Actually this page should be called ‘post apocalypse skills and strategies’ but I thought that might put a few folk off – might change that later.
So just imagine that there is some kind of a apocalypse – a world plague, a massive electro-magnetic pulse, a total collapse of the world ‘economy’, a world wide famine, let your imagination run on a bit here…..all of these things are possible and really, if you take a realistic look around, not only possible but probable.
Something happens and life as you knew it, stops. Assuming that you physically survive, what will you do? Can you grow things? Do you have a stash of seeds? Can you hunt or kill an animal? Can you light a fire? Have you ever thought about it before?
Where would you rather be when the shit hits the fan – on an island of 70million people (or who ever is left) with everyone fighting for their own survival and no way of getting off the island? Or somewhere quietly tucked away at the back end of Europe where an EMP is not going to immediately affect much of your life and where there is already a good community spirit and a tradition of helping each other.
Its a no-brainer for me which is one of the reasons I live in Voditsa. More of my thoughts and ideas on this later but meanwhile, check out other aspects of life here at www.stjamespark.biz
Life in Voditsa 
Hi, I’m Rob. Thanks to Kathy and Elly I’m in the process of buying a house in Voditsa. I concur with all the great reasons to live here that Kathy has outlined in this blog. I too have never really ‘fitted’ into main stream western society and have moved around the globe a lot in my search for ‘home’.
I’m from UK originally but worked in many developing countries and lived in South Africa for the last 21 years. I recently sold my house there and moved back to the UK for family, health and financial reasons. I imagined that I would never own my own place again, and searched around for a community to join; ideally one aiming at self-sufficiency and Off-grid living. That led to Diggers and Dreamers website, which lead to Kathy and Bulgaria.
In early December, with grey fields and leafless trees, I visited Kathy and Elly for a week and looked a loads of interesting cheap houses – in several villages. They all had unique character and great potential, but only one really grabbed my attention, and that was in Voditsa.
You can see some pictures of it here https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=116012511404877381037&target=ALBUM&id=5688152618620381185&authkey=Gv1sRgCIbtl4Xkrv2ajgE&feat=email
I’m really looking forward to returning there in the spring and starting work renovating it. I think more than anything I love the views, the peace and quiet, the friendly neighbours and the space to do my creative thing – which in my case includes music, sound healing, Sacred Geometry and Off-grid energy sources – particularly energy efficient wood-stoves and wood-gas generators.
I imagine that in time, I might become part of the village tour: “And now we go to visit the mad English inventor and learn how to run our cars or homes on wood and home made ethanol……”
Hello Rob,
I was really pleased to find your post. I came across the same thing in diggers and dreamers and I’ve only recently contacted Kathy about buying a property in the village. Myself and my other half had just about had it with the whole rat race thing blah blah and I think the greed of christmas and few other things finally made up our minds. We truly won’t be sorry to leave our life in Scotland behind.There are friends we would miss but they could visit. We haven’t been out to the village yet but plan to be there to see some properties and hopefully get the buying process underway towards the end of March. Despite not having been yet we know this it somehow. I haven’t wandered the globe like you but Cal my other half has travelled in the real sense of the word and scratched out a living here and there on the way. He thinks this sounds like home.
Anyway loving the stove talk – we are so pleased Bulgaria involves wood burners as we couldn’t live without one! Hopefully we will see your inventions!
Best wishes,
Sharon
Good to meet you Sharon. I’ll probably be there end March/early April. Look forward to meeting you both. I’m looking forward to tacking the restoration of the place I’m buying as well as living there, growing veggies and making wood-stoves etc.