Selfsufficientish.com

Sounds like you've turned a corner and now a better life is beginning for you. Good luck and keep thinking in the '-ish' mentality.

we only have a little garden on a council estate and it all started with the 3 hens. we gave some eggs to next door she gave us strawberrys, jam and an occasional cake. Eggs to another neighbour led to tomatoes and marrows which i turned into pickle and gave him some back which led to more veg and good neighbours. Thank HFW for the hens you dont need alot to get started.

Mrs H wrote: I've had some down days

Oh believe me, I've had some of those. Loads of them when I am working , very few when I'm not.

Just do what I do and pop along here if you're feeling down. Someone'll keep you company and cheer you up.

Sounds like you're working really hard. Keep up the good work.

Zoe

I must just say that this is such an inspiring thread. I am sure more and more ppl will become redundant in the next few yrs (I'm included in that as I currently work for a PCT), however its all about attitude and the 'can do' approach both of which I'm using at the moment in preparation of any job loss. The other key in this seems to be skills, of which I'm lacking other than general garden work so that's where I'm heading next.

Big good luck to Mrs H!

Sophie_Chillie wrote:I must just say that this is such an inspiring thread. I am sure more and more ppl will become redundant in the next few yrs (I'm included in that as I currently work for a PCT), however its all about attitude and the 'can do' approach both of which I'm using at the moment in preparation of any job loss. The other key in this seems to be skills, of which I'm lacking other than general garden work so that's where I'm heading next.

Big good luck to Mrs H!

Thanks so much for ur comment and I really hope ur job stays safe. Its scarey times and the numbers of unemployed over here r rising by the day but I hav to say I am loving the challenge and the kids r certainly benefiting from it. You can build ur skills while u go. Good luck with everything. Xx

How are you surviving in the snow?
Yvette

yvette wrote:How are you surviving in the snow?
Yvette

What snow?!?! We havnt got any over here! Its bitterly cold and very icy but no snow! X

I am in London, large parts of which have ground to a halt as usual. Glad you are not snowed in at any rate! But the cold can be a bit of a challenge, I am finding - I turn the heating down....and my husband and son turn it up again!!
Yvette

Hi Mrs H,
Well you are well on your way to becoming liberated! I work full time now(its ok but I'm not going to do it permanantly until I retire,good god I have a life as well!!!!)I have to say many moons ago when my kids were little,I only worked 10 hrs per week,and what a wonderful life I had!!!!I used to bake alot,make all the meals from scratch(still do)grow all my own food(I still do that but not grow all of it),and if I had a glut would barter with the neighbours or swap produce.I used to buy my clothes from the Op Shop,and loads of other things.Somewhere down the line this all went haywire,just got caught up again in the fast lane,and I want to head down the slip road! You need to perservere,stay focused and if something fails,try again!This is a great website to chat to folk,and get ideas,so please keep us up to date,and good luck for the future!xx

How about giving up meat and going veggie?
Meat is horrendously expensive and even if you grow your own, animals have to be fed and they have to be slaughtered which costs, too.
And you'll be helping global warming by not having animals producing all that methane!!!
Think of all the veg and fruit you could grow in the space instead.
Best of luck though. Hope you succeed.

Hi spuddle, apologies for the late reply! Being that my background is farming giving up meat isn't really an option! How would farmers survive if everyone gave up meat? Also with regards slaughter costs, we raise r own chickens and I slaughter them my self so no cost there! We need animals on this planet for us all to survive. I have total respect for your views and choice to be veggie but if everyone took that opinion there would be lots of homeless farmers and our countryside would be derelict. Xxx!

Have you got ya tin hat handy............?? (agree though..)

Oj ur so funny! I should really set the cat amongst the pigeons and say, bring on global warming, its feckin freezing here!!! Lol xx

Ooooo Mrs H, you should drop down here for a bit, it's actually quite warm today now the cloud (and fog) has lifted!

I was pondering whether to get in a couple of young lambs, still bottle feeding so we can them to be tame - very tame! - and have just spotted an ad for 5 of them in Westmeath... now, the question is, could I manage 5? Are we big enough for 5? Could we even afford 5?

Getting them to the freezer when it's time wouldn't be a problem, as long as I have a couple of bottles of good malt whisky on hand for my wonderful czech butcher friend But it's getting them to survive & grow... am I up to it?

Oh well, one way to find out I guess!!
Unless you want a couple? Fancy a day trip to Roscommon??

Hey Julie, I just looked up were u r on the map and u know I might just abandon the kids for a day and come for a brew! I didn't realize u were so close, so to speak, probably a good 3hr drive in the landy! 5 lambs will certainly fill the freezer!! And of course ur up for it! Xx