I had previously written about a fairly radical shift away from a stationary position into one of movement. Basically I have quit my job and accommodation and will leave for Portugal tomorrow, Sunday 22 Sep, where I intend to gain experience of living in different communities in a voluntary manner without schedules or have-tos and other such daily annoyances.
- rainbow over Glen Etive, Aug 2019
I will be living in a tent for the next few months and have only a few hundred pounds in Fiat saved. Once the alt-market starts to move - whenever that may be, but I am certain it will be quite soon - I will have flexibility. Until then, I look forward to using experience, resourcefulness and a DIY-approach to life where I learn and acquire new experiences in willy-nilly manner which is actually very far from random, although I do not know just yet what the patterns might be.
This will be my final post from Scotland and I am unsure of how my blogging future will play out in the short term. I have been winding down my presence here and have said goodbye to Princess Shanti, who is off to the Isle of Skye with her human, Mr DJ. My stuff is mostly packed and I am satisfied that I have managed to do most everything that needed to be done.
I took a few photos yesterday - another kind of goodbye as I am not taking my camera with me, although I will have access to my photo library. I don't want the hassle of thinking about the camera sitting in the tent and I don't want the distraction of time-consuming image-processing. If I had my camera with me I'd be tempted to use it a lot and I'd rather spend my time learning, not stressing and working creatively with my hands.
The princess casts a morning glance around the neighbourhood ....
and then turns her amber gaze to reassure me that we will indeed meet again, "don't cry Barge!".....
before dozing off in preparation for woofing BIG adventures to come.
The non-Coriander Tomatoes are still producing ripe fruit. 3 weeks of daily harvesting (5 - 10 at a time) I have been gifted so far. Sky's the limit and it's still blue!
A spider sits patiently in the morning sunshine, her elaborate and intricate creation held up by just two threads on either side!
Regarding 'creativity', I am taking some basic tools with me. I'd like to work with wood and to that end I got myself a small saw and hand drill.
I also got myself some coloured twine and upholstery needles. I have a notion of working with cloth and wood somehow and would love to create objects I could use to barter (for food, weed, even cash I guess if required :).
Righty ho, thanks for reading and see you around when the moon rises high.
Oh Princess Shanti, she will rule the Isle of Skye well. I am sure you will meet again. Are you sure about not taking your camera? You might encounter some interesting stuff, and you can just pretend in most days that you didn't bring it 😃 Good luck on your epic adventure!
I will be moving sooner than I expected. In 2 weeks to the mountain province for a month before I go international 😊
Greetings my friend, I'm still in Portugal and have now partnered up with a 5month old dog called Flame. Princess Shanti is missed but still in my heart. You're right about the camera, although I'm also glad not to have had to process all those photos - am living in a tent off-grid with little opportunity to charge devices, but in beautiful surroundings of hills and fruit trees.
Hope all is well with you, catch you when I'm back on the blog scene (whenever that may be!)
Namaste!
The off-grid life sounds a lot better than having unnecessary devices. If I were not blogging as a side income, I would have also left my gadgets.
So great that you found Flame, Princess Shanti is in the right hands. I'm quite scared of dogs for now because I got bitten by a puppy in Laos and have to take the anti rabies shots on the road, and the dogs in the Thailand border are aggressive. Oh and I'm in India now, a lot of stray dogs... so far they're tame. I think I have to be more careful of the monkeys. India is amazing! Been to Delhi (was culture shocked there, got away with a rickshaw scam that told us Delhi was closed down), and then Jaipur which is so beautiful with the palaces and forts. Now in Pushkar, nice and chill :)
Have a super awesome time in Portugal and I know you're having a great time.
Hey, great travels indeed - but sounds like you might've got caught up in the big India lockdown. Will drop you a line on Steem and maybe see you on Hive too. I'm back in Scotland with Flame now :)
Hello @barge and Flame! I got back a month ago thru military ship, took us a month from India to Philippines due to a supercyclone, we even traveled Delhi to Kerala non-stop for 3.5 days, crazy adventure! If only my laptop didn't break, I would prefer to stay in India. But Delhi was on a red zone that time and I couldn't get it fixed. Stay safe there and I think you are with Flame :)
Wowie, plenty of wandering for you indeed - I had a look at your website, very nice! Must've been quite a time for you in India and arranging the return! We're good and well, discovering Edinburgh from a doggie perspective :D
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The way of the world... what could be better?
Still in Portugal, living in a tent and off-grid. Partnered up with a dog (5 months old, called Flame :). Life stretched in curious ways. May well be here for a while yet, perhaps back into blogging at some stage if feasible (currently not). Just popping up to say hi and send you a transatlantic hug. Hope all's well!!!!!
This is clearly the kind of information your followers are interested in... that you're alive and well and stretched in curious ways. Come back to SteemBlogging feasibility soon Bruv. It just takes your keys and browser... you provide the rest. Kind regards and SteemON my friend!
