A complete change.... (1 Viewer)

[mitzimad]

The option of several houses does provide a reasonable safety net

 

[Allanm]

Good luck to them, I wish I had done that when I was young. We have a house here and one in France that we are renovating, we are already thinking of selling it when it's finished and buying a field in France to put a log cabin/ yurt on and live off grid.

 

[Anthea M]

Wow how courageous is that! Wished we had done it when our girls were very young! Good luck to them and keep us up to date with their adventure!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TallBlonde]

Fantastic spirit and not as crazy as it might seem given the resources that they are blessed to have. I wish them very well

 

[Chockswahay]

Power to their elbows it will be an experience that will hopefully enrich the rest of their lives.

I don't want to be a wet blanket but the words ancient catalytic heater I'm afraid leapt out at me. I lost a dear one to cabon momoxide poison through such. Please, please email them to check if they have an alarm.

Dick

I was about to sat the same................. please do ask them to fit a CO2 alarm

 

[stcyr]

Yes, agreed about the heater. They have all the necessary alarms in place and have good ventilation all the time. They'll use the Propex when it's really cold. They are using an oil-filled radiator at the moment, while they're hooked up - had a couple of nights last week when it got a bit chilly; the rad kept the interior at 20c. (And they're all used to camping in the Welsh hills too )

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Popeye]

Admirable, bloody admirable. Brave, yes I suppose so; foolhardy, nah, not a bit of it.

 

[PeteH]

I hope it works out. My "life experience" if you like tells me that possibly 6 months to a year down the line the lady involved will miss the "fixed nest". 98% of the Female inhabitants of this world appear to have this "fixation". My wife happily went Travelling the USA 5 months at a time, but I knew when it was time to go "home". The signs where there. Especially the "I wonder how"? xxxxxxx. is doing?. Best of everything to them in the meantime.

Pete

 

[stcyr]

Sadly Nat has no-one to miss, and considers her home anywhere Nik & the kiddies are. The house they're hooked up to while they're in this area has only recently been bought & needs a bit of work before being as comfortable as their van... At least they can use the bathroom & hot water while we suss out the pumps etc. on the van. So, apart from that, they are living the same as if they were on their own. If & when they get fed-up with travelling they'll probably come back to the farm, which they seem to have fallen in love with - but will still live in the van ... with virtually no overheads, so all they'll need is enough money to buy food & the occasional gas-bottle. They are very much like us - don't see the point in working all hours of the day & night to pass most of it on to banks & mortgagors/landlords. Already, in two weeks, they are both gobsmacked at the choice & prices of produce etc. in the shops here .....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Beemer]

Sadly Nat has no-one to miss, and considers her home anywhere Nik & the kiddies are. The house they're hooked up to while they're in this area has only recently been bought & needs a bit of work before being as comfortable as their van... At least they can use the bathroom & hot water while we suss out the pumps etc. on the van. So, apart from that, they are living the same as if they were on their own. If & when they get fed-up with travelling they'll probably come back to the farm, which they seem to have fallen in love with - but will still live in the van ... with virtually no overheads, so all they'll need is enough money to buy food & the occasional gas-bottle. They are very much like us - don't see the point in working all hours of the day & night to pass most of it on to banks & mortgagors/landlords. Already, in two weeks, they are both gobsmacked at the choice & prices of produce etc. in the shops here .....

 

[Beemer]

Good Luck to them. It looks like they have all the skills required to make a go of this lifestyle choice.

They may have already looked at www.workaway.info but if they haven't then this might help them save a few bob, visit new places & meet interesting people as they travel. Not all Workaway hosts are looking for people with their profile but there are lots of them out there that are very flexible.

 

[scotjimland]

I don't want to be a wet blanket but the words ancient catalytic heater I'm afraid leapt out at me. I lost a dear one to cabon momoxide poison through such. Please, please email them to check if they have an alarm.

Dick

I was about to sat the same................. please do ask them to fit a CO2 alarm

not wishing to be pedantic, but catalytic heaters do not produce CO.. but they do consume Oxygen, so adequate ventilation is required.. windows open.

A CO monitor won't detect low oxygen.. for that you need an O2 meter which I don't think are sold for domestic use..

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[PeteH]

My R-V had a Cat; heater. the Instruction sheet was specific on NEVER to use without adequate ventilation and not to use overnight. "Night-time comfort heating" was I think the phrase used.

pete

 

[Gromett]

Well done to them. I went fulltiming when I was 37 and wish I had done it earlier.

I am sure they will have a great experience and the kids will be much more rounded for it.

If you always worry about what could go wrong no one would ever do anything. I bet you are really proud of them...

 

[busby]

Broken Link Removed

Whats Corbyn done to you ??? BUSBY.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[dabhand]

Good luck to them, can't see the problem myself, if they believe in themselves and their own abilities then anything is possible.

