PowerSwitch

I have mentally come to terms with the paradigm shift that we will all have to accept (eventually) - regarding our future and our childrens future. In the coming months I hope to be able to start to take some real practical steps whilst not destroying my current family life. By this I mean one of my sons is about to go off to university, another one continues in school and another is looking for work. I want their current futures to continue as long as possible. It upsets me to think they will not have what I had and that life is going to become a lot tougher for them. I think the end of the 20th century really will become known as the oilrich society who had it all and threw it away.

My house is up for sale and I intend to move to a smaller box shaped house with a large garden in which to be able to grow my own food. The house must be within walking distance of a small town / village and must be on or close to an existing public transport route. With the proceeds from my existing house I hope to clear all debt other than a smaller mortgage. I plan to switch my pension from the general stock market to a renewables fund in the next few months. I am still investigating how to switch my career from IT to something in renewables.

What are your plans?

snow hope wrote:
What are your plans?

Well...I gave up the car a couple of years ago. And smoking. Trying to cut down on the Snickers bars (whole familly are chocoholics). Need to lose a bit of weight put on since giving up the weed. Plus I've been working far too much in front of a computer screen recently.

Seriously thinking of buying a bicycle. Probably one of those solidly built Dutch ones with a basket on the front.


Ooh! Suits me sir. Nice big fat padded sprung seat... Upright riding position to cope with Londron traffic. rear rack to attach panniers... enclosed chain ( just like my old Honda C50 ) ... built in stand... big mudguards.. bell...

Luxury!

Hmm.. as London isnt quite as flat as Amsterdam maybe one with 3 or 6 gears rather than the hard core fixed wheel no gears no brakes authentic Amsterdammer model.

You wanna Dutchbike? I get you a good deal.
http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/dutch_bikes.htm

My next plan happened entirely by accident yesterday.

We were doing our usual Tuesday market cycle trip and we go past a house where there's always a heap of interesting stuff in the yard - scaffold planks, flag stones, bits and pieces. The house owner was there yesterday - do you want a bike? he shouts, so we talk and agree to go back later.

Later, we get there - he has two bikes hidden under varying levels of rust, we know a chap who runs a bike charity, restoring and selling on bikes, the man agrees to let us have every bike he's given from now on. Other half then mentions that we are doing up a wood burning stove. Are you planning to use it? he asks, well of course we are, turns out the man doesn't want it, he gets asked to take away heaps of logs and chopped down trees every year and doesn't know what to do with it all, could we use it? I promptly offered him a bottle of homemade wine per consignment and he agreed.

So my plan was to get to know someone with a lot of trees, my advice - get to know your nearest scrap metal dealer pronto.

I'm sourcing more and more stuff locally, and trying new ways to make things from first principles. Current project is cheese; I can make butter already.

I find my mind is running in two directions, like having binocular vision split into two different sights; half saying 'things are going to get bad, prepare, prepare' and half saying 'whenever... carpe diem and enjoy the moment, things are OK'

I'm really getting obsessed with the vegetable garden, though.

T

biffvernon wrote:You wanna Dutchbike? I get you a good deal.
http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/dutch_bikes.htm

Thank you. I shall bare that in mind. I have not decided which model to go with but it will probably be one from the Azor range, which seem well made to my untutored eye...

I was thinking of buying from here http://www.velorution.co.uk/
they have a shop in Fitzrovia, which is convenient for me as I am often in the area.

I'm really getting obsessed with the vegetable garden, though.

You're not the only one! My pak choi are going ballistic!

I am just about to order components for my mini-power-backup system: 330Wp of solar PV, 8x90Ah deep cycle batteries and an off-grid inverter/charger with a solar controller.

In the summer I will run one of my two ring mains off this system. In the winter, the mains supply keeps the batteries charged, and the batteries run one ring main (with the central heating and solar pumps, computer, LCD TV etc) if the mains goes down.

The final piece of my renewable energy life support system . . .

biffvernon wrote:You wanna Dutchbike? I get you a good deal.
http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/dutch_bikes.htm

actually, Ive changed my mind. Could you quote me on one of these, please.

You guy's...

I don't know, you do one thing (sell car), then another (move house) , then another (get allottment), then another (lose debt), then another (public speaking), the another (buy gold ), then another (modify job).

But there are still sooo many steps to take, no meltdown for five years please, it's going to take that long for me to turn a properly deep shade of green. (although whenever Andy posts I turn a notch greener with envy).

Ballard wrote:(although whenever Andy posts I turn a notch greener with envy).

Ohohoho! I see what you did there...

And it's funny because it's true...

skeptik wrote:

biffvernon wrote:You wanna Dutchbike? I get you a good deal.
http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.co.uk/dutch_bikes.htm

actually, Ive changed my mind. Could you quote me on one of these, please.

Sure, we've a few in stock. Which colour did you want? With or without the wicker shopping basket.
Velorution sell the same bikes as us. We're both agents for the same guy in Amsterdam so if you're London based better to go there.

biffvernon wrote: Which colour did you want? With or without the wicker shopping basket.

Not fussed. Has to have the wicker basket though. I mean.. there wouldnt be much point otherwise, would there?

thanks for info. Will be visiting a few places in London over the next week or so. Ive really got to sit on the bikes and checkout the riding position. I dont see how you can just order a bike over the internet without tryingit out.

Its reassuring to me to see that Im doing things simlar to other people on this forum, from changing razors to biking, to trying to figure out what your kids lives are going to be like, and spotting usfull stuff being thrown out etc.

Im assuming that at least one of our kids is going to end up in this house so our decisions are now based on things lasting another lifetime.

As I type, an oak floor is going in downstairs (no vacuuming required). I intend to restore the upstairs floorboards and eliminate all fitted carpets completely by spring next year.

Ive started to accumulate basic spares for things (roof tiles for example).

I make my morning and evening rounds of our fruit trees (apple, cherry, plum in this year) and small borders.

I could really do with another couple of years.

On the bike front, with four of us cycling I get to do a lot of bike fixing; I found that a workbench (made from roof timbers) has been a massive help since all the work is done at eye height.

Sorry there was no particular point I wanted to make other than Im greatful for the reassurance that at least Im thinking along similarlines to others.

Pete M

Same as that Pete_M

I didn't think of changing razorblade though, I don't want a beard, natural or not, it just looks itchy.

What I really need is a buyer for the house.

extractorfan wrote: I don't want a beard, natural or not, it just looks itchy.

Not at all.
I've had a beard for about 9 months now, and the itchy phase is the first few weeks, it stops after that.
I think having a beard now will prepare you for not being able to shave as much in the future, it also helps keep your face warm in the winter and looks great in an old sea dog/engineer sort of way.
If you can grow a proper beard then why not try it? you can always lop it off.