Everybody would want to live this way

 

Tom, Sarah, and their daughter Neesa live in a 20sqm off-grid tiny house on a property on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. Instead of paying rent, they share the work of looking after the land with the owners, and both families share in the farm’s abundant produce. We were inspired by how much happier they’ve found themselves by living with less.

Tom is a medical doctor and Sarah is an illustrator but both have chosen to reduce their work to almost nothing in order to have more time to focus on living well – a lifestyle choice that is more possible for many of us than we might think. This little 6-minute film has been one of our most popular to date – perhaps because it describes a lifestyle so many of us would love to be living.

** More about Happen Films **
Support us in making more films – HERE 

Vocabulary chunks to learn from video :

Living Simply
This is my wife Sarah
The house is 20 square meters
This L shaped space
A bit of a deck at the back
Mobile broadband
Hot water is from a gas cylinder
Keeping an eye on her
We need to radically rethink how to live
A healthy step for us
Be okay with the downsizing
Look out to trees and green
I don’t know the term for it
Working in the vegetable garden
Building, digging so that’s most of my work
Part-time I work as a GP (General Practitioner)
Our costs are fractional to what they were in town
I don’t have any stress about money
Which is a huge benefit
Emotionally I’m healthier
I’m much more in touch with sense of well-being
Maybe there is another way of being secure
Working in exchange for rent
Sharing and gifting of what we have
A more affluent lifestyle
Listen to what their hearts tell them will make them happy
Having the courage to act on it
For me this turns out to be what I love
Everybody would want to live this way

 

 

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We had the same dream

Green Renaissance

For the last 18 years, Christopher and Eva Dry have lived and worked on their biodynamic farm. It hasn’t always been easy, but their love for their land, biodynamic farming, and this special way of living keeps them here. As Christopher says – “The light makes no sense without the dark. It needs the dark to have strength.”

Vocabulary chunks to learn from the video :

Ordinary kind of job
I tried doing nothing for a while
Growing vegetables
There was some value in what you were doing
A biodynamic farm
We had the same dream
Farming activities
Handling cow manure
Digging in the garden
Driving the tractor
Working with the animals
I love getting involved with it
A source of renewal
It makes me feel better
I love the farm and I love being here
Farming is exceedingly difficult
On every front
Somehow we’ve managed to keep going
The children feel that we’re nuts to be here
There will always be materialism
People working towards more idealistic goals
The light makes no sense without the dark
Next lifetime I’m going to be a materialist

Would you take them for a walk?

[1000 Londoners]

 Vocabulary chunks to learn after watching video :

• They are quite friendly
• I rock up (arrive somewhere) to work one morning on my bike
• My husband had a fit (be very shocked)
• As a wedding anniversary present
• A wedding dress fitting
• They are in a state with their mother
• It just lowers the temperature a bit
• It’s a bit of an unorthodox thing to own in West London
• A pig farm
• They know that I’m the boss
• Cracky don’t be such a pig
• I have a walking license
• Come on lads
• Stop being stroppy
• When you take on livestock, your home becomes a farm
• A pig looks you straight in the eye

Learn English with short videos – Short videos for the classroom –  English Langauge Schools – English collocations – Unusual Pets

They all love jazz

[Great big story]

“Florida dairy farmer Ed Henderson has been playing the trombone since elementary school. And these days his audience, well, fits the scenery. Turns out, cows love jazz music! What began as a one-off backyard practice session, has turned into a regular gig that Henderson says entertains and pleases his audience of 6,800 or so cows. Hey, whatever works! “

Vocabulary chunks to learn after watching the video :

• They have one big thing in common
• They all love Jazz
• A small town
• A dairy farmer
• Home to about 6800 cows
• Elementary School
• A back yard
• A full audience
• Creatures of habit
• An ability to understand what’s threatening and what’s pleasing
• Music is definitely pleasing
• At the end of the day we are all having a good time
• From day one
• Playing the trombone
• Our interaction with these animals

 

Hefted

[Waterstones]

Some people’s lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks’ isn’t. The first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, he and his family have lived and worked in and around the Lake District for generations.
In evocative and lucid prose, James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd’s year, offering a unique account of the rural life and fundamental connection with the land that most of us have lost.

