• Contact
  • Welcome

Rachel

~ following the white rabbit…

Rachel

Tag Archives: Minimalist living

Photographs of Da Lat, Vietnam

22 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Rachel in Uncategorized, Vietnam

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Dalat, Life on a narrowboat, Midlife awakening, Minimalism, Minimalist living, Narrowboat, Narrowboat living, spiritual awakening, spiritual memoir, Travel, Travel writing, Vietnam, Voluntary simplicity

I’m still working on the Da Lat chapter, in the meantime here is another pictures only post.

20190304_110738 (1)20190306_11330720190306_11355720190307_13320220190304_11174120190304_195806

20190307_120507
20190307_120621

All photographs by my husband Anthony John Hill

Thank you for visiting!

About me

Sold house, left career, gave away almost everything else. Went travelling with my husband for a year, mostly in India. Here are my India highlights. Now back in the UK, living on a narrowboat and writing a book about the trip, a spiritual/travel memoir, extracts from which appear regularly on this blog.

Not what you have let go of… What you are left with

23 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by Rachel in De-cluttering, Decluttering, Minimalism, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Minimalism, Minimalist living

20180219_132712

It’s not about what you’ve lost…

I think minimalism is misunderstood, or at least what I mean by minimalism.  It is sometimes portrayed as a harsh ascetic, a kind of magazine lifestyle to try on for appearances, rather than part of an internal process of peeling away the layers of the onion to discover who you really are…

I feel anything but harsh about my remaining possessions.  I feel really warm towards this chair which at the last minute I have decided to keep.  Previously it was stuck in the corner of the dining room, the door used to bash into it.  It used to belong to my grandmother, when I was a little girl I used to think that the ‘buttons’ on it did the doorbell.  It took me years to realise that couldn’t have been true.  Even now I wonder if someone somehow hooked it up to the door bell but no, it was just my imagination.

20180219_132914

What’s left……

The little mother of pearl inlaid octagonal table (which belonged to my great grandmother and which I coveted as a child and gave to my son), has pinged back to me, and I am pleased.

Three plastic boxes of what I call ‘family heirlooms:’ cuddly toys that were mine or my son’s, children’s books, folders of his childhood drawings and school books.

One A4 box file of personal items of mine: photos of me with different hair and clothes, photocopied poems and favourite pages of books, a print out of a page on ‘love and spirituality;’ I turned to Google when I couldn’t understand what was happening when I met my husband.  The strange pain in my chest, the way the sky split open…  

Camping stuff, which can be left in my car.  My husband’s bicycle.  Bedding.  All to be left at my mum’s.  (At last, I have a functional amount of decent bedding and towels, rather than two linen chests’ worth of mainly scratchy old towels, saving the nice ones for guests or best or some kind of treat day that never came.)

Snow boots, Wellington boots.  A few basic kitchen items.  A box of tools.

A small box of joint personal items; a framed picture of the Goddess Lakshmi, a few ornaments and a few books.

A backpack each, from the India drawer; probably can’t take it all, haven’t practiced packing yet.

It’s not Stuff that shows what you’ve done with your life, it’s your Life.

We really are moving.  In England the system is that even though the person has offered to buy your house and you accepted their offer, you can’t feel safe until contracts have been exchanged.  (The buyer has to put up 10% at this time and would lose the money if they pulled out.)  However, this can take weeks, and means a lot of hanging by the phone.  Our contracts were meant to exchange at the end of last week, then it was meant to be Monday of this week, which was the week I was leaving work.  The thought of having to come back with my tail between my legs was, well….  ‘Exchange’ happened on Tuesday, just in time.  It felt something like this:

PS

The other evening I went round my son’s and we were chatting, about Elon Musk, Jim Carey and about how nice Keanu Reeves is, link provided there, just in case I am not the only one who didn’t know.

 

I have set up an Instagram account for when we are travelling followingthebrownrabbit

 

Thank you very much for reading

Narrowboat shopping and to do list

10 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by Rachel in escape the matrix, Narrowboat, The matrix, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

escape the matrix, Living on a boat, Minimalist living, Narrowboat, The matrix

20171108_094012

Warning: another list post

Clothing from proper outdoors shop: one super warm, waterproof and windproof coat.  Two very warm funnel neck fleece type tops, two pairs of lined trousers, two long sleeved tops, two sets of base layers, all quick drying.  Extra warm socks, hat and scarf.  Bootie style thick lined slippers with proper soles.  Guest slippers.  A very warm dressing gown.

Buy/have made proper seating that converts to a guest bed.  Buy large Moroccan style floor cushions.  Buy electric heater(s) from chandlery (for when there’s not time to light the stove).  Buy an electric blanket.  Buy a MyFi internet box from BT.  In order to save space, instead of having dinner plates, side plates (which are pretty pointless anyway) and bowls, buy dinner plate sized bowls, shallow enough for dinner and sandwiches, deep enough for cereal.  (I am hoping such things exist outside of my imagination, if you have seen them do let me know!)  Buy proper working gloves.

Get bilge pump fitted.  Buy a new centre rope.  Buy and fit a horn.  Buy and fit cratch cover to keep wind off the doors (thank you to writer,  blogger and narrowboat dweller Ian Hutson for this).  Paint walking board with paint and sand to make a non slip surface.  Add a rope for safety when walking around the outside of the boat, if possible.  (Did I mention I am Little Ms Health and Safety?)  In the/a summer, get boat taken out of the water and blacked, and also paint outside if needed, if not just give it a good wash.  Attach tyres around the outside as extra bumper protection.  Upgrade the solar panels.

