the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

I had too nip out with an emergency while my ''water man'' was here yesterday, so not sure what he wil have thought about the spring...he did say he thought it sounded odd and that it was probably a leak and water company were wrong, so I need to check the metres again to see if they are ticking over where they shouldn't be.

RAS

choille wrote: »

Yes RAS - I think a gun license for OH is in order & a decent rifle - would be much cheaper. The deer never used to come in - now for some reason they are moving down to the shore - They can get down across other people's crofts that aren't deer fenced at the road & then getting up our croft from the shore. I must admit I do love venison. We were only talking with the ex gamekeeper here about getting a gun. We are entitled to shoot any deer that comes on the croft. We could certainly fill our freezers..

Well there is this thing in permaculture about trying to get multiple outcomes from any activity, save your trees and fill the freezer with the possible addition of reducing the pest burden locally.

choille wrote: »

What about yourself RAS - what sort of set up do you have if it's not too nosy.

Not nosy although I do not let on much, as you may have gathered.

I spent a lot of time from the late 80's through into this millenium travelling up north. I have always been curious about other people's agriculture and growing having lived on farms when I was younger and grown veggies since I was 13 although I started earlier, and always hone in on these when I travel. I spent enough time talking to local people in the Highlands and Islands to get a basic understanding of how much tougher life is than down here. I was stunned by people who thought they could make a living out of 6 acres and a view, with no other source of income.

And despite being half Scottish, my current accent is English and I found others whose attitude to "white settlers" was decidely unwelcoming, even amongst polite lowland circles.

Unlike most people, I see many of our less populated places not so much as "wild" as post-industrial landscapes from which the bulk of resources have been extracted, whether this is by mining, felling, production, fishing or farming. I have done a certain amount of practical work and learned a fair bit from some very interesting and challenging people along the way.

Then I found myself dealing with a number of domestic things, including a parent with increasing dementia. We had barely sorted out the house after she went into care when she died unexpectedly. And in the mean-time some of those connections had changed. I still see some folk but do not do the stuff I did before.

I chose to live in a city because I could get work and could get out of it; I wild camp and even on Bank Holidays can find places that do not attract people. So I am learning additional skills each year and renewing others bit by bit and am involved in a number of groups.

My aim is to find somewhere where I can buy a smaller house in a small town, probably at the same or a lower price (having almost no mortgage now) and to use the other money to buy some ground within walking distance if possible. I had planned to start looking last year in the area I have identified as having potential but had an accident, so put it off for a bit. I may get a rather cool visit in before the year ends, if not in the early spring.

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

I was stunned by people who thought they could make a living out of 6 acres and a view, with no other source of income.

TBF I know a market gardener who makes income for his family from less land and some book writing/course running. He did inherit his house and land though.

Unlike most people, I see many of our less populated places not so much as "wild" as post-industrial landscapes from which the bulk of resources have been extracted, whether this is by mining, felling, production, fishing or farming.

Agree. One of the things that annoy people who want to talk about our idyllic ''return to the wild'' is when I retort that there is no ''wild'' here anymore, and hasn't been for a very long time. Our landscape is a living testament to the history of mans' arrogant dominance over this island. If I lived where choille does I might feel less sad about this! But even the work she does to manage is showing how even returning things to how they were is management, just a different sort. For most of us, eeking an existance out of land involves far heavier stocking rates and land usage than can ever leave space for much ''wild''. Its why I'm thrilled for the two deer and the hares (which we can cope with). More than we can share with = supper.



''
My aim is to find somewhere where I can buy a smaller house in a small town, probably at the same or a lower price (having almost no mortgage now) and to use the other money to buy some ground within walking distance if possible. I had planned to start looking last year in the area I have identified as having potential but had an accident, so put it off for a bit. I may get a rather cool visit in before the year ends, if not in the early spring.[/QUOTE]

Good luck! Its a hard search, but a fun one. I've been impressed by our eventual location. Although its not as remote as we would have liked it has other benefits...there is life around us, cyclists, riders come past, hot air balloons, and paragliders fly on the hills above us like remarkable exotic birds. Being 3 miles or so from a mainline station means dh is still home at sunset ..just...on Friday ATM, meaning we can often do last rounds together on a friday.

TBH the veg production is still a job I stick my fingers in my ears to. we should have got the raised beds in and be filling them by now, but I just am no strong enough and there is too much pressing at the weekends for dh...the fencing MUST be finished this weekend, as the hunt go through next week and I'd like to keep my old mares with us, my special mare needs little enticement to join what she considers the best fun in the world...especially if it means she goes on her tod, no rider to try slowing her down!

I'd willingly share veg space with someone for the labour for the near future, but there is a great allotment scheme round here!

RAS

lostinrates wrote: »

TBF I know a market gardener who makes income for his family from less land and some book writing/course running. He did inherit his house and land though.

I certainly think there are places in England Wales and Scotland where one can live on 6 acres.

But in the Highlands and Islands, particularly places like Orkney and the Outer Hebrides, there are folks who see the beauty, buy a house and a few acres of very poor pasture, do not understand the limits of vegetable production there or the high cost of just about everything or the lack of jobs and go under.

Saw it too many times. And others who managed to scrape by letting their own house out in the summer whilst moving into a van themselves.

One couple earned less than £3000, with him doing estate work and her one day a week in a shop. They were trying to rebuild their wreck of a house with little or no money for materials and very high transport costs. He walked the whole north coast to attend a workshop and having learned the skill came to realise it would not be possible on most of his land.

