LIVING OFF GRID

The eviction notice landed like a bomb, demolishing Darren’s comfortable life of work, eat, sleep, repeat. After a fruitless search for alternative accommodation he was despairing, until another letter arrived – his name had reached the top of the allotment waiting list.

Darren built a shed – more substantial than most but still ramshackle enough to pass casual inspection. He bought a camping stove, a folding bed, redirected his mail to the nearby convenience store, and upgraded his gym membership to include access to hot showers.

Two years later he’d saved enough for the down payment on his own home.

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Not every homeless person is as fortunate, nor as resourceful, as Darren, and I doubt that living on an allotment is allowed, but this is fiction, right? Darren's shed is not too far removed from what my daughter and her husband lived in for two years while renovating a derelict cottage in Northern Ireland, although their shed enclosed a caravan which acted as their bedroom.

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I have been AWOL from FF for a few weeks, dealing with family stuff, and involving myself a little in welcoming Ukranian refugess to our village, but Brenda's photo inspired me to rejoin the ranks. Next week I'll be busy organising a Jubilee tea party for the row of cottages where I live. For those of you who are not Brits, we are celebrating a unique occasion - our Queen Elizabeth the Second has been on the throne for seventy years. Never before has a monarch reigned for so long, so a Platinum Jubilee is an historical first - and probably will never be repeated.