Simplifying Life - Mark II

ceridwen

and...on a totally different tack....well...for those who like these personality quizes (errr...me....):

http://www.mypersonality.info./

hmmm.....dont know what I think about the accuracy of that one...the jury is still out...my "verdict" having read:

- a strategist
- temperament: intellectual
- primary function: introverted intuition

now..methinks...I wouldnae have described myself as an "intellectual"...I havent even been to university:o:cry::o

...oh well....people might like to try it anyways....:D

EDIT: I've been back since for a more thorough read - and it all looks a bit "official and authoritative" does this here website.....oooh....errr....

.......but there are different forums and one joins the appropriate one for ones character type - hmmm.....goes off wondering whether I should have the more male-oriented forum I've been sent in the direction of....to have both "halves of the equation"....

They give a lot of famous examples of people in your "category" - hmm....its an American website...so most of them dont mean anything to me - I know two of the names...thinks: "what was Calvin Coolidge like?" and thats as far as it goes (I hope he wasnt one of their more "corrupt" U.S. presidents........please say he was "a good guy".....).

(Thinks: must tell PasturesNew about this one - she'd probably like it).

ceridwen

I forgot a book that would also be very useful for a library to have - my excuse being I was only thinking from the basis of books I actually have myself. I forgot about the fiction book I have on order from the library to read:

"The fifth Sacred Thing" by Starhawk

as stated...a fiction book. Sometimes fiction books are necessary as well because they are the "vehicle" to convey something the author cannot/does not want to write about in a non-fiction book. This is one such - a fictional "vision of a possible future". Starhawk has some level of involvement in the "heart and soul" side of the Transition Movement.

An earlier book of a similar ilk is one that some will have sitting on their bookshelves already - from the 1980s:

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotopia

ie "Ecotopia" by Ernest Callenbach. Er...many of us wouldnt agree with one or two little "side" ideas in this - but the overall book is worth a read.

It is necessary to "vision" the future - as well as "plan" the future - so fiction has a role to play as well.

mary-op

Hi ceridwen -sounds like you've been busy......:j

Me - not so busy but have cleared out a bit of 'stuff' to charity shops and then a chap came collecting scrap metal so that lightened the load in the garage a bit.

Went to have a look at the green burial ground I mentioned earlier. They had an open day last week, even had some of the coffins on display. Cardboard one looked a bit bland but the wicker ones with wild flowers woven round the side - that'll do for me I thought !
Nice little meadow, few trees already planted -theres an option of buying a tree or scattering wild flower seeds -me ? I'd go for the cheaper option...............lol

Young lad who moved out now wants to move back in again ! I'd packed his stuff for collection, and shovelled up the endless polystyrene balls that flew out everywhere from his split bean bag (bean bags now banned from the house !!) Still, after long talks about it we said he can come back but he's got to start focussing on something for his future, otherwise he'll have no choice and the powers that be will tell him to go and we'll have no say in it.
As for the painting -well, younger lad certainly left his mark with the felt tip on his wall ! Tried all sorts to cover it and it still kept showing through -till now.........think we've managed to sort it with a bit of darker colour paint and white on top (several coats !) OH's arms started to play up -he had tennis elbow some years back - so we've now located a chappie to come and finish off what he started................bedroom and front room -brilliant !
We're off a week on Saturday to see my son for a few days so it'll be lovely to have it all done before we go.

Veg - well, one lot of potatos very disappointing despite the enormous foliage - second lot much better so we're hoping each container will improve as we go along........lol tomatos are doing ok -bit on the slow side and need more sun but strawberries are bigger and more than we've had before. Only me that eats them.........so, every other day it's strawberries with ice cream :rotfl:
French beans are really doing well and we should have runner beans by the weekend. One courgette plant a bit sad but the other is more than making up for it.

Still no news from mums solicitors but I am now able to go through photos of mum to sort some out for her friend so bit of progress there.

