The Good Life....living The Dream?

[mackem 23,661]

I met a couple originally from Yorkshire this morning,they came over to the farm I am staying on to collect a poly-tunnel,i figured the guy was a fisherman by the way he was dressed,bivvy shoes and realtree type trousers,they sold up in Yorkshire and bought a water filled quarry in central france with a small house,my guess is he is going to turn it into a fishing lake?The people I am staying with here sold a 3-bed semi in Manchester and bought a 65 acre farm in france with lots of outbuildings to turn into a number of gites,they also have a 650 metre long runway in the back garden for their light aircraft,every morning we land at another strip and the French owner immediately makes us a coffee and welcomes us in for a chat,life is very laid back and relaxed.theres a house local owned by an English woman who wants to go back to the UK,its a 3-bed EOT very nice in a tiny village,she has sold it for 50,000 euro,theres lots of brits local all with differning life stories,but all in their own way living individual dreams,i have met a few tom and barberas living the good life,one couple grow 600kg of chillies a year and send them back to a small hot sauce company in the UK,i don't know their profit but they diversify and live a comfortable lifestyle,just wondering what peoples dreams are,where would you like to see yourself in middle-age?

[byron 1,093]

were i live mackem for the last 13/14 years is a sorta living the dream,,if there is a such a thing....if you know what I mean..going away in the van here or abroad.me and me best mate the missus..met loads of interesting van dwelling people doing what they want and having the freedom..alas my dreams have become curtailed at this time with a terminal illness.........but I would advise anyone who's able and can do it to get out there and travel or get a little base here or abroad..live for today because you never know whats round that corner..i can look back on our life's and think yeh..great times and memories..

[neil r 1,795]

I'd love to move somewhere else but the Mrs won't even move out of Accrington never mind another country . If I had the choice it would have to be America or Canada , not just for the fishing and hunting but the general sense of space and freedom. Unfortunately neither of them will let me in so I'm stuck here for now .

[byron 1,093]

ya gotta have a good missus neil..one that trusts ya..that's the only thing with life, summat allways seems to old ya back..kids/family etc..iv'e been lucky,,but lady luck runs out sometime's I can honestly say that when I'm laid breathing my last i'll regret nothing..ya gotta keep them good time's rolling..

[Nik_B 3,790]

I had big dreams once, I believed that if I continued to work myself in to the ground for just a few more years I could end up with my dream house in the countryside. The last oil crash gave me a massive wake up call, I had a year of watching my dreams and hopes crumble in front of my eyes, my daughter was in her second to last year of primary school and I knew that once she was in the last year that it would be all over because moving a child just before secondary school is very hard. I also found out that she was getting bullied at school last year which increased the pressure on me.

 

We went on holiday to Anglesey in Whit last year and when sitting outside the caravan I turned to my missus and asked her if she could live here, she said yes but she'd have to give up work as she cannot teach in Wales. We went home and after a week at home sitting in front of my work PC staring at the empty email in box with no prospect of more work for months and getting more and more miserable I just walked out of the house and went back with the dog. We spend every day walking the coast and exploring, I then rented a cheap caravan to live in. Just after Brexit we put the house on the market, sold it within two weeks and then bought a bungalow. My wife continued to work up to Christmas travelling down at weekends, my daughter was enrolled in a little school in the village and I had to do the school run from Valley twice a day which was a long drive.

 

It's been one hell of a year, work finally came back in winter, my daughter is happy and my wife is able to be a stay at home mum. Living off my wages is a bit scary but our out goings are very low and we have some cash in the bank from the house sale.

 

We've lost out on any chance of having more stuff and investments but I feel like I saved my daughter and gave her 50% of the life I dreamt for her, she goes horse riding and helps mucking out the horses at the stable.

[leegreen 2,098]

Even living the dream cam become boring from time to time. I think it may be time to start dreaming about something else

[Greyman 25,086]

I met a couple originally from Yorkshire this morning,they came over to the farm I am staying on to collect a poly-tunnel,i figured the guy was a fisherman by the way he was dressed,bivvy shoes and realtree type trousers,they sold up in Yorkshire and bought a water filled quarry in central france with a small house,my guess is he is going to turn it into a fishing lake?The people I am staying with here sold a 3-bed semi in Manchester and bought a 65 acre farm in france with lots of outbuildings to turn into a number of gites,they also have a 650 metre long runway in the back garden for their light aircraft,every morning we land at another strip and the French owner immediately makes us a coffee and welcomes us in for a chat,life is very laid back and relaxed.theres a house local owned by an English woman who wants to go back to the UK,its a 3-bed EOT very nice in a tiny village,she has sold it for 50,000 euro,theres lots of brits local all with differning life stories,but all in their own way living individual dreams,i have met a few tom and barberas living the good life,one couple grow 600kg of chillies a year and send them back to a small hot sauce company in the UK,i don't know their profit but they diversify and live a comfortable lifestyle,just wondering what peoples dreams are,where would you like to see yourself in middle-age?

