"We love what you're doing here"

[Mylovelyhorse]

Compared to many of the people on here, we really don't do that much by way of being ish (though we have plans to change that!). But even the small amount we do causes comment and some degree of amusement from our friends.

We don't have a TV
We are vegetarian and largely dairy-free (an occasional bit of goat's cheese sneaks in now and again)
We grow what we can (though because of the garden we have, that's not very much)
We go out picking blackberries, sloes etc
We bake our own bread, cakes and biscuits
We cook meals from scratch and never rely on ready meals
We make jams, chutneys and pickles
We prefer gardening to going down the pub
We make our own soap and bath salts
Mr lovely horse makes pottery
I paint, and prefer to make my own cards

And our friends seem to think it's all amazing. And it's really really not!

[Annpan]

Well aren't we all very clever and odd

Rosendula - My Mum and her husband don't open their mouths unless it is criticism... they are less than impressed by anything that we do... whatever it is. I am lucky to have 5 siblings (with some inlaws and nephews/nieces attached) who are lovely in their own strange ways and we are quite close for such a big family with big age range.

MyLovelyHorse, Masco and Bongo - You are doing soooo much! Don't say you are less 'ish' that the rest of us.

Milims... perfect

[Thomzo]

I too tend to get comments ranging from "why bother" to "oooh aren't you good". When I first started work they all thought I was odd keeping chickens but when they started eating the eggs, suddenly they were really interested. It helps if you have a few funny anecdotes and can do a passable chicken impersonation. That helps to break the ice. Now they all want to come round and see the chicks!

Some people (well most probably) think I'm odd but the ones that really matter accept me as I am. Fortunately, my mother supports my ishness and helps out if she can.

At least you are among like-minded people here.
Zoe

[Uller]

A friend in Australia (yes, the country with quite a lot of sun for quite a lot of the year) used to think I was odd because I dried my washing outside - she thought it was a waste of time and was much quicker just to put it straight in the drier. Maybe she didn't realise that you don't have to stand and watch it drying - you can actually go and do something else?

I have a wormery and take some paper from the office shredder to add to it sometimes - get some amused smiles for that.

I am also 36, won't use chemical hairdyes and can't be bothered with henna because it takes too long, so have let my hair start to go grey. I think I'm the only woman in my office who doesn't dye - that is definitely odd!

Parents & siblings are all fine - Dad is really chuffed that I am starting to grow veg although doesn't really see what I wouldn't want to use chemical fertilisers - we just agree to disagree.

Had a discussion with someone at work about apples yesterday - she was surprised when I said I wouldn't buy a bag of pre-sliced apple from the supermarket - her comment was 'isn't it hippy enough for you?'!

But like someone else said, if my life is odd, bring it on!

[red]

I come from a long line of people who cook from scratch/ make jam/ home brew/ etc - so its considered normal in my family, but my brother lives in a city and is very urban and has no idea why would would want to live in the country. Hey we upsized and moved into a village. when he came to visit he spent ages getting sheep poo off his shoes - I dont find sheep poo particularly revolting so it does not bother me.. mind you i didn't just step in it like him either...

another relative says she wont come and visit if we get pigs. guess she wont be visiting then.
A woman at my knitting group keeps telling people that i 'eat people'. I don't - but we are planning on sending to slaughter and then eating one of our sheep. she is horrified and only keeps sheep for their wool. she eats other sheep she has not met before....


hmm no we dont get people saying they lvoe what we are doing - either they are doing it too, or they just dont understand

[Cligereen]

I can't tell you all how relieved I am to hear that you all get the same reaction as me. Weird / eccentric / odd / mean / old-fashioned etc etc I've heard them all. Actually I'm proud of all of the 'labels' they stick on me (except the 'mean' one)

Perhaps this thread could turn into an ishers self-help group for the terminally eccentric. I don't feel half as 'odd' now. I'm not alone

[invisiblepiper]

''Ohh - aren't you clever'' - said in that condescending / patronising way guaranteed to drive you up the wall.
Oh - I've thought of another one!

''Ohh - aren't you clever'' - said in that condescending / patronising way guaranteed to drive you up the wall.

Aaargh - someone told me I was a "clever girl " the other day - I will be Fifty in May!!!!!

not had the nerve to do that yet, but I am kicking myself for not asking soph's school about some of their chairs they had in their skip last week. i reckon sorted the right way they'd have looked lovely in my garden, but i didnt have the nerve to ask!