Haven't done the personality test - I just know it will show that I'm 'vague, dreamy, indecisive, little bit arty etc. '................so think I'll give that a miss:rotfl:

chickadee

Hello Ceridwen, Mary and other posters. I was just idly browsing the MSE forums this lunchtmime when I came across your thread. I had never heard of Transition Towns or Peak Oil, but having done some quick internet research, I am amazed at how much stuff there is out there. I don't know how it has passed me by . I feel very strongly about reducing consumption and can't believe all of this has been going on and I was completely unaware of it.

What a fantastic initiative. I just wanted to say how brilliant I think it is. I'll be doing more research and trying to find out more about it all.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll definitely be reading some of the books you have listed.

ceridwen

Hi Mary

What?!!! You are the only one eating strawberries in your household - steps back in astonishment....I love my strawberries I do and I'm hoping that the ones I'm growing out back will come on okay. They are looking good so far - and I'm very hopeful I'll have some nice homegrown ones soon:D....strawberries and clotted cream/strawberries with scones, cream, etc/strawberries any darn way I can think of - lovely....

Green type funerals - well...thats exactly what I would do myself....if I was planning on burial, rather than cremation (apologies to everyone else - who thinks Mary and myself are being a bit "morbid" at this point:o - but I have quite detailed plans already in existence myself - so I do know where you are coming from here Mary...). I like to have everything worked out in detail myself - errr....well...I would with the temperament that there quiz said I have...;):D

You may be surprised Mary if you do it too...I was rather taken aback...but have been thinking about it since and thinking "they may be right actually"...:D:o

Sorry things are taking a while with those solicitors and you have those decorating problems to sort....shouldnt be too long now though before you're on top of them. How are YOU feeling personally now? I think we were all a bit horrified recently about that hospital stay of yours...:eek:

ceridwen

chickadee wrote: »

Hello Ceridwen, Mary and other posters. I was just idly browsing the MSE forums this lunchtmime when I came across your thread. I had never heard of Transition Towns or Peak Oil, but having done some quick internet research, I am amazed at how much stuff there is out there. I don't know how it has passed me by . I feel very strongly about reducing consumption and can't believe all of this has been going on and I was completely unaware of it.

What a fantastic initiative. I just wanted to say how brilliant I think it is. I'll be doing more research and trying to find out more about it all.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll definitely be reading some of the books you have listed.

You're very welcome. Thought I hadnt noticed your name before now - welcome. You're right - there is indeed a LOT of stuff out there. The T.T. Movement has only been going for about 3 years now - so its understandable that its escaped your attention so far - but 'tis going "great guns" now and still spreading at a "rate of knots"...:D:D.

Try googling around generally for "Transition Towns" on the one hand and "Casaubon's Book" (the blog of Sharon Astyk) on the other hand. Sharon is a sorta equivalent to our Rob Hopkins (of Transition Town renown). She has a HUGE American following for her ideas - which have a lot in common with our British style Transition Town thinking - in fact there is somewhat of a "dialogue" going on now between the two strands of thinking...

mary-op

ceridwen - I'm fine now thanks...........powers that be insisted I had a full medical before I was 'fit for purpose' and according to my GP I was............powers that be still wanted to hang on till after last blood test -that showed normal thank goodness.
I'll be relieved to get the painting out of the way -asked OH ages ago to get someone in but, him being him, kept plodding on in little tiny spurts of painting till even he could see he wasn't winning.
Yes -apologies to anyone who may feel I'm being a little bit morbid with the wicker coffin subject but lets face it, it has to be sorted and I'd rather do it now while I'm 'in the mood' shall we say, than leave it till I really do find it depressing. Worst part will be explaining to my two boys who just never want to talk about that sort of thing. But if I don't organise it and feel 'in control' of it all now I'll be letting them down by leaving them with utter chaos. Can't see them thanking me for that.
Well, curl up with tele time...............been so cold today (or is it me?) might even need my blanket round my knees...................lol

