This is My Story (or how I bought a farm having never previously set foot in one). I was living the fairly average life of a Millennial; living in rental accommodation, living paycheck to paycheck, struggling with health problems and suffering a variety of social anxieties. It wasn’t exceptionally terrible but I didn’t think I could live like that forever, I was just turning 30 and already felt completely burnt out. Everyday I was bombarded by terrifying news reports about global catastrophes, climate change, financial collapse, wars and refugees washing up on the beaches of my hometown. It felt like things were on the brink of collapse. I wanted to be outside, be around nature, live a more simple life. I wanted to run away from this exploitative society and never look back. Although I’d never actually had a garden I knew that I loved plants and gardening and I wanted to try and grow my own food. When I discovered Permaculture, it was all I needed to give me that little extra push to get going and actually do it, not just dream about it. A little over a year later we spent our life savings on an off-grid abandoned olive farm halfway up a mountain in Spain with no electricity, no water, no access road, no phone signal and a house with no roof! We’ve been here ever since. For four years we’ve put considerable quantities of our blood, sweat, and tears into building ourselves a better life. It hasn’t been easy, in fact it’s been the biggest challenge of our lives so far but it sure beats watching Netflix on the couch and waiting for the Amazon guy to deliver.
You must log in to post a comment.