>>1192

Amazon have a large range of them on the cheap. eBay used to have a good range of knives and swords but media hysteria and Mothers Against Fun scuppered that.

>>1194

Amazon also have the blades in carbon steel or stainless and with oak or beech handles, as well as the "children's knife" safety model (ideal if you've got a sprog you want to teach to be handy or use a knife by giving them one of their own).

>>1171

I am very glad that I managed to contribute something to /eco/ for once. Enjoy it, knifem8.

>>1197

Knife already has come in handy for shed work and loaned out briefly to people who also thought it handy. Spreading the love.

That hefty knife mentioned above looks very desirable though. It might not be "pretty" but to me the sheer funcionality of it makes it so very desirable for me.

>>1194
I was more interested in the specific place the person ordered theirs from, but thanks for the advice none the less. Speaking of swords, by the way, if you intend to purchase such a thing I can recommend "Armour Class". They're primarily re-enactment oriented, but do offer the option of semi-sharp blades which, with some honing skill, can be made to be actually sharp. Stick to their slash-oriented weapons (the rapiers they produce are off-balance) and you're golden. The only downside is the waiting list of 6-9 months.

>>1163 What you are talking about here is not sovereign independence. You are just talking about a bunch of people living together with a different value system. You'd still have to pay tax etc... If you didn't, thats when the state would move in, first through the courts, then through the police and finally, if you fended off the police, through the army.

Sealand has fired warning shots against passing boats. This is something you need to do to assert your sovereignty. They then defeated the UK government in the courts and didn't need to do that anymore. If you are trying to annex an urban streets, I don't think there's any chance the courts would come down in your favour, which leaves armed resistance as the only option.

I say, put up with the taxes and build a peaceful co-operative community or leave the UK for a less inhabited region. Independence is impossible inside the UK.

State power has to win, they won't allow you to annex a part of the mainland UK without a serious fight. Even if they didn't resort to a hostile invasion, you'd have very difficult time providing for a small community if they simple closed the borders and refused to allow anything in or out.

Sealand have had a ridiculously tough time, and they're living in the arse-end of nowhere in a place that's of no use to anyone.

>>1172

It was also a disgusting shambles in there and slowly falling apart. Soon it will fall into the sea. Understandable why the government wouldn't care about it much.

Coincidentally, I just found a documentary on Youtube about Sealand

http://www.youtube.com/v/pRQjZE92jLs

>>1172

For some reason Sealand reminds me more of a chanology style failure than a stateless state.

>>1184

I too like bumblebees. They make honey, pollinate plants are are very unagressive to people. I often shoo them out the shed with my hands and they'd never attack. A far cry from the wasps.

I've recently taken a liking to bees. Maybe because I've never been stung, but they do seem very peaceful to me.

I don't mind it when they fly near me, they mind their own business and continue pollinating. Observing them is really fun.

>>1187
Not into outdoor swimming per se, but I do like recreational activities outside of the strictly regimented areas. During the past heat wave for example, I spent many a day dangling my feet in a local shallow river, as well as spending a few nights camping next to said river whenever fortune afforded me the opportunity.

I too spent a few drizzly days in that area and had a lot of fun. Didn't go swimming, but went on the "gorge walking" up the rivers and so on, getting nice and soaked. All good fun. There's a lot of entertainment to be had on these isles. Good to see others making use of it.

I've never swum in a lake (there's a swimming lake in Bristol, but that isn't really wild), although I do swim whenever I'm at a suitable bit of seaside.
But you make it look like fun, OP.
I do wish that there were more suitable lakes in my area.

>>1125
Probably. Sorry, I need to learn to take a deep breath before posting when switching discussions.

>>1120

I don't think we've got past that era, yet. The Cold War might be over, but we can still feel it's effects.

>>1127

This is true in many ways.

>>1128

Ironically enough, we can compare it to a nuclear war. The cold war was the bombs dropping, and now we've got a nuclear winter to deal with.

>>1140

I rather like this analogy. It works for me.

Unlike this picture, my heliotrope never flowers. It's always just the green leaves in stalks. I don't know if that makes a difference.

>>1137
A few rolls of grass is sometimes a good call. Particularly if you use horticultural fabric underneath, stops all weeds stone dead.

>>1131
Now that's just uncouth and, all in all, very un/eco/. What about hemp?

>>1132
Make sure not to get caught if you do. Even drug-free hemp is illegal to plant without the Home Office's permission.

>>1130

Poppies, old chap. Blooms beloved by old dears and all.

>>1134

That's a good idea, they're bright, well-loved, and if they grew on no-mans-land they must be pretty tough little buggers.

Poppies are lovely and brighten up areas everywhere. Make sure you get a nice mix of colours.

Nothing better than seeing an area that's looking rather bleak suddenly brightened up with a few flowers springing up.

>>1119

There are so many varieties out there that you shouldn't give up hope! There will be something to suit you. Rememebr there are wild roses that manage without people tending them too.

I remember reading that the commercial rose breeds have lost their scent due to centuries of genetic manipulation. Another vote for wild roses.

>>1122

There are some that grow near here. They are lovely in appearance and scent and they can grow in dense coverings. The bumblebees like them too, so a boon to nature.

If you live in a more rural area then your roses will be more prone to blight. This is why the majority of commercial rose growers are based around the more industrial parts of the Midlands. It doesn't like the dirty air for some reason. Roses are easy enough the only thing to make sure is you prune them back in the autumn, which is easy enough to do.

>>1111

As far as I know only stag beetle grubs are worth hunting much for while as far as insects go (unless you're just grabbing anything but if you spend an hour to get an ant or two you end up burning more in the hunt than you eat). Of course you'd need the stomach to eat them and dead rotting wood in your garden (and a countryside location to encourage them to it to lay eggs, I'd imagine). I'd rather pick mushrooms or wild onion/garlic. Both tend to crop up in a lot of places (the former being able to cling to any patch of dirt here in some form or another and the latter being considered a weed by many).

