Tuesday 9 March 2010

After the hike....

Well I've been back some time now...apologies for the rather late update - but there's just nothing quite as exciting to write about now I'm home!

Before leaving for the jogle I was interested in whether or not the hike would change me at all. Don't get me wrong - I wasn't looking to "find myself" or anything dramatic like that, but I was interested in what I would learn about myself and how it may change me. Well the answer has been a while coming.....

As soon as I got home I yearned to get "back to basics" more...after the best part of 3 months in a tent or tarp and being closer to nature I didn't want to get lost in our modern world again. I found myself cooking outside on the barbeque as much as possible, and I put up my tarp to hang some washing under rather use the tumble dryer when it rained (which happens a lot here in Wales). I thought in time I would soon convert back to modern day living but in fact quite the opposite has happened. The more time goes on the more I want to get back to nature. By winter time I peruaded John that it would be a good idea to get rid of the central heating and install a wood stove instead...ok, it's been a bit nippy some mornings, but overall we love it.

The draw to live closer to nature and independent from the big power companies has now got to the point where we are planning to eventually retire to an "Off Grid" house. I hate the way we are dictated to by the government - how we should live our lives, what we can do, what we can't do, how we get taxed like crazy....how the big energy companies are often greedy and overcharge us knowing that we are totally reliant on them....well not for much longer! There are some things we can't avoid (taxes etc) but what we can change, we will.

I've been looking into rainwater harvesting, solar panels, wind tubines, mini hydro turbines...even composting toilets! Poor John!

Who would have thought.....!

5 comments:

Alan Sloman said...

Welcome Back Sophie.

That's fascinating. This heating thing - I found the house amazingly hot when I got back home and rarely had the heating on, but sadly have reverted back to a centrally heated animal - albeit one who has everything turned on very low! My heating bills have almost halved.

I find myself yearning for a simpler life, but I am still caught by the need to bolster income to provide a pension for later.

Good luck with your plans - I hope you come back to let us know how you get on with them.

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Sophie Easterbrook said...

Hi Alan, good to hear from you.

I'm with you with the bolstering income to provide a pension - we are still having to work hard at that!

I still have high hopes for winning the lottery though...

John J said...

I've had a woodburning stove for 3-4 years now and I wouldn't be without it. Not only does it provide a lovely warmth - the programmes on it are MUCH better than the telly....you need to have a woodburner before that comment makes sense!

Try and locate the book 'The Autonomous House' - very interesting indeed.

If you've not already found it, visit http://www.thegreenlivingforum.net/forum/ , the wood energy section should be compulsory reading.

I hope you'll keep letting us know how your green-living is coming along!

Cheers,

John

Sophie Easterbrook said...

Hi John, sorry for the late reply!

That's an interesting forum - loads of good stuff.

Yep, the woodburner is better than telly...except I haven't had it on for the last 24 hrs so it's a bit of a boring black box with a pane of glass that needs cleaning...!

Look after that knee.
Sophie