Prevention from being more ish?

[thesunflowergal]

I was thinking about a few "ish" projects that I want to start up, but at the moment I can't because of lacK of money or space . I was wondering what prevented others from being more ish?

Nikki

[Siena]

Hi sunflowergal,

Sunflowers are my absolute favourite flowers by the way. I could go on all day about the things/reasons/excuses stopping me from moving ahead with all those little projects.
The most obvious for me is that I suffer from fibromyalgia so physically I'm held back. For example, I wanted to try using a few raised or deep beds this year (a la John Seymour!) but am unable to do the actual digging myself so I had to first convince the rest of my family of the merits of growing your own veg (which wasn't difficult to be fair!) and then try to convince them that raised beds were a good idea and would make it easier for me to actually work the garden. So when the initial labour is being done by someone else I don't feel it's fair to try to impose my own ideas and I just hope they'll take it on board.

Other than that the big one is time. I'm a student (and am on teaching placement at the moment) so I'm busy with that and don't have as much time as I'd like.

Oh and it is impossible to get stuff in Ireland! Buying hardy pigs is difficult, buying any chickens that aren't the RIR x Sussex (which they sell as Rhode Island Reds by the way !) is difficult too.

That about rounds up most of my excuses.

[TheGoodEarth]

Time, time and time for me.

[Rosendula]

I don't have enough space. If I had enough money I might be able to buy more space, but I don't have that sort of money. Another thing that holds me back is other people not having as much energy as me. Most days, I can keep going from getting up until about 9:30/10pm ish, 7 days a week with a few minutes sit down now and then to go on here, although I do occasionally crash and have a lazy day where I just do the bare minimum. Others in our house seem to need much more recreation time than me. Sometimes I get a bit peeved with them for it, but really it's down to me being an unsociable plodder-onner-er, and them being sociable and wanting to maintain relationships with relatives and friends . I'm gradually managing to convince myself that it's not them being lazy, it's me being crazy. So really, I guess it's not other people not having the energy that holds me back, it's not having more hours in the day.

Hmm. Just read what I've written and it all sounds like gobble-de-gook. I know what I mean.

[Ellendra]

Health and parents. But mainly health.

I bought 5 acres in 2007, then a month later suffered a back injury and couldn't walk for almost a year, which meant I couldn't build my house and move out, so I'm stuck living with my parents. Then, when I FINALLY started to get my strength back, I got hit by some kind of brain problem, I get dizzy spells so bad that people think I've had a stroke, and they keep getting more and more frequent, up to 8 a day now, the doctors are stumped.

As for the parents, mom is ok, she thinks the world is going to hell in a handbasket and wants to be able to keep the family going. But dad undoes everything we try to do. Last spring I got permission from him to plant melons, tomatoes, and squash in the big raised bed. One week after he knew I'd planted he was out there rototilling it. That's the sort of thing he does and he calls it "helping".

[Odsox]

My tag line says it all ................

[Flo]

House: rented off social housing association so limited as to what can be done with it
Wealth: I'd be on a small holding if had enough cash to start out
Time: after running allotment for two households, cooking from scratch, keeping my house in order, helping family I'm short of hours
Skills: not mechanical so there's a limit to make do and mend

It was much easier on farm as youngster when there was a large compliment of skills available in the family. Shame I've not inherited more of them.
Really though - you need a village to have the framework to be fully ish.

Don't let it get you down sunflowergal - see if you can creep up on the things you want to do another way. Lateral thinking might solve a problem or two.

[Thomzo]

Time for me too. Working full time allows me to buy the land (well only quarter of an acre) but I don't have time to look after it.

Also, I keep getting knocked back. I stopped using cleaning products in the bathroom but the drains got blocked up. So I used soda crystals to clear them and they corroded the pipes. I replaced the pipes (wasting the old ones) and used a plunger instead. This has loosened the joints and now the pipes leak

I cut back using the car to the extent that I didn't use it for over three weeks. When I needed it, the battery was completely flat. I got it started and then went to go for a drive around just to charge the battery but the hand brake had jammed on. Fortunately a friend fixed it but it would have cost me a fortune to get someone out.

It's just not easy being green!

Zoe

[Rosendula]

Oh Zoe! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read your post. How unfortunate.

