Hello John , not read that one , will try a copy when i see one cheap . I am dubious of any form of do for a year things , as doing that can be reletively easy . It is long term that things go tits up . But no doubt he has some better ideas than me !
I have just gradually slid of the system a bit at a time .
Not read any books about off the system type stuff really . Plenty of self sufficiency type books though .
Mention off system life and alarm bells start going off everywhere !
Someone not paying their way etc , how dare you !
The thing they can't/won't comprehend , is i don't want anything off or from the system .
It is as hard for me to explain why i want this to 'them' as it is for 'them' to understand .
Reading things over the years , i find that a lot of people try to keep things sort of normal , i do it too to an extent .
Get a genny to have leccy , then you have to earn money for fuel/spares etc . Thats why i try to take it back another step , if i can .
I lived 3 years without any leccy .all ok , but i hated living by oil lamp, i am a night owl ! . Plus you still have to buy oil and wicks and new lamps etc .
So i try to find a level i can live with .
Make a waterwheel for mechanical power and a small amount of leccy for lights .
Grow as much oil as i can , to run an old lister , and occasional use of lamps .
It seems that a man called Neil Ansell lived for 5 years in an old house without any mod cons or leccy , and wrote a book called ' deep country' . Not read it myself yet , but heard some of it on the radio , it sounds excellent , and is on amazon .
Again though , did he just do it and then go back to the system ?