[Tullywood Farm]

KevKev

Now you need to add Crockodiles to your shopping list - that would be cool! You would not have to worry about any visitors then.

If I can get some eggs from a Zoo, I will hatch them for you

regards
Julie

[rustyme]

I am crushed ... totally crushed  where can I go now to burn my wickerman (containing MP's !!!) ?      Well, if Britt works in the pub , I may just pop along for an orange and lemonade  instead ?
oh by the way Linz , Kevin would be a Euro MP  not a UK MP , they  get even more money !!!!!
and we pay that lot too.....  where's those matches , keep the home fires burning ....

cheers

Russ

[kevkev57]

Kev the euro MP , yep its got a nice ring to it.

kevin

[Crofter]

Hi Kev

Despite your good intentions you will find that part time residents get treated with the same contempt as holiday home residents on Lewis and Harris.  I can't speak for the other islands but have seen it first hand here, house prices pushed way beyond what local youngsters can afford.  In places where holiday homes prdominate we are even starting to see racist (anti english) graffiti!

It's a sad world sometimes

Dave

[kevkev57]

Hi Dave, thanks. Good to hear a comment from someone that lives on an island.

Having travelled extensively in my life, I do not carry that ' narrow minded ' viewpoint that you attribute to some of the long term island residents. Not there fault really if you think about it.  Island life and lack of contact with outsiders is bound to cause problems.

I consider myself a good mixer with all kind of people, it was part of my career. If however there is rejection, then so be it. I certainly do not want close neighbours, and that goes for anywhere I live, island or not. You can interact easily with people without having them right next door !

In an age as we are now where social interaction is on the decline, we must be prepared for rejection.

Any anti English feelings toward me will just be treated with the contempy they deserve.....silence.

Yesterday I got talking to a good Belgian friend of mine. He was most interested in my ideas about spending six months a year over in Scotland. I then worked out why. He sells expensive house across the EU to rich Belgians. Apparently he is very busy, as these rich folk are taking money out of funds and banks and putting it into bricks, usually for rental.  With the excellent ferry service from Zeebrugge, Belgium to Rosythe, he sees an opportunity. Last I saw him after a rather hefty session of drinking, he was muttering about ' putting a plan together '   Probably the drink talking, but it might come to something.  At least it woud give me something to do whilst there, searching out suitable property........WHICH presumably the very same anti English locals, are happy to sell in the first place.

You will know if I start to sell some property up there, as you will see  ' Belgians out ' on the walls !

Kevin

[sandy]

Sadly as the economy changes most small villages, towns etc have little or no work for locals so people either move out or become unemployed so they then become less populated by high income earners, the only people who can afford to live where there is little employment either have enough mo money not to work  or have another source of income, working from home etc, so, inevitably houses get into poor state or repair and sell cheaply to outsiders who make the property better and add economically to the community. It has happended for many many years throughout the country not just small islands in Scotland. I remember my Ex husbands family moaning as they lived in a small farming village were families had lived for generations, the first "rich family" moved into a dilapidated house and the whole village were talking about the outsiders! I remember it well, then more came as the elderly inhabitants died off, then farm shops as people took up smallholdings, pretty buildings maintained well, livery stables, the pub became popular with Bar meals instead of the dark old inn it used to be with a few men at he bar playing darts.......and so on.....life changes...!!!!for good and bad. I know in some farming areas covenants are placed on properties for sole use of local people, not sure how it works and who comes up with the money but an option......my tea is getting cold after that rant!!!!

[kevkev57]

Hi Sandy, Yes I am afraid its happening everywhere.  Here in the Ardennes the Walloon gov have thrown some money at the problem. Basically it works like this.

If you are local to the area and have been living here for over 10 years and are under 25 years old, you can get a deposit for a house interest free and only payable back to the govt IF you sell and move away within 5 years of purchase ( normally around 12,000 euros )  The rest is on a mortgage, which is at 1% lower than the best rate normally available. Then finally the govt pays the first 100 euros of your mortgage every month for 2 years.

The house you buy has to be older than 50 years. All repair work to get it into shape only attracts VAT at 6%  Add to that the whole raft of subsidized deals for solar panels, insulation, heating etc its worthwhile AND working well. In a way the govt is taking a chance and could possibly be accused of being racist, as its only an offer open to locals.

We are now seeing younger couples move back into villages.

Kevin

[sandy]

I think it is a good idea as there will still be locals who want to move or have to move for work. I am in a small village that once was booming with Woolen mills, Mining and Distilleries and lots of other industry, shops etc that went along with it so people moved to improve their chances of getting work, we moved here to improve our lives!!!!My ancestors had to move away as they were miners and all the people moving into the country are also trying to better themselves. I am broad minded as well and why should we so possessive about a place we just happend to be born in, I know it helps to have family around for baby sitting and helping out etc but maybe starting life somewhere else is a better way of interaction and social education!!!  It all reminds me of people arguing over parking spaces

[Hilarysmum]

Wherever you choose to live it must be very hard if you are desperate for somewhere to live; even homeless; to see a house standing empty for 6 months of the year.

