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Hello,

And thank you for your really good item regarding how one day you understood you we're going the wrong way in life,

We moved here to France 18yrs ago, we bought an old run-down farm house that stood empty for 25 years,

It is in the middle of the Limousin area of France (what the french city people call the back of the beyond) 

We have three neighbors "all French" and all older folk and again all born in this area,

We just could not ask for better neighbors "Or should i say friends" Like us they are very much Animal lovers and also nature loving people,

We have miles & miles of fields/woods and wild life,

But the evening time is as splendid as the day, I was just this evening sitting on the back porch watching the night time arrive as the day time left the garden in darkness "No street lighting around these parts for miles, But to enjoy peace perfect peace has to be tried to know what i am talking about, 

As one of my neighbors once told me " It is so quiet of an evening He swore you could hear a mouse fart" and i have found once the birds have bedded themselves down in the trees,  All of a sudden quiet arrives, Like they're saying good night,

This and a glass of wine in hand and just watching the stars is so nice, We do hear the owl in the distance and one of my two old rescued dogs snoring away by my feet,

As for life changes from my old "rat race days"?????? Well we planted an orchard and fruit bushes when we first arrived (18yr ago) and now not only do i pick the odd  fully grown plum /pear/apple etc as i cut the lawn, but when asked i pick a fresh lettuce, fill the basin with freshly picked Tom's /potatoes and think nothing of it, we bake our own bread etc and to make Pasta again is an normal thing to do, 

We learnt from advice from our neighbors to get hold of some gardening book from our local charity shops they are all old book and books written by gardening people who really did know what they're talking about And the people who once owned these books paid a lot for the then now how as far as gardening, and these books are thick books and full of the old ways As are the cookery books,

The old farm house has been and still is a on going project, from lining the chimney for wood burning villager fire, And repairing the old storm shutters, (designed to keep the house cooler in hot summers days and help with keeping the heat in and the weather out during those cold winter nights,

We have learnt to keep a good stock of candle's ready if power cuts arrive (and they have a few times after a bad storm)

We have a good stock of books,  It's always a good thing to learn and of cause  read a good story is very nice,

As for buying food we tend to have an emergency supply of not only freezer home made food but we have a stock of tinned and pickled food as a standby in case of any hard times ahead, plus you can bet your bottom dollar the very same items will cost more next year, But do not for get the wild life "Bird food" such as sun flower seed are cheaper in the summer and do keep ready for the winter feeding, you feed the birds and they'll think of your garden as home and help keep the pest away all summer,

Same as has already been said feed your garden with compost / Leaf mold etc and your spring sowing/planting will thank you for it,

 Lastly now we have a climate change and this is really important, save as much natural rain water as you can, get hold of the 1000ltr water collection containers you can and collect rain water to keep your garden from drying up, We bought a water pump that fits into these water butts and i have one container (butt) mounted on the back of an old trailer i pull around the garden via tractor,

I empty the full butts that are in places such as the corner 's of the green house / the down drain pipe of the house/ The shed/ any were water escapes and is wasted, collect it in the butts and then use it for the garden and cleaning anything you'd as the norm use the hose pipe for.

Yes if you want a peaceful life but an active one and you enjoy your own company (No disco or regular pub visits, traffic/ and noise !!!!! Then i can recommend the country life style.

Hi i do not want to be a pest "but i am not very good at these contraptions and i can not seem to read the replies (2) up to date from my first post, can anyone tell me how i get to read the replies "please" ?