I know successful crofters with portfolio careers; land managing other people places, fishing, a bit of Government work, retained firefighter, and and and. But you need a lot of expensive kit to make that possible (not least a decent boat to reach the other land in this case). And some of these jobs go by word of mouth to people with local connections.

One of the few successful community ventures was Sanday Knitters, because both partners could earn £60 per week on part-time work they could fit round other chores. That enabled them to keep the population working. On Fair Isle, paid work was shared, so everyone gets some externally funded income, although how that works with WTC now, I do not know.

RAS

lostinrates wrote: »

TBH the veg production is still a job I stick my fingers in my ears to. we should have got the raised beds in and be filling them by now, but I just am no strong enough

This will not get the beds built, but it will get the ground into a state where you can plant.

Acquire cardboard - lots of it. Then pull together all the plant waste and manure you can get your mitts on.

Mark out the beds, preferably when the ground is wet. Ideally, put a bit on manure over the area you want to grow on. Cover your nascent bed with a layer of cardboard. Ideally add a bit of water, but.. Then put a layer of plant waste at least 2 cms thick over the cardboard to hold it down. Hope it rains before the winds coem, or water a bit.

This excludes light from the area and kills off the vegetation. The worms will pull down the vegetation, card and wastes and create a semi-decent bed. You could plant decent sized seedlings straight into it or fork it over and remove perennials before planting seeds.

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

This will not get the beds built, but it will get the ground into a state where you can plant.

Acquire cardboard - lots of it. Then pull together all the plant waste and manure you can get your mitts on.

Mark out the beds, preferably when the ground is wet. Ideally, put a bit on manure over the area you want to grow on. Cover your nascent bed with a layer of cardboard. Ideally add a bit of water, but.. Then put a layer of plant waste at least 2 cms thick over the cardboard to hold it down. Hope it rains before the winds coem, or water a bit.

This excludes light from the area and kills off the vegetation. The worms will pull down the vegetation, card and wastes and create a semi-decent bed. You could plant decent sized seedlings straight into it or fork it over and remove perennials before planting seeds.

That sounds ace! The grass in the veg plot to be is still hip high though and tbh, we're not even sure if its growing from soil or hard core yet....maybe next weekend we'll be able to get the horses on one end and the strimmers on the other and see.....

choille

Lostinrates - if you could establish if it's a pipe leak by dowsing? Metal detecting? will the water company be liable?

RAS - Sorry for being nosy. My Mother has dementia & I know the imapct it can have on everyone connected to it.

We are lucky in OH having a good skill that he can make money at - well just enough to buy materials & survive on. As we get older OH is 60 & I'm nearly 50 I do wonder how long we could scrabble up & down the steep sloped croft hauling dead wood up to the top. Some big boy toys would be grand but they'll have to wait.

I think I know what you mean about the sniffy attitude t'wards white settlers - however I would say that in many places the indigenous population is in the minority & there are cliques of wealthy southerners that come for the summer months. It is difficult & there are similar things happen where ever you get pretty places.
Recently some of the local crofters have been questioning my preference for the indigenous breeds of sheep & trying to get me to see that I should be going for the Cheviots - that's what is ubiquitous here- hire a ram & put the lambs off to the mart each fall- would be financially more sensible - may even pay for their feed & other expenses. It is as if I have to conform.....difficult to explain. These folks know the market & there is no market for the indigenous breeds here, but I only wanted to keep a small flock for our own meat really. Funny how you get distracted along the way.
I have the orphan Cheviots going off to the mart next week. I'm not a farmer at heart. I really like the animals - too much.

Once the house is up, I'll have more energy for other things I think.

I can see the advantages of living in a more populated place - someimes I just hanker after a night life, a social life would be grand.

It seems very lonely often. I don't really have debt, no mortgage. I have been toying with the idea of getting a loan to build, or do up a ruined byre into a small, basic letting unit - one with a wood burner & no mains electric yet comfortable. It would suit people who want quiet & would allow me to pay the loan back, quickish - hopefully.
Winter is for plotting..........

alfie_1

"I'm not a farmer at heart. I really like the animals - too much."

i know how you feel. i have an extremely large pig called Mabel. [i know, alls lost when you name them!] i got her 20 months ago from a "miss sell" to a gullible family who thought they had a "little piggy pet".?? she is now pony size, very friendly and bolshy. i could no more send her away... than eat my dog!! she has a big pig house, a large plot and gets her sow rolls and fruit/scraps every day. [ i raid the waste fruit left after our saturday market here and stock up] in other words SPOILT!! her nick names NOT FOR THE TABLE MABEL....

choille

Alfie - could you breed her & sell the piglets? Maybe even, dare I say - eat the piggies!. That way you get some money back on the outlay.

I do put some of my sheep in the freezer - I don't like puttig them off to the mart though - even though I did send off 6 of the old girls the other week.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Lostinrates - if you could establish if it's a pipe leak by dowsing?

Funny you should mention that! Today was the first time I tried dowsing, when a friend called and we began talking about water supplies and springs. Before I knew what was happening, I was wandering around the place like a zombie, with two pieces of bent wire, held out front!

It worked too, not only for water, but also below and above ground for electricity.

I think I've located the path of the local water main, which is something we've been a little concerned to find, and also the run off pipes from one of our septic tanks. We've been trying to avoid those when digging in gateposts.

Most of the field land I've walked gives no reading at all, but there's a few things going on that need more investigation.

The post & rail fencing on the garden edge was completed yesterday, about 20' from the old one, so our garden has grown a little bit, creating what will be a new 'quarter' when we get a proper system of rotation going.