The day of our big move into the smallholding is nigh. Just over a year since we bought The Secret Acre, and after six months of eco-makeover.

So this week we sit among ever increasing piles of packed moving boxes. An alarming reminder of just how much unnecessary stuff you accumulate. The uncomfortable feeling is particularly acute for Emma who moved into the house in Bristol with just a rucksack and no furniture. Now 15 years later we are going to need two large removal vans to shift it all!

It has reminded me of the excellent 2007 short film and book by Annie Leonard, ‘The Story of Stuff’ which neatly shows how the planned obsolescence culture of post-war goods has driven today’s consumer-crazed society, creating unhappy people and damaging our planet.

A good moment to reflect again on some of the underlying reasons for wanting to go more ‘self-sufficient-ish’ in the first place. To step off the rat-race of working harder and harder to pay for yet more unnecessary things, trying to chase the lie of happiness through consumption. To live happier, time rich, more fulfilled lives, with yes, less bloody useless stuff!