To summarise, I have two lists on the go:  a going travelling list and a living on a narrowboat list.  The narrowboat is for when we come back, although we may spend a few weeks on it before we go, just to make it real.  I also have notes for a new about page and plans to upgrade to a paid plan (is this a good thing to do fellow bloggers?  If so, personal or freelancer business package?) once I leave my job and can be both more dedicated and more open; there won’t be thirty intense hours of my week that I can’t write about, and I won’t have to worry about protecting my professional reputation.

The meaning of life

27 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by Rachel in escape the matrix, The matrix, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

escape the matrix, Minimalism, Minimalist living, Narrowboat, The matrix

To have a solid shelter, with heat that comes on with the flick of a switch, clean drinking water and hot running water with the turn of a tap, comfortable seating and sleeping areas, plenty of bedding and warm clothes, a washing machine…  These things are denied to many.  Even one thing off this list would represent enormous progress, even luxury, to some.  Many of us who have these things do not fully appreciate them.  Not only that, the progress and comfort they represent and provide becomes grossly extended.

One of the aspects of Marrakech that we  appreciated the most was the sense of timelessness.  The hotel we stayed in was decorated with traditional blue mosaic tiling.  The orange buildings looked as though they had always looked that way.  No one had decided that everything needed updating to fit the latest fashion in decor or architecture.

Contrast that with here in the UK, people changing their furniture before it has even worn out, painting the inside of their homes a different colour according to what’s in that season.  ‘Needs updating’ such a spurious phrase, that has helped give rise to the largely unnecessary industries of  producing new ‘kitchens’ and ‘bathrooms’ and the mind boggling range of paint colours on offer.  Once upon a time there would have been a very limited range of possibilities according to the natural materials and pigments available, simple whitewash, Suffolk pink, yellow ochre, depending on where one lived.

Of course, we need to have shelter for our physical bodies and engaging with the physical world is part of our experience.  But we got so distracted with making the home, not simply a comfortable shelter, but by over extending that need into the myriad of wallpaper options, carpet choices and superfluous decorations available that we have today.

We forgot that the other aspect of our existence, as well as being here and experiencing everything we experience, is to remember (or rather, to not forget) who we are.  But when people are not doing something to their homes, they are watching television.  And no one’s talking about this:  no one’s talking about finding out who you really are, because most people are just following the programming and running to a script.  You look around, everyone’s doing it, everyone’s getting a mortgage,  improving their home, working to pay the bills, making the best of things, not talking about anything.  Everyone’s doing it, so it must be okay.  But as I have quoted before from someone on the internet:  look at what the herd is doing, and do the opposite.

Someone my husband worked with asked him what we did as we don’t watch television.  My husband said, and he told me it actually felt weird to say it aloud, we actually spend a lot of time just talking.  His work colleague said, but you can talk with the television on.  But you can’t, you can’t have a really good conversation, one that can get all deep and meaningful, unless you turn the television off.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so as soon as you get rid of the television, the paint charts- just paint everything neutral or leave it as it is; get rid of the clutter and unnecessary possessions, the stuff…  Then awareness floods in instead.

There’s probably an optimum level of comfort.  If things are too hard, that takes so much time and energy that there’s no space for creativity.  If things get too comfortable, one can be lulled into a false sense of security.  Somehow by being too comfortable we become less aware: in our centrally heated comfort zone it’s easy to fall back to sleep.  A bit of ‘discomfort’ helps to keep us awake and alert.  We need to be kept on our toes.  We’re here for a physical experience, so to feel the change in temperature, to notice some physical effort, is not necessarily discomfort at all.

As I have said before, I am all about putting the theory into practice, otherwise, what’s the point of all this theorising?  So bearing in mind all that I have said above, how do I want to live?  What way of living do I think would be most beneficial for me, for the both of us, my husband and I?

Well I suppose it would be something like this:  something small- just an adequate size for what we need- so no room to accumulate ‘stuff’.  Something that gives us a simple life, with as few distractions as possible.  Something that feels a bit ‘off grid’ compared with being in a house.  So a boat:  just big enough for what we need, with solar panels but also has an electric hook up, gas hot water for washing up and shower, a woodburner.  The boat’s water tank is filled via connecting a hose pipe to a water tap a few feet along the bank.  A twin tub washing machine sits in a shed on the bank, is filled from the same tap and used outdoors on the bank, plugged into the boat via an extension lead.  Using a washing machine outdoors appeals to me in a back to nature way, and is still comfortable compared with hand washing one’s clothes in a river.  Plus there is a launderette up the road which might be a nice option in the winter.

Meet Kindred Spirit:

20171108_094040

20171108_093958

20171108_094012

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • May 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • January 2016
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014

Categories

  • ageing
  • aging
  • angels
  • Art
  • awareness
  • Blogging
  • buddhism
  • Cambodia
  • Celebrating others
  • childhood
  • Christmas
  • creativity
    • Yoga
  • De-cluttering
  • death
  • December 2018
  • Decluttering
  • Delhi
  • dreams
  • erotica
  • escape the matrix
  • family
  • Feminism
  • getting older
  • Hampi
  • happiness
  • How to write a blog
  • India
  • India blogs November 2018 onwards
  • Inspiration
  • karezza
  • Liebster Award
  • Life update
  • Marrakech
  • Marrakesh
  • memories
  • Menstruation
  • mental health
  • middle age
  • Minimalism
  • Narrowboat
  • Nepal
  • Periods
  • Personal growth
  • Pushkar
  • reality
  • relationships
  • sex
  • spirituality
  • stress
  • suicide
  • sunshine blogger award
  • Tattoos
  • Thailand
  • The matrix
  • therapy
  • Throwback Thursday
  • Tokyo
  • Travel
  • Travel update
  • Tuk Tuks
  • Uncategorized
  • Varanasi
  • veganism
  • Vietnam
  • Voluntary simplicity
  • Work
  • writing
  • Writing inspiration

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Rachel
    • Join 786 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Rachel
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...