[Castle Farm]

Have you made any plans for when your either to old or ill or injured to carry on this wonderfull lifestyle?

[Sylvia]

Probably a fireside corner of a young relatives kitchen? Doesn't do to look that far ahead. Jump each hurdle as you come to it

[RUSTYME]

Lovely story mgom , as you say , it would make a lovely book .
My little nan (really my gt nan and only about 4'10" tall) , moved from Northolt to Kent , after her husband died in the 40's . She and her brother bought a bungalow and grew and sold flowers  to passers by  to make any money they needed , and   grew veg for food . 
 Times gone by eh ?

  No plans for that cf ! At 54, those days may be nearer than i care to think ? But after the smash i had in '83 , in which i broke my neck , back , sternum , collar bones , hips , legs , wrists , jaw , cheek bones and skull , serious head injuries , taking some 15 years to get over , i now just live for today , and learn how to cope as best i can , with whatever life throws at me .
 I don't believe in insurance , i either cope or i don't . 3 months after the smash i was rebuilding the house i had at the time , as well as digging a 100'x40' veg plot , and cutting all my fire wood with a bow saw , i still couldn't lift a chain saw !
Someone said that i just don't know when i am beat ! , sounds about right !
Basically , i will get by and cope till i can't carry on , then i won't be here anymore !
 That's the plan , such as it is anyway .
  Cheers Russ

[Plantoid]

Rusty, what your hoping to do is one ride to hell in a basket that I'm glad we never made . Most of our friends who tried hard for 15 yrs or  more  were well & truly on their chin straps when they had to give in because of ill health or injuries .  Doing it as a one man band is going to be horrific .

Plus it aint no fun trying to feed or tend your stock when you're  leaking from pneumonia or suffering a busted leg or arm or you have grafted so hard doing something your hands, back and legs don't play then next day .

 All the best with your quest  , I'd also suggest you get a P. A. Y .G. phone with a tenner on the card that's using a PV cell charger so you can call help if needed .

 One thing I suggest is that you see if you can get the flu vaccines each year and also a single once in your lifetime anti pnumonia shot even if you have to pay for it yourself .

[Hermit]

I think a lot of help can be bartered with neighbours of a similar mind. I scratch your back(when your ill) and you scratch mine. As we have done for ill neighbours, sledging hay to their horses to taking care of whole crofts just because they would for us. As for retirement ,property is a great investment, we will downsize to a little cottage when the time comes.Go for it Rustyme you just need to keep OH working to pay for those bills

[RUSTYME]

Plantoid , i have had my land for 8 years and do most of these things already . I have been doing working on farms and smallholdings for 30 years +. I have done everything by hand on my own for the last 8 years , during which time i tore the ligament off in my left knee , still had to walk the 6 mile round trip to the land everyday from november to may , to feed the horses . Cut it back to twice a week for a month then .
Also had a  heart attack , managed 3 weeks offthen .
 Had pnuemonia (farmers lung actually) , had to carry on .

Dislocated shoulder and wrist , carried on .
 I only have a payg mobile , no landline now .i use the mobile to get on to tas . No signal down the land though !
 So i know exactly what i am doing , as i more or less do it now anyway lol , but once i move down the land i won't be walking the 6 miles everyday .
 I actually live on less than £20 a week  , have done for ages now . That will go down to almost 0 once i move .   
I have grown and made my own clothes , hemp and linseed , spun and woven wool for clothing . Made string and rope from home grown hemp too . Tanned cow hides , sheep skins , made my own boots etc . The list goes on , i really do know exactly what i am doing . In no way am i looking through rose tinted glasses at some dream existance , as i do it now . I just need to move onto the land to end the walking and do all the work in one place.
The main thing that will be different is no leccy .
My thumb is hurting now , cry cry cry lol .

Cheers Russ

[Sylvia]

I wish I lived next door to you Rusty, what a lot I could learn I will have to go and live on my land in April, in two little touring caravans. No electricity (don't need it) but mains water(tap in a corner of a field) but feel I will have everything I need. Shelter, water, companionship(my dogs +visiting family) and, most important, occupation. To augment my pension and for further occupation I will tie my fishing flies. Not very lucrative but absorbing and better than sitting and twiddling my thumbs
I can't make my own clothes but there are plenty of charity shops in the nearest town, though my younger daughter predicts that she will come to visit and find me wearing sacks sewn with baler twine and with my feet bound in rabbit skins(I will when she visits )
Most of my cooking will be done in a solar oven with a calor gas back-up and I will grow most of my own food, as I do now.
Rusty, you have my utmost admiration I will be picking your brains over the next six months (Library for internet, half an hour free every day!)
In case anyone is wondering why I have to do this with such a family network----I could live with  a dozen or more relatives(or Jim and I could live in a bed-sit) but who would welcome fifteen dogs?

[mab]

Have you made any plans for when your either to old or ill or injured to carry on this wonderfull lifestyle?

This is a subjective observation of mine, but it seems that those who retire and relax at 60 seem to lose their health/stamina/confidence within a few years, whereas those who just keep on working with no intention of retiring actually do seem to keep on going into their 80's or 90's.

From the sound of it Rusty, you're definitely the 'keep on going' sort; you've probably got another 30 - 40 years before you have to fall back into the system.

I only wish I had a 1/10th of your expertise - I'll have to stay in the system for the foreseeable future as it's the only way I know to make a living .

mab

[knightquest]

Hello Rusty, hats off to you mate   
I don't know if it's just me but I sense that you are calmer and more at peace than you have been in the past?
I hope so!
If you did have people come to learn from you, you could make them walk the three miles with you to get the full experience 
Here's to your continued time travel mate and as previously stated, I hope you have 40 to 50 more years at it.
I know that I have no intention of retiring so I know a bit about how you feel.
Good luck.

Ian

[Lesley Silvester]

Zoe and Fred who I wrote about earlier were both well in their 80s when they died so you've got a while yet.  I think Fred was still thatching in his 70s.

Where abouts are you Rustyme?  I would love to see what you are doing.

[SallyintNorth]

We've a man in our village still does mole-catching and stone walling, amongst other jobs, when asked.  He's in his late eighties and mostly walks or cycles around, spotting things that need doing and doing them - sometimes without being asked!

[RUSTYME]

Sylvia , i have 2 small caravans on the land  , so if i don't get the timberframe house up , i can live in them too . Although i lived in a tourer for 3 years , nearly went mental ! So house is number 1 priority , after food .
 I will cook on woodburner  as i have access to wood , gas costs money i would have to earn , the wood is free .
As for picking my brains , if you can find any , you are welcome to them !

Mab , i doubt i will ever retire . Fade away or just drop dead , but never retire .
I own my land so don't need to earn money to pay a loan or mortgage , thank god !
Just need a few quid for bits and bobs , my living will be growing food and all the other stuff .
 Stuff most people earn a living to buy ! , ie clothes etc . I don't mean that in a smug way , just that that is what i am setting up , a different way of life .
 Ian , calmer ? mmmm ? , i think it maybe that it just takes me hours to type replies on a mobile , so don't get the chance to kick off ! , lol .
 I should have been born in medieval times , although i would have ended up hung , drawn and quartered , but with my mouth it may happen yet !

Mgom , once i shift everything down the land would be the time to see things . But i am in west wales , till they kick me out !
Once all is up and running, anyone who wanted to visit would be welcome  .     
   Thumb just fell off !

Cheers Russ 

[Sylvia]

Please p.m. us your"address" so we can visit (I'll bring a cake!!)

[Hermit]

Definately been inspired to grow a willowbed. We have some redundant duck runs, ready rabbit fenced in a boggy area by the burn. They will now be willow beds this spring!

[Anke]

still had to walk the 6 mile round trip to the land everyday from november to may .

Why don't you use a bicycle? I know it's  fairly modern development  , but I used to use mine in the city all the time (until I had children, when I found that pushing a buggy was safer), and even now in the countryside often collect the girls from the school bus by bike...

With a sturdy trailer behind you can carry an awful lot of stuff/feed/produce etc from a to b.