2022 The year of the Yurts
In late 2021 we ended up living in some yurts on the outskirts of bristol.
How we got there is a long winded story for another day. But living there taught me and my little family some lessons that I hope they will remember one day as adults.
Our two yurts were situated on a 6 acre farm, technically in Somerset, we were just on the outskirts of Bristol. They belonged to some kind friend’s of ours who offered then up to us when we were in dire need. We arrived at the end of November, after a rough bout of Covid and settled into our new lives there. Just in time for winter.
The Yurts were off grid, the lights were charged by a big battery that we had to drive into our workshops each day to charge if there wasn’t enough sunlight. The toilet was a compost loo, down a track, full of autumn leaves that we had to sweep out each time we needed to use it. One night I found an owl perched in there that swooped out when I opened the door.
We did have a shower, that could produce hot water if there was enough gas, but even the slightest winds would blow out the gas and we’d be basking in ice water in no time. There was one yurt for living in and cooking in and one for sleeping in, us in a big double bed and the kids in bunkbeds next to us. At night, the darkness would envelope us, tucked under many quilts in bed, the fire going in the other room for warmth. That thick velvety darkness was like nothing I had ever experienced. In the mornings the birds would wake us hooting and howling in the tree, long before dawn.
Our yurt life was simple, tough, but also cosy, there were no screens, no plugs to charge your phone, you had to think ahead, to get firewood in before you needed it, plan what day of the week you’d do the washing at the laundrette, what day you’d buy the food, what day you’d get the gas.
Each day in the yurts was long. We’d get up at 6am, start the fire, boil the kettle, dress the kids and drive them the hour journey to their primary school. They’d have to eat breakfast in the car and we’d listen to the radio as we ambled through the bristol morning traffic. Id then spend the day in an equally freezing studio, trying to muster the strength and enthusiasm to keep on drawing.
Ive never felt more cold and depleted than arriving back to those yurts, after a full day at the studio, two children asleep in the car that I knew id have to wake, rain pouring down and firewood I had to get in to warm the place. But we survived it and infact in a way we thrived in it.
Things we learnt whilst living for 6 months through the winter in our yurts.
We need less than we think,
Less baths, less clothes washing, less electric and gadgets and things to fill our lives.
Home is wherever your family is.
This has become a bit of a mantra in our family.
We love our solid brick walls, and are so greatful for our solid brick home as we go into this new winter.
There are so many people out there who don’t have those comforts.
So all of this was a sort of long winded explanation for why, for the month of October I’m going to donate 20 percent of my print profits to Shelter. We were lucky enough to have some friends to help us when we were in real need of a roof over our heads, but as unconventional as it was, others are not so lucky and this winter is rolling in fast.
