really old style living?

HariboJunkie

mardatha wrote: »

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

Shhh Mardartha :shhh: We don't want an invasion.

We're underpopulated up here and I love it.:j I always found cities claustrophobic for anything longer than a short visit but I don't find them any worse now than I did years ago.

RAS

mardatha wrote: »

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.... !

mardatha

There is a quote somewhere which I will misquote, bascially

Someone visiting the Highlands from Canada comments that vast uninhabited areas of Scotland remind him of Canada except that in Scotland there is massive evidence of people being torn out of the landscape, unlike the vast waste in Canada above the 60th parallel.

Having read about the Inuk and Inuit peoples and the devastation caused by things like the Mackenzie expedition this riles me; survivors talked of a handful of people surviving the epidemics, from a settlement of a thousand.

In Scotland at least the Clearances were documented; in Arctic Canada no one could write.

There are other areas with nearly as badly reduced populations in the UK, when I look at census records for valleys that barely support a primary school today, then each village had a substantial population. Now there are a few farmers, retired people and holiday lets for those who like remote places and solitude.

Just about anything and everything has been expropriated from the Highlands, the land degraded by forest clearance, sheep ranching and massively inappropriate deer populations. I am not sure what has happened in the last 5 years, but the population of red deer was 3 times the end of WW2 numbers until then. Totally unsustainable; with deer having to be fed in the late winter, or dying on the wire because the capital value of the estate is based on deer numbers.

Fish stocks stripped out; good pasture and arable degraded and acidified by neglect and well-moneyed owners enhancing the remoteness by refusing tenancies, and mismanaging the land. There is cache in owning the most remote places. I can think of two places where the remains of good crofts are denied tenants by their current owners.

With no people there is no market for produce even when people can grow stuff (and I have seen good stuff all up the West Coast). Which means that there is no way for people who can grow stuff to make cash to pay for thing like CT and transport. Infrastructure ripped out because of the declining year round populations, each loss compounded by the damage to other social and economic structures.

On the other hand, look at Inverewe? Check out how the Norwegians manage their land. My favourite allotment site is in Kabelvag at 68 degrees north http://promonorge.no/webcam/kabelvag/ . They grow French and broad beans, potatoes, lettuce, endive, salad onions, herbs, carrots etc - about 20 veggies and 12 herbs. Think about our friend Holzer 1000m up a mountain.

What this land needs is decidous trees to hold water, prevent run-off, provide leaf litter and most importantly reduce wind damage interspersed with some native conifers on the right land. Sheep and deer need to be massively culled; look at Mar Lodge where they removed a huge percent of the stock.

Put back low maintenance cattle breeds and start to manage the better areas of grass and things would improve rapidly. Put people back in to raise crops on the most sheltered and fertile land and you could reverse the population decline and make the land sing.

I am not suggesting that the old rural lives were easy, I grew up amongst people who manifested the rigour of small scale rural agriculture. Even today, I see the capital-rich but desparately cash poor struggle to make ends meet.

I am not sure the issue is money; the elephants in the cupboard in the whole of the UK are land ownership and planning, both of which concentrate wealth in the hands of a very few people and deny most folks any chance of property ownership or even tenancy outside the agreed settlements, be those cities, towns or villages.

Sorry, rant over.

littleowl

ceridwen wrote: »

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...

This is the main thing I find difficult having moved back to the UK from France - the sheer number of people - and even more so the number of vehicles on the roads, I still can't get used to it after four years of return. France is twice the size of Britain with less than half the population. The autoroutes are a joy to drive - here I loathe the motorways and avoid them whenever possible. I think what hurts most is lacking the feeling of space. The moment you leave the Portsmouth ferry terminal it is a three lane motorway nose to tail for mile after mile.

I live in a beautiful area near a river and woods with few houses - but whenever I leave this little sanctuary the maelstrom awaits me only a few minutes away. Unfortunately this sort of feeling of being overwhelmed by people and cars is not only physically but mentally debilitating.

I don't know what the answer is but I do know that for the well being of the soul (for want of a better word) this is not a good way to live.

mardatha

I'm not in the highlands...this is just my cunning plan ! :rotfl:
I wish I lived up there in Assynt as well!! I'm in the Southern Uplands.

choille

I live on a croft in the highlands & it is hard. It is also very midgy at the moment & frustrating as it is almost impossible to stand being outside.

A lot of people with money have moved in & made it hard for 'normal' people to afford getting a place. I live in a caravan & we are slowly building our house as & when we get cash for materials.

It has been busy with tourists & the roads seem very busy with oversized motor homes - also plenty of rubbish getting turfed out of windows onto the roadside grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

It is getting more complicated to keep livestock - bureaucratic & costs money - well it does for me but I keep old breeds.

It also seems to be getting very cliquey with well off folks from the deep south in the majority & slightly looking down their noses if you're a bit muddy!

Hippeechiq

Sorry girls - this is completely off topic, but I thought one of you would know the answer to my question.

I made the recipe below for pudding tonight, and I'd like your opinion on whether or not it you think it would freeze. It's quite divine, but like a zillion calories - and that's just as it approaches your lips! lol - and if I eat another portion this week, I'll have put on a stone by Friday

TheBees wrote: »

As requested, here is the recipe for self saucing chocolate pudding - found in a magazine a few years ago.

Serves 8 (or 4 hungry people!)

Pie dish 750ml (1 1/4pt)
125g plain flour
pinch of salt
60g caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
120ml milk
40g melted butter
1 egg
couple drops vanilla essence

Topping
180g muscovado or any brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
250ml boiling water

Method
Grease the pie dish
Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine the milk, butter, egg and vanilla and mix with the dry ingredients all together. Pour into the pie dish. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge. Can be left overnight for the following day if you wish.
Preheat oven 180c. Sprinkle cocoa and sugar for the topping over the pudding. Pour the boiling water over the top. Do not mix. Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes until puffy and firm in the centre. May be served with cream or ice cream.

So what do ya reckon? The family have had 4 portions altogether, but there are 2 good sized portions left. I should have divided it into 8 really, but I do love me chocolate

NualaBuala

Sorry no idea Hippeechiq but you have just made me add cocoa to the shopping list!

Hippeechiq

I'll have made you add some inches to your hips too, if you're planning to make it.....you have been warned

I was a size 12 prior to eating my portion earlier this evening, I'm sure I feel size 14 approaching as I type :rotfl:

NualaBuala

:rotfl:
Maybe I should add bigger clothes to the shopping list too! It's pretty bad cos there's just me here so have to eat the treats all by myself!

mardatha

Choille thats awful, I'm so sorry that life should be changing like that for you.
Tha mi airson Gaidhlig ionnsachadh - a bheil Gaidhlig agaibh ?

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