The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: mojocafa on December 30, 2013, 08:36:03 pm
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I have learnt so much about various different subjects through this forum, so thank you to everyone for sharing your wealth of experience.
Earlier this year my OH was in a serious accident and I posted that I was struggling to manage whilst he was in hospital. I was inundated with offers of help from people on here but was too embarrassed to accept , choosing instead to pay someone to do it.
However, not every one is in the privileged situation of doing that.
I was wondering if there is any way we could list skills we are willing to share / help/ carry out the work , to help others ,for what ever reason ,aren't in the situation to do themselves.
I don't know what skills I would have to offer, but I'm not scared of hard work and mucking in...or mucking out. :farmer: My OH is an electrician to trade, and although he still as physical injuries and has further surgeries to go through, he could advise and hopefully in 6 months time he can return to doing manual work.
For 6 months now I have needed to get 3 goats ear tagged. I have the tags, I have the plier things but I don't know what to do and am scared to do it myself. I have fencing that needs tightened, but again not to sure where to start. So these things are challenges to me, but to others this is a simple job.
I know of a guy that is superb at dispatching chickens, not something that I could do, but he is skilled at this and would do it for anyone for a dozen eggs.
I hope someone can take this idea forward, because I am sure there are people out there that need help in a variety of areas that to people that have the knowledge / skill /equipment it isn't too much of a challenge.
I appreciate that we are all busy people, and that sometimes there isn't enough hours/daylight in the day, but I'd like to think if someone needed help, whatever it is, they could ask for it and not be embarrassed like I was and didn't accept.
Mojo
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I don't think there are many close enough to me to need my limited skills but I love fruit tree pruning, can help with bees (have helped a friend shift her hives) and can generally labour (general garden stuff normally).
H
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The thing is that most of the skills that I have learnt I have picked up either on here, other forums or on You Tube.
Whilst that's fine for us doing things for ourselves here - I wouldn't purport to be "expert" enough to bestow that "wisdom" on other people.
I would be happy to help out friends locally with a willing pair of hands and common sense but anything else - it all gets a bit down to individual preferences etc. People may not like the way I do things…….
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We started a timebank on our forum but it doesn't see much activity although there are a good few members. I think the problem is distance to travel for most people as nobody likes to ask people to come a long way just for a small job. Also, we are all such good friends now that favours tend to get done left right and centre and nobody expects anything.
I think the answer is perhaps just volunteer whenever you can and if you can.
edit; Just out of interest, would anyone in NE Scotland want to be notified if we have a craft day or any kind of demo? I offered to demonstrate hand shearing in the summer and only have two takers so far so room for a couple more. You'd have to come to me of course, that's where my sheep are, lol.
Also doing a 'Get to know your sewing machine' in the Spring after the lambing is done in Feb/March so that's available too. (No charge, just a social thing at my house)
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The only skill I have is in book-keeping/paperwork etc and using computers. I'm happy to impart my knowledge to fellow TASers in Central Scotland.
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One of the best ways of sharing hands-on skills is through a local group that meets up. TAS is fantastic - but it's virtual.
I don't know where you are mojo, but there are real live smallholder groups about the countries - DASH in Devon, sounds like there've been TAS meetups in Wales and in Scottish Borders recently, and there have been some meetings in the north of England (which I forgot to go to ::) :dunce: )
Asking for real hands-on help is hard, isn't it? And accepting it, even harder!
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MojoCafa I can tag your goats for you - should be down your way in the next few days to visit the inlaws if your about we could arrange it.
I used to get the vet to do all my goat tagging as I was such a wimp but having lots of lambs to do has given me the confidence to do the goats although I have to warn you lambs don't make a sound but kids make a big fuss/cry over it more in anticipation rather than the actual itself.
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I agree SitN.
Three of us TASers met up in Llanidloes recently and one of them came over and showed me how to despatch a chicken with confidence. For me - that's a real hurdle crossed thanks to this forum.
She brought her cockerels over too and in the end we plucked them all in the new chicken plucking machine ;D ;D
I know that Carmarthenshire TASers met up and I am sure the Scottish ones have too
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im in a weird space as my job is fencing and landscaping etc so i offer advice to people as required and competitive pricing for tasers.
I help out people close to me where i can and have received the help of others when required (1 message and i got a very good lesson in chicken dispatch)
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I think it would be a great idea but there don't seem to be many smallholders in my area, and I don't drive either which is a problem in more rural areas. I don't have any skills as such but would help anyone out if they were ok with guiding me. I am not a smallholder, just wish I was!! I keep chickens (not tried the dispatch and prep yet, still too :chook:) and love gardening also have couple of ducks. So probably not much use, but good at mucking in and getting the job done, hard graft and muck no problem so if anyone needs a pair of hands, I'm in. :wave: