Blogging buddy Tania left a comment on one of my posts the other day:
' I thought of you the other day when I read an article about Sark and how they're trying to grow the population there. 🤣👍 '
I wonder if she realised she would really get me thinking!!
She knows how much I, we, both love Sark. Was it really way back in October last year that we spent the week there, it doesn't seem so long ago and yet ... well time is acting very strangely this year.
I remembered this.
The wonderful trees that grow with the wind on the exposed hillsides.
And we both got to talking.
Alan loved the idea of how simple business paperwork would be ... no VAT, no income tax, an annual two minute tax declaration .... oh there's so much in it's favour.
Of course the main factor for me would be the simplicity of life.
But you can't have your cake and eat it, I would miss so much too.
But ... and here's the thing ... we neither of us have said an outright no!!
There, did that surprise you Tania ... or did you realise you were planting a seed? 🤣🤣
Sue xx
The family who run a dairy farm and cheesemaking business down the A140 from me - where I got butter and cheese for the local eating challenge - were chosen in a competition to get dairy farming going again on the island. Not sure if they've gone yet. They are continuing with Suffolk cheeses somehow as well.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds a lovely place.
Seemingly they have been held up because of travel restrictions onto Guernsey. Which makes sense I guess as up to now Sark is completely Covid-19 free and Guernsey has been free of it for over 100 days. They will bring a much needed business to the island as I guess as well as milk they could start producing butter and cheese. One more level of self sufficiency for the island.
DeleteMaybe they are leaving part of the family behind to continue producing Suffolk cheeses, or selling part of the business off?
Ooh, how exciting!! I've often thought I'd like us to live on a small island with a back to basics simple life. It'll never happen, not at our ages and with ongoing health problems, of course. But it makes for some pleasant daydreaming sometimes. How intriguing that neither of you have immediately discounted it...food for thought!
ReplyDeleteWell you know us, we sit and have a conversation and before we know it ... we are breeding rare breed pigs and selling eggs!!
DeleteRemember mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
ReplyDeleteI know .... worrying eh!! ;-)
DeleteIs it really that easy to go and live there? A very long time ago hubby and I wanted to move to Jersey and the hoops we had to jump through were ridiculous. Not only that, we wouldn't be allowed to purchase a house there for (at that time) 7 years and we already had our own house back in Scotland. When we looked into it in more detail we decided against it and I'm glad we did now as they moved the house purchasing rules many more times during that 7 years. I do though wonder what life would have been like if we'd gone! Good luck. x
ReplyDeleteNo it isn't easy to be able to move there.
DeleteWith this new scheme because it is the island that actually wants people to go some rules have been slightly relaxed. You do have to bring something to the islands infrastructure and community as well. Luckily Alan is an qualified engineer and could potentially be well suited to be able to manage/mend/redesign the islands only electricity generating plant. I don't think his nuclear qualifications will help much in this instance though!!
My skill set is much more varied with office and retail management, marketing skills and of course smallholding and animal husbandry ... of course I could also run a B&B and invite blog readers over to spend their money on the island ;-)
I'd come to the B&B! When we're not quite to scared of going anywhere at all! lol. x
DeleteApply and let fate decide.
ReplyDeleteIt costs £1,300 to apply ....
DeleteOh maybe not then. Seems a lot of money but suppose that means only folk really serious will apply. Plus the Island gets a small windfall.
DeleteThat is what is missing where we live, although we are officially part of a hamlet, we cannot walk to any of our neighbours houses due to the busy road with no footpaths or verges :-(
ReplyDeleteCaravan life does suit me though ...
Oh wouldn't it be wonderful, even if it doesn't happen the dreaming , talking and "what ifs" are exciting. Life throws us choices and half the fun is making them and the other half achieving , where ever you end up it will be where you are meant to be and I wish you happiness in that place.
ReplyDeleteI have something else on the front burner at the moment, literally to be decided this Saturday. So I'll be pondering over Sark for a while (at least a week) I think.
