0 to 5mph in how long!?

[Welder]

This is going to be my new transport. Cool eh? He looks a lot meaner with his teeth on show and you don’t want to be standing behind him when you try to get him going.

He’s quite an old model and when my sister bought him he came without an MOT or registration documents and frankly looked badly neglected and often wouldn’t start and when he did, ran very erratically.

Naturally enough new transportation is an exciting prospect.
Apparently he corners well, climbs better than any 4X4, but fuel figures (miles per kilo) acceleration figures and payload information are a bit sketchy, as is the owners manual.

With the bikes I’ve ridden in the past finding out how it goes has been relatively easy. Here near Bristol for example the A38 has been a favorite test track. This is the best straight stretch from the house to the village and I’m looking forward to setting up a few time trials laden and un-laden just to see what he’ll do.


http://www.mediafire.com/conv/a7df64a8ca965f3beac805ea634006fafe845de7058e5d4f7c 62c48f7d1194244g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?gz9druex7ntc553)

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/ac9b345bec2b3f8a2aac9a8c7edac1f2396bade9ce996e7bd1 9c4b45723f53274g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?icmi1iesb7yl2o6)

[brian2957]

Just 1 BHP then John , like the two-tone bodywork.Good luck with the new life BTW.

[Alex_UK]

Oh the dangers of using Tapatalk on a mobile to view this forum - on a 3inch screen those photos looked just like a mud track and a DONKEY! :lol: How funny!

;)

Wow John - all credit (not to mention a bucket load of good luck!) to you for going for it.

Will we ever hear from you again, or are you casting aside all the trappings of modern life?

Either way, all the best with your adventure. :)

[Tim]

:lol: you go John and good on you fella - looks perfect to me :)

[nat8808]

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/ac9b345bec2b3f8a2aac9a8c7edac1f2396bade9ce996e7bd1 9c4b45723f53274g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?icmi1iesb7yl2o6)

Ahh... What a beautiful animal - you're so lucky, John!

Please treat him well. He only wants to be free like you do, likes to be ridden probably as much as you do.

I think you'd get more enjoyment from being at one with him, his friend, getting to know him well then you would from trying to get him to carry stuff. You'll enjoy riding a bike instead I'm sure!

[John]

Seems like a very different life to the rat race that is here Really hope ut works out for you John

[Reid Malenfant]

Am I missing something here, or is John looking like he's about to attempt what looks like The Good Life? :scratch:

Free manure for your veggie patch as well :D

[bobbasrah]

Out on your ass already?
Excuse the suspicion john, but that photo looks as if it's been cropped and the stabilisers have been photshopped out.....:scratch:

[synsei]

Donkey's are such characters, congratulations on your new life and your new friend John ;)

[AlfaGTV]

Maybe John is sick of the arses on AoS and decided to befriend another! :eek:

[Macca]

Am I missing something here, or is John looking like he's about to attempt what looks like The Good Life? :scratch:



yes but where is Felicity Kendal when you need her? :eyebrows:

[Welder]

Thank you all.

I want to be working and I want to be working with my hands, preferably outside.
I can’t find the work I enjoy doing in this country that pays enough.
Becoming a little rich here in England seems a lot of effort for the benefits unless you enjoy celebrity culture and consumer goods.
If I didn’t have to work I would rather travel with a rucksack than buy goods with any spare money I had.

The assumption is I’ll work on the smallholding doing what my family have to pay others to do at present and once I’ve got a grip on the language :eyebrows: work a few hours in the evenings teaching Mathematics and Physics in the local centre my sister has established that currently runs English classes and legal assistance.

Farm policy as far as I can tell is, it works, or it gets eaten, and that should apply to donkeys ;)

If I find myself regularly visiting internet forums then I would say ‘mission failed”. :lol:

There is electricity, running water and internet there and they do have vehicles.

I'm out of here on the 28th.

[Ali Tait]

Best of luck mate, hope it all goes well for you.

[bobbasrah]

And the very best of luck John, sounds like a good plan, and you have obviously thought it through. It will certainly be a change from UKPLC, a sense of freedom and worth...Real life...

Hope you stay in touch....

