Preparedness for when

mardatha

Wales sounds nice - so does the Yorkshire Dales and moors. This book on the Yorkshire Shepherdess has some pics of the Dales and it's just like here, although flatter. I find that peace and quiet is essential for me or I crack up, lived on the outskirts of Edinburgh for 12 years and hated every minute.
Which brings up the question of how we would adapt if life was hugely different after theS had HTF... it sounds nice, the concept of a village working together to help itself, but can you imagine the arguments and bickering? LOL all those people who "know best"...:D

thriftwizard

Mardatha, you might be quite surprised at how much of the UK is a) rural and b) beautiful; round here the population is very much crowded into the conurbation and we can be in proper wide-open peace & quiet, or gentle woodlands, within 5 minutes walk of here. No mountains, though there are some biggish hills on the West Dorset coast like Golden Cap, and the little towns & villages are much closer together than they are where you live, but there's plenty of deep green wide-open space, empty beaches & fresh air, though you'd never guess it if you went to Bournemouth in high season. We have no motorway... and long may it stay that way.

Villages can work together to help themselves; I grew up in one. But what it did have was a kind of leadership; not all would be so lucky. There was a kind of gang of unspoken "elders" - my Dad as the Vicar, Doctor Jolly & District Nurse (an invincible gang in their own right) the Squire (an intelligent & broad-minded ex-military type) and a few others, retired farmers, business people & ex-Navy types, who could all be found in the pub on a Friday evening & approached informally with problems & things that needed sorting out, of all kinds. There are villages near here that still work that way, and woe betide those who move there & start trying to run things their way, without sussing out the "invisible" network that's already holding things together, though people with energy & new ideas are usually welcome if they go about things in the right way. But needless to say, sometimes these things go bad too...

mardatha

That sounds lovely thriftwizard, really Miss Marple-y. I think you lot down there are probably more civilised than us lot though.

pineapple

Just taking on board the post on positive thinking. The problem is when you are retired (like me), something you would barely notice when working, can take on massive proportions. It was really noticeable when I managed a sheltered housing scheme. The tenants didn't even have to bother about gardening or home maintenance. Consequently they bothered about each other's business. It was a veritable kingdom of twitching nets and complaints about this that and t'other. In fact when going about my business on the scheme, I used to crawl below the window of a particular flat so that the occupant didn't spot me.
Anyhow my grouse of today is we are getting deluged again in my part of Cumbria. Had to drive up hill and down dale to avoid floods coming back from Sedbergh. B* Cumbria. Turning into Victor Meldrew as I speak..:mad:

moneyistooshorttomention

Doveling wrote: »

MTSTM -perhaps it would help if you could alter your mindset a little? Getting yourself so het up can't be doing you any good

You had the opportunity to travel through scenic Wales.:)

Every day can be a "nice " day - the weather is incidental

How lovely to be able to do things at a leisurely pace, now you are retired, and go with the flow of the people around you. Bliss!

How wonderful to embrace a new,laid back lifestyle rather than the quick, rushed way of life that used to be "normal" for you.:)

Create yourself a new "normal" compatible with your new friends and the area you now live in.:)

You are so lucky, waking up every morning and being able to shape your day in a new way.:)

That's it! I've talked myself into moving to Wales :rotfl::rotfl:

I hope I haven't caused offence You can always tell me to mind my own beeswax

Nope - no offence taken:rotfl:.

I know where you're coming from and know I'm sometimes not very good at saying "Do take this as I'm also trying to improve things - for everyone".

BTW - if you have talked yourself into moving here....then I don't mind an excuse for househunting again and quite happy to check out properties for you:D. I want everyone to have the "Plus Side" of what I know - and avoid the "Minus Side" of what I know iyswim.

