http://www.freeshift.com/2010/01/08/too-much-comfort/ The art of downshifting - finding freedom with the simple life Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:10:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.freeshift.com/2010/01/08/too-much-comfort/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Jon MacMahon Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:10:25 +0000 http://www.freeshift.com/?p=82#comment-99 We live in the South of France - The Lot -, the first thing a friend who had lived here many years said to me was "logs are money in the bank". How true that was, we are lucky having nine acres of trees, and it has taken me a couple of years to learn how to and how much to cut. How to stack, how to split and what to use. But it beats commuting to an office in city every day. Yes it can be hard work, but, I am retired, so I work on the trees when I feel like it (I do enjoy it though). Back in the UK, Linda (my wife) would say can we decorate the bedroom, that would mean, "decorate the bedroom or else)! But now she says, can we one day put a lick of paint on the bedroom walls, and maybe I will get round to it later in the year. We love our new life, we have a fosse like most people around here, but you would never know, the W.C. works and looks just the same as those in the UK, so why be upset. Yes life is different here, but isn't that the reason we moved here? We feel safe, we live well, the people are very friendly (as long as you make an effort to join in village life). The weather is great, hot summers, but cold winters, yes put on extra clothing and you keep warm. I could carry on for houres. Still people back home say to me " what do you do with yourselves", We enjoy ourselves! We live in the South of France – The Lot -, the first thing a friend who had lived here many years said to me was “logs are money in the bank”. How true that was, we are lucky having nine acres of trees, and it has taken me a couple of years to learn how to and how much to cut. How to stack, how to split and what to use. But it beats commuting to an office in city every day. Yes it can be hard work, but, I am retired, so I work on the trees when I feel like it (I do enjoy it though). Back in the UK, Linda (my wife) would say can we decorate the bedroom, that would mean, “decorate the bedroom or else)! But now she says, can we one day put a lick of paint on the bedroom walls, and maybe I will get round to it later in the year.
We love our new life, we have a fosse like most people around here, but you would never know, the W.C. works and looks just the same as those in the UK, so why be upset.
Yes life is different here, but isn’t that the reason we moved here?
We feel safe, we live well, the people are very friendly (as long as you make an effort to join in village life). The weather is great, hot summers, but cold winters, yes put on extra clothing and you keep warm.
I could carry on for houres.
Still people back home say to me ” what do you do with yourselves”, We enjoy ourselves!

]]> http://www.freeshift.com/2010/01/08/too-much-comfort/comment-page-1/#comment-72 Judy Mansfield Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:08:48 +0000 http://www.freeshift.com/?p=82#comment-72 I fully identify with the author. I put an extra jumper on today indoors: in the UK I'd have turned the thermostat up a notch. We've just had a ribsticker stew for dinner (made from the scrag end of our (ex)lamb: in the UK, I'd have 'phoned up for a takeaway. I used my Xmas present handcream as my hands are rough from helping stack wood: in the UK, I'd have been off to the beautician for a manicure. Pampered world ou 'le vrai monde'? Real world for me, every time! I fully identify with the author. I put an extra jumper on today indoors: in the UK I’d have turned the thermostat up a notch. We’ve just had a ribsticker stew for dinner (made from the scrag end of our (ex)lamb: in the UK, I’d have ‘phoned up for a takeaway.
I used my Xmas present handcream as my hands are rough from helping stack wood: in the UK, I’d have been off to the beautician for a manicure. Pampered world ou ‘le vrai monde’? Real world for me, every time!

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