Rural reality… broadband

Posted on November 19, 2015 by paulrainger

When I lived in the city with 40Mb cable broadband I used to wonder what all the fuss was about when programmes cropped up from time to time moaning about the lack of internet speeds in the countryside.

Now I know why! It feels like we’ve gone back to the days of dial up internet at The Secret Acre. Basically you get 2Mb through the phone line, which all the commercial service providers of course claim is just enough for streaming. Sadly the independent regulator OfCom says you need 10Mb. Continue reading →

First Glimmers of the Good Life

Posted on October 30, 2015 by paulrainger

Amid the stresses of moving in, unpacking and snagging it can be easy to temporarily lose sight of why you wanted to chase a more balanced life in the first place. So it has something of a relief to almost immediately get the first glimmers of the promised Good Life.

My top three so far have been – Continue reading →

Six Months In: Moving, Snagging & Landscaping

Posted on October 15, 2015 by paulrainger

It seems hard to believe, but just over six months into the smallholding’s eco-makeover, the excellent builders had stuck to both the timetable and the budget and we were ready to move in.

So after lots of internal finishing in September, and a disappointing lack of readily available Triple A rated energy efficient appliances, we finally booked the removal van for the start of October, worried only by the alarming amount of stuff we had to pack up.

Now safely in, we are starting to work through the inevitably long list of snagging issues, top of which on day one was the alarmingly absent manhole for the bathroom sewer! Continue reading →

M is for… Moving

Posted on October 9, 2015 by paulrainger

Finally just over six months into the smallholding’s eco-makeover, the big day arrived for moving in all our unnecessarily large amount of stuff.

A week of unprofessional packing, cleaning up after the builders and writing out an unfeasibly long snagging list, led to a mere four hours of highly professional stuffing it all into the removal van, a near miraculously quick two hours of unloading and a highly commendable lack of any breakages. Continue reading →

The Triple A Desert

Posted on October 4, 2015 by paulrainger

It seemed a no-brainer that when buying new appliances for The Secret Acre’s eco-makeover we would of course only choose from the most energy efficient A+++ rated.

So we were genuinely surprised and disappointed to discover that there is a real lack of affordable A+++ appliances available in the UK. Continue reading →

The Story of Stuff

Posted on September 30, 2015 by paulrainger

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! Continue reading →

Why the Government is so wrong on renewable energy

Posted on September 16, 2015 by paulrainger

Apart from the blindingly obvious, the Conservative Government’s concerted attack on the renewables industry, now they are free from the restraining influence of the Liberal Democrats, is also simply out of touch with the way the public feel about these new green businesses.

This was bought home to me recently by the AGM of Westmill Solar Park, an investor co-operative of which I am a member. Continue reading →

Would you like weedkiller on your toast?

Posted on August 12, 2015 by paulrainger

One of the big disadvantages of leaving Bristol is moving away from the amazing artisan Mark’s Bread. One of the things we are looking forward to at The Secret Acre is learning to make bread ourselves.

There’s a very good reason why we won’t eat non-organic white bread from a supermarket. Not just because real bread like Marks tastes amazing, but because two in every three loaves of bread sold in the UK contain pesticide residues. Continue reading →

The Lampshade Journey: A Gastronomic Tale

Posted on June 8, 2015 by emmaalesworth

Last November we visited Berlin for Paul’s brother’s 60th celebrations and were surprised to find a fantastic number of vegetarian fine dining restaurants such as Cookies and Cream, The Lucky Leek, Kopps and Bistro Bardot. Eager to try one of these restaurants we travelled a day early so that we could eat at The Lucky Leek and being a popular restaurant we sat outside under blankets eating one of the best vegetarian meals we had ever experienced. Continue reading →

Pond dipping, chopping wood and mowing the garden with our Cornish friends

Posted on June 6, 2015 by emmaalesworth

A few weeks ago we were delighted to spend the day with our lovely Cornish friends who were en route to holiday in Wales.

A thundery start to the day left us feeling a little sad that we might have to eat our picnic in the wood shed but by the time the lovely Kirk Family arrived the clouds parted and made way for the sun allowing us to merrily eat a hearty spread beneath Cam Peak. Continue reading →

The Secret Acre

Our journey to a happier life, more in tune with nature, on a one acre smallholding

Category Archives: Good Life