There are roots and other wild plants (I have to consult the book pile to know them, to be honest). Pine needles can give you vitamin C, I believe. You have to boil them and drink the brew. Probably taste nasty, but nasty tea is better than bleeding fingernails and teeth falling out or similar.

>>1106
I grow Apples, Plums, Raspberries, Blackberries, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Chillies and a variety of herbs in my garden. We're a vegan household, but even we couldn't live off that lot for very long. I think you need a lot of land and a lot of year-round planning to be truly self-sufficient, it's a lot harder than people think, even if your diet is fruit/veg based as ours is.

I estimate I would need a couple of acres to be truly self-sufficient, and I reckon it would take a few years to get right. An invasion of the wrong kinds of slug/snails or a load of bugs and all your hard work goes to waste.

My point is that it is very very difficult to pull off, even if you have the knowledge.

So far the minimum plan I've heard talk of is 2 acres. One for the cow and one for crops. That requires you to find additional feed for the cow though. Animals have the advantage of needing less care than many crops in the sense that they can wander off and feed on lands that are unsuitable for vegetables or grains. Plus you can get milk, wool or even blood from them without killing them if you pick your beatsts right.

Five would do it (2-5 maybe being survivable), but at this stage it is a full-time career (just think of a medieval peasant or The Good Life). When you consider this aspect it shows how community projects and sharing the load makes more sense.

As >>1107 mentioned, pests could be a real nightmare, especially without modern techniques and supplies. Diversity helps avoid this to some extent. I can't say it is a situation I'd look forward to. Living on a knife edge where a bad winter or pest outbreak can wipe me out would be nerve-wracking. Organic farming techniques and perhaps historical reaserch may be of benefit to see how these things can be tackled without the modern chemical safety net.

The other issue to consider is growing enough for trading purposes or processing into other goods. You can't grow clothes and shoes on the vines. Even fuel or wood might be something to consider. Someone else is bound to have, grow or produce something you need or want.

Another incentive to grow some of your own (at least to gain easy experience without sweating it):

http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/tomato-prices-to-double-after-mass-poisoning-sabotage/story-e6frfmd9-1225889038401

If you do grow your own, then please use this (and show it off here):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10559358

Sounds like another ideal tool for /eco/-thinking type.

>>845
Depends what sort of plant it is and what time of year.

Some plants, particularly if they have a woody stem such as Lavender, you can rescue by repotting them but "burying" the plant about twice as deep as you would normally do. With a woody plant, after a while it will develop roots on those stem parts that are now underground and then the next year you can split it into multple plants.

Runner beans and nasturtiums though, they're not woody, doesn't work quite as well. The most important re-pot is the first one or two when the plant is grown from seed - that is the point where it gets really stretched. If its the right time of year, you can re-pot the plant, give it two weeks or so and then prune it a bit.

Like all gardening though, judging the right moment to re-pot something (and being arsed/remembering to do it) is the kind of thing you get better at year by year.

>>846

With your gardening knowledge and my survival skills I feel /eco/ will rule the earth after the apocalution or whatever is about to happen.

We just need to figure out what to do with the other guy now. I hope he is a girl to be honest.

>>845
Just thought I post an update for this. Some further reading revealed that the reason for the rapid growth might also be lack of light, caused by the plants desperately reaching for the closest light source. This might make more sense since my tomatoes (see below) had the same issue, despite being fine in the same pots last year.

The runner beans are, for the most part, doing fine now. Some let the "stretched" part die off at the first leaf-nub and started a new stem, thus wasting a few weeks of growth, some kind of picked up where they left off and continued to grow properly. All changed from flimsy light-green leaves and very light stems to nice, solid darkish-green leaves and slightly darker stems.

The nasturtiums didn't really recover, sadly, but I planted fresh ones which are doing fine.

I had also planted some tomatoes indoors and delayed putting them outside a bit too long. They also stretched themselves (despite being in a south-facing window), but have now reverted to dense healthy growth.

This leads me to conclude that the pots probably weren't the main culprit, but the lack of light was instead to blame. Lesson learned: As soon as feasible, move plants outside so they can enjoy proper sunshine.

>>1089
I had some plants die pre-potting; I attribute it to the absence of some useful thing in the soil.

>>996

http://barefooters.org/faq/14.html

I see what you mean.

>>998
>As a result, going barefoot will most likely cure athlete's foot.
Probably true, but I'm not going to take advice from someone that vague.

>>992

Fetishists?

>>992

Christ, this is an example of taking it too far, seemingly for the sake of it.
I often go barefoot when I'm in the country or it's a nice day in the city, but that's just...eugh. I don't care if urine 'might be good for my feet', I'm not getting other peoples piss and shit and god knows what else on my feet from going to WC's barefoot.

>>1072

It's truly too far. I like how one of the questions goes:

"What about all broken glass?"

"Erm...just be really careful. It probably won't even hurt man, you'll be fine!"

Former Royal Palace courtyard, now public space!

>>1066
You want to be careful with salty water and plants. However, if you used an eco-friendly washing up liquid then you could make up for this with dishwater.

>>1009
I'm new around here. Why is Bear Grylls hated so much? He's no Les Stroud, but he's still half way cool.

Also, water conservation? No. I live in Wales.

>>1068
>>I'm new around here.
That's ok. :)

>>Why is Bear Grylls hated so much?
Because he is a lying posho twat who doesn't do the stuff he pretends to on screen and who has a full team of local survival experts advising him on his every move.

>>1068
Ray is best lad.

>>1070

I nearly posted a request for a Grylls wordfilter once.