Very interesting, it shows there’s a balance to everything, good on him for being honest enough to reflect upon that.

In our North London home we overhauled our Vegetable patch this weekend, its now ready for planting when the time is right. This is something we did last year, but are now approaching it with the kids and more attention to realistic useable produce, such as potato’s carrots tomatoes and green beans, rather than attempting STW fashionista Scotch Bonnet chilli as previous. 😀

more attention to realistic useable produce

Cannabis?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/theres-a-cannabis-forest-in-london-10516715.html

malvern rider.

Part of that is learning to see through the “ideaological” and “cute” cottage life appeal and thinking about the realistics. I turned down alot of rentals because of that – and i walked away from alot of potential purchases as i could just see pain and misery (as well as damp and cold)

Thats why although ive lived in the country side for the last 8 years its always been in modern renovated well insulated cottages- they cost a little more but respiritory issues are not worth the risk – been there. Only mentalists and madmen would go at it trying to live in what would essentially be a bothy (i admit i would be quite happy …. my mrs not so much)

My house might not be picturesque(1950s ex cooncil) but it provides me with access to the country side at the drop of a hat , very few neighbours and is insulated well enough with modern oil boiler that we get through 500 litres of oil a year and 2 cube of logs – while only being 15 miles from the office so i can cycle in mostly.

with the added bonus of being much cheaper than a “postcard” cottage

malvern rider.
Part of that is learning to see through the “ideaological” and “cute

I can see why you might assume that was our motive, but the reality is that it was immediately available and affordable, so presented a stepping stone to a geographical location in which we wished to live – somewhere to use as a base to find somwhere else nearby. We gave ourselves a year. Three weeks later we have put in an offer somewhere else. The current landlord was not forthcoming about the damp amongst a number other issues. I’ve been happier in a tent in February, if only for the knowledge that a 4 season sleeping bag is infinitely cheaper and more sustainable than heating oil 😉

yeah i remember you talking about how you ended up there .

It was more for others than a dig at you – ive seen many folk fall into the picturesque cottage trap.

Re Tom Hodkinson, didn’t he just move back to the big smoke?
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/tom-hodgkinson-why-i-m-packing-in-my-rural-idyll-for-london-9012338.html

Hopefully the rest of the rich city **** will follow and rural house prices fall. One can dream.

I never read his books, did he own or rent in London / Countryside?

Hmmm, I’ve flitted both way over the years, when I first struck out on my own I was very poor, Callcentre work paid almost nothing (although it’s worse now) so I ended up in a grotty houseshare with a drug dealer and 2 Kiwi illegal residents – the police became a big part of my life.

So I worked my arse off, got promoted, got promoted again but the money didn’t seem to really improve until one day I realised I’d been had – the money was always ‘just around the corner’ I went from agency worker, to employed, to supervisor, the next step was team manager and whilst no one knew what they got paid – they drove nice cars and lived in nice flats by and large – one Friday in the pub I asked one “how long did you work on the phones then?” and he laughed and said he had never taken a call in his life, he tried to pull the words back in but it was too late – the maths didn’t stack up – 1500 call takers, 30 supervisors, 6 team managers and they were all parachuted in from elsewhere – I resigned a few weeks later.

I packed most of my possessions into my Mums place and lived out of a 60litre rucksack touring around Oz for a year – at first it was incredibly liberating, I loved it, you lived on your wits, you might wake up Monday morning, penniless with $4 to your name, rent due the following day and no job, but somehow you’d pull it off and make it another week, or save up some cash and move onto the next town or city, but towards the end it was getting too much, I started hoarding, I owned a PlayStation of all things and fell into the habit of work, come home, smoke a bit of weed, watch TV, repeat with a bit of binge drinking and women chasing at the weekends. So I came home.

Spent the next decade living the corporate life, job in banking/finance, lots of money, more debt, mild drug problems then 2009 came and I was out on my ear, 3 weeks later I was in Hospital with a smashed body and months of recovery to get through, 6 months later was I near suicidal – I even worked out how I was going to do it, but I had an epiphany, wrote down all the things that made me unhappy, all the things I though would make me happier and sent about it.

None of the things that would make me happy cost anything really, most of the things that made me unhappy were bad for me, and cost money.

There’s been some bumps in the road along the way, but I’ve never been happier, I’ve struck a good balance for me, I don’t really covert material things, I’ve got a bike I’m happy with that didn’t cost much, I’d love a fancy carbon wonder bike, but it’s not that important to me, but equally I’ve got ‘stuff’ but nothing frivolous – my car is a company car, it’s nice, not flash and safe for the kids. I’ve got the all important iPhone, but again it’s a work phone and I try hard to not let it take over too much of my life. I’ve got a great job, the money is good enough I can give the kids the stuff they need and support my wife as she doesn’t earn much. I work from home Fridays to have my Daughter and we’re flexible, I don’t really need to ask for time off to help with the kids, my boss is very ‘family first’ I even get unlimited holidays (although I kind of have to keep an eye on work when I’m off).

The only thing that does bother me, I really want to buy a place, somewhere the kids can always call home, our family home – but I probably left it a bit too late, married, 2 kids to support, it’s hard work trying to get £10k-£15k together for a deposit, another 2-3 years I think, sucks, but we’ll get there.

I’ve just read that ‘article’ and can only say thank **** he’s gone. Whiny middle class cockbag. Essentially read as we’re too big and clever for the countryside, but not clever enough to amuse ourselves. 50% of our village are like this, can only hope they too get ‘bored’ and piss off.

Full disclosure – I have read his ‘Guitar Man’ book, and to be honest he was annoying in that too.

“Whiny middle class cockbag. “

couldnt agree more.

that whole article could have been summed up in one sentence “10 years of drinking martini’s does not prepare you”

Almost every issue he complains about is self created. He was trying to live the city life in a village !

“Whiny middle class cockbag. “

That x 1000