (yet)

Its more because a lot of people talk about self sufficient and forget it doesn't have to just be food. So its possible to be self sufficient in hand knit socks, or wooden bowls if growing your food doesn't take your fancy, it can be anything you like (or in our case try to do everything)

We have posh plates for best, but there is something very satisfying about eating a homegrown soup out of a bowl you turned yourself, with a spoon you carved yourself

<nods>. Fair enough. I get it (apart from wooden cutlery. That’s from the Devils canteen! Me teeth!)

I wish you all well but I will give it the swerve. All those free-range darling children in hand knitted woollens expressing their creativity and embracing nature whilst their parents crochet yoghurt....no thanks. Plus, I like easy access to John Lewis and nice restaurants.

Have fun, with those feral children though!

I saw this in the other thread and been thinking about it since! Sounds lovely.

@MeanderingGently

that sounds fascinating.

in what way did covid put a stop to it?

I was just about to suggest Findhorn. Beautiful, peaceful place. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

That is a marvellous idea ! No animal scares me, I've had experience around horses , I'm not afraid of hard work and I do t want to pay rent for the rest of my life ! Winner winner chicken dinner (or chicken substitute that's meat free actually for me ta !).
Seriously Aldi no chicken chicken burgers are far far nicer than chicken burgers! )

Sounds amazing!! I would have a similar dream life!

Do it, get yourself on some permaculture, smallholding and alternative living groups on facebook

Places like Henbant permaculture in north wales are often looking for workers as well

Also if you want some inspiration on living in a camper van in scotland and making a living from weaving and carving follow thiscabinvan on instagram, it will totally make you want to buy a camper van tomorrow and move to scotland