I've certainly got it in mind to attract "Everyone I Know" possible over here - hence prepared to do the work to help them. Maybe I should stop giving a very precise "pros and cons" list and just give the plus sides only???:cool:

Plus side is fresh air to breathe, less at risk from terrorists, not having a City Council absolutely hellbent on "Expansion or bust" and boy are they good at it (darn it). I've read the statistics on various places by now - ie of populations declining, staying static, expanding, going hell for leather for expanding and my last one counts in the "going hell for leather" category. I can see how statistics indicate a place can go from pretty small to pretty big in a timespan of, say, 20/30 years. I added that time onto my estimated remaining lifespan and it wasn't a pretty picture.

moneyistooshorttomention

thriftwizard wrote: »

Villages can work together to help themselves; I grew up in one. But what it did have was a kind of leadership; not all would be so lucky. There was a kind of gang of unspoken "elders" - my Dad as the Vicar, Doctor Jolly & District Nurse (an invincible gang in their own right) the Squire (an intelligent & broad-minded ex-military type) and a few others, retired farmers, business people & ex-Navy types, who could all be found in the pub on a Friday evening & approached informally with problems & things that needed sorting out, of all kinds. There are villages near here that still work that way, and woe betide those who move there & start trying to run things their way, without sussing out the "invisible" network that's already holding things together, though people with energy & new ideas are usually welcome if they go about things in the right way. But needless to say, sometimes these things go bad too...

I know exactly where you are coming from on this one.

Where I am now there is the "Used-to-be Old Guard" who don't quite seem to have clicked that they have "had their day". I know my own personal view (in the various groups I have had leading roles in over the years) is that "People get Tired after a while and both they and everyone else need a change and to bring on the Young Ones/New Ones". It has been a bit of a theme tune to "Bring on the Next Generation" - because, if you don't do so, then whatever-it-is dies.

I believe in Talent Scouting personally and if there is someone good and "energetic" on the horizon then = grab them quick before they change their mind iyswim. One of my own personal theme tunes has always been "Give me an hour or two and I have assessed someone as hard-working/capable/intelligent - and I've done my best to grab them quick".

On the other hand my Preferred Place here works on the basis of "Blow the Past. Instead ask who is hard-working and concerned". That Preferred Place has been very fortunate to attract some darn hardworking and concerned individuals.

One thing about places that a noticeable number of people retire to (or move to not that long before they anticipate retiring) need to be aware of is that some incomers can be very high calibre indeed. I know I've recently heard someone comment on how astonished they are at just how high-powered some of the people volunteering to help run community facilities that would otherwise vanish were "in a previous life".

I know I am fortunate, for instance, in that one particular interest of mine involves someone playing a major role in it that is an incomer and is of much higher calibre than I have met anywhere previously. So they certainly aren't Old Guard (and have commented to me before now how they have noticed the fact that, after all these years, they still feel they haven't been accepted by some). It's such a shame they feel that way...as my feeling about them = how lucky we are that they live here.

Yep...I'm quite an admirer of what I see some people putting into the community here.:T. The downside is where I personally am living seems to have several ongoing community feuds and I know I sometimes watch in sheer astonishment how many community organisations seem to have splintered right-where-I-am (having been used to just one organisation and That's That for a much bigger place). Some smaller places can have some "historical feuds" going on and I haven't quite figured that one out yet as to how and why...

moneyistooshorttomention

pineapple wrote: »

Just taking on board the post on positive thinking. The problem is when you are retired (like me), something you would barely notice when working, can take on massive proportions. It was really noticeable when I managed a sheltered housing scheme. The tenants didn't even have to bother about gardening or home maintenance. Consequently they bothered about each other's business. It was a veritable kingdom of twitching nets and complaints about this that and t'other. In fact when going about my business on the scheme, I used to crawl below the window of a particular flat so that the occupant didn't spot me.
Anyhow my grouse of today is we are getting deluged again in my part of Cumbria. Had to drive up hill and down dale to avoid floods coming back from Sedbergh. B* Cumbria. Turning into Victor Meldrew as I speak..:mad:

You are so right on this one:T

The eternal thing about "Nothing to do and all day to do it in" and there are people that will curtain-twitch if they actually haven't really got anything to do with their lives. It is a difficult situation if one isn't Learning Something/Doing Something. I've taken to Learning Something personally.

