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Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 7:01 am Post subject:

Parents imparted a lot of the Reduce Reuse Recycle ideas to me from the earliest age, as a result of thri having been children during WWII

.

Joined the Puffin Book Club at the age of about 8 and bought the whole of the "Little House ..." series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

For those who don't know, they tell the story of a family living alone on the edge of American civilisation in the early 1800s. They were entirely self-sufficient.

(Last week's episode of "It's Not Easy Being Green" brought back strong memories of the pig-slaughtering scene in the first book, Little House In The Big Woods).

Her writing had a huge impact on me.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 7:24 am Post subject:
I'd forgotton about those books, I loved them as a child. Must re-read them sometime

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 7:26 am Post subject:

Always enjoyed being outside, like animals, like finding out what makes them tick, then Geoff Hamilton and gardening, that looks like fun, i'll give that a go. River cottage pulled a few threads together, focused the attempts. Finally got the internet and broadband. Rivercottage forum was the only one i bothered with, met you lot, got told about downsizer had a look and didnt really go back. Interesting people, interesting subjects, have a laugh, get told off !! Whats not to enjoy. Everydays a school day !!

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 7:54 am Post subject:

Andy B wrote:

Everydays a school day !!

Yeah, but with Sean, Tahir and Johnnyboy, are the prefects quite as sexy as the ones from 10, 15, 25 years ago? Really?

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 8:16 am Post subject:
I'm country born and bred. Just a simple peasant really, dont know no different.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45683
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 10:39 am Post subject:

Lozzie wrote:

Joined the Puffin Book Club at the age of about 8 and bought the whole of the "Little House ..." series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

For those who don't know, they tell the story of a family living alone on the edge of American civilisation in the early 1800s. They were entirely self-sufficient.

(Last week's episode of "It's Not Easy Being Green" brought back strong memories of the pig-slaughtering scene in the first book, Little House In The Big Woods).

Her writing had a huge impact on me.

What age would that be for? Just thinking of our 6 year old

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 11:20 am Post subject:

nickhowe wrote:

Andy B wrote:

Everydays a school day !!

Yeah, but with Sean, Tahir and Johnnyboy, are the prefects quite as sexy as the ones from 10, 15, 25 years ago? Really?

We didnt have prefects, just men with guns !!

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 5:26 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

What age would that be for?

Little House In The Big Woods is probably good for an intelligent 6-year old to have read to her, although the book itself (my 30-year-old-copy!) says "For children of age 8 to 11".

Be aware that it has some scary bits, and the pig butchering chapter, too. But it is so matter-f-fact (just as it should be, really).

I honestly can't recommend the book highly enough for YOURSELF! I've got my copy down from my daughter's bookshelf and I can feel myself wanting to read it again, like Sally said ... there is a whole sequence of "Little House" books, and like Harry Potter, the main character and the style of writing get older as the books (and the readers) progress.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45683
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 5:30 pm Post subject:
She's a committed carnivore, she'd find any slaughter bits interesting if anything. Might get one of them then.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Fri May 12, 06 7:55 pm Post subject:

nickhowe wrote:

Nanny wrote:

when i was married the first time...

...then when i changed husbands

Do you think your current husband views you as a good bit of reuse and recycle?

[running very fast]

you got a death wish?

i rmemeber the laura ingles wilder books from my childhood as well
excellent for children, all based on her life experiences, the final one bieing when she meets her husband to be.....

i can think of at least 3....little house in the big woods (the first i think), on the banks of plum creek and little house on the prarie

they follow her families move across the american wilderness

you daughter would love them i am sure tahir

Penelope Anderson

Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 326
Location: london

Posted: Sat May 13, 06 9:31 am Post subject:

I suppose i've had it easy really, being born before WW2, as I was brought up to reuse and recycle everything. The downside is that I can't bear to throw anything away as "it might come in useful one day" We always grew our own veg, fished a lot of our own fish (not our own, from the sea) I learnt to cook at an early age, helping Mum in the kitchen, and I really HATE people who waste food.
Now as a city dweller, gardening keeps me sane, and I regard this forum as a life saver! Can't remember how I discovered it - I think it was serendipity.

koshka

Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 33

Posted: Sat May 13, 06 10:55 am Post subject:

Well, with me my parents always grew their own veg, herbs & fruit, kept chickens & brewed beer & wine, so I grew up with as much fresh food as possible and at least a vague idea of what to do with it. It kinda shocked me when I wandered off to university and realised just how many people had never even scrambled an egg, much less extracted it from a hen house!

Don't really have the space or time at the moment to do as much from scratch as my folks did, but am determined to get the best from what I've got and it's cool to find somewhere people can swap ideas (ok, I admit it, somewhere I can pinch the ideas of people that have more experience

).

Interesting how many of us seem to be following kind of a hereditary path, I think.

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Sat May 13, 06 12:18 pm Post subject:

My OH was asked my our neighbour a few days ago if I grew up on a farm

he was telling them about the dandelion jam I'd made the other day an dhe said 'good no, she grew up with chavs'

I have always been the odd one out of my brothers and sisters and have no idea where I get my lifestyle from as none of my family are like it at all. Even when I was small I was interested in and liked making and growing thhings and having pets. I guess it all started really when I first left home and we didn't have much money and just grew and grew as it fitted in with things I liked

my mum thinks I'm totally mad

but no longer says stuff like 'wouldn't it be easier to buy one....'

When I found out my son had adhd I got even more into cooking to so he could avoid as many additives as possible and as I enjoy cooking, gardening, crafts etc etc it's all just become a way of life, which I'm really pleased about

Still have days when we just can't be bothered and grap a takeaway though

pumpkin

Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 19

Posted: Sun May 14, 06 10:17 am Post subject:

laura ingalls wilder started me off too.....it was the bit where they make the molasses sticks for christmas, then the house under plum creek, the smell of the wood smoker, and the preparations for christmas visitors...actually it was all just so beautifully written that you could really picture yourself living Laura's life. So simple,and so in touch with the seasons and the land.

I still have the set, my aunt Mitzi bought it for me for christmas in 1968! and it's the only thing I have kept from my childhood!

More recently, having spent so many years as an 'army wife' (didn't really feel I belonged in that world), we ended up living on the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, and I started walking the hills, and the more I walked, the more I wanted to get back to living a less complicated life.......If I could be anyone I wanted, at any time in history, I think I'd like to be a Native North America Indian, or maybe a Mongolian nomad (but only if I had good blood circulation!)

In the mean time, I'm inspired by the people who have already been living the life we now lead, and who are happy to share their knowlege freely with anyone who wants to learn.

sunpuppy

Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 169
Location: Exeter, Devon

Posted: Sun May 14, 06 11:01 am Post subject:

I grew up in a countryside environment and and always loved making things out seemingly useless bits of stuff, even as a child. My mum was, and still is, very into crafts and gardening so I guess it was hereditary for me too. John Seymour's self-sufficiency book, discovered when I was in my teens and living on the edge of Bodmin Moor was probably the biggest inspiration. I think the original copy was from the library, but I never forgot it and it's now the most treasured item on my bookshelf, along with a myriad of similar tomes.

Haven't quite got to where I want to be yet (having a small-holding) but HAVE finally moved back to Cornwall (major part of downsizing plan!), and meeting people like Stacey has been a massive inspiration to me, as has this site. Pumpkin's comment :

pumpkin wrote:

...I'm inspired by the people who have already been living the life we now lead, and who are happy to share their knowlege freely with anyone who wants to learn.

is so true.

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