Buy online HERE

Vocabulary chunks to learn from the video :

• A shepherd is nothing without his sheepdogs
• My work is only possible because of them
• Gather fields
• Dog and stick farming
• Old fashion way of farming
• I wanted to tell everybody about it
• Historically significant
• We’re a family farm
• Loving every moment of it
• He was free, he was independent, he was proud
• Loved every moment of it
• However big or small
• My book is an attempt to share that world and explain it
• A deep sense of belonging
• They’re shaped by the landscape
• We are proud of what we are
• Try and keep it going in the future

 

 

 

A happy sheep produces lots of happy wool

Woolworths SA

We spoke to Merino wool farmer, George de Kock, about his love of farming and what makes Merinos special. Merino farming has been in George’s family for almost 200 years and his love of wool has been passed down from generation to generation.

Free to roam, George’s sheep are well cared for, eat all natural grass, and produce some of the finest wool in the country. As George says, ‘A happy sheep produces lots of happy wool.’

The care that George takes to rear his sheep means that the wool really is special. Produced for Woolworths, this wool is machine-washable, suitable to be tumble dried and moth repellent, making it great for winter knitwear. The wool is natural, great quality and long-lasting.

Shop from Woolworths online here

Vocabulary chunks to learn from the video :

• I started farming 25 years ago
• Merino sheep
• We’ve been here for about 200 years
• They don’t get housed at night
• They run freely
• They eat natural grass
• We handle them as little as possible
• I’ve trained as a vet
• We are the only country where the farmers adhere to a code of best practice
• A happy sheep produces lots of happy wool
• Excellent quality wool
• You tend to fall in love with wool
• It’s warm, it’s natural, it’s renewable
• It doesn’t end up in a landfill like your synthetics
• It doesn’t shrink
• They treat the wool, it’s insect repellent
• It will last, it does last forever
• Woolworths traditionally have always supported quality products
• A brand that is associated with quality products
• We keep them till they die of old age
• I like my sheep, I look after them

 

Super delicious

 [tiger in a jar]

Beetroot Facts Beetroot is herbaceous plant that belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. This plant originates from India, Mediterranean areas and Atlantic coast of Europe, but it can be found all over the world today. Beetroot is cultivated mainly because of its high nutritional value. Chemical compounds isolated from beetroot are used in medicine, chemical and food industry. Beetroot was used as ornamental plant in the past. Assyrians were using beetroot in Hanging Gardens of Babylon 800 years BC.

Did you know  :
Beetroot develops leafy stem that can grow 39 to 78 inches in height.
Beetroot has heart-shaped leaves. They are usually 2 to 8 inches long in wild plants and much longer in cultivated varieties.
Most people cultivate beetroot because of its edible root. It develops 55 to 65 days after planting of seed. Root is usually red to purple in color. Unlike other types of vegetables, root contains high quantities of sugar.
Beetroot develops small, green or reddish flowers that appear in dense spikes. Flowers are pollinated by wind.
Fruit of beetroot is called nutlet. It has hard structure and it is arranged in clusters.
Beetroot has high nutritional value. Besides high content of sugar, beetroot is rich source of vitamins B6 and B9 and minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium.
Beetroot can be used raw, cooked or pickled. It is often used for salads, soups and as an ingredient of dishes made of meat. Beetroot can be also used for the manufacture of wine.
Leaves of beetroot are also edible. Fresh leaves taste like spinach.
Leaves of beetroot were used for binding of wounds in the ancient Greece. Beetroot was popular “mouth freshener” in the past. It was used to eliminate the smell of garlic. Latest medical experiments showed that beetroot lowers blood pressure and increases endurance in athletes. It also prevents development of liver diseases which result from protein deficiency, diabetes or alcohol abuse.
Beetroot juice was used as dye in the past. During the 19th century, women used beetroot for dyeing of hair.
Betain is a substance isolated from beetroot. It is responsible for the purple color of the root. This substance is used in food industry to improve color and taste of desserts, jams, ice-creams, jellies, tomato sauces and breakfast cereals.
Home-made lotion (produced by boiling the beetroot) can be used for the removal of dandruff.
Juice made of beetroot can be used instead of litmus paper to determine acidity or alkalinity of solution. One drop of beetroot juice changes its color in pink in acid solutions and into yellow in alkaline solution.

