Free-Range Living

 

'Stopping the World --- '

Now and again it's strangely comforting to tell the world to 'go away' - politely or otherwise ---- This after a tricky time trying to deal with the modern (poor) communication efforts of a modern large outfit, only getting automatic systems treating a soul, well --- automatically. Hey, there's a human being here, you soul-less commerce folk! Get some lives! Then there was the unedifying process of ordering something from an American company off the net to suddenly face a higher payment than had been stated - 'robbing by stealth'! - not a great feeling, so no repeat business with this outfit --- Thank goodness ordinary life here in the countryside at the eco organic micro-holding (small smallholding) in the UK's north midlands, with a good local rural community of proper 'multi-dimensional' humans, can pour some balsm on such frustrations --- 

'Splendour --- splendour -- everywhere --' (Betjamin)

Late-October particularly reminded of the joys and benefits of living in the countryside. There is attractive countryside hereabouts, without it being 'chocolate box pretty', which is also good, then not being a visitor hot-spot, meaning that it's just a pleasant quiet work-a-day country area without too many airs and graces. The fact that it's full of trees and green hedges adds a lot to its attractions, and the trees in particular in the glorious multi-colours of the autumn season, were just 'splendiforous' ----. The views for instance out on the golf course the other day were to 'die for' ---- gorgeous country sights certainly 'cut the mustard'   --- 

The first half of October the weather was pretty clement, after a couple of days or so of 'wild wind' - plenty of sun, warm daytime temperatures, balmy-type weather, and rather pleasant being 4 - 5 degrees above average for the time of year, so why didn't the tomatoes ripen a wee bit quicker? Ah well, no two growing seasons are the same - 'win some, lose some' -c'est la vie n'est-ce-pas? The wood stove's been on in the evening from the last week of September, when it was a bit colder but at least wood consumptiom hasn't been too bad - the plan is anyway to use a bit more smokeless fuel - it'll be about 85% wood, 15% smokeless, to hopefully eek out the wood to last the whole winter. Now at the end of November it's been quite cold with some frosts, the woodstove doing its stuff keeping the place warm and cosy.

'Energetically costly ----' 

 Domestic energy (electricity) is still relatively high cost here at the eco organic micro-holding in the UK midlands, as it is for small businesses, with quite a few reportedly forced out of business, so to be semi-insulated cost-wise by having a good couple of 'for free' woodpiles on site, plus the solar panels and the economic air-source blow heater, is not too bad a situation, given such a substantial rise in energy costs in the UK over the last couple or so years. 

(100% plus rise - in France, with nationally owned energy, price rise was capped at 4%. Shouldn't national assets be nationally owned? (not so in UK due to 'doctrinal' privatisation trends).

 A discount scheme for business energy use has now been sorted but a bit too late maybe for some ---- First thing in the mornings when it's a bit cool, the air source heat pump comes into play here, heating the cottage's two living rooms up double quick as it's blowing out at least 2k's of heat (it's actually quite possibly a good bit more than that -- ), but of course only using 500 watts from the grid to run it -squeezed  heat from the outside air into the house, then the now colder air back into the atmosphere, cooling and 'saving the planet', what more could ol' eco worriers want -??! Don't seem to hear much about these smaller air-sorce heat pumps these days -it's all about the larger installations costing quite a few thousands. The smaller ones are very effective, very useful and still at reasonably economic cost. The one here at the micro-holding cost just £1400 twelve years ago and has worked without any problems whatsoever - and no add-on costs such as maintenance, servicing and the like. Quite often, and even in winter, the solar panels are producing enough electricity to run it - 'free' heat - can't be bad ---

'Natural life ---- '

The site here is not too large - about 0.6 of an acre (just a quarter of a hectare) -but it does carry on it a fair amount of herbage which then tends to be populated by the birds, who are given supplementary feed at a feeding station opposite the kitchen window, a good viewing point, and another down in the small paddock by the orchard and close by the Retreat cabin. Being in the cabin most afternoons for an hour or so, 'contemplating the naval', gives good opportunity to watch the birds relatively close-up feeding on the feeder there, via a cabin window. The other day the tally was a robin, a greenfinch, sundry blue tits, great tits and coal tits, dunnocks, hen blackbirds, a biggish cock chaffinch and a couple of goldfinches -great to see them all so close-up. For some reason the male Greater Spotted Woodpecker, a former regular visitor to the feeder, hasn't been, erm, spotted, recently ----hope he's ok. 