That's me back in one of the bellies of the beast and adjusting to the changes IRL (concrete vs tent; multi-human vibe vs rural nature etc) and on the b/chain,
SteemHivebloggingFeasibility increasing by the day. A Portuguese friend I made accompanied me back to Scotland! See you around bro, be well 🤗.That’s very wonderful to hear.
You’re going to be VERY pleased with the New HIVE over the Ol’ STEEM we used to think was so great.
Essentially between your stake from the old chain, your prior experience there, your skills at multi media AND your story from the other world... well, I think you’ll clean up here.
🙏😎🥓👍
Mmmm such nice words bro, many thanks for the expression. Am set to clean out the steemhouse and do a part hive-up, part swap.app for btc so I can sTORe some of the stuff that that be-ringed index finger is pointing at ;)
Salvation QPc!
Wow that's amazing!!! I hope you love it so much that you never come back...
Ha ha, you're not far off in a manner of speaking. Almost 5 months here and it looks like it may be a while yet. Not had a chance to blog it, but that may come soon. Thanks for your good wishes :D
if I could get the hell out of Dodge, I don't think I would ever go back to the USA
Ya it's a big shock to the system, exchanging one lifestyle for another on a regular basis :) - I'm back in an altered psychoUrbanscape of p(l)andemic induced fear and control. What a choice it seems, yet it felt to be what I had to do!
I am sorry to hear that- yes that's what I am in too - and I understand your need to come back - but I hope that one day I will be able to leave for good. I had originally felt that I had to run to the country to escape the coming vaccine nightmare, but now I realize that I will have to stand and fight that one using common law remedies - and so I am not in that panicked state to get out - but I want to get out - seeing people with masks is just SAAAAD - seeing people riding bicycles with masks- "I'm a stupid slave" is what they scream - people walking their dogs all alone, wearing masks. Wow. It is mind blowing.
I hear you, and feel much the same about the double-speak/think and cognitive dissonance (Scotland has just made it compulsory - 10 July - to wear masks in all shops!). I do not think that 'slaves' wanna be slaves, but I think they don't realise they have a choice (the realisation of which would free them from the state of slavery). Frankly, I'm still working out what my choices are as I've not been face-to-face with any monsters yet. I feel that the way through is to walk whatever tightrope comes my way and not lose my balance (sense of inner alignment).
Great adversity is also a tremendous opportunity for transformation. Mind-blowing seeing it actually play out before our very eyes though!
Having said that, I'd so LOVE to find a caravan and a rural spot near running water, woods and hills :D
counties around ours have "mandated" masks, but you can wear a bandana around your neck - and that's what is infuriating to me - it's just a show. People who don't wear masks have the reputation as "people haters" - it's such a scam... we have property but it is just so hard to get the house built and actually move there - hopefully that will come in time. I am quite sure that we will be getting another "wave" in the fall - people think "it's going to blow over" - the thing that is sad is the businesses going under because they are not aware of the common law remedy that they could choose - just saw another one going under yesterday - in court over trying to stay open but if they would distance themselves from the state they could prob set that precedence - cowardice is the worst - we almost will kill ourselves over cowardice i guess. What you are saying about staying true to your inner compass is the most important. I have increased my meditation practice and frequency raising practices - and I am not really talking to the friends who believe in it anymore - Blessings!
He came back. 😎🥓
hi @barge
I just checked your profile to see if you posted anything new lately and ... NADA. Why so quiet? :)
Yours
Piotr
Hey Piotr, I'm in Portugal living in a tent off-grid. Almost no opportunity to go online and blogging is on the back seat for now, perhaps to be resumed in a while. I'm good though, hope you are too. Cheers!
Wow. I kind of envy your lifestyle @barge :)
He’s back!
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Hey @barge, are you still in Portugal? You know there's a Steem eco-community in formation down that way?
Hey @atma.love, yes I am still in Portugal and may well be here for some time yet. I didn't know about the Steem eco-community in formation, any links or further info? Thanks :)
Yeah brother, check out @ecotrain and @eco-alex. Here's a recent post https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/ecovillage-journal-11-eur30-000-natural-giving-donation-by-an-anonymous-steemian
Peace be with you
Thanks for the info Atma, though I didn't get to follow up on it. Am back from Portugal now and it's defo a good place for eco-alex's project, which seems to be taking off nicely a/c to his blog.
Are you back in Scotland? What plans?
Consider a visit to my place www.atmanna.com in Bulgaria in the future.
Namaste
Yes, back here now but currently still in observer mode - no clear plan has yet revealed itself.
Atmanna looks like the kind of place I would consider visiting/volunteering (work x-changing :). Dunno if/when/how etc, and I would have Flame (my dog) with me......I will keep this in mind however, thanks for mentioning it!
I intend to post about my 9-month experience in a tent and on various voluntary 'communal' spaces in Portugal.
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