[Millymollymandy]

Then, when I FINALLY started to get my strength back, I got hit by some kind of brain problem, I get dizzy spells so bad that people think I've had a stroke, and they keep getting more and more frequent, up to 8 a day now, the doctors are stumped.

Ellendra I thought they'd discovered what it was, Lyme's Disease? Or was that not it after all? I'm really sorry to hear you are still suffering.

[JulieSherris]

Me!

I'm a time waster.... But when I DO get going, I'm like a little whirlwind!

And, I guess, money - if we had the money, certain projects would have been done in half the time, because we would have been able to get in the tools required, instead of doing things the hard way (thinking of Andy digging the tractor track by hand - would have taken him a day with the hire of a digger - as it was, it took him 7 weeks at weekends with a spade!)

But, yep, definitely the one thing that holds me back, is me.

Siena - have a google for Midland Poultry - they do some nice chooks there, true bred too.... and look out for some of the poultry bring & buy sales near to you as well - it's that time of year for them, & attracts the true breeders....

And if you're ever up this way, give me a shout & come for a cuppa - I'll even pop you to see Camille's flocks.... SO lovely!

[Big Al]

Hi sunflowergal,


The most obvious for me is that I suffer from fibromyalgia so physically I'm held back. For example, I wanted to try using a few raised or deep beds this year (a la John Seymour!) but am unable to do the actual digging myself so I had to first convince the rest of my family of the merits of growing your own veg (which wasn't difficult to be fair!) and then try to convince them that raised beds were a good idea and would make it easier for me to actually work the garden..

post Snipped

Siena,

I'm with you on the deepbeds but you don't need to do the digging.
Here is an idea that might help you.
Have someone mark out the area you want to grow in then put some cardboard down on the [ i presume ] grassed area. Wet the cardboard a lot over a few days then put a bag of manure from the garden centre on to the cardboard. Get a delivery of soil [if possible on cost grounds ] then have a helper heap it up in the middle making sure it covers the cardboard and you have a deep bed of sorts with no digging.

For the first year grow a few crops then when this is a sucess the helpers / friends will see that if they box in the soil it will be better for you to garden.

As a spak with a debillitating back problem I know how hard it is but I watch out for gardening or building works and because they will need more than one skip generally I get the builders etc to dump their garden topsoil in my deep beds. Saves them money and saves me money and time. I will be doing this with my neighbour who is knocking his garage down so he will bring the bricks to my garden, I get a bricky to make my greenhouse.... saves waste and money.
hope this sort of idea is of help.

Now to answer the main question, physical abillity stops me. I want to initiate a sustainabile living group but the effort and work needed in setting up a new group is beyond me now, sadly.

[barefootlinzi]

I am trying to be more ish, but gradually so each little change becomes normal and I am less likely to fall off the bandwagon.

Things that hold me back:

House: we are in a council house so dreams of solar panels on the roof, rainwater collection, installing a woodburner etc will never happen!
Me: I am 6 months pregnant and reluctant to do too much as I know things wont be maintained when baba arrives. Plus I cannot lift/dig as much as normal and this frustrates me!
Money: We are a single income family, and that income is low. Being a stay at home mum does help some ish things like cooking from scratch, maintaining the allotment etc but it means the dream of the little cottage in the country with land for all things ish is further away!

But I am determined to do as much as I can, and feel very inspired to do more!

[mrsflibble]

money, space and the fact that my house isn't actually my own. we rent.

soon as we own a place (goodness knows when that'll be) i'll be more eco lol!

[thesunflowergal]

Hi Everyone

Glad in strange way that its not just me that has ishy troubles. Fab that some suggestions have been posted!!

Siena. Good luck with the raised beds, I hope that they prove to be better for you.

Ellendra. Poor you, I hope your Drs find a way to help you.

Zoe. What a nightmare!! I clean the drains with soda crystals too, I might stop now

I get so frustrated about the money side of things, I guess we are like many UK families at the moment. My Hubby had a great job, but he got made redundant 6 months ago, so for the first time in our lives we are living off benefits as the savings have long gone. He is trying very hard to find something else, but as we all know its not as easy as that. I was fairly frugal and grew some of my own veg and fruit, but this has given me a massive kick up the bum.