mary-op

Just quick up-date -
Painting that I thought would never be done is now complete !:T Thanks to OH agreeing to get someone in and get it sorted. Result has been a good bit of decluttering of 'stuff' but with it an anxious feeling that I have gaps on walls and the urge to fill them:rotfl:
Thought I'd got problems with computer when I tried to install printer -I went to pop installation disk in and the driver was stuck..........just would not shift:eek: So, I downloaded the installation.............still printer wouldn't function right........lights came on, noises made but I tried to print of stuff from my documents folder and nothing :mad: Must have had four 'conversations' with the printer on line helpline but all to no avail. Then round comes foster daughter -one look and she laughed - I'd put the cable from printer to computer in the wrong hole..........:rotfl:Did I feel daft !!!:rotfl: So, another problem solved just when I was thinking of going to Comet and demanding refund.

In the garden potatos continue to yield not many spuds.......very disappointing. We've had better luck when we've planted Somerfields own that have started to seed. Another let down.............the tree lilies OH bought are nothing like tree size and somethings been eating away at them, not just the leaves, flowers as well but from the inside:eek: We'd given up on them and this morning, there was a bright red and cream lily flower -just the one............but it made us a little hopeful that maybe more will follow.................expect they'll wait till we're away next week to come into their own........if they do that is.

Car needed some adjustment to the wheel but thankfully only cost £4.50 -amount we've spent on the car so far this year I don't like to think:eek: Still, we need it to be able to get us to Sussex at the weekend and fingers and everything else crossed that it goes okay and the weather improves.

Young lad has now returned as of yesterday so chaos returns with him:eek: 'Nuff said about that I think for now.

Other than that...........as far as I can think...........life has been relatively 'smooth' so hope I'm not speaking too soon.
Still no news about mums estate.............is no news always good news ? I'm never sure so we'll have to just wait and see.

Hope everyone else is having a 'simplified' life -I'm trying to (she said looking at desk that once again is covered with papers on one sort or another !!)

ceridwen

Thought people might be interested in this blog post I have come across:

http://notesfromthefrugaltrenches.com/2009/08/05/getting-rid-of-a-sense-of-entitlement/

Still a work in progress here chez ceridwen - but it is actually a bit of "weight off my mind" when I think on to Christmas and presents - and realise that, for the first time ever, there is nothing I actually want as a present. I'm not disputing there is still some work needing doing on my house - but thats expenditure thats well out of the "presents price level":eek:. But - at least there is no further possessions I am hankering for - and I wont know what to say if asked what presents I want - I guess "no presents for me please - I dont want any" would be a good response then:D

Charis

Hi all. I've been popping in from time to time to read your posts but have not had anything worth posting. I've been wondering, so many on here were planning vegetable gardens in the winter and early spring, what have the results been like? My own has been a mixed result. Broad beans, which I don't really like, grew like weeds. Runners were doing fine until we removed the pergola they were propped against to put in a big shed, now they are waving in the gales.

The rain here has been endless, not more than a couple of decent days before it pours again, so no probs watering. Cabbages look like lace, due to cabbage whites but I prefer butterflies to cabbage (to look at, not to eat). Everything non edible is flourishing. Carrots didn't germinate, potatoes produced a poor crop. tomatoes in the greenhouses (I got a second greenhouse ) are flourishing, and delicious. Tomatoes in the garden are stumpy and look like a different plant altogether. Pity bindweed isn't edible. Apples are falling early and rhubarb has been good (but they grow themselves). Onions look huge and I have some garlic buried between them and the broad beans. Butternut squash are just beginning to flower, lettuces turned into trees. Fascinating.

The outcome of my first year is that next year the staging is coming out of one side of my larger greenhouse and I will have more tomato plants inside. I have learned of the need to get the horse manure and compost into the ground in the autumn if I want results. I have decided that the amount of effort required to grow vegetables means that I shall concentrate on a few crops rather than trying to provide a little of everything. Fruit bushes, tomatoes and peppers will pay dividends long before potatoes and carrots. Strawberries grow like weeds here but do need to be in a sunny woodlice free position, which was not the case this year. Woodlice also like Basil plants.

How do your gardens grow?

PS this has made me most appreciative of others' efforts to grow the food I need :rotfl: