really old style living?

mardatha

brilliant, I have poor soil as I'm on a hillside, I cant stop it washing away downhill in heavy rain. I'll go and look ta

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

I love living up here, very much. But just sometimes I get envious...which is a Very Bad Thing ! I would love to have shops & neighbours from all nationalities and colours - that would be fun. I would love to have hedges & trees full of sloes and damsons and plums and cherries....(sob)! We all want what we haven't got eh ! I have miles and miles and miles of clean open space...but not much grows in it apart from heather and mountain ash. Fine if you're into shooting grouse I suppose.
Re self-sufficiency, I asked about the empty areas of Scotland on another forum, and they said that upto the Clearances the Highlands was fertile arable land, farmed under the crofting system and lived on by the clans quite happily. But the 200 years of de-population and sheep have ruined the ground and changed the eco-system (wotever hell that might be ) But my question was whether, one day, with the UK getting more and more crowded all the time, if those areas might one day be farmed and lived on again ... If you go up north into Highland region, there's TONS of empty space, as far as the eye can see.
But then again, in that book where the woman who lives near me went back to Scotland of 1790,(forgot name of it, Cottage Diaries or summat) she said ordinary Scottish homes did not have ovens, and people did not eat pork. Reason was that we can't grow wheat here - so didnt make bread. They made oatcakes instead., and they didnt keep a pig because they were too poor, the scraps that would have fed the pig, they ate instead. So maybe that's why less people live up here and why there wasnt a rush to build or buy houses.
I dono where this post is going, I seem to be wittering. I need more tea.

#

I think I know the book you mean Mardatha - I've read it too and it was quite interesting.

As the climate warms up - then I think people may start "migrating" northwards a bit.

Obviously also - people like myself (ie who are feeling steadily more and more "claustrophobic" and upset about the sheer volume of people increasing in our more heavily-populated areas might decide that we cant stand being "crowded out" any longer and if its going to be warmer further North than it is currently we might be more inclined to come up and join you).

The "eco system" - ummm...well I guess in a nutshell it would be the inter-relationship between different species (whether animal or plant). Someone may come along behind me and be able to put this better than me....

Ummmm....thinks....well one example of a disruption to an eco system I guess is the bl**dy idiot that introduced the grey squirrel to Britain. We were fine with the red squirrel - but I gather the grey squirrel hasnt "done a lot of favours" to the red squirrel (our own native one) and destroys tree bark (which I dont think our own does.....) and certainly grabs all the hazelnuts it can get its little paws on (which our own native one apparently doesnt). Ummm...what else....ummm...Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed were, I gather, originally introduced to Britain as "interesting" decorative plants. In their own countries I believe they stay "under control" - but in ours they don't and have a huge tendency to "take over".

Well - thats my laypersons take on things.....I'm sure someone will come along and put things way better than I can...

NualaBuala

Oh I've been getting that claustrophobic feeling. People think I'm joking when I say how overpopulation bothers me but I'm not! Might have to move up north myself - any hermit shacks going spare?

mardatha

Well we had a disagreement on another forum - slight and friendly one I think mother nature is awesome and that the Highlands could be populated and lived in again. If things got too bad one day then I think it would be an option. But would take money, so.... !

ceridwen

NualaBuala wrote: »

Oh I've been getting that claustrophobic feeling. People think I'm joking when I say how overpopulation bothers me but I'm not! Might have to move up north myself - any hermit shacks going spare?

I know exactly where you are coming from - but most other people dont seem to understand...

Its when you walk down a street - and it takes a lot longer than it used to because theres a lot more people on the pavement. When you get in someone's car/or a bus for a road journey and it takes a lot longer than its supposed to - because theres so much other traffic on the road. When theres more and more rules/regulations/laws/cameras introduced all the time - in order to ensure that all these people can manage to "rub along together". Its when you try to get into a pub that you remember as reasonably quiet and private - and find its heaving with people. Its when theres less countryside/green spaces in urban areas than there used to be (a LOT less) and theres more people trying to use it and its much harder for you to find somewhere unsullied/quiet/private than it used to be - in fact I find its become now become VERY hard to spend 5 minutes totally alone with no-one in sight or sound (it counts as real luxury when I can get that - in the exact same places where I used to be pretty much able to rely on it - and I cant find many new places to replace the ones I've "lost").

It really hurts...but I know that most people simply won't understand why...

mardatha

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/arealinv/index.html

ceridwen

ginnyknit wrote: »

Just spent the morning at the hospital, taking part in an arthiritis study. I now see the lure of private medicine - oh how the other half lives. they even had decent coffee an a comfy waiting room! I was seamlessly escorted from one department to the next and treated like a human being. The doc hed even heard of MSE and laughed her socks off when I told her about the antics of my chickens. More tests next week if Im accepted. Trouble is they managed to push my knee cap about a bit so am having problems now - it will be worth it though if I get accepted and the treatment helps

I know what you mean. For many years I was totally ideologically opposed to private medicine and wouldnt touch it if the NHS provided whatever-it-is on principle.

I still think the NHS should provide a good standard of health care and thats where we should all get our health care - and I've totally abandoned it, apart from my doctor. Any - once in a blue moon - visits to a doctor that I need are within the NHS. For absolutely everything else - I have abandoned the NHS. It doesnt sit easily with me - but I simply couldnt put up with the low standards - wait for this, get second-class treatment for that any longer. One of the reasons I am a moneysaver now is because I cant really afford - okay definitely cant afford private healthcare costs - but I am determined that private health care is the only healthcare I will have these days basically - as I value my health too much to "take my chances". The NHS just made me wait and wait and wait one too many times and made me ill in the course of treatment one time and I don't want to risk using it anymore.

...and as for the (NHS) consultant who told me off in no uncertain terms one time for being upset about being ill....words fail me.....Of course I was bl**dy upset - I was ILL wasn't I? Was I supposed to be happy about it.....grrrr....?


I DO find that very very sad - and worrying - as I'm scared stiff I might get something that is very expensive to treat at some point - and then I'll have one BIG problem on my low salary....:cool:

NualaBuala

Oh tell me about it Ceridwen ... I had a bit of an aha about it a few years back when I heard David Attenborough talking about how we could all do our bit for the environment and combat food shortages by not having children .... it really got me thinking. I didn't want children anyway but at least I can now claim that offsets some of my not-so-green habits!

Edit: Mardatha - are you now on commision from the Scottish Tourist Board or just trying to make me very jealous?!

Welsh_Poppy

I totally understand Hubby and I today have decided we want to live in Scotland in a rural part we hate being hemmed in by people and you just cant breathe with people living on top of you. We just want a quiet life and grow our veggies and fruit.....

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

Well we had a disagreement on another forum - slight and friendly one I think mother nature is awesome and that the Highlands could be populated and lived in again. If things got too bad one day then I think it would be an option. But would take money, so.... !

Well - I'll try not to think about one of my fellow INTJ's (? think) - ie Stephen Hawkings - saying that humanity has to "head for the stars" within the next 100-200 years or we've had it.

In all fairness - I don't think it would be fair on the "Little Green Men" to have people like Earthlings coming anywhere near them.....they might be peaceful/environmentally-minded/honest/sharing/caring etc - and then WE come along and ruin it......poor E.T....:(

- so perhaps we should come up and join you in the Highlands instead...