Turnip Greens

This is the 4th week away from Trassey.

We're loving the sea, the 'nearness' of everything, and being in the buzz of Newcastle Weekends.

But there is a big hole - we are beginning to miss our country life, and the Turnip House. This is a good thing. Now we begin to form in our minds the next steps; to begin to make solid all the things we thought about over the last couple of years after we decided that we needed a 'new challenge'.

The general consensus is that now is the time that we should settle down, do the sensible thing, and go for comfort and ease (in our declining years!) I must say that the relief of finally getting sold, and then the drama of actually moving out, was so draining, that for a time, it did seem a seductive option.

I am happy to report that that feeling did not last too long, we are settled (and excited) in our determination to proceed with the greening of Turnip House.

Turnip Greens

Our desire is to continue what we set out to do in 1987 -

• to shift the work/life balance so that we work to live not live to work,
• to gain more connection with life, nature and landscape
• to take less and give more
• to focus on life's real priorities

What does this mean in practice? Well, that's the journey!

Sustainability and a small (carbon) footprint are all in vogue now, for obvious reasons. We bought the books 'The Self Sufficient House' by Brenda and Robert Vale, and 'Seeing Green' by Jonathon Porritt 30 or more years ago. Being hopeless romantics we have always been inspired by these ideas, and not embarrassed by that.

When we gave up the rat race in England in the eighties, and moved back to Mourne to found Turnip House, this was our attempt to move towards these principles. It was great, enjoyable, extremely difficult at times, painful, clumsy, imperfect but overall totally rewarding.

Now we have the lucky chance to have another go, older (and wiser perhaps)

So here we go!

We are reading, researching, and planning. We will try and find somewhere where we can put into practice our plan.

Watch this space!

“The truth is that if we all do our bit to go self-sufficient – some doing no more than insulating their homes, others trying to go the whole hog and work towards going off grid – then the country, the world even, will go a long way to solving it’s ever pressing energy needs.”

Alan & Gill Bridgewater

The Self Sufficiency Handbook

New Holland Publishers 2009