I've taken a house in Leitrim. Renting. Found it on daft. It was advertised as a three-bedroom house. But really it has two reception rooms and two bedrooms. At any rate, it has more space than the apartment I was sharing with a flatmate in Maynooth. Here, I can afford the rent for the full house on my own.
The reason I moved, in one sentence is:
I wanted more space
I work as a freelancer. And I have taken up dressmaking. So I need an office and a sewing-studio.
But other ideas and reasons that I moved were...
- living in the countryside
- a more "simple" way of life
There is an aspiration among some of my friends to live "off-grid". It is seen as a badge of honour. To be able to live off-grid. To shun the world, society and all ills that goes with it and compose your own requirements and bring them about. I don't go this far, I think off-grid is often only made possible with the use of a solar voltaic cellular panel - and what kind of society brought that about?! It can't be all bad! Why shun it? But that's unfair, not all off-griders are shunners. In fact, in some remote locations, it's practical to generate one's own electricity, heating etc.
So yes, some part of me wanted to challenge this within myself and wonder if it's something I aspire to and how I might go about it if it was...
Additionally
People tire me, exhaust me, confuse me, distract me from my own thoughts. It would be nice to get away from cities and people. And on the flip-side, with the people I would meet, hopefully the relationships would be more real and not formed from a basis of consumerism.
My fear, however, was that I would go mad with loneliness.
The first few days, the weather was unusually cold for late May... all thoughts of avoiding oil-fired heating and lighting daily fires in the fireplaces quickly disappeared with the effort required. The unrelenting task of keeping an eye on the fires. Having fuel in stock. Cleaning. The dirt. Within week, I had rung the oil company and got a fill for the tank out the back. I am a cold person, I like to be comfortably warm. Learning point #1. I *could* do fire-lighting but I'd need to have prepared a stock of fuel in advance and it would become a large eater of my time. I'd rather do other things with my time and my life than enabling my living. If there's a switch I can flick, that's enabling thinking and more complex forms of living and engaging with life. Maslow, I was paying attention to your theory of the Hierarchy of Needs.
Space.
Undoubtedly, having space is wonderful. Although breaking up my duties and tasks into separate rooms, i.e. eating and food preparation = kitchen; leisure activities = sitting room; sewing = sewing room; work = office; hasn't really worked out because the sun and the light is different during the day and it was awful to have my office in the north-facing small room in the back. I think good design can compensate for lots of space though. For example, my bedroom doesn't need to be so big. Especially seeing as I have a dressing room in a separate room to my sleeping/bed room!
Internet
Also, very early on, I realised internet is a huge part of my life now. Mobile phone reception was poor so I got a landline telephone. I tried a few options of internet - having concluded that going to the local library was not feasible for a freelancer (especially one working in the publishing industry!) - and ended with a satellite dish. Excellent internet access now. Even without my work, I think it's hard to live in the modern life without internet - notices are posted online or on facebook now, posters and signs and newsletters can't be relied on for full updates, mind you word of mouth is still the best. I've heard of dance classes and a watercolour painting group and a Crafty Ladies get-together through the people I've met at a knitting circle.
Rubbish
Oddly, dealing with my rubbish and waste is something I *am* happy to tackle. I choose my purchases a little more carefully in the supermarket. I haven't paid for a rubbish collection. I burn some of my waste (paper), and compost some more. I admit to using my mam's or my aunt's waste collection but it certainly is getting me to think about waste generation, packaging etc and these problems are something I am happy to tackle and overcome - unlike internet access for example!
Loneliness and restriced activities are definitely a challenge. I have to drive everywhere. I don't have any friends yet. I have met a French artist/farmer and we are enjoying each other's company, I go to a knitting group in a nearby library.