Just do it Mrs F - a stint in Art School is actually very good for encouraging skip raiding! Now - I'm sure there's a lovely potted palm in the one down the road ..........................

[hamster]

I can't tell you all how relieved I am to hear that you all get the same reaction as me. Weird / eccentric / odd / mean / old-fashioned etc etc I've heard them all. Actually I'm proud of all of the 'labels' they stick on me (except the 'mean' one)

Perhaps this thread could turn into an ishers self-help group for the terminally eccentric. I don't feel half as 'odd' now. I'm not alone

"A self-help group for the terminally eccentric."

I think that should be our motto!

[Rosendula]

Doesn't 'self-help' imply that we are trying to recover, though? For me the board is "where terminal eccentricity is celebrated and positively encouraged"

[Cligereen]

Oh no, Rosendula, I don't want to recover, I'm very happy the way I am! I meant self-help to withstand the comments of others and show our pride

You've heard of 'Gay Pride', well we can have 'Ishers Pride'

[Rosendula]

Ah, of course. I wasn't thinking that way. I was thinking more about things like Alcholics Annonymous and dieting groups, etc.

[Moonwaves]

I am also 36, won't use chemical hairdyes and can't be bothered with henna because it takes too long, so have let my hair start to go grey. I think I'm the only woman in my office who doesn't dye - that is definitely odd!

Had a big discussion about this with a friend recently and we just had to agree to disagree because she couldn't comprehend how someone wouldn't want to dye their hair to cover grey (mind you, she is also of the opinion that anyone who does have grey in their hair should never have long hair because it looks 'silly'!). As far as I'm concerned apart from anything else, I've put my whole life, that's a fair few years now of stress and worry and, quite simply, living into earning these white hairs and there's no way I'm going to shell out my hard-earned cash for someone to cover them up!

What I find amusing/exasperating in equal measures is when I'm visiting other people and they go to great lengths to tell me about all the things they're doing (recycling, cooking from scratch etc.) and apologetically not apologising for what they don't do but know I do. I never ask. And I very rarely if ever try to get people to do the things I do so it's funny to hear them getting so needlessly defensive.

[Mylovelyhorse]

Moonwaves - you're absolutely right. The defensive and pre-emptive remarks are very quick to appear. I make no secret of my preferences (eg veggie, 95% dairy free, organic, local etc etc), but I don't ask people about what they're doing or try to make them do more. But people do seem to have this guilt about stuff - meat eaters are always very quick to assure me that they eat very little meat, probably only once or twice a week. And they *would* all make their own meals, but they have so little time. And, and...

Yes, lots of guilt and defensiveness out there!

[Ellendra]

Oh - I've thought of another one!

''Ohh - aren't you clever'' - said in that condescending / patronising way guaranteed to drive you up the wall.

Aaargh - someone told me I was a "clever girl " the other day - I will be Fifty in May!!!!!

My dad is always calling me "Super-Genius", but he says it in baby talk and then wonders why I don't like it.

[Rosendula]

I was a veggie for 22 years until recently. The thing I used to hate the most was when the meat-eaters used to try to catch me out. If I had a pound for each time someone said, "You're eating marmite? I thought you were a vegetarian!" Well, put it this way, I'd have my smallholding now. Or, "You had a fry-up? I thought you were veggie!" to which the reply was, "Yes! I had vegetarian bacon, vegetarian sausages, vegetarian mushrooms, vegetarian tomatoes, vegetarian beans....."
Anyway, I have to say it is nice to not have to put up with that any more, and it's nice to have a decent choice when we go out for meals

On the subject of the way things are said, I used to have a boss who always sounded so false when she paid compliments to a person, but sounded geniune when she praised them to other people. It caused big problems and quite a lot of competitiveness between employees as we all felt she thought we weren't doing a good enough job. After working there a few years we talked about it and realised we all felt the same and it was just her way of talking, and that the compliments were actually very genuine. In fact, I don't think I heard her say anything non-complimentary about anyone! What I'm saying is that sometimes people aren't very good at praise, so even though it might sound condescending, it may not be intended that way. Whatever tone of voice the compliment is given in, we should try to concentrate on the words, not the tone.