[Reid Malenfant]

Blimey, the very best of luck in your new life John :)

As Bob said, hope you keep in touch fella :cool:

[Welder]

Grow area :eek:

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/3d97b05d5c041e95eb0868ef4d2ea86340276989fbee439781 1606a943b665174g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?d3l1wu1ucmzib8d)

Dry storage :eyebrows:

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/8854e8e9283cf7e679dce189d66122437354737206a0a269cc 415b1c4de1f8174g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?fx1hsxbxrh7f3hp)

Local culture :)

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/d64db9b5be2fbdaa26be2703dd7299c8ede3744f207c0f785f 1897f5fe5c1b394g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?8216sydr082xa0g)

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/cc424f135ef1947a7d89582f27a4334593379ce168f120ca59 39e3d6bb7faa7c4g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?17imwz7ucq2trtz)

[Macca]

Looks wonderful John. You are making me jealous, especially as I am back in the office tomorrow (zzzzzzz...). You better come back and see us all now and again y'hear? :)

[bobbasrah]

Looks like you shouldn't have flooding problems anyways John, but you'll have to make acquaintance with the local mozzies...
Let's see what it looks like when you get a crop going next year...

A fair change from a apartment block in Bristol for sure.....

[Welder]

Strangely enough Bob flooding is a major problem.
When the winter rains arrive the water pours in mini rivers down the mountain side and through the woodland above the local farms.

One of the ‘need to do’ jobs on the farm is to clear the gullies in the hillside so the water flows down them rather than onto the land used to grow stuff.
In the dry months vegetation grows in the gullies at an alarming rate and it takes about a week for two men to clear the gully beside the farm with brush cutters.
Major labour intensive jobs here are gully clearing, wood collecting for the wood burners, copse management, rebuilding the track that runs up the mountain.
Add 30 sheep, 40 chickens, fruit picking (assuming the wild boar don’t get it all during the night when they come down the mountain in packs and rock the trees to make the fruit fall off) vegetable growing etc and it’s a lot of work given my brother-in law and sister have full time jobs.

[Welder]

A bit of advice for anyone else thinking of moving from the more usual petroleum based, four wheel can, to a four legged miles per kilo traditional beast of burden; the traction control isn’t all that in the wet to be frank. :eyebrows:

Arron, the beast in question, possible practicing unsupervised handbrake turns in a small field with a slight slope, managed to pull a tendon in his hip after a light shower of rain.
A further point worth noting is despite a very thorough search I couldn’t locate any obvious jacking points and a rolled donkey just isn’t catered for by the usual vehicle rescue companies. :lol:

A couple of hundred Euros worth of vet bills later Arron is upright and grinning slightly at this most recent work avoidance scheme and looks content to sign himself off sick for all but the lightest duties such as running across the field at the slightest chance of a few apples. I’ve been assured that the latest chip controlled Land Rovers aren’t this bright and are good to go immediately after repairs.:D


The original idea was to spend three months as a trial before going through the residency bit, keeping my flat on here in Bristol just in case.
Can’t imagine what I was thinking……….:mental:

The short version is it took me one third of the allotted trial period for me to decide (not that I had to consider the pros and cons for much more than a couple of seconds) that a simpler life working on the land in Catalonia had considerable advantages to Bristol city life on a limited income.
A couple of pro and con examples..
Walk out of Bristol flat and pick ones nose free of accumulated chemical deposits in order to fully engage the breathing apparatus.
Walk out of kitchen doors and pick a few grapes from the vine just above before collecting bow saw, axe etc and heading into the woods.
Listen to the constant traffic noise in the evening, or listen to the dogs shouting at the wild boar who come down the mountains to raid the walnuts.
Spend an hour with my sister improving my Catalan or a couple of hours on the internet.
It’s strange how learning a new language seems to drag up a surprising amount of knowledge of other languages one may have attempted to learn before.

At fifty something years old I had pretty much come to terms with the skin I wear turning into something a long in the tooth crocodile might be regularly be scratching off. It only took a few days of sunshine, clean air, proper food and of course higher levels of physical activity to return the texture of my forearms to something one wouldn’t consider using as a mild abrasive.