'Macro commercial clout ---- '

The UK government appears to be about to bring private parking companies to heel, and not before time, so say no doubt quite a few ---- 'licence to print money' as it's seen by punters and apparently according to recent reports in the broadsheet newspapers, the parking firms' profit margins are a whopping 60+%, seemingly a rather good example of (for 'ordinary' folk) 'rip off Britain'- ?  One firm gave this motorist a very hard time trying to oppose a parking fine when broken down at a motorway service station area last year, and 'parked' on a waste area, not in a parking bay, as their blurb suggested was the correct area in which to levy charges. No surprises really that it was quite a struggle to make the firm to 'see sense', and cease their on-going 'bullying' type actions ----

 It's pretty difficult at times to not get the feeling that 'on the make, screw the customer for as much money as possible' business practice is virtually the norm here in the UK, and little wonder that according to another broadsheet report, a big majority see Britain as a 'broken' country, although apparently not the Prime Minister, who it seems 'knows best' - ?(!) One suburban dweller writing in the paper bemoaned the fact that life in Britain was an 'endless run of outlaying money', confirming maybe the day-to day money pressures ----. One lady, for instance was reportedly recently spot fined an excessive £100 recently - this in hardship times -for not having on her a 'poo bag' for her dog - it hadn't actually transgressed. Surely in a civilised society, such a 'non-crime' as this should have been an 'advisory' situation --- ?

'Real reality----- ?'

It's hard to quite believe that these days actual reality is appearing at times to get 'short shrift', and such a trend seems at times to be lead 'from the top', with people seemingly ok to create their own version of reality - ? (the 'I want' culture - ?). It's maybe easier though to comprehend that to have things 'as you might want them', to be aware of only self-gain and to 'just see stuff to suit your outlook', is attractive to some, the same being no doubt rooted in 'small self' mode, which doesn't appear to have the ability, the vision, the respect, to recognise any 'bigger, beyond self' areas - ? 'Real reality' may not be quite such a 'happening', 'real' state to them, as they are largely just concerned with themselves - ?

For some - many? -this might appear as a dangerous state of living, as if actual reality is not recognised or acknowledged, it could be that real dangers remain un-assessed and actual 'danger' could be easily 'walked into' ------and amplified by the fact that increasing A.I. activity presumably can add to any unreality, and it'll be then even trickier to tell 'real from unreal' - ?   Such danger could too be of a more 'macro variety, as the following short extract from a recent UK broadsheet paper's articles can indicate :

           'America is on the road to authoritarianism. It's Vice President, an Ivy-league trained lawyer, is arguing that the President is ok to bully and defy the highest court in the land'.

So the 'top man' is above the law - ?! Hardly a mark of democracy?  There are then apparently no 'checks and balances' to restrain such a powerful individual, as the prevailing culture states that 'he can do what he wants' - surely the very condition which has underlayed many of the world's biggest conflicts -? A dangerous culture, particularly if the individual concerned appears to have only restricted 'small self' awareness, leading potentially to 'unbridled' power and possible significant 'macro' upset and danger -?

