Quiet Times

Less traffic in the air and on the roads is making for a much more peaceful life.
This area of Cornwall is already pretty quiet and now we are really noticing the difference...
Trips to the outside compost toilet can be quite eerie - especially in the evening, but we do admit to loving it...Peace and quiet, clear skies and an increase in birdsong.

Last year, we stayed in rural Hampshire near the border of Berkshire and we were genuinely shocked at how noisy it was each and every day. The constant hum of traffic and planes flying over.
We wondered whether the lack of quiet was the cause of many people seeming stressed and impatient. This trait we usually see in city people, but it was intriguing to see in the countryside.
It is amazing how quickly we become immune to what is going on around us, but do we still feel it subconsciously?

The life we lead would not suit most people, but we love it.
We were never cut out for life in a city or town and living on a housing estate in Cheshire made us quite miserable...so much pressure to live a certain way, a way which never suited us.
Once we realised that money wasn't really the most important thing to us, our lives changed for the better. We stopped buying stuff and instead, worked less and enjoyed more time with our family. We thought a lot about what we wanted and decided to ditch our careers. Did we really want to be trapped? Holding out for our future pensions and watching our mortgage payments go out each month for another 17 years? No, we wanted to have more freedom and adventure, to experience new things and give our kids a better life.

And now here we are, living the way we have dreamt about...we have probably been preparing for a lockdown of sorts for many years and over time, our lives have become simpler.
We are not consumers and will only replace something if it can't be repaired. We stopped buying things online a few years ago and for a long time have boycotted many companies who we feel are unethical. We struggle to understand why so many people are freaking out about being locked down and how come this scenario had never occurred to them? Surely we are not the only people to plan for this event? We were ready mentally and physically for this, we have adapted and continue to live our frugal life.

There is no need for all the panic we hear about, just switch off the news and stay away from people. It's really that simple.

Enjoy each day as it comes, feel love for your life and gratitude for having this quiet time.

Love Kay and Sime xx