Living off grid in a wooden cabin in France - In Search of a Simple Life Book 2

Mary-Jane and Michael Houlton moved into an off-grid wooden cabin in rural France in September 2020. They had already spent three years living on their boat in France during the summer and returning to the UK and their caravan for the winters, so they were used to a simple life. The tiny cabin would now be their new home for the winter months, taking them a step further along the road to self-sufficiency. They had no electricity, kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom, and the toilet was a bucket in a shed, but the property came with five acres of field and woodland. Their lives would now be simple, pared back to the basics, but they found that an off-grid lifestyle was by no means an uncomfortable experience. Responsibilities didn't disappear, but they changed, becoming less onerous. There was more time to think and appreciate the natural world around them.

Living in such rural isolation, each day brought something new to marvel at: deer browsing in the field at dusk, salamanders on the doorstep, and owls calling by night. However, their world felt increasingly magical while the outside world was far from it. They had moved to a foreign country during a pandemic and were adapting to the day-to-day implications of Brexit.

"A Simple Life" not only follows Mary-Jane and Michael as they settle into their new lives but also raises questions about what really matters to people. What makes us happy? How does it feel to have few possessions? Will life become unbearable without a flushing toilet? Thought-provoking and amusing, the book opens a window onto a different way of living. Mary-Jane shares a wealth of information, and if you have ever found yourself longing for a simpler life, this might tempt you to take those first tentative steps on the journey.

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