Here we go then....

I'm not really sure what to say in this first post.  There are so many thoughts running through my head that I'm not sure I can catch them quick enough to write them down so they make sense. Suppose I'd better just start with telling you all about the dream.

For as long as I can remember trees have been important to me. I've been surrounded by them for most of my life. Although I was brought up on a council estate, it was a nice place to live. There were trees on the field in front of my home, trees on grass verges, trees in the gardens and a lovely local woodland called Borsdane Wood, where I spent a great deal of my time as a kid.  I always said to my dad that I would end up living in a woodland and he thought it was a splendid idea.

However as I grew up, the trials and tribulations of real life took over and my dream was forced into the background, although it was always waiting for me in the back of my mind and, when times got hard, I would retreat into my dream woodland and find peace in my soul.

I have now decided that the time is right to make my dream come true. I've spoken at length about this to my partner and my son, who both agree that it would be hard work but great fun to live and work in a woodland. 

So, dear readers, here is an outline of My Dream.

It would need to be between 20 and 50 acres of woodland and field, with some hard standing and a stream running through it and maybe a couple of ponds.

It doesn't look like much when it's written down, a whole dream condensed into one sentence, but I have big plans for this woodland.

I've never been a selfish person so I would like to share it. My wonderfully talented partner Welshy will be making full use of the wood but that isn't enough for me. I want it to become a community of different co-operatives, such as charcoal burners, bodgers, permaculture/organic/forest gardeners, compost makers, willow weavers, artists etc. I want it to be a vibrant place, where people want to earn their living and look forward to going to work. We could have a forest school or a Woodcraft Folk group, an art trail - where anyone can make and show off their work, maybe open it up to mountain bikers too. It would be a safe place for animals, there would be no bloodsports on this land. Maybe someone would want to have a few goats, sheep or chickens there, as long as they were well looked after, they would be more than welcome.

Well there you have it. A quick introduction into what is going on in this little Pixie's head. The next few posts will be the depressing ones, finding the funding, which part of the country to settle in, dealing with the legalities of it all. However I take heart that I've done the most difficult part and told the whole wide world of my heart's desire.