Free-Range Living

'Staying Sane----'

Re-reading a favourite recently ('The Path of Paradox'), the following phrase jumped out: 'It's hard to stay sane in a crazy world'. Maybe becoming aware of 'craziness' is the first step to sanity----? In the Uk: recession, austerity times, people in 'fuel poverty', high unemployment, the 'big bonus' culture, firms and banks being fined for aggressive mis-selling products, supermarkets being fined for collusion to keep up prices, etc etc, - maybe it is a culture going haywire-? Some stability and security would seem to be necessary elements - eroding though in times with on-going high focus on 'change', and with seemingly ever higher costs-? It's been estimated a somewhat larger world than the existing one is going to be needed to fuel resources for the level of world materialism now developing - a recipe for potential strife-?

Cold winds-------

Winter can bring some extreme weather, as has been seen in Europe the past three weeks. Fortuanately here in the UK midlands it's not been as bad as some areas -minus 38C in Bulgaria - but there's been some good frosts down to around minus 12c, and it seems to have been prolonged. A fortuitous find just before the big freeze was a heavy - and warm - three-quarter jacket as new for a miserly £6 in a local charity shop - timely manna from heaven? That, along with some good wellies at an even more miserly rate of £3 has warmed the ol' frugal cockles - good to be practising the near-lost art of 'not spending' - and the dosh goes to a good cause- can't be bad.

Not been a huge amount to do on the growing side of the eco micro-holding (small smallholding), bar covering up the winter greens veg in the worst of the weather, and of course, preparing the ground to receive its applications of woodash and compost. Any 'volunteer' grass and weeds are shaved off (onto the compost) and any residual crops are 'dealt with' - leeks, for instance are pulled up and 'heeled in' elsewhere, where they stay viable for quite awhile. Good activity - good to see the clean, prepared ground. Last year in common with everyone else hereabouts, the heavy frosts had all the winter greens, bar the curly kale, and the normal job of being able to pick greens right through the winter was caputted.

Wood sawing has been the other activity, sawing up some from one of the logpiles to supplement the wood in the logstore, as the woodstove was shifting through quite a bit of wood in those very cold few weeks. Kept us warm and cosy, though, unlike some in the UK right now. Here in the midlands the reports say that a third of the population is in 'fuel poverty', not being able to properly heat their homes, and with high unemployment due to the recession, apparently some, poor souls, are having to choose between 'eat or heat'. Just doesn't seem to be the ticket, in a so-called wealthy, civilised country. The big six energy companies are being accused of profiteering, with their profits a few billion up  on the sizeable levels of last year. 'Just market forces' they'll probably say, in this free-market culture, which, though, in it's 'true' form was mean't to be a 'many buyers, many sellers' market so none could affect it unduly and 'skew' it. Has it,though, been highjacked by the large firms working it to their advantage -? And good to see a 'fightback', in the form of several schemes (egs. one via 'Which', one via 'People Power') that individuals can sign up to and then hopefully get more economic rates via collective bargaining.

Kind of human----?

To what degree might there be a 'large firm' effect, which might have de-socialising' and standardising effects?
 Just in the simple process of shopping ,for instance, if you compare the 'insular' supermarket experience - there's even a gadget now to avoid human contact at the cash tills - with engaging in social intercourse with a knowledgable member of staff in a smaller emporium. Hereabouts there is the statutory large, relatively impersonal garden centre, but also a smaller family run nursery where you can have a 'gardening' chat, get advice and generally feel a bit more human, as well as getting good stuff at sensible prices.

 One TV programme last year ran an interesting experiment - an Englishman tried to cross America using only smaller, independent gas stations and overnight stay establishments. It proved to be a tough assignment and highlighted both the degree to which large enterprise had taken over, and the 'homogenisation' effect of their provisions, overriding for instance, any regional differences and character. All such reservations may, of course, be written off as coming from the 'grumpy' source by those for whom they're not suited, but to get entrepreneurially (be great to have a shorter word) bang up to 'modern', surely here there's a 'market opportunity' to provide a 'humanising' consultancy for any firms, governments etc, but probably particularly the larger organisations, which do at times seem to struggle on this front - ? 

Getting carried away, maybe -  possibly due to reading too much Fritz Schumacher (of 'Small is Beautiful' renown), who's sub-title for his book was 'Economics as if People Really Mattered'.