The "good life"

Has anyone in the house thought about setting up a commune? Bit like Tom and Barbara in the series "the good life". I bet we could get say half a dozen with various skills and knowledge to grow food,cheap green energy and some animals etc. The idea would be to go 100% self sufficient . Would anybody seriously like to consider such a move...Everyone would have there own space but come together in a large room to mingle and chat over dinner?You know i think it helps at our age to have a project or goal in life,it helps the immune system and dosent give time for depression to set in....any thought welcome

Re: The "good life"

Hello Colin it sounds like my idea of hell to be stuck in a commune with a lot of people I don't know

I am happy relying on myself thank you..

Re: The "good life"

Good evening Colin, no disrespect but like Meg, being grouped with a lot of unknowns is not appealing.

Re: The "good life"

Nearly a hectare of land for a family of four to be self sufficient? Hardly practical. If you want to add more people the amount of land goes up in proportion.

Re: The "good life"

I can't see self-sufficiency being a practical proposition either. I enjoy my bit of gardening and manage to grow about 5% of what we consume in a year. You would need to grow sufficient to sell so you can buy things that you can't produce yourself. No, I'll stay as I am.

Re: The "good life"

Unless its a 'little house on the prairie' ....no - not for me, I'm surrounded by people as it is - its not exactly enlightening .....

Re: The "good life"

First of all hello and welcome Colin, yes I will go along with it, but on my own as a member of a Co-operative, we would have to have a buying group.
I have a fair bit of garden and think I could manage to rear enough veg and poultry to survive, maybe a few pigs.
Anybody could graze their cattle on common land in Coventry using my name, as I have the freedom of the city, this would allow me to do that thing.
I think a bartering system should be in place, I would perhaps swap some swedes for some of your carrots etc.
Why not let's go for it!

Re: The "good life"

Good morning Colin and welcome. I was never into 'gardening' - one of the jobs I detested with a vengeance. I now live in a flat that has no access to gardens, being elevated one floor up, I can stand at my balcony and watch everyone else toiling in the garden. Now that 'bending, stooping, and kneeling' are distinct no, no's for me because of my disability - then gardening is definitely out.

Re: The "good life"

Never mind Geoff, I will put a chair in the middle of my garden, and you can keep the birds off! the feathered kind.

Re: The "good life"

We did have a taste of 'The Good Life' (hubby's dream, not mine), but he needed to work to support house and growing family, couldn't have survived otherwise. We did have hens, ducks, rabbits, a lamb and 2 goats at one time, plus growing loads of fruit and veg, the surplus we sold at a W.I.Market, and we let off part of our house as self-catering holiday accommodation.
I worked part time, and we entered local shows for produce and baking.
No wonder I feel worn out these days, it all became too much.

Our next project was to buy another property with planning permission for a 4 bed house in the garden, we built the house and divided it into 2 apartments, our widowed mother's had one each, we would meet up most afternoons for afternoon tea.
Both mothers have died now after 8 & 10 yrs here. Now one of ours son's has moved into the property we had with his family, and we are living in one of the apartments, the other one being overflow for any guests who come to stay.