Wednesday 7 March 2012

Where are you most at home?



In London, most of my friends are chronically dissatisfied with their lot and dream of a peaceful, less harried existence.  They throw money at problems to make up for the hours that they spend working in jobs that they hate and are in a vicious circle of living to work and needing a high salary to maintain a lifestyle that they despise.
I am still bathing in the glow of having taken the plunge and escaped from the treadmill, my income has drastically reduced and I live in a completely different way now.  But of course I have replaced the old dissatisfaction with a new anxiety;  life is so comfortable and contented, I fear change.  When life is pretty miserable change is intriguing rather than to be feared, but for the first time I would love for every thing to remain just as it is.

Unfortunately Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. (Brecht)


I am in rented accommodation in a high demand area and having a furry friend puts me in a precarious position,  I'm only ever one unscooped poop away from oblivion.


It set me thinking about what I could do to lower my overheads and find somewhere that I would love equally if I were given my marching orders.


I've never lusted after grandeur in houses, I feel lost in big cold rooms, I like to be cuddled up, cosy and warm somewhere small and intimate.  Although I do love other people to have large houses so that I can visit and enjoy big parties!  
My idea of heaven are the Brambly Hedge houses. I was a teenager when the books were first published, so I can't claim that these books were part of my childhood, and yet I think that I have read all of them.  They are so beautifully illustrated and each time that you look back at a page you find a new detail.




It is in such a house that I would love to live if I ever had to leave my current abode.
The Brambly Hedge mice are all industrious and resourceful, and very ahead of their time in terms of their eco credentials and their recycling.  They work together as a community and produce things of such beauty,  that we have all but forgotten in our fast paced, flat-packed lives.

And then I started looking online, and found that there are communities that exist who work to the same ethos and here are some of the houses that they have created....






and furniture to complement them....

I am not sure how planning works with these, most of them seem to be classed as temporary and are built to be completely self-sufficient in woodland areas, and there is a wood for sale near where I am now, 8 acres planted with over 500 English oak trees, what surroundings could be more beautiful?

There is even a pond.
In my new fantasy there would be a luxury commune with all the community spirit and kindness, but with Frette sheets and good coffee.
There would be a spa where the therapists would receive all the treatment costs.
And a grotto with bubbling hot pools to host parties and serve chilled champagne

What is your most wild home fantasy?

4 comments:

  1. They are just like hobbit houses; comforting and cosy comes first with me too, I don't like big houses unless there is a family of 6 to fill them.
    Right now, I want a silver airstream trailer down at the bottom of the garden but aside from that, as long as there are trees outside my windows I don't really mind.

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    1. The Airstream means you are always free to escape to anywhere but they are so expensive now!

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  2. Those little Brambly Hedge houses are so cute - I wouldn't say no to one of those! My current shack has just gone up for sale. I want to buy somewhere smaller, cosier,and with a sea view. But you don't really know what you want with houses until you walk into one that just feels right.

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