Turning a dream into reality
More than a decade ago, I read a book that changed the way I saw things. It changed what I thought was possible to do, and it sowed the seed of striving for self-reliance. It opened a door that led to a whole new world, a new way of doing things. And led to creating a handmade home with wholesome food and learning new crafts.
However, there was a small problem though. This book by John Seymour showed how to do these things but assumed you had a piece of land available. Unfortunately, I only had a ridiculously shaded balcony, in which even lettuces didn’t get enough sunlight to grow. So as you can imagine, this made growing plants rather challenging. And for some time, I thought it might be impossible to work towards being more self-reliant.
That is until I started focussing less on the big outside projects and more on the home-making skills. I started looking at traditional and old-fashioned skills in the house. Skills like spinning, weaving, and improving my sewing. But also learning how to cook from scratch instead of relying on packets and jars. The sense of freedom and the growth in confidence that I gained because I learned these new skills was amazing. And you would be amazed too how much more empowered you will feel when you start to learn how to do these things for yourself.
I started focusing more on living like a homesteader even though I still lived in my little apartment, unable to access a growing space. Because you don’t need 5 acres and a flock of chickens to start living like a homesteader. All you need is your own hands and the knowledge of how to use them. Start focusing on trying to consume less and create more.
Start to live more simply and seek enjoyment in the small everyday things in life. We all have to start somewhere, and if you want a simpler life. Then know that you can start small.
A simple home
A home that is bombarded with blustery winds, overlooking the hills and valleys beyond. That has a permanently smouldering fire in the kitchen. A kitchen that has bread dough steadily rising and fermentations bubbling away. This home is always slightly messy, with muddy boots next to the door. This place is filled with handmade bric a brac and hand-knit jumpers thrown on the backs of chairs.
This humble home where nothing is perfect
but everything is good and wholesome.
A handmade home where we celebrate a simple life
and enjoy the little moments.
In this home, I lay down my head at the end of a hectic day
and look forward to tomorrow.
Rustic summers as a child
In the summers of my early childhood, my father would take us to campsites in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Most of those campings had no functioning plumbing and we would wash in the stream and carry buckets around. It was rustic, to say the least, but I loved it. My stepmother had a tiny little survival guide that my brother and I would use. We would read through it and try to make fish traps and build shelters. And both my brother and I have never stopped loving living more simply and closer in tune with nature.
We all have those childhood memories that stay with us and formed us into who we are now. For me, it were the rustic campings, and for you, it might be running outside with friends or helping your gran snapping peas.
Somehow these seemingly insignificant moments became meaningful and when we look back on them as adults, we see how they helped shape us. And we wonder if we would be the same person now, had those moments not happened. Would we have the same passion for a more sustainable old-fashioned and more self-reliant life? Or would we have been content heating up frozen dinners and shopping every Saturday?
Mend and make do
From a young age, my mother instilled in me the value of being able to mend and make do. To be able to sew one’s own clothes and be as self-reliant as possible. She would always try to do everything herself and more often than not she would manage it too.
Self-reliance and broken washing machines
There was this one time that our washing machine broke, and she was able to get a second-hand one very cheaply. But we didn’t have a car at that time so it was a bit tricky to get it from one end of town to the other end. So she grabbed an old bed sheet and literally dragged it on that sheet all through town. Then proceeded to carry it up the stairs to her little apartment. It took her three days to recover from that trip, but she was able to wash clothes again.
She felt strong and proud to not have to rely on others and bother them for help. And there have been many similar instances where she did almost impossible things. But never thought twice about being able to do them. And it has taught me that no matter how impossible the task is. If I believe I can do it, then I can do it.
Now both my mother and I have learned through the years that sometimes asking for help is the best course of action. After all, it would have been a quick trip by car and she would not have had to recover for several days.
But if she would not have this mend and make do mentality, I would not have ever inherited that from her. I would not have started trying to make my own clothes, cook from scratch or learn traditional crafts. I might have believed people when they told me that I couldn’t possibly do what I was dreaming of doing.
So take a lesson from my mother and see what you are capable of doing and challenge yourself.
The book that changed everything
John Seymour, how I wish that he would have been alive long enough for me to meet him. The day I first read his book “The complete book of self-sufficiency” was one of the most transformative days in my life. It showed me for the first time that there were other people out there that had the same values and ideas. (this was before the internet became what it is today)
The book teaches about gardening and animal husbandry which are the pillars of homestead life. But it shows and explains so much more, if you ever wanted to learn how to brew your own wine or lay bricks or even weave a basket, it is all in there. I’m not the first nor will I be the last to call it the homesteaders’ bible.
Teaching myself old-fashioned skills
With the help of his two pages on spinning wool, I managed to teach myself how to spin wool. I then started weaving my homespun yarn into little cloths, but I found out I didn’t really enjoy the weaving process. So sometime after that, I started asking my mother for help with knitting. Turns out I liked knitting a lot more than weaving, although my first love it still spinning the yarn, I do greatly enjoy knitting. And I thank Saymour and his book for opening the door for me to these skills.
Teaching and helping others
My hope through this blog is to be able to inspire others, so they can find what brings them joy and shape their home around it. Hopefully, I can help you find the determination and courage to live your dream. Even if it’s not how you initially thought it might be. To focus on changing your life for the better by focusing on the things you do have control over.
For me, and perhaps for you, that is about taking control over your food, learning old-fashioned crafts, and learning to slow down so that you can live a simpler life.
A life where you can feel empowered and free.
