Living A simple green Life: Barefoot and Timeless a wee tale from the dafthermit

Welcome

Welcome to my wee blog.My name is Andy ( The Dafthermit ) . For the last 20 odd years i have ben trying to get back to a simpler way of life and finally in my old bus up here in the Scottish mountains i am finally getting there. My time now is spent taking pictures of the highlands ,making films to show the world the beauty all around and writing something that has surprised me having had a few of my stories published , Having picked up a camera and laptop in 2008 i have really enjoyeed the journey the camera has taken me on again having had a couple of pictures in national magazines, last year three of ,my films where shown at the Loch Ness film festival. anyway i hope you enjoy your visit to my wee blog

love and light

Andy

Friday, 28 January 2011

Barefoot and Timeless a wee tale from the dafthermit

Sitting in my wee studio here in the Scottish mountains , i watch from the window as yet another wonderful day begins .Flocks of wee birds feast hungrily to ward of the icy start to the day .
Each morning i check my email and as always i am deeply moved by them and once again i want to thank all that leave comments , email me or simply visit oor wee site , I have said before how shocked i am that my pictures films etc have such a positive effect on people.

Over the last few days news from the middle east and beyond has shown me how powerful the internet has become . Governments all across the globe now realise that people will not stand for being treated with no respect and they run scared from you tube facebook etc ..

By simply coming together we can all make our voices heard in the deepest darkness and we will make this a better place for our children.
It is Mel’s 52nd birthday today and after having her morning coffee and fag in bed she has gone back to sleep . I love her so much her strength through the tough times has amazed me and each day i find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with her.

Living a simple life has given me more time to simply think and stare and having ditched my watch many years ago into a long forgotten river freeing myself from that shackle .Time here at the hovel has no meaning we don’t chase the clock and strangely we get so much more done and when we want to sleep we sleep
One of my favourite things to do is to go barefoot to the loch something special about discarding shoes and socks and feeling the earth between you toes.

So as i head of and get some wood chopped i pray that all the people who are fighting for a better world stay safe and to those governments that have for years bullied and worse WATCH OUT YOUR TIME IS SHORT run and hide and leave this world for the people to live a happier life .

Love and light x

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A wee film about us on STVs the HOUR SHOW click on STV logo to see the film

Andy the Daft Hermit lives 45 minutes outside Inverness with his wife Mel in an old bus parked in a layby. This current home of theirs is the longest they have ever stayed in one spot. “I’ve been travelling now 25 years,” said Andy Lowe. “Mel’s been travelling 15. One of the reasons we’ve come and stayed up here is because of Mel’s health. I wanted to bring her to the mountains for fresh air and clean water and just a slower pace of life.” Mel has had breast cancer twice, skin cancer once, and for three years believed she had bone cancer after being wrongly diagnosed. Andy’s belief in the restorative powers of the north made them pack up ‘The Black Bus’ that they live in and cross the border into Scotland. New Highland home for hermit couple Andy and Mel “I think we both believe in trying to get to a more simple way of life,” said Andy, “but it’s strange for us because we are sort of hermits, or we like to live separate, but it’s not being anti-social… it’s just the way we are that allows us to be creative.” Andy first began travelling when he left the army. Fed up with bureaucracy he packed a rucksack and left for France and has been travelling ever since. By investing any money the couple have earned into solar panels and wind generators they now live a self-sustaining existence, without electric bills, and collect rain water “straight from Heaven”. “It’s not easy,” said Mel. “There might be time when there might not be enough facilities around, but you always find a way, you know?” Rather than rejecting technology, Andy blogs about his travels online and collaborates with artists from around the world via his ‘Scratchy Heid Film Studio’, which he runs from a static trailer next to the couple’s bus. He explained his philosophy: “My belief is that if you can go through life and you drop dead and you’ve got a balance there that slightly outweighs the good than the bad, you’ve done alright. “Yesterday, with what Mel’s been through with the cancer and all that, I had a woman on one of my sites there that thanked me for the writing, for the positive things, and to me that’s worth everything. You can keep your millions, we’re not interested. That is what we do.” To check out Andy’s artwork and video projects check out his website. MORE FROM THE NORTH