001 The Downshift Project – Podcast Introduction
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I have long wanted to do a podcast, and this is my first attempt! It is something of a ramblecast but hey, at least I took the plunge and said my piece. I promise these will improve in the future, but I do want to keep them kinda intimate rather than over-producing and making it all way too shiny.
Thanks for subscribing
I’ll probably split the podcast into several feeds if my subject matter gets too diverse. My inspiration is Cliff & Stephanie Ravenscraft’s gspn.tv , so if you’re familiar with their work – especially “My Crazy Life” - then you know where I’m headed with this.
~Tess
Now I can post a serious comment. Great podcast, like listening to our philosophical “it’s getting light outside!” discussions from yesteryear. I’m glad that you’ve gotten out of the rat-race, and isn’t it reassuring to know that you could survive with some effort if the world outside suddenly disappeared?
Incidentally, I do want to know how the chickens are doing. We had a chicken once… for two weeks… until the croc ate it! Poor chook, he led an enjoyable and oblivious life. So hopefully you’ll have more luck.
Anyway, this whole challenge of self-reliant living is something that we’ll be doing a few years down the line. We have 350 acres now with a spring-fed creek, currently without anything on it. There’s a ridge near the creek where we can build the house, hopefully entirely out of local materials, and we have a few years to figure out how to do it as self-sufficiently as possible.
So yes, I’ll be listening with interest.
350 acres! I have 0.5. But that’s okay because we’ve only got a use for about 0.25 so far. I shall have to interview you for the podcast on skype sometime :)
We haven’t got the chickens yet. Dave’s finishing off building the polytunnel and the chicken house is next on the agenda. Right now I’m working on digging and planting…
29.5mb!!!!! Looks like the only way this traveller with painfully slow mobile internet is going to hear it, is if I visit and you read it to me!
Well maybe you should do that then! :)
I will get there one day. I got diverted 30 miles from the Welsh border at my last attempt!
A great adventure Tess – love to see what you’re going to do with your half-acre block. It’ll be fascinating to watch (much easier to watch than do!).
Andrew
Thanks for the comment Andrew – I’m adding a link to your blog now…
Thanks Tess – I’ve just reviewed your first podcast – great job, very, very interesting!
http://gentledescent.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/inspirations-the-downshift-project/
I saw that! Thanks very much!
Very interesting……I hope that your goals will be achieved with joy and pleasure.
If you’re interested in reading about pagan lifestyle, read this blog, she’s really interesting, and someone who ‘walks their talk.’ Oh, and she lives in Wales too.
http://www.blog.co.uk/user/tylluanpenry/
Interesting website Avril, thanks. I’ve spent most of my spiritual life flitting between Christianity, Paganism and Buddhism, and have a healthy respect for all three. The Pagans are the most fun though. :-)
[...] Good Life, peak oil, self-sufficient Just finished listening to the first podcast from The Downshift Project – a really interesting insight into the lives of budding escapees from this oil-based rat [...]
I got lured here from FDR. I saw here that you have podcasts and was curious to hear you speaking. I can sense a determination in you to be yourself which I found awesome.
The outro music moved me to tears. I sensed so much joy in it!
Thanks, Heiko! The outro music is a track called ‘Freedom’ I wrote in 1994. There’s actually four podcasts now not three. I forgot to tag the fourth in the ‘podcast’ category, oops :)