As a teen, running was one of the few ways of escaping a house full of foster children and forgetting about the social juggling act that was a single-sex school. I ran for miles around the Isle of Sheppey, using the clocks at the various train stations to time myself, powered by the Rocky soundtrack and a mish-mash of the famous training montages. I never competed or even mentioned running during my school life, other than a brief try at the 1500 metres after somebody got wind of my evening odysseys which left me feeling decidedly sick. No, I was happier on my own, pacing along the promenade, through the docks and endless seas of newly imported cars.
Our top tips for increasing energy efficeincy and reducing your outgoings as well as your footprint
Another day, yet another phone call from a family member bemoaning the increasing energy bills and asking for off-grid advice in order to reduce their payments. Through an increasing and alarming number of these conversation it struck me that some of the adaptations we’ve made to our lives which enable us to live off-grid have now become useful in a wider context.
Off-grid energy is no longer a novel idea reserved only for forest-bound dreamers. Over the last couple of years we have received calls from many friends and family members asking us about solar energy and, particularly in winter, heating efficiency.
Cold water swimming. Often greeted with a delightful mixture of sheer horror and intrigue, this fun little hobby of mine has time and again brought joy to others, normally through caving in and immersing themselves in the chocking cold water.
I first began dipping my toes into the cold water world in the mountains. Many of the hiking guests I accompanied on walks had radiated their shiny joy when swimming in a mountain lake or river and soon enough I was joining in on the fun too. It oddly reminded me of a Special K ad from the 90s, featuring a woman in a red swimsuit elegantly diving into a prsitine lake in, probably, Switzerland. That was what I was going for when I first started. The reality is never quite so effortless, and the benefits… Far more than a bowl of Special K.
When taking a dip in the Pyrenees once, in quite a raging river with snow melt happily plunging into it, my swim buddy Olly (who is actually very good looking, think tall, blonde, Scandi Viking), put it beautifully, “In my mind I’m channeling Daniel Craig in his blue shorts, but what I think it is translating as in reality is Gollum.’
What with zillions of sharp rocks, numb yet hyper sensitive feet, the shivering, goosebumps, gasping and the hyperventilating, I can see what he means.
So why put yourself through all this I hear you cry. For utter bliss.
It is quite hard to articulate why it is so blissful. I find it is to do with the stress of the cold and the complete focus that is required to deal with it. Everything else falls away.
Mindfulness is required to combat the shock and once achieved my body seems to enter a space euphoria. I’m sure there are plenty of sciencey reaons for this, but I’m really over science and peer-reviewed journals; I know it from experience and the way it feels.
Cold water swimming, or wild swimming, has become so popular in recent years, especially amongst the female community. Maybe due to a bit of extra insulation or perhaps a sense of empowerment in the water.
Often I think it is just for the sheer liberation. On one walk with a group of guests in the French Pyrenees, we reached the top of our ascent, rewarded for our effort by a magnificent mountain lake. All feeling somewhat out of puff, I halted us for a while to drink in the view as well as agua from our backpacks. I noticed an older couple, who were part of the group, sidle off to the other banks of the lake. Super nice, I thought, a lovely moment together. A mere minute or two later I heard a clear “Are you ready dear?” followed by a resounding “Yes!”, I turned to see our exquistely free lady being revealed nude as her partner took away his jacket from around her,and as smooth as a mermaid, she dived serenely into the lake. Surfacing, she whooped for joy and it was for the rest of us a moment of happiness and exhilaration mixed giggles of excitement. At that moment, I knew I wanted to attain that level spiritual freedom.
For me it is an intese feeling of liberation and inter-being, with the self, the mindbody and the world. I feel more connected to my true self than at any other time. I can also gain this from swimming in balmier waters too, but nothing is as bracing as glacial water. So, what do you think? Time to go for a dip dip? 🐬
Rising bills, compounding energy crises, the head of the UN announcing an existential threat to humanity. When the head of the largest diplomatic organisation in the world uses language that wouldn’t look out of place in the Extinction Rebellion manifesto, it only adds to our desire to be a part of what follows this madness. A few questions we often ask ourselves follow the ‘four Rs’ set out in Jem Bendell’s famous paper Deep Adaptation, what can we relinquish? What can we restore? How can we be more resilient?
I’ve been rather quiet on here of late, but that doesn’t mean that things have ground to a halt at Les Vignes Basses, in fact they’ve classically ramped up a bit in a race to the finish line.
A design principle and critical assessment of our needs as human beings
Over the course of the last 4 years, whilst building our strawbale house, installing the systems and becoming accustomed to them, we have consistently applied a thorough design framework.
This has come to be known between us and in various conversations with friends, family and volunteers as The 90% Rule which goes something like this:
It will come as no surprise that the interior of our straw bale house has taken much longer to complete than the superstructure. Many, many friendly advisors told us this would be the case, and once we embarked upon the wattle and daub train I realised they were astoundingly accurate in their premonition! Progress also slowed markedly when the sofa made an appearance…
I always look forward to Sunday mornings and the simple pleasure of visiting the compost heap with our latest offerings. For 4 years now we have had a dry toilet, which, for those of you unfamiliar with the parlance of composting, means collecting your poo in a large bucket, covering your deposits with sawdust, separating the urine (to keep it dry and the bucket light) and then creating an active compost pile in the garden somewhere.
So far 2020 has been a real eye opener, hasn’t it? With our usual jaunt in the Pyrenees working for Collett’s Mountain Holidays cancelled due to the COVID19 crisis, we took the opportunity (as soon as lockdown would let us), to set off on some new paths high up in the French Pyrenees. It seemed to us to be the perfect getaway amidst all the virus madness – with our own tents and enough food for a few days, no need to see anyone or stay in hotels.
Now that we having running water in the house – and hot water no less, we decided it was high time to upgrade our grey water filtration system. Originally, we were granted planning permission after having a study completed of our land which ensured that it was suitable for a ‘Lit De Roseaux’, or reed bed system of filtration. The study outlined the exact measurements, tanks, locations and size of the filtration system. This was out of our reach in terms of cost and so we have essentially made a carbon copy of the system but utilising a different type of tank; namely a cast iron bath tub.
With the hindsight of the past few months, it will come as no surprise to learn of the gratitude I feel for any travelling adventures I have had the good fortune and motivation to undertake. Last year’s cycling extravaganza in Portugal is no exception to this rule. Having had some time to galvanise the memories, I wanted to share some stories and anecdotes for anyone else wishing to take themselves off into the sunset on their faithful steel steed.
Having the ability to store water seems to create an innate sense of secure satisfaction now that our ferro-cement tanks are finished. Collecting and holding lovely cool, clean and fresh water in a passive way.
Les Vignes Basses 
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