Anyway, I’m back in Bristol feverishly selling the bulk of the stuff I’ve gathered over the years, arranging the shipping of what’s left and fighting the temptation to just pack a small bag and get on the first flight back. Started with approximately 11 cubic metres of stuff; target 3 cubic metres.

Btw, anyone got a one handed adze they don’t want?

[Macca]

Dude - 'Hola!' I sorta thought you would like it. Get a Landy while you are here and drive it back ;)

[bobbasrah]

....
Anyway, I’m back in Bristol feverishly selling the bulk of the stuff I’ve gathered over the years, arranging the shipping of what’s left and fighting the temptation to just pack a small bag and get on the first flight back. Started with approximately 11 cubic metres of stuff; target 3 cubic metres.

Btw, anyone got a one handed adze they don’t want?

Wow, back already.... Glad it is working out John, 4WDonkey aside.... Know what you mean regarding way of life, was snagging grapes yesterday straight off the vine, and that is in the city.....:D

Bristol Tools sell adzes of various types if they are not available elsewhere. Would have thought it likely more common/cheap in Spain though...

[seoirse2002]

Lots of luck,but beware of dodgy used http://theartofsound.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=122&pictureid=896donkey sellers:)

[Tim]

Hey John, good to hear its all working out, I like Martin's idea for a Landy too.

I had a friend at work who retired last year and he's moved to Spain, came back for his daughters wedding last week and a 'fat boys' breakfast. He's looking really well and loving the good life. After 10 months he has no regrets :)

Take care fella when you go back and pop in now and then if you have time?

[brian2957]

Glad everything is working out for you John . Good luck .:)

[Welder]

I’ve been busy; fences to erect, land to clear, machines to fix etc etc.
Anyway, a few pics some may find interesting. :)


Pheonix
He’s a Ram (don’t get him confused with the sheep or any other cute furry animal. He’ll take you off your feet quicker than a skateboard. :eek:

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9f16/w0r8jnojxyicsnj4g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?w0r8jnojxyicsnj)

Sheep on the rampage. :D:doh:
Recently built the duckhouse and get a couple of ducks. The lambs seem to think chasing the ducks around the outside of the fence great fun! This usually means duckhouse repairs as it gets shoved down the bank in the fun.
Waiting on two more lambs this week.
12 euros a kilo to you lot.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ae06/a846cruqoih12id4g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?a846cruqoih12id)

Well, the donkey proved to be somewhat unreliable as local transport and the trails around the farm and up into the mountains wreck cars, bikes and footware without respect for pedigree or expense; recently put the Land rover Disco on it’s roof after making a rapid exit out the window. This is my new mobility project. :mental::D

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/18e9/9ttj4896qjjl0h64g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?9ttj4896qjjl0h6)

Lots of work to be done on the house still but even in the winter I get to eat outside.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7007/pwusf7p6q968tjl4g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?pwusf7p6q968tjl)

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0f6f/fpcf2dsf7ms4v824g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?fpcf2dsf7ms4v82)

[brian2957]

Good to hear from you John , sounds like you have a very busy ( and healthy ) lifestyle over there . I'm glad the move has worked out for you . Keep up the good work mate :lol: Love the photos BTW.

[Alex_UK]

You can go off some people... ;)

Looks like you are having a fab time John, and nice to see you popping in to say hello and the updates.

Long may the fun continue. :)

[Ali Tait]

Nice to see you around again John, looks like you have your hands full!

[Sonority]

Just 1 BHP then John , like the two-tone bodywork.Good luck with the new life BTW.

Shirley 1BDP? :)

[Sonority]

Fantastic looking place I have to admit - hope it all works out for you.

[brian2957]

:lol:

[goraman]

Just 1 BHP then John , like the two-tone bodywork.Good luck with the new life BTW.

1 BDP is more like it.
I love donkeys what they may lack in brains they more than make up for in personality.
I have loads of Donkey storys from Pakistan .
Your property looks like my idea of Heaven.
Good for you Jhon.

[DaveK]

Hi John,
Just found this thread. - don't know how I missed it before. Good luck with your new lifestyle. - looks to be quite an adventure,
ATVB and thanks for your previous help.
Dave.