DeleteYou all know me ... I do nothing major in a slow fashion, but am content to dawdle away my days ... lol ;-)
Ooh Sark, always wanted to visit there and the Scily Isles too. I would love it but David would hate it
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely beautiful 💕
DeleteIt sounds lovely! My only question would be about visiting family if you lived there. Would it be difficult to get away to see them or have them visit you? The island sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat's what's holding me back to be honest. I couldn't leave Mum ☹️
DeleteTake Mum with you!! :-) ~Andrea xoxo
DeleteI would love to, but she's not well enough to even make the journey unfortunately. The furthest she can travel by car without being in serious pain is about 40 minutes, she can't even visit us in Wales, so Sark would be out of the question.
DeleteWonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt could be 🙂
DeleteHow very exciting!
ReplyDeletexx
Well, it's something to think about for sure 😃
DeleteHow exciting! I absolutely love those trees. Sark's always appealed, being a non-driver I love the idea of no cars. x
ReplyDeleteI know ... when I saw those trees and the way they had grown with the wind I just had to take their photo. I would have to get better on a bike, I was a bit wibbly wobbly when we hired them for the week we were there. Of course there are no proper tarmac roads so to be on a bike for the first time in 30 years on a rough pot holed track was not a good idea ... but it was funny (and scary at times)
DeleteWow, I'm amazed to see this. You honestly did spring to mind when I briefly read the article about Sarks diminishing population. Great photos by the way. Good luck with whatever you decide. Tx
ReplyDeleteIt was strange because after reading your comment I Googled about it and then when Alan came downstairs for a cup of tea I told him and he said 'Oh I know I read all about that last week, are you interested too?'
DeleteWe have viewings on the house today and another already pre-booked for September, so you never know we may have some money soon .........
I've read about SARK and always thought that it would be a lovely place to visit. Can't hurt to have a think about it. As long as you and Alan had decent internet connections you'd be fine.
ReplyDeleteSark is beautiful, and we haven't even seen it in full Summer just early Spring and October, so it's not as though we are looking at it through 'Summer Sunshine Glasses'. Seemingly the internet is as good there as we have it in Wales, that's why they are advertising it as suitable for entrepreneurs and people that can work from home.
DeleteRather than ask “why”, perhaps the question is “why not?”.
ReplyDeleteInstead of a list of reasons why it might be difficult, perhaps a list of all the reasons why it might be the most incredible adventure.
I might be a teensy little bit envious . . .
That's always our first question ... 'why not', it's why we ended up raising livestock and vegetables because we though 'why not' and I immediately gave up my shop. It is still on both our minds at the moment and of course ... I could always open a new shop on Sark !!
DeleteI have been visiting since I was a child. I could not live there though as I would miss family too much!
ReplyDeleteAs I don't see mine that often I guess they would come just as regularly to see us in Sark as they do now, and of course they would be getting a free holiday!! It's Mum that couldn't manage it, so that is my anchor at the moment, not in a bad way I hasten to add.
DeleteYes, I was mum's main support throughout the lock down. She's very precious and I wouldn't want to be too far from her, especially since my siblings both live further away in different directions.
DeleteOh Sue, do it! If you don't have children or grandchildren that you'd be leaving, then go for it!! Some people "go for it" regardless of the children & grands but I could not. They mean too much to me. But heck, if your heart & soul are telling you to go, then do it. I'll be anxious to see the beautiful pictures!! Love, Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteI have an elderly Mum, children, grandchildren and a great grandchild ... but as they all barely visit apart from Mum it wouldn't be a problem for us going. We would be going for our own sakes. Although I love my boys and their families dearly they never put us first in any decisions, it's just always been that way, and we are all split around the country anyway so have to make a real effort to visit ... usually it's us making the effort too.
DeleteWell now I know, without having to ask, that you are taking Alan with you to your new house. :)
ReplyDelete