[Tullywood Farm]

Hello Sandy
It is the same here in Ireland.
My Grandfather and Grandma moved from here in the early 1900's as they could not feed their six children.  They moved to Bradford in Yorkshire to work in the Woolen Mills and also Deliver Coal to houses, two of them had to work and live in tenaments to house their children and earn money for food and clothes.

Now, 100 years later, their Grand Daughter (Me) chose to live in Ireland and raise their Great Great Grand Daughter.

Sadly both of them did not live long enough to see this happen, and luckily I was fortunate to be able to make the move, as the quality of life here is much better than in Bradford.

People move all the time - and in the future, more cultures will land in all places as Europe opens its doors, and Pakistan and the East have their wars.

Life changes, and I know it is hard for the elderly population to accept change, and for people to accept newcomers to the area they believe is theirs.

In England I was classed as Irish, and in Eire I am classed as English - purely because of my accent.

Basically we are all from Planet Earth, and we are all Humans from different cultures with lots to learn from each other.

Julie

[doganjo]

People are very strange, aren't they?  I've just been speaking to my sister.  Both of us are born and bred Aberdonians.  I moved to Central Scotland just over a year ago and have made a lot of new friends - of many different nationalities as well as locals, and I have never felt anything other than 'accepted'.  Helen moved to Inverness with her family some 25 years ago and was recently told she was an 'incomer', despite both their sons having strong Invernesian accents, and having joined in as many of the local organisations as possible - Rotary, football club etc.  I think it is a Highland and Islands thing, not and English and Scots thing.

[sandy]

I worked with homeless and asylum seekers and do not feel I own where I was born, Leicester, in fact, I feel more at home here in Scotland, home of my Grandparents, well my Grandad, My Grandma was from Castle town county mayo, she was Agnes McKreith and moved to Wales with her family due to the potato blight, my children laugh as I love spuds!!!!!!!. We are free to roam and wherever we can earn an income and pay our way is home, I just object to benefit surfers!!!!!!!!

First off my partner has done a spell check, ( what is this a school where you have your best prefect etc) I am not into this stuff.  I said I want a go if we are talking about boundries, no one owns anywhere. some will say they do hence deeds etc, well this may be the case but in the big picture it ain't nothing. We all have a limited time so no one has any authority over how we interact or justify are thoughts and ideas, hence not to be conditioned into certain mundane thought processes.

[kevkev57]

'Hilarys mum '   It would certainly not be empty for the other six months.  I would rent it out if possible for as long as I can, even if it was for a low price. You can always find people who want accomodation for a few weeks or months if you look hard enough, even out of season., walkers,   Writers, bird watchers etc.

I need to recup the yearly expenses, such as council tax and insurance costs. Renting out will help reduce costs.

Kevin

[kevkev57]

'Doganjo '

It might be a highland and island thing, but I think its widespread.

I used to live in a village in the Ardennes where they accepted you very well. I made many friends that I still have. Our next move ( only 4 kms away ) was completely different. Luckily we do not live in the village but on a hill with no neighbours for 1km. Ok its a tiny village with only 80 people or so.  Hostility is the key word. My old friends warned me, but we fell in love with our home, and its remote.

This mentality I put down to ignorance and I am afraid to say , in many cases, low intellect.  Apart from two or three, and I MEAN two or three people, the rest are inbred and in a few cases,cretins.  Put it this way. When the bus turns up from the ' special school ' there are not many seats empty.

If you look at the history of this village it tells a story.  They did not have a tarmac road in or out of the village until 1976. It is one road in and out only.  They remained cut off from most outside activity until then. Just a weekly walk into the nearest town for market day or a shared drive. Nearest town is 7kms away.

Things of course have changed considerably. They have their X boxes now,and all of the other consumer trappings. However even if a Belgian moving in from a close village they are not accepted !   I remember back in 2001 when a motorway was put down about 10kms away. To open a service /cafe stop they invited local people. I went along and to my amazement the kids from the village spent nearly all their time going up and down   the escalator. They had never seen one before.

So faced with this  backward outlook, there is no chance of fitting in with a community. At a guess there must be communities nearly everywhere including Scotland similar in their ways and non acceptence.

At the end of the day though , they have the problem not me.

This constant quest for being part of the community is a bit overhyped I think.  If its poosible then grab it, but never bust a gut if you are getting blanked and ignored.

Kevin

[sandy]