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Wednesday 31 August 2011

A little more background: the actors



As promised, more info on the whys and the whens of all this. In fact, even for some of you who already know me, this whole ordeal does come as a big surprise.
I waited to write about it for several reasons. First of all, it looks to me like such a huge project and life changing experience that it still seems very unreal.
But last week I actually went to visit Whizzie in Ireland and all the words, plans and dreams suddenly took shape. It was real, it was there. Grass, pastures, bogs, cabin and all that. It was fucking paradise and it became a lot more real. And scary.
There were also a lot of other reasons why I kept silent about my intentions. The first one is that until a few weeks ago I didn't really know if what I considered to be my life partner for the past 6 years or so would like to go for it. As it turned out, she doesn't considered herself be my life partner any longer. So yes, sure it will be harder but at least I won't have to worry about the weight of responsibility towards her. I'll actually have to worry about getting my mental health back after this major blow. But that is another story altogether and has no place in this blog.
Another important reason to wait and be cautious was that there are other people involved and I really wanted to make sure we were all happy about the plan and liked each other. The first one is Sir Lynex who bought the farm with Whizzie and I never met before. Whizzie's friends are usually awesome but you never know, there is always the odd weirdo in there :). Sir Lynex is from the awesome category of friends and although is not a permanent resident of the farm yet, we will definitely enjoy each other's company. The second is P. (see first post), who I have known for quite some time now. She is supposed to get very involved and until a couple of weeks ago we only discussed options through skype and without having seen the land. It was all up in the air. The visit to the farm has had a big booster effect for her. And last but not least, Tom J., Whizzie's boyfriend, who clearly will be part of the picture and will be a huge asset for the farm with his skills and knowledge. Tom won't need a nickname :)
We all clicked. At least that was the feeling. Still, we have a long way in front of us and we'll have to come up with a detailed business plan to fit necessities and time frames.
So, these are the actors. Next week you'll get to know a lot more about the actual farm, its layout and the land characteristics.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

First post



Ok, here we go. First post and all that. Where should I start from? I guess I should explain what are you reading and why.
I am a 38 year old researcher and I always had a great desire to breed and work with farming animals but I never really had the opportunity.
That's also why I graduated as a veterinarian but I soon realised there wasn't much work if you wanted to work with farming animals in Italy.
So, I never had the money I needed to buy land and I never managed to find the right people to team up with. I almost gave up and thought that the most I could achieve was to get a house in the countryside and be happy with a veggie garden and a few chickens.
But never say never.
One of my best friends (Whizzie) has recently bought a 21 acre property in West Cork and because her heart is as big as a Bull's, she wants me and someone else to join her in this crazy adventure.
No one of us comes from farming families apart from her boyfriend and all of us have or will have to renounce to secure and safe (but booooring!) careers elsewhere.
That's it. This blog will be a diary of this whole experience. Slowly slowly you'll get to know more details about what we want to do and how we plan to get there.
I am getting ready and saving money and I won't be able to move up there for good until next summer. Whizzie is already there in her second hand eco-cabin and the other partner which will work closely with me will move up only in summer-autumn 2013 and for now she'll be simply referred to as "The partner" or P.
She is a girl from Luxembourgh and without her I might not be able to dream of my project. Her help is much, much, much appreciated.
Stay tuned.