 

[robiebee]

Tell them to write to MMM I'm sure they'd be interested in their journeys and pay them for thier story's , that will earn them some dosh to keep the wheels rolling along, all good luck to them all

 

[stcyr]

Well, N & N have encountered their first hiccup.
Over the last couple of days the temperature has dropped quite a bit, and the gas bottle (butane) that came with the MH has finally run out.
We had already bought a cylinder of propane, with a new propane regulator...
Changed over last night only to find the gas would not come through.
Cylinder's ok - open tap & gas comes out. Put regulator on & nowt.
There's a purge button on the regulator which 'hisses' when pressed, but gas still does not reach the cooker & heaters.
Looks like the new regulator's faulty ....... -2c last night

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Judge Mental]

Should the van break down they'll fix it or get it fixed. Nowhere in France will they be far from support/help if needed.
If they break down irretrievably anywhere else that'll be a good opportunity for us to go & keep them company in our MH.
We have several friends with vineyards, cattle and fruit farms where they will always get work.
Nat is currently studying on the internet for her Bachelor of science degree...
Nik's a trained chef - he's also an experienced builder & sawmill operative.
He deals in stocks & shares very successfully, also on the internet.
As for security, they have a roof over their heads with all the facilities they would have in a rented house or flat - without the ridiculous overheads they had in Wales.
As soon as Nik registers as an artisan here (should he want to) he & his family will be on the French system with full medical cover & all the great family benefits available here...
We have several properties here, any of which they can use as their own should they need to... They don't need to wait till we 'pop our clogs' to inherit - he's already spent a week & a half beavering away on one of the houses ...
Thinking about it, we are tempted to get a yurt, plonk it in one of the fields & live in it, let the boys have the properties now while they can enjoy them ... Whether one's home is a MH, a house, a tent or a boat, it's one's home. All you need is something to keep the weather off, keep bellies full, keep the kids happy & educated etc. etc.
Their £3.5k antique MH starts, stops, goes, doesn't leak, is cheap to insure & they can get spares anywhere cheaply....
No-brainer - live happily for not a lot or flog guts out on a treadmill for the foreseeable future.

That paints a completely different picture of the situation...the introduction made it look a bit cavalier to be honest..what with burning your bridges with babies in tow

edit: weather can change quickly..as It has done here in London with snow arriving yesterday and a steep temp drop..takes the shine of somewhat. Im going to feed the log burner....

 

[chaser]

That paints a completely different picture of the situation...the introduction made it look a bit cavalier to be honest..what with burning your bridges with babies in tow

edit: weather can change quickly..as It has done here in London with snow arriving yesterday and a steep temp drop..takes the shine of somewhat. Im going to feed the log burner....

My sentiment exactly, just read through the whole thread and was going to post the same thing but when I got to the bottom you had beaten me to it.

 

[Deleted34567]

It's all part of the adventure.
I'm Sure they have the know how to beat this obstacle and indeed other problems that will enivitabely come their way.
Their choice of life isn't for everyone, rather for those brave enough and with a strong mindset to overcome whatever life chucks at them... if you encounter a wall on your path you have a few choices, you either walk around it, get over it or go through it.... good on them.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Chris]

Sounds fantastic to me.

The kids are the right age for it and Mum and Dad have their heads screwed on.

What an adventure

 

[ianthebuilder]

if my dad ,rest his soul owned six properties in france,i would be there too ! And instead of spending £3,500 on a motorhome,i would have got a cab !! lol

 

[stcyr]

3 ... ... and we're talking French prices here!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ianthebuilder]

,,buy 3 more and i can call you dad !!

 

[stcyr]

N. found a redundant gas heater in the barn, removed the regulator (propane), fitted it & within 20 mins. was up to 20c in the van ... turned down now to a comfortable 15/16c. They spent the afternoon dragging wood out of the copse and sawing logs for the fire-pit. The littl'uns are enjoying every minute - seeing deer and coypus in the back field, watching hawks catch their prey and, the other night, a wild boar going about its business in the moonlight.

 

[ianthebuilder]

sounds fab !! im starting my adventure in dec,,i cant wait!!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ianthebuilder]

Not in a rush to see anymore warthogs though.... the last 2 relationships i had bear a resemblance in the attitude !!!

 

[stcyr]

Mods to the van are ongoing - a few leaks, due to dried out silicone (plastered everywhere by previous owner), now fixed with Sikaflex; Propex running like new after cleaning connections, new Autogas fixed tank delivered & waiting to be fitted .... 'Life's good' having burnt their bridges - just wish they'd seen the light sooner

 

[Charlie]

That paints a completely different picture of the situation...the introduction made it look a bit cavalier to be honest..what with burning your bridges with babies in tow

edit: weather can change quickly..as It has done here in London with snow arriving yesterday and a steep temp drop..takes the shine of somewhat. Im going to feed the log burner....

Have to agree. Above I said they were brave and I would never have been that brave.... But reality after reading that post says they are taking no risks with what they are doing given the back up they have.....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}