Feb 20th

So, the wide open spaces are calling me once again.

I have dreamed for years now, of living as much "off grid" as possible.

Energy efficient home, solar heating, passive cooling, catching our own water, growing our own food.  Not a particularly original dream I know.  But one very deeply ingrained in my heart. 

One bedroom cottage on 12 acres, with bore and well.  20 minutes to town.

I want it both for the footprint minimisation ideal and also for the sustainability angle.  Basics such as food, electricity, water, fuel, gas are all becoming more expensive.  The current centralisation of our services is not supportive of us choosing options to take care of ourselves - to reduce our footprint, reduce our costs.  We use less of the utilities, which generates less income for centralised services, therefore they charge more to be able to continue providing the service.  This will only continue spiraling upwards.  Oh and of course, there is the whole "living surrounded by beauty" bonus too *smile*.

Inside outside space of cottage above.  Yes, that's a stone bath *sigh*

 My desire has always been, to find good, fertile land, with a small or run down dwelling on site.  Something that is liveable now, but something we won't be too heart broken to pull down (or allocate to guest quarters, if not currently resting on the most prime house position), while we build our house of straw and mud.

But most properties that I see available on good parcels of land, already contain a sprawling, lavish 5 bedroom property, complete with 6 car garaging, a pool and spa and 7 huge sheds (machinery included if you like).  Undesirable, because 10 times out of 10, the house is constructed without thought for the environment in which it has been built, nor the principles we want to employ in the construction of a home suitable for the erratic Australian climate.  And there's not much point in paying for something that isn't what you need or want and won't be anything that you'll use.

 2 bedroom house on 5 acres.  Mix of cleared pasture, mature fruit trees and bush.  2 dams and a shed.  10 minutes to town.

Yesterday we committed to a change in our lives that we have been umming and ahhhing over for more than a year now.  And with these new thoughts in mind for our future, the idea of land bubbling to the surface again is unsurprising.  We both wanted the plan of living sustainably off grid independently, before we joined our lives.  So it's an easy and very exciting next step *smile*.

One of the two dams of house above.  How magic is this space?!

The very first postcode search bought up these two properties.  Both meeting the criteria of land with small dwelling.  I couldn't quite believe my eyes!  Both within commuting distance for me for work (a change of office, but the same company, as my employer is Australian-wide).  For Ben, more thought is needed.  Either the option to work from home as he has done before, or a complete change of scenery perhaps.  A few things to consider.  And yes, there is Lucy.  Thoughts are in place, a few options to propose.  But that's the thing with life - you never know what's going to happen tomorrow...