Living A simple green Life: Dylan the pathfinder

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, 6 January 2012

Dylan the pathfinder

It has now been a few days since Dylan died , we want to thank all the people for the wonderful comments online and offline …..

To us the comfort comes from being able to let Dylan die in a natural way ,well away from vets etc

He died at the side of the burner with his mates aroon him and at the moment when he became scared oor voices were enough to reassure him.

To us he has lead the way as he has done through the time we spent with him .

The idea that he has been laid to rest in the mountains at a spot that the deer pass nightly and often rest for the night , the fact that he is at rest with a view across the mountains and a view of the the open road a road he travelled many thousands of miles on living in buses ,cars .benders ,buses etc . gives us great comfort and joy..

The greatest joy is the fact that his body will break doon and become part of the mountains he will turn into the water become a cloud that gently wanders the sky , he will return as that first snow flake that lands on the earth his favourite time of the year and eventually become part of the night sky he will travel the vast distances of space and therefore become immortal in the true sense …

Love and hugs wee man and many thanks for the wisdom you taught us in only the way you could ..

Andy, Mel ,Custard , Wilkie and wee Chloe xxxx

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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