It's a Classical Life

While we are not deserted on a tropical island like the Swiss Family Robinson, we are still able to look over our supplies and be prepared for whatever may come. This is something that our grandparents and grandparents did, although they managed to get by with a lot less than we do today! It is such a classic thing to be prepared. The books and quotes that I have shared during this series are only a fraction of books that talk about preparedness. We can't always predict what will be waiting for us around the corner, but we can ensure that our we, and our loved ones, are as prepared as we possibly can be. Shortages, job loss, sickness, strikes and more all a part of our daily life, and while many of these things are out of our control, to live a refined and simple life, is one of intelligence and preparedness. We need to be formed by reliable sources and make intelligent purchases that will benefit our family and not waste our money. By having a little bit extra we can help those wh...

I'd like to thank all of you who have been following along with me on this Preparedness journey and a big Thank You shout-out to Annabel who keeps inspiring us daily on this journey. I hope you enjoy what you are reading here on my blog and consider leaving a little message or introduction of yourself. As for me, I am Kirsty, a languages teacher and mother of three. I am also a trained History teacher and it is my true belief that we can learn from history and from the classics (novels, movies, philosophies, music, you name it!) to live a refined yet simple life. I talk about different things here on my blog and hope you will settle in with a cup of tea or coffee and have a look around. If this is your first time here, please consider reading my previous posts on the 30 Day Preparedness Challenge.  Now, without further ado, let's continue on our journey to being prepared.   Day 20 - Security Annabel covers the idea of Security very thoroughly in her blogpost  so I w...

The only sound, sure and enduring methods of defence are those based on your own actions and prowess.  Machiavelli, The Prince We are continuing today with Annabel's 30 Day Preparedness Challenge and I am reflecting on where we are in our preparedness. I love this quote by Machiavelli, as really, we have no one to blame (or thank) except ourselves in certain situations. How well we plan and prepare, how we live, the risks we choose to take, the things we believe in and the things we fight for are all on us. Our actions and our prowess are what matters here, and I think we are naive if we expect others to step up for us in times of need or rely on others to help us. Of course, we all want to help, but how can we be in a position to help others, if we haven't helped ourselves? Day 15: Your Vehicle Annabel offers such a comprehensive list of things to keep in your vehicle as a matter of course. As of today, we have a First Aid kit, including things necessary for snake bite (they...

"As spring came on, a new set of amusements became the fashion, and the lengthening of days gave long afternoons for work and play of all sorts. The garden had to be put in order, and each sister had a quarter of the little plot to do what she liked with."                                                                           Little Women - Louisa May Alcott Spring arrived this week! It was a beautiful few days after the cold winter we have had. But then the rain started early this morning and hasn't let up since! It's a good time to put out buckets and collect rain water, that's for sure. It's still a bit early for us to be planting straight out in the garden (we can get frost as late as November!) but it's a good time to start planting seedlings inside and getting t...

  The sweetest smelling blooms on the plum tree = lots of summer fruit! They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I suppose that if we had known what was coming to the world the last two years then we would have been a lot better equipped to meet those challenges without panic or fear. We would have been in a position to help others, to share what we have, and to promote a sense of calm and preparedness when everything else seemed to be spiralling out of control.  But then, if we continue to look towards the classics as a form of inspiration, then we should not be surprised when life does not go exactly as we planned it. Think of the quote I used in my last post on Preparedness from The Long Winter. Pa Ingalls said: "These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraph and kerosene and coal stoves--they're good things to have, but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em.” I think it's particularly relevant here because, we have all co...

"In the ancient word, the survival of any household depends on its ability to feed itself. Anyone who threatens the economic self-sufficiency of a family is, in the  long term, threatening its very survival."                                         Peter Jones, In the Introduction to The Odyssey , by Homer "These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraph and kerosene and coal stoves--they're good things to have, but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em.”                                     Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter If the classics have taught us anything, it is that life does not always go to plan and being prepared for these deviations is a wise way to...