Senhor Magnus
On the farm, he spends most of his time either using a chainsaw, fixing tools, doing construction, or cooking.
Before the summer of 2017, I requested to volunteer on Magnus’s farm, but he had no availability. Feeling disappointed, I instead embarked on a ‘Wwoofing’ journey in the South of France and Central Portugal. Indulging in hosts’ long winded conspiracy theories seemed to be the theme of the trip, and I realised staying for just 2 weeks on a farm isn’t quite enough time to get the educational experience in permaculture that I was looking for.
On return to the UK, I enrolled in a Masters in Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds, after watching a TedTalk by Dan O’Neill. I spent the year developing an understanding of why degrowth is important and how society might live within nature’s limits, which simply made me very argumentative with the conventional ‘sustainability’ students. After endless days and nights staring at a screen with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, I came to regret that my eyesight and health had deteriorated, and I had lost interest in running, which put into question whether I really wanted to go into a, by nature, depressing career.
So, during another heavy session in the library in summer, I decided again to request to volunteer at Magnus’s farm in September, 2018, for 6 weeks, in the hopes that I would drop a few pounds and enjoy being able to unplug. Magnus said little, and asked few questions, but agreed to host me. I arrived at his farm in the evening, feeling lost and tired, but eventually walked to the edge of what looked like a cliff and found the house stairs. I could hear two wound-up boys, so I hesitantly knocked on the door and was greeted by a slightly flustered Magnus. Little did we know that I would find my home and our lives would get turned the right way around.
Living off-grid and running kitchen gardens was not something that anyone who knows me would have thought I would be able to do, let alone enjoy. I grew up on a large farm in East Yorkshire, and naturally developed a sense of comfort in the countryside in ‘God’s Country’ and the isolation that comes with it. Having three siblings, pets, and ample space to run around (and many ways to get into trouble), I would say I had one of the best childhoods a person could experience.
My teenage years were very different. I participated in mainstream society because I felt the pressures from every corner to do so, unknowing that this was resulting in the development of a mesh of social anxieties and later suicidal tendencies. I will never fully understand what was missing from my life during those years, but I understand a significant rise in youth mental health issues is not uncommon in a society defined by consumerism. I am grateful that I did not have to go down the route of finding a graduate job in a big city, and have instead found an environment that I truly see a future in.
Life here isn’t without its stresses. The weather can be ruthless and unpredictable, the slugs are relentless, and just as quick as you drift off to sleep, a crashing sound will jolt you awake again, requiring investigation or endure an anxious night of hoping it is not serious. Farming in a sustainable way is a learning process and I am starting out with no skills in this area, but I feel I am putting my observations of my parents’ working life on an intensive farm to good use (I may be turning into my mother). The western habits I developed over the years are also slowly diminishing; I crave chocolate less and less, I buy only what I really need, I don’t count calories, and I rarely use cosmetics. Big steps for a girl who used to think ‘treating yourself’ was defined by trips to ‘& Other Stories’.
Moving to Flores to begin a life with Magnus was a huge decision, as it involves becoming a step-mother to two rowdy boys, learning how to run market gardens, and gaining a second language. I am optimistic that this lifestyle will assist in the development of skills needed for subsistence that can be passed on through the generations, and the farm will one day act as an educational hub for people without the need for alienating permaculture and organic certifications and jargon.
Lucy
On return to the UK, I enrolled in a Masters in Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds, after watching a TedTalk by Dan O’Neill. I spent the year developing an understanding of why degrowth is important and how society might live within nature’s limits, which simply made me very argumentative with the conventional ‘sustainability’ students. After endless days and nights staring at a screen with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, I came to regret that my eyesight and health had deteriorated, and I had lost interest in running, which put into question whether I really wanted to go into a, by nature, depressing career.
So, during another heavy session in the library in summer, I decided again to request to volunteer at Magnus’s farm in September, 2018, for 6 weeks, in the hopes that I would drop a few pounds and enjoy being able to unplug. Magnus said little, and asked few questions, but agreed to host me. I arrived at his farm in the evening, feeling lost and tired, but eventually walked to the edge of what looked like a cliff and found the house stairs. I could hear two wound-up boys, so I hesitantly knocked on the door and was greeted by a slightly flustered Magnus. Little did we know that I would find my home and our lives would get turned the right way around.
Living off-grid and running kitchen gardens was not something that anyone who knows me would have thought I would be able to do, let alone enjoy. I grew up on a large farm in East Yorkshire, and naturally developed a sense of comfort in the countryside in ‘God’s Country’ and the isolation that comes with it. Having three siblings, pets, and ample space to run around (and many ways to get into trouble), I would say I had one of the best childhoods a person could experience.
My teenage years were very different. I participated in mainstream society because I felt the pressures from every corner to do so, unknowing that this was resulting in the development of a mesh of social anxieties and later suicidal tendencies. I will never fully understand what was missing from my life during those years, but I understand a significant rise in youth mental health issues is not uncommon in a society defined by consumerism. I am grateful that I did not have to go down the route of finding a graduate job in a big city, and have instead found an environment that I truly see a future in.
Life here isn’t without its stresses. The weather can be ruthless and unpredictable, the slugs are relentless, and just as quick as you drift off to sleep, a crashing sound will jolt you awake again, requiring investigation or endure an anxious night of hoping it is not serious. Farming in a sustainable way is a learning process and I am starting out with no skills in this area, but I feel I am putting my observations of my parents’ working life on an intensive farm to good use (I may be turning into my mother). The western habits I developed over the years are also slowly diminishing; I crave chocolate less and less, I buy only what I really need, I don’t count calories, and I rarely use cosmetics. Big steps for a girl who used to think ‘treating yourself’ was defined by trips to ‘& Other Stories’.
Moving to Flores to begin a life with Magnus was a huge decision, as it involves becoming a step-mother to two rowdy boys, learning how to run market gardens, and gaining a second language. I am optimistic that this lifestyle will assist in the development of skills needed for subsistence that can be passed on through the generations, and the farm will one day act as an educational hub for people without the need for alienating permaculture and organic certifications and jargon.
I spend much of my time on the farm creating gardens and a space that makes sense, with plants in the right place (since when I arrived, nothing made sense). I don't want to be doing this forever, so when planning I keep in mind that I want to be creating a farm that increases in abundance, but with less and less labour needs.
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