For five months I lingered on the edge of civilisation, in a Tourer Caravan made in 1992 - only four years younger than myself, a model that boasts a moderately comfortable 4.3m by 2.0m room inside (14 feet.)
Together with Kaida; my partner in love and life, I walked the delicate balance of survival - this small mobile dwelling was pitched on the side of a mountain, in north wales.
In winds that exceeded 80mph, with hailstones and rain that turn your skin to bruised ice - a thin layer of metal and some rotting wood where all that kept me alive.
The winter was harsh, the occasional bottle of propane our only method of generating heat, a kettle the only way of washing, the only materials to hand being clay and grit, there was no power-line providing seemingly limitless energy, no water pipe with clean drinking water - just a bucket.
At night we had no light but candles, by day no phone to distract us.
Such it was at first, but slowly I comprehended the challenge - firewood, shelter, insulation, protection. Each hardened my resolve, each earned my respect.
Two or three times a week one (or both) of us would walk 3km to the local village, to gather milk, food, and the occasional package delivered from Amazon, in this solitude - with no separation from each-other, and endless time to experience the hardship of reality I experienced envy of the comforts others take for granted - the materials we waste, the reality of the 'rocks to replicators' problem.
Nothing up takes time, yes, but it also takes a mind and body hardened to operate near constantly - meditation and internet connection are vital, as are personal nutrition.
The first step is heat, without mastery of energy, creation, storage, and usage, we are nothing but apes wearing fabric.
In winds that exceeded 80mph, with hailstones and rain that turn your skin to bruised ice - a thin layer of metal and some rotting wood where all that kept me alive.
The winter was harsh, the occasional bottle of propane our only method of generating heat, a kettle the only way of washing, the only materials to hand being clay and grit, there was no power-line providing seemingly limitless energy, no water pipe with clean drinking water - just a bucket.
At night we had no light but candles, by day no phone to distract us.
Such it was at first, but slowly I comprehended the challenge - firewood, shelter, insulation, protection. Each hardened my resolve, each earned my respect.
Two or three times a week one (or both) of us would walk 3km to the local village, to gather milk, food, and the occasional package delivered from Amazon, in this solitude - with no separation from each-other, and endless time to experience the hardship of reality I experienced envy of the comforts others take for granted - the materials we waste, the reality of the 'rocks to replicators' problem.
Nothing up takes time, yes, but it also takes a mind and body hardened to operate near constantly - meditation and internet connection are vital, as are personal nutrition.
The first step is heat, without mastery of energy, creation, storage, and usage, we are nothing but apes wearing fabric.
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