It is something that I honestly don't think gets addressed in many ways. I've watched one of my own parents recently comment about how "Its Really Important that my routine MUST not be disturbed in the slightest" and I don't think they quite got that it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things and understood why I burst out laughing:(. It was only a teeny tiny disturbance and really Doesn't Matter.

I think I can kinda get why someone would say something like that - but I don't agree with it.

There is a Major Challenge when it comes to either Retirement or obvious Long Term Unemployment. That challenge being how to "Have A Purpose". Most people don't seem to be that concerned about Having A Purpose - lucky them imo. I will admit to being very envious of people who don't seem to need that.

On the other hand - there are people who do need it (whether they know it or no). I have a theory that those who don't know it turn into curtain-twitchers. I haven't yet figured out what those who do know it do and where that Sense of Purpose comes from. All very well "making hay whilst the sun shines" and being a sybarite...but what do people do who honestly feel the need of Contributing Something/Learning Something? # GawdKnows.dot.com.:cool:

[Deleted User]

I know I'm so annoyingly positive that I'm probably like a wasp that won't give up buzzing round but I try so hard to find positives, even the tiniest thing to make me think 'Wow' that's amazing even something as insignificant as finding a Celandine in full bloom on the lanes a few days ago. I try to focus more on good things than get frazzled by lifes day to day trials and tribulations. It works for me and I find my world is so much nicer if I can bring myself to appreciate the tiny things that pop up when I'm least expecting them to. I suffer the same annoyances and frustrations as everyone else, people's daftness, bad manners, boorishness, greed, inconsiderate actions but for me to find my tiny 'miracle' at some point in my day weighs the scales of life so much more on the positive side and makes me really appreciate what I do have, where I do live and who I am, it's a grand life if you will only let it be so!

Frugalsod

mardatha wrote: »

Wales sounds nice - so does the Yorkshire Dales and moors. This book on the Yorkshire Shepherdess has some pics of the Dales and it's just like here, although flatter. I find that peace and quiet is essential for me or I crack up, lived on the outskirts of Edinburgh for 12 years and hated every minute.
Which brings up the question of how we would adapt if life was hugely different after theS had HTF... it sounds nice, the concept of a village working together to help itself, but can you imagine the arguments and bickering? LOL all those people who "know best"...:D

I think that in a SHTF situation many townies who had bought a place in the country would be able to bring very little to any such situation. They probably had not anticipated any crisis and when it strikes would probably try to throw money at the solution if money was still worth anything. Crises are a spectacular levelling tool for society unless abused.

Karmacat

thriftwizard wrote: »

Villages can work together to help themselves; I grew up in one. But what it did have was a kind of leadership; not all would be so lucky. There was a kind of gang of unspoken "elders" - my Dad as the Vicar, Doctor Jolly & District Nurse (an invincible gang in their own right) the Squire (an intelligent & broad-minded ex-military type) and a few others, retired farmers, business people & ex-Navy types, who could all be found in the pub on a Friday evening & approached informally with problems & things that needed sorting out, of all kinds. There are villages near here that still work that way, and woe betide those who move there & start trying to run things their way, without sussing out the "invisible" network that's already holding things together, though people with energy & new ideas are usually welcome if they go about things in the right way. But needless to say, sometimes these things go bad too...

Believe it or not, thriftwizard, my apoca-novel set in the near future has two small towns/villages exactly like this - one just north of Bournemouth (Wimborne Minster, which I visited on holibob) and Horsted Keynes (visited on days out) - I love plotting the day to day preps that the villagers make, and I've only reluctantly moved on recently to the actual plot The Horsted Keynes bit, though, starts with a young couple discovering the moneysavingexpert main site and forum - and within a year, they've set up a P2P network in the village to free up money for local investment in trees and oil presses and whatnot :T