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@Woody girl I'm the same, I could look after myself for a few weeks if needs be. It's the way I was brought up, my parents have never thought themselves preppers but they did the sensible thing and always ensured we could fend for ourselves. It doesn't necessarily run in the family- one of my...

The UK government has done very little to encourage preparedness and self-reliance in the case of an emergency compared to Scandinavia- it really amounts to the prepare campaign and the disjointed community emergency plans. No mention of war! Meanwhile the media continue to attack the...

Regardless of underlying motives, I give a lot of credit to these governments which encourage the public to take responsibility for themselves.

@Gill I avoid petrochemical fibres near my skin wherever possible, and always seem to sleep better on and under natural materials. Currently on an organic latex mattress with organic cotton cover, buckwheat pillow, wool blankets. All of which were budget friendly as all second hand, although...

Not wanting to put a downer on things, but I think we established in another thread that you don't have permitted development rights to place any kind of structure, temporary or otherwise, on the agricultural land, so any shed would need to be in relation to the management of your one acre of...

Glad you're getting on well with the wool, it's such a revelation when finally managing to get bedding just right! I bought a bargain unused buckwheat pillow at a boot sale earlier this year. Not something I would have intentionally gone out to buy, or even considered- to rest my head on a...

Not a bad judgement! They have their uses, family or group camping where a lot of hot water is needed, or around the homestead (where I use mine mostly). Realistically for anything less than that, a little TLUD gasifier which packs into itself in sections will do the same job, AND cook food...

I don't listen to the media but was in a friend's car when a doctor on the radio claimed gardeners were slightly healthier for ingesting small amounts of soil bacteria, for the same reasons that some strains of soil bacteria are available to purchase as probiotics. Mind you, the radio is full...

If you were to by bags of softwood from a petrol station you may well be right. But in every county in England there is a wildlife trust coppicing native woodland, which would eventually die if they didn't. They will generally supply wood if approached. There are usually many other voluntary...

Interesting reading through this from almost 10 years ago. I'd suggest attitudes have advanced even further and now many people are aware that standing deadwood, for example, is arguably the most important habit in woodland. And fallen deadwood is often full of invertebrates trying to live out...

I probably will, less effort than modifying a Kelly to suit my needs!

Both sizes of Petromax fire kettle come with a proper screw bung for transporting water, so the Germans at least still trust users to read instructions! ;) I used one of them recently and was well impressed. Given the increased momentum of avoiding keeping drinking water in plastic bottles...

The older versions had a cork which allowed water to be carried, now a daft whistle is supplied. As someone who likes to pack efficiently (small car!) I've always thought it really stupid that any kettle could possibly be designed which doesn't double as a water container. I wonder if the move...

Spot on. The future of our planet's welfare went downhill the moment 'global warming', now 'climate change' became big news. It divided people. There will always be a big chunk of the population who don't believe, think it's too late to make a difference, or don't care. If only we could instead...

@TeeDee I have a theory the chris packham bloke is a character invented by the BBC, played by multiple actors wearing the same mask....

It was more a response to your question as to whether the council would like 'you' for converting agricultural land to forestry- I see now you meant 'would the council like the concept'.

I believe permitted development rights don't apply to agricultural land in Wales on holdings of less than 5 hectares. Which in theory means planning permission is required for anything down to and including a polytunnel. A logical first step as an answer to your original question would be 'what...

I'm with you there, but it does vary between person to person. For somebody living an outdoor lifestyle, probably regularly ingesting soil bacteria, maybe exposed to poultry or even just pets, there is likely more resistance than a city dweller who regularly sanitises their hands after touching...

Sound advice, but do consider that theft of poultry from uninhabited sites has become rife in the last decade or so, I know of several instances where huge amounts of labour and money have been put into raising table birds, or maintaining layers, only for them to disappear in the night. I...

If you're new to growing veg, start small. You'll need a lot of compost and a few years before you get really good results. It will also be a learning curve as to what really wants to grow there. Don't underestimate the amount of time an input required. If you start with a few raised beds which...