[soft schools]

Farm from a box

Farm from a box

Vocabulary chunks to learn after watching the video :

• A fully integrated farming unit
• Sustainable crops for food security
• Income generation
• Shipping container
• 2 acre plot of land
• Feed 150 people
• A complete diet every year
• The technology will unfold
• Best practices and technology
• A customized unit
• Renewable energy systems
• Provide power
• Labor saving technologies
• It is engineered to optimize available water resources
• Conserve water
• Boost crop production
• Extend the local growing season
• The community’s living standards will be improved
• Dependent on food aid
• Overcome challenges with self-sufficiency and empowerment

Community Farming Reinvented

Farm from a Box provides communities with the tools required to grow their own food and earn an income. Built from a modified shipping container, each unit contains a complete ecosystem of smart farm technologies to enhance agricultural productivity; from renewable power and micro-drip irrigation, to Information and Communications Technology. Read more HERE

 

It’s just something very magical

[Green Renaissance]

Vocabulary chunks to learn after watching the video :

• My love affair for mushrooms started when I had to walk
• It has developed into basically growing my own Shiitake Mushrooms out of logs
• They help with cholesterol
• They’ll break down tumors if you catch them in time
• They’ll build up your immune system
• I reckon that anybody can do it
• An oak log between the diameter of 10cm-30cm
• Give it a two-week rest period
• A little gap of air underneath
• Dab some wax on the top of it
• Keep moisture content up
• To keep bugs and mice away
• Off ground
• Cool shady area
• It’s just something very magical

Shiitake Mushrooms for Wellness & Miso Ginger Soup

Found growing in moist forests on the decaying trunks of fallen trees, Shiitake mushrooms have been an important medicine and food source in Asia for thousands of years. These “flower mushrooms” are used to support a healthy immune system and are frequently eaten during an occasional bout of seasonal sniffles. They’re also really delicious, with a nice meaty texture. Food is medicine, right?

The stories say that a thousand years ago, a farmer decided to score a moist log and then packed wild Shiitakes into the notched wood. To his happy surprise, the inoculation was successful and soon whole mushrooms grew from the trunk, making Shiitakes one of the first cultivated fungi. These much beloved mushrooms can be taken as an extract, tea, or in capsule form. They’re also commonly used in cooking and can be easily reconstituted to use in soups, stir-fries, curries, and sautés, or powdered and used in gravies.

Read more

 

Beet Cake

 [tiger in a jar]

Beetroot Facts Beetroot is herbaceous plant that belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. This plant originates from India, Mediterranean areas and Atlantic coast of Europe, but it can be found all over the world today. Beetroot is cultivated mainly because of its high nutritional value. Chemical compounds isolated from beetroot are used in medicine, chemical and food industry. Beetroot was used as ornamental plant in the past. Assyrians were using beetroot in Hanging Gardens of Babylon 800 years BC.

Interesting Beetroot Facts:
Beetroot develops leafy stem that can grow 39 to 78 inches in height.
Beetroot has heart-shaped leaves. They are usually 2 to 8 inches long in wild plants and much longer in cultivated varieties.
Most people cultivate beetroot because of its edible root. It develops 55 to 65 days after planting of seed. Root is usually red to purple in color. Unlike other types of vegetables, root contains high quantities of sugar.
Beetroot develops small, green or reddish flowers that appear in dense spikes. Flowers are pollinated by wind.
Fruit of beetroot is called nutlet. It has hard structure and it is arranged in clusters.
Beetroot has high nutritional value. Besides high content of sugar, beetroot is rich source of vitamins B6 and B9 and minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium.
Beetroot can be used raw, cooked or pickled. It is often used for salads, soups and as an ingredient of dishes made of meat. Beetroot can be also used for the manufacture of wine.
Leaves of beetroot are also edible. Fresh leaves taste like spinach.
Leaves of beetroot were used for binding of wounds in the ancient Greece. Beetroot was popular “mouth freshener” in the past. It was used to eliminate the smell of garlic. Latest medical experiments showed that beetroot lowers blood pressure and increases endurance in athletes. It also prevents development of liver diseases which result from protein deficiency, diabetes or alcohol abuse.
Beetroot juice was used as dye in the past. During the 19th century, women used beetroot for dyeing of hair.
Betain is a substance isolated from beetroot. It is responsible for the purple color of the root. This substance is used in food industry to improve color and taste of desserts, jams, ice-creams, jellies, tomato sauces and breakfast cereals.
Home-made lotion (produced by boiling the beetroot) can be used for the removal of dandruff.
Juice made of beetroot can be used instead of litmus paper to determine acidity or alkalinity of solution. One drop of beetroot juice changes its color in pink in acid solutions and into yellow in alkaline solution.

[soft schools]