<<< FIRE is inherently smug and condescending since it requires an income in excess of essential needs >>>
Thanks pharnorth for that. I already posted at the beginning of this thread what happened to us, but I have to say that we are immensely happy as we are, with no big financial surplus to cushion us. Fortunately we were already firmly established on our smallholding before the disasters struck, and here we hope to be able to stay. It is hard work, and we can't afford to pay anyone to help us out, so we do as much as we can and we get by. It's a great life. Sometimes I think that too much rigid planning is asking for trouble.