The modern trend some have labelled 'plutucracy', where the wealthy and powerful call the shots, may have itself brought a longer term threat to modern democracies, where, theoretically anyway, power is shared over a population, and with also the seeming rise in right-wing autocratically-geared groups representing yet even more threat to democracy --- 

'That ol' free market again ---- '

It's tempting to put such a trend also down to the modern 'philosophy' of 'free market' operation, in which 'no human intervention' is one of the golden rules, obviating then any need for human judgment, human values and morals, nor any ethical contributions, and along with a strongly 'out for self' modus operandi. The contrast with, say, spiritual human content (in the UK surveys have indicated a large proportion of the populace rating 'spiritual aspects' highly) can be stark, with the spiritual emphasis at it's zenith stressing 'service to others', presumably the opposite of any 'out for self' culture -- ?

'Spiritual life v. material life ---- '

 Not too surprising then that the spiritual side has significantly waned in modern materialist -type 'self concentrated' cultures, concealing then though a significant minority (majority?) of spiritually-focused folk --- Personal spiritual awakening is now for instance quite a presence on the net, and organisations to support and assist the same have developed apace in recent times. Spirituality for instance is said to have 'waxed' amongst younger generations (gen Z for instance), who are now said to be more spiritually geared than previously was the case, to some extent then rejecting the perceived 'over materialism' of modern cultures --- ? No doubt they could be influenced by some of the effects of modern materialism causing difficulties for people, especially the younger generations - ? (eg, high property prices and rents--).

'Waxing --- waning --'

iMaterialism appears to remain for now as the predominant force in modern cultures, but as above, with 'personal spirituality' a 'waxing' trend, so maybe at some stage materialism's limited dimensions will be more 'seen through' and that trend will be 'on the wane' - ? In the meantime, as above there's quite a bit of support for, for instance, personal spirituality, as in many cultures individual freedoms are alive ---- and, well, 'well' --- There is though currently considerable unease that democracy itself is 'on the wane', with autocratic-type right wing organisations generally seen to be on the rise -- - Maybe such a trend should not come as too much of a surprise, underpinned as it would seem to be, by the 'small self' 'out for self' 'philosophy' mode - ?  

'Stopping the mainstream --- ?'

One of the base ideas behind the 'freerange living' concept is that the individual has choice - he/ she can for instance follow the mainstream culture trend, sometimes maybe even sub-consciously, or via some self-strength and determination, decide to aim to 'work things out for themselves', then not automatically following mainstream trends, which can also then at times lead to safer living. Imagine for instance following the mainstreaam trend of borrowing significant amounts of money, only to then find considerable financial difficulties as time passed, even to the (critical) point of losing the roof overhead - ? 

'You not only have a right to be your own individual, you have a responsibility, too.'  (Eleanour Roosevelt, wife of US president)

'In the end, such a ('consumer culture' civilisation) can only produce a 'mass man', incapable of choice ------- increasingly less self-responsible '

(Erich Fromm, The Sane Society )

Buddha too was keen to support individual independence :

'You yourself should strive; Buddhas can only point the way'. 'Work out your own salvation, do not depend on others --- '. 'If you find no-one to support you on the spiritual path, walk on alone'

'Freerangin' a/the answer for Buddha ----wonder whether he ever told the world to 'go away'    --- ?

Practical living matters ----

Fortunately here at the micro-holding, the semi self-sufficient lifestyle helps considerably with 'combatting' national trends such as steep rises in living costs. Off -gridders, with their solar panels, battery packs, wind turbines and the like must be feeling more secure in their ability to cope - ? Again, having here wood as the main fuel and along with the (relatively small) air-source heat pump, often being run by the solar panels, the sting of the price rises is significantly lessened. A reasonable answer to the 'fast flow' onrush of modern culture mainstream could be to tread the 'freerange' path, to then be able to make one's own  'sane and sensible' decisions in the cause of a 'survive and thrive' multi-dimensional lifestyle, then not being automatically 'swept along' - to who knows what destiny - ?

( The destiny for the micro-holders here is most likely a move into town in a few months -age and physical limitations catching up --- Fingers crossed someone will be able to take the holding on in the true 'freeranger' spirit ----)