I,m getting to the point in life were middle age is fast disappearing, but I,m getting to a point I need a change, either a little cottage in miles of woodland, or I,m considering renting out the house for ten years and moving onto a narrowboat and cruising the network before its time to be spoon fed and have my ass wiped

[scothunter 12,609]

I want to buy and live on a canal boat one day.something i always seen as great lifestyle in you're latter years. Just moving around meeting other likeminded folk at a leisurely pace.

not sure how it goes in winter months but im sure it wouldn't be to harsh.

[Greyman 25,086]

I want to buy and live on a canal boat one day.something i always seen as great lifestyle in you're latter years. Just moving around meeting other likeminded folk at a leisurely pace.

not sure how it goes in winter months but im sure it wouldn't be to harsh.

i have quite a few friends live on boats and spend quite a bit of time out on the canal and to be honest I love the winter, mind you I am a little unsociable but the lack of tourists, people taking photos of you and finding a place to park are just a few benefits, it also don't take long to get the place roaring with the doors shut and the fire on its normally warmer than being at home, as long as you don't mind collecting a bit of fire wood and realise that everything has to be carried on and off again it's a fantastic way of life with some strange and wonderful people, mind you you're a bit limited up there to the Caledonian canal with know access to the main network so you might have to move south a bit

[mackem 23,661]

were i live mackem for the last 13/14 years is a sorta living the dream,,if there is a such a thing....if you know what I mean..going away in the van here or abroad.me and me best mate the missus..met loads of interesting van dwelling people doing what they want and having the freedom..alas my dreams have become curtailed at this time with a terminal illness.........but I would advise anyone who's able and can do it to get out there and travel or get a little base here or abroad..live for today because you never know whats round that corner..i can look back on our life's and think yeh..great times and memories..

Sorry to hear about the illness Byron,your right life is about collecting memories,theres a Scottish guy here,he is in his 60's,trained to be a pilot instructor a few years ago,bought a house here,got a plane,keep a triumph motorbike at his mates in the states,he generally drifts around but has a great life,everyone has different dreams,they sometimes change over the years as Leegreen pointed out,i spoke to a guy earlier who has rented 3 acres of land here for 120 euros a year to grow his own food and try to be as self sufficient as possible,dreams don't have to be big.

[byron 1,093]

an old gypsy boy once told me..

possesions slow ya down..ya just make it up as ya go along..

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I'm easily pleased really. As soon as my mortgage is paid off I want to rent my house out, build a log cabin on some of my dads land, build a nice kennel block with a man cave on the side and get a few chickens roaming free range. That will do me nicely.

[scothunter 12,609]

 

I want to buy and live on a canal boat one day.something i always seen as great lifestyle in you're latter years. Just moving around meeting other likeminded folk at a leisurely pace.

not sure how it goes in winter months but im sure it wouldn't be to harsh.

i have quite a few friends live on boats and spend quite a bit of time out on the canal and to be honest I love the winter, mind you I am a little unsociable but the lack of tourists, people taking photos of you and finding a place to park are just a few benefits, it also don't take long to get the place roaring with the doors shut and the fire on its normally warmer than being at home, as long as you don't mind collecting a bit of fire wood and realise that everything has to be carried on and off again it's a fantastic way of life with some strange and wonderful people, mind you you're a bit limited up there to the Caledonian canal with know access to the main network so you might have to move south a bit

 

yea mate that would need to be the thing to do. As much as its stunning up here you are certainly restricted up here. The caladonian stretches a fair distance but its not exactly seeing the canal system. Be ok if they let you moor on the ness, but its gets a bit wild. You should see some of the boats that go up the caladonian. Just wow! Certainly not short of a right few quid lol.

Also ships. When i first moved here i thought no f***ing way is that getting up here lol

[neems 2,406]

I'd be happier in a Saxon round house in the middle of nowhere than any fancy flat or house,the more basic and closer to self sufficient the better.

But then I'd get left behind and have nothing of any worth to pass down.

 

Might think differently when I'm old with a knackered back and knees anyway.

[scothunter 12,609]

Thats me neems. Dodgy knee and threw my back out other day.I literally can hardly walk right now haha. This morning it felt better took dog for 5 mile hike now its back to square one.