The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: tinelhoest on February 02, 2015, 08:31:48 pm
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Dear lovely folks in the UK especially Cornwall & Wales,
We are trying to contact you through this channel because we would love to come visit and experience your beautiful place.
If any of you know another website or contact medium for us to reach out to like minded folks in the UK we'd appreciate a little message back
We are planning on discovering & exploring the southwest and west, Cornwall & Wales area especially.
Connor and I are eager to get in touch with some local intentional communities and homesteaders who could use another family on board... as we are ultimately searching for a home in a community setting for ourselves in the near future.
We've got lots to contribute during our visit too.
If it's only possible to have us over for a couple of hours, that's fine too, but in case you could use some extra hands around let us know, because we'd love to get to know your place a bit better.
A bit more about us:
My name is Tine (32), I was born and raised in Flanders, Belgium. My first language is Flemish (Dutch), and my second and third are English and French. My husband Connor (28 is from Seattle, Washington State, USA, We've been married for 4 years now. (We are both EU citizens.)
My husband and I have been avid world travelers during the last 6 years in search of what we called our "perfect little paradise", it's actual location was a mystery to us but we have now set our sights on somewhere in the UK. Being from two completely different parts of the world, it's proven to be a bit tricky to make that decision but we're ready, we've figured it out!
In the meantime we have not just been laying around on a tropical beach. We have been work trading our way around the world. We love getting to know the locals and participating in their daily routine and culture. Our experiences varied from being honored guests at a local village wedding in Fiji to helping build a cob brick house in Southwest Australia. We encountered a lot of Natural Building and Permaculture along the way. Through traveling you don't only broaden your perspective on life and the world in general as I'm sure you probably already know. You also create a whole new set of skills. Needless to say my interests got sparked for learning all about organic gardening, Biodynamics, Permaculture, alternative medicine and nutrition. My husband got in touch with his inner builder and turned out to have a knack for woodworking at first. After deciding to get an education in this field, he completed a natural building apprenticeship in Oregon, on the west coast of the States. He had found his calling in life. To built beautiful buildings and furniture and all that comes along with it using his skills and knowledge of sustainable carpentry, using recycled and locally sourced materials, cob and straw bale techniques and rocket stoves… just to name a few. We will never stop wanting to learn more about these professions we have picked up along the way. I, myself, got certified as a Organic Nutritional Consultant and took several gardening courses, got my Permaculture Design Certificate and interned under a Master Gardener in 2014.
We'd just love to see how you guys run things, learn more about your community and maybe walk away with some more insight into what you guys are all about.
We don't have any definitive dates in mind yet, but as soon as we've had some responses from some people we could start planning it all a bit more detailed.
We will be in your area during the second half of march for sure.
We would love to hear back from you!
Love, Tine & Connor
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I wish I could help and hope you get a good response :fc: I have to say I wouldn't mind laying on a tropical beach while Jim gets in touch with his inner builder! But it would probably be the other way round ;D Good luck.
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Hi Tine
Welcome! :wave:
I have sent you a pm :thumbsup:
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Hi guys!
thanks for getting back to us with some responses, I most definitely need to include North Wales and Devon County in our request to meet and visit folks!!!
We have used Helpx and WWoofing in the past, but I feel like we are now past that point and are looking to commit to a certain area and find a place to settle for a longer period of time. Start our lives, the next step instead of backpacking around, if you catch my drift :))
Hope to hear some more from some more folks!!!
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Hi Tine and Connor and welcome from Shropshire in the middle of England. This is a beautiful county adjoining North Wales and is well worth a visit. I just have a large garden but keep goats and grow fruit and vegetables.
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Hi Tine and Connor. Its a hard choice deciding where to put down roots.
We moved from South England to West Wales 3 years ago. Its lovely here and I have fantastic views. We only have 2.5 acres so don't need any help but you would be welcome to visit if you are our way.
Happy hunting
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:sunshine:
All the best for your adventures!
Out of interest - Have you seen Claire's post on Permaculture in the Events section 3 Feb?
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Hi, if you haven't already found it, I recommend the Diggers & Dreamers website as you are specifically looking for intentional communities. Here's (http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/communities/existing/wales) the page listing for Wales. Best of luck, and say hi if you wind up near Machynlleth (which has several!). :wave:
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hi you guys!!
yeah thanks! I've used diggers and dreamers to connect to a bunch of communities.. they get a lot of visit requests and they barely answer through email, it's more of a well I'm in the neighborhood I'll give them a call kinda thing unless they want worktraders for a week then they get back to ya... ;) but yeah Such a good website!!
and no I have not seen that tread on the forum I will check it out!
thanks for your responses guys!! very appreciated!
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Tip about presenting yourself to the British, we hate waffle and I switched off after the first paragraph.
Try http://www.helpx.net/ (http://www.helpx.net/)
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Hi, loved hearing about your travels and skills - put us on your list! Can offer a lovely static and beer in exchange for leading us through erecting a small pole barn? If you are on Facebook, click on link below for pics. Bala , North Wales is a fab place for a smallholding and we are near LadyK if you want to do a tour :-). There is an amazing 'gift economy' permaculture centre near us too who welcome helpers.
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Welcome to the site! Sounds lovely :-) I hope you find what you're looking for - but have you been to scotland? Ive lived in a few places in England and Wales and prefer North East scotland more than anywhere else!
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Hi guys!! thanks for all the lovely responses.
Yeah we have a long term place to stay in Northeast Scotland actually, but we're wanting to check out a lot of different areas before we head on over there :)
It's just such a beautiful country... so many places to see ;)
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Tip about presenting yourself to the British, we hate waffle and I switched off after the first paragraph.
Try http://www.helpx.net/ (http://www.helpx.net/)
Not ALL British Honeyend! That sounded quite rude :o
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:wave: hello and welcome from Durham. I loved your introduction :thumbsup: a good insight for somebody who would like help and give you what you are looking for.
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Yeah Thanks!!
and thanks to all of you, we've got a good list going of wonderful places to see and beautiful people to meet!
this has been super helpful :)
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Sorry to have missed this post the first time round, but if you are over in East Anglia at any point you'd be welcome at our community farm. We're just north of Cambridge and grow food for around twenty families, including pigs, sheep, goats, poultry, bees and veg boxes. See http://www.hempsalsfarm.com (http://www.hempsalsfarm.com) for an idea of what we do.
Ben
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Hi, we are in North Wales. You are welcome to visit us if you are near or around the Llyn Peninsular. :wave: