What could you not do without?
I've been watching the Victorian Farm series on BBC2. Maybe it's embarrassing to admit to it, but it's true: I find these sorts of programmes really interesting. In case you haven't seen it yet, the programme is following one historian (Ruth Goodman) and two archeologists (Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn) as they live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. They have taken over a smallholding on the Acton Scott estate and, following their own knowledge and the instructions laid out in a Victorian book on farming, are doing everything as would have been done 150 years ago.
It is a fascinating look at 'how things used to be'. They are reflecting the time at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, as machines are starting to make inroads into the farmers' lives, saving time and back-breaking work. Yet the life they are living still seems unimaginably hard from the perspective of life in our modern society. This week's programme is set in winter and co-incided with our heating breaking down. As I watched them it struck me that I could do without many of the things that I currently live with, but I think there are two things I really would not want to do without: the one is central heating (or some such equivalent system that heats the whole house - yes I know I'm a wimp!). The other is my washing machine.
What could you not do without?
From a post-oil perspective the programme is equally fascinating. None of us knows what our society will be like in a time when the availability of oil is drastically reduced. Will we go back to living as these guys are doing? Will there be green technology that enables to keep living as we do now? Do we want to keep living as we do now? What skills will we need to live well with less oil and how can we aquire them? Whatever the answers are going to be, we have to start asking the questions now and not burying our heads in the sand any longer.
Just to say that I am also enjoying Victoria Farm - no need to be embarrased! O for the simple life of a bygone age! I need to begin by decluttering - it's now on record that I MUST do it. Best wishes.
Glad you're enjoying it too, Norman. This thursday it clashes with Jamie Oliver's programme about pigs, which I also want to see. Hmmmm. It's interesting your comment about the simple life. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that that is a complete misnomer because life on the Victorian farm looks anything but simple - surely it's far more simple to buy everything we need from Tesco and have all our labour saving devices?! Maybe we should start talking about living a complex life!!
This is the most fascinating programme l have ever
seen! Plus all my kids are completely enthralled
and so are their friends. lt just makes one
think how wasteful we are and how terribly cruel
factory farming is. The Victorian farm looks extremely hard work but how resourceful they were
and how many uses one ojbect actually has when
necessary from food to soap to cleaner - it certainly
makes me feel very lazy with so many labour
saving devices. l really enjoyed the preserving
and how great to be able to use seasonal fruit and vegetables in this way - l hope to have a go
at this - don't know about the pig's bladder cover
though! Re our washing machine l thought it was
very interesting that Ruth Goodman found that
doing the washing without powder was just as effective - maybe we really dont need 150 different brands of washing powder to chose from
at Tesco (that are probably made by the same
company anyway).
My 8-year old daughter has also really enjoyed watching it and I overheard my 5-year old telling her friends about how she'd seen cheddar cheese being made on the telly! Very challenging and inspiring.