Greetings from East Sussex

[Sharon]

Hello

Very pleased to have found this forum - whilst searching for ideas as to what to do with beetroot leaves!

We're trying very hard to live the low impact life and enjoying every minute! Richard works part-time spreading the word about re-use and recycling and is working hard (as I write) to perfect the home-made solar shower installed on the workshop roof. Curses to the trampoline next door which makes it difficult to remain private whilst using the shower. Think two middle aged people running for cover behind the raspberries. On second thoughts ...

We grow, borrow, lend, Freecycle, make, wait for a jumble sale or do without - anything to avoid the shops!

We sometimes feel a bit isolated with our choice of lifestyle. We really don't know anyone else who cuts their own hair and makes shoes to save resources and money (we are on a very low unassisted income) but still insists on champagne for birthdays!

We live on the outskirts of a village (sorry, does that disqualify us?) which we love, but hate being so dependent on the car. Public transport is poor here (right on the boundary of Kent and East Sussex) - can sort of manage north-south but anything else is hopeless.

We have a small but packed veg garden and are always looking for advice and information as to improving the way we grow things. Ditto solar power (still reeling from the £8000 quote to install solar water heating) and everything else, really.

Gone on too long. However, our sincere best wishes to you all out there is Selfsufficientishland.

Sharon & Richard

[Muddypause]

Hello S&R,

I spent much happy time as a child in East Sussex, right on the coast, on the very edge of Romney Marsh, where my grandparents lived. Utterly idylic. As a teenager I spent the summers working on farms there. But I realise that ES and Kent share a long border, so you may not be near there.

Hey, I cut my own hair, too, not that there is much left of it now. And I once made a pair of clogs out of some old plywood and some canvass. I'm on a sort of personal quest to earn the least amount of money that I can and still be slightly alive; fortunately I don't much care for champaign.

Anyway, you sound as if you have an excellent setup there, and if you're feeling isolated, you come right by here for a chat - we've got specially trained forumers for that sort of thing.

[Sharon]

Hello Stew

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Alas, we are more inland than Romney Marsh, which is still idyllic. I rather fancy a little house on Winchelsea Beach not far from there. It's timeless. For now, we are between Hastings and Tunbridge Wells. Listen out for the shrieks from the back garden.

We share your quest wholeheartedly! Having both worked full-time for seemingly ever, we couldn't wait to find something else less pressured to do. We moved here from Brighton seven years ago and both now have (in my case, very) part-time jobs, just creeping in under the personal tax allowance!

Those clogs sound quite advanced. My last project was slippers with soles made from a roll of plasticky/rubber stuff that EDF left in a ditch after they had put cables down. We let them know it was there but they didn't want it back.

We find it amazing and annoying (but usually we very grateful) that so much useful stuff gets thrown away. The local Freecycle group has been very handy.

Really pleased to have found some like minded folk.

Sharon, sweltering in Sussex

[Martin]

hello and welcome - I'm in East Sussex too - not that far from you - I've cut my own hair for YEARS!
At the moment it's swelteringly 'orrible! - wish we could have a good storm to clear the air - nice to have you about! 8)
ps there are certain local firms who'll do a much more reasonable job (probably around a third of that frightening price!), but good manners preclude me from naming names!

[ina]

Hi Sharon, and welcome from sunny Scotland!

(That's quite rare up here, so we tend to mention it when it happens! )

I've got a name for a magpie/weirdo/greenie around here, too - they all know by now not to throw anything out without asking me first! Broken buckets? Great - more plant pots with integrated drainage. Large paper bags? Great - ideal for storing tatties... You get the idea!

So I think you'll fit right in around here. And why should living on the outskirts of a village disqualify you? We've got everything amongst our members from city dwellers to country bumpkins (I'm one of the latter - 4 miles to the nearest village, and therefore unfortunately still dependent on car).

[Sharon]

Hello Ina

Thanks for the welcome.

We've been thinking about moving to Scotland for at least 10 years. I wonder whether we will ever do it?

We sound like kindred spirits on the re-use front. You should hear me at the local refuse tip. Typically "Do you see that? Why on earth is someone throwing that (fill in a gap) away?".

Lovely rain coming down now.

regards

Sharon

[Martin]

and the odd cat and dog!

[The Chili Monster]

Hi Sharon & Richard,
Greetings from the East Sussex coast.

[Millie]

[shiney]

Hello and welcome from the West Country!

[Wombat]

G'Day Sharon and welcome from Australia!

I know the feeling about being isolated - I am already regarded by my neighbours and co-workers as being some what weird (OK............more than somewhat). It is good to have contact with like-minded people to help you maintain the faith when things go wrong!

Welcome to the site.

Nev

(8,ooo for hot water.....................AUD 16,000! Did he wear a mask and have a gun?)

[Ranter]

Hiya Sharon,
Greetings from a city dweller. My friends mostly agree with what I'm trying to achieve & ask me for advice (bit frightening). It's my older friends & family that think I'm nuts, but I'm working on them.

I'm not working at the moment due to ill health & previously worked part-time (before illness got worse). I'm looking forward to improved health & a job that simply pays enough to enable me to pay my mortgage & other essential bills. I'd never want to work full-time again. The time I can dedicate to growing my own food & other means of reducing bills/ planetary footprint is so much more satisfying than 9-5 in an office (even though I did a very worthwhile office job for a charity for the last 6yrs).

Anyone, enough of my ramble. Suffice to say, you are among like-minded people here. Welcome.

[Tensing]

Hi and welcome.

I lived in East Sussex untill about 4 years ago.

[Hillbilly]

Hello Sharon and Richard from Aberdeenshire'ish! Welcome to the site!!

We sometimes feel a bit isolated with our choice of lifestyle. We really don't know anyone else who cuts their own hair and makes shoes to save resources and money (we are on a very low unassisted income) but still insists on champagne for birthdays!

Well you do now but we don't insist on champagne though for birthdays, we insist on chocolate

[Millymollymandy]

Hi Sharon and welcome.!