[FiFi]

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum, but have come here by personal recommendation.  As it happens, what you all discuss here is of major interest to me, but I come here from personal recommendation from Dan Champion, who knows my husband, Pat.  We're currently trying to convince Pat to let me have chickens in the back garden!

We are yet to start a family, but have 3 cats    to occupy us in the meantime.  I bake our bread (mostly - sometimes I forget/don't have time/can't be bothered) use biodegradable, natural cleaners for the home and for us, and we generally try to live as ethically as we can.  We reduce/reuse/recycle everything humanly possible, compost kitchen waste... well, you get the idea!

I'm quite crafty myself - in a creative way, not a dodgy way!!  I knit a fair bit, and have ideas of making new clothes out of old (just need to dust off the sewing machine after years of non-use!) and am working on making our Christmas cards this year.

Long-term I want to really build on this philosophy and would love nothing more than to leave my full-time telesales job (YAWN!!) and concentrate on managing my home in a natural and ethical way.  I want chickens, bees, a veggie patch, the lot.  It seems at the moment that there's no way out of this but I think little by little, with some effort, we'll get there.  I'd like to know if anybody's escaped from the rat race, and how you did it so I can maybe work out a way for us to do the same.

One thing though that I would say, is that I feel very lonely in that there doesn't seem to be a soul who lives near me who shares our vision of life.  If anybody lives in or near Shropshire, I'd be thrilled to hear from you.

Thanks everybody - I look forward to meeting you all 

[doganjo]

Hi Fifi, You must come up to visit Dan  and Rosemary sometime so we in the Central Belt can meet you.  I have the same philosophy as you - I cannot save the planet all on my own but I am trying to help in my own little way.  Good luck in persuading OH to let you have chickens - I love mine even though the pretty ones aren't laying and the rescue ones are - that might be a way to his heart - ask for ex battery hens to save their lives    I love my ducks too and i am getting a present of a drake in the middle of the month.  I have 4 dogs, 2 cats, 9 hens, 1 cockerel (who thankfully hasn't yet learned to crow!), 3 female khaki campbells, 2 adult let loose from the apron strings children, 3 grandchildren. I'm in Clacks not far from the Champions.  Hope I can find my way there tomorrow!
Welcome to the forum!
Annie

[Rosemary]

Hi, FiFi and officially "welcome"! Annie's invite stands, by the way.

Shropshire's so lovely - I stayed in a town called Much Wenlock once and it was just perfect. Probably cost a fortune to buy there though.

[garden cottage]

welcome fifi from the FOD..................neil

[pigsatlesrues]

Goodness, you make me feel guilty!  I have just thrown the persil bottle into the bin - now I shall take it out and start a pile. I have good intentions, and do well for a while and then get lazy I think.  I am so good at turning off lights, and closing doors - don't leave the telly on standby, but when it comes to recycling I did it all the time in UK because the bins were allocated and the collections for the different refuse were the same every week.  Here is France you are lucky if the bin man comes at all and it is one of those things that gets forgotton.  Now I am inspired again, so will really make an effort.

We don't compost because the pigs have most everything, which I guess is recycling, but you have put me to shame. Time for a rethink!

Kate  

[Hilarysmum]

Hi living in Brittany we do have good recycling facilities so no excuses for us not to do our bit.  We have chickens (food recycling) pigs, (recycled vegetable waste from factory very green) burn our own wood, (replacing trees as we go).  No other form of heating except a hot bath.  Have discovered a mean streak when it comes to throwing anything away.  Living on next to nothing and loving it.  (Which considering our income is a good thing).

[doganjo]

officially "welcome"! Annie's invite stands, by the way.

Oops sorry, Rosemary - didn't mean to take over as your B & B agent!

[FiFi]

Hello, and thanks to you all for your very warm welcome    I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better!

Goodness, you make me feel guilty!  I have just thrown the persil bottle into the bin - now I shall take it out and start a pile.

Hello Kate - now I don't mean to make you feel even more guilty, but PERSIL??!!!  That, to me, is nasty chemicals and I won't have anything like that in my house.  I am going to come across all puritannical now, but I make my own washing powder!  Your Persil bottle would be an ideal container to keep it in though, so keep it to one side for when you've got all your ingredients together.

All it is is 2 parts (cups, grams, whatever) soap flakes, 1 part soda crystals (otherwise known as washing soda) and 1 part borax.  I drop some nice essential oils (you can customise your own smell  ) into the bottom of the container before I put the ingredients in then give it a really good shake to mix all the ingredients in together.  Just make sure you wash at at least 40 degrees otherwise you end up with undisolved soap flakes all over your washing.  You only need 2 tablespoons per wash, and I use white vinegar, again with essential oils in to make it smell nice, as the rinse aid.  Trust me, it doesn't make your clothes smell of vinegar!  It just smells fresh.  The major plus points for me here is that its made of all biodegradable ingredients and if you suffer from skin irritation, this will sort it right out.

I got all this from a wonderful blog called Down to Earth, written by Rhonda Hetzel in Australia, and she has taught me everything I know.  I would recommend it to anybody.  She makes wonderful cakes too!

Thanks all xx

[Fluffywelshsheep]

Hello and Welcome from FWS in central scotland

[FiFi]

Hi Linz, pleased to meet you 

I should say however, as I'm coming across as all righteous and that, I should say that I envy the lot of you, with your chickens  and pigs  .  Unfortunately my 3-bed semi doesn't have a big enough garden for all that.  I can only aspire to your greatness!

We'd love to come up and see Dan and Rosemary some time.  We hope to ride up to Scotland on our motorbikes in the Summer so it would seem the ideal opportunity to pop in 

[Hilarysmum]

Sounds remarkable.  I will be trying the rinse aid idea.  White vinegar is good for all sorts of cleaning stuff.  My sister swears by vinegar for bathrooms and windows.