Photo: Fiona in a bee suit with smoker
My name is Fiona Nevile. I want to share our journey towards our goal of partial self sufficiency. It is such a satisfying, old fashioned endeavour, that provides moments of glowing pride alongside the occasional smelly disaster.
I started this blog after we decided to invest in our future. Retirement looms in a few years time. Before I fell ill I often worked in houses where people had recently retired. Usually they were testing the water. They had plans that they had dreamt about and tweaked for years:
- Raising a few chickens
- A small vegetable patch
- Bees
- Homemade wine and liqueurs
- And the individual extras which could include stock car racing, dabbling on the Stock Exchange, breeding terrapins, planning the trip of a lifetime and dreaming about a lottery win that would finance the lot.
Watching from the sidelines, I realised that often the first four of these interests can take years to get up and running. So I decided to start early. These activities are so satisfying that within months I was peering over the parapet. Why not cure and smoke our own bacon and make salami? How about making sausages and homemade butter? And where could we find food for free?
Six years later we are investing in now as well as our future retirement.
Why just plan for the future? Investing in now can be a bumpy ride but generally we’ve found that it’s fun and our quality of life is so much better than before. Each week our horizons expand.
This website charts our journey towards deluxe self sufficiency and beyond. Our aim is to live like kings on the lowest possible budget. Visit our new forum for inspiration and ideas from our readers.
My articles have appeared online in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Chicago Sun Times and many other publications. Use the ‘contact us’ tab to speak to me. Writing commissions are always welcome.
Some people like to visit us here at the Cottage Smallholder.
Because I have been ill and unable to work since July 09 we decided to host advertising on the Cottage Smallholder site from December 09. Click here for more details.
a brief potted history of Fiona’s career, which has ended up in our attempt at partial self-sufficiency.
TweetLeave a reply
FD
Found this site when looking for a receipe to make my first jam. Friend sent over some plums from their garden, so many I don’t know what to do with so decdided to make jam. Off to the supermarket for the ingredients. Wish me luck.
A great website. I came across you when I googled ‘growing purple sprouting brocolli.’ This year is my first year of growing it and I wasn’t too sure what it would end up like. I’ve got a very small space for growing and despite warnings about planting it far apart, I chucked it all it and hoped for the best – my patch is now taken over by brocolli and beetroot! Seeing your comments on your site has put my mind at rest that it is still all going fine. So thanks. However any tips for keeping the nasties at bay? The brocolli leaves are all getting nibbled- I was assuming it was snails or slugs (we’ve quite a lot) but you mentioned the butterflies – I’ve not seen any, but then you never seem to do so. Any tips would be welcomed.
Hi Ian
I totally agree. Working six acres or a tenth of an acre is so satisfying.
I once bought a house with no land, I left within a year.
Hi Fiona, I apologise for using your blog to send a message to someone else, but Edith’s entry just reminded me how lucky I am.As I put in my april entry , I share 6 acres with the chap next door, it is mostly meadow, we have about a dozen hens,half laying and half too young yet,five geese and a large vegetable plot.
The thing is, we rent it. We are not well off but feel that the improvement in our quality of life makes it a fantastic investment
I’ve been avidly reading the comments whilst looking for receipes for bottled fruit. My husband and I have been fruit picking at a local fruit farm and have made many jars of jam, some more successfully than others as part of our pre-chrismtas preparations. I’ve found the site incredibly useful and love hearing what other people are doing. Just wish we had some acres to grow our own as we live in a modern house with a tiny garden. One Day!
well, how about that. I’ve been gravatar shopping and it was very satisfactory indeed. (if it works that is….first outing should accompany this post). Thanks for the tip Danny.
Get your Gravatar!
The image beside this comment is my Gravatar and we have started to use these now.
Gravatars are Globally Recognized Avatars.
An avatar, or gravatar, is an icon.
What you do is sign up for free at http://en.gravatar.com with your email address. Then you upload a photograph of yourself or whatever image you want to see beside your comments.
The best part is that your image will appear most anywhere on the web where you post a comment using the same email address.
It’s fun and you can change your avatar as often as you want!
Groucho and I share “feature eyebrows”! 🙂
Lovely to hear you back again fiona. Glad you’re feeling better. Danny did a grand job in your absence – you may have to move over and takes turns if he gets the bug!! I’m glad he lent you his laptop to carry on for now – hope yours is better soon (and not too costly).
I am delighted to have found this blog/site! I have an orchard and kitchen garden in south Dorset that I tend after gardening for a living 10 hrs a day May – Nov. Am busy making elderflower cordial and found you after looking at a few different recipes. Will be visiting you regularly. Thanks for the friendly space.
Just found your site whilst looking for a remedy for a broody hen, now have to convince my husband to make it.
I see you have a maran, we have one, Audrey, who is a houdini. We found she was climbing up inside the hedge and getting out over the fence. She has visited all our neighbours gadens. Quite a character! We have four hens, the other three are as good as gold a bit thick in comparison. Love them all. The garden is a dust bowl though. CHICKENS!!! Wouldn’t be without them. Started a trend down here in Exmouth, Devon, few friends have also embarked on keeping them.
I also have taken over next doors, back garden for a veg patch, which is coming on well.
Thanks for the advice. Helen