Village Good Life....

You should see the state of my eldest he's a nervous wreck, the school where hes goes  have put the s****ts up him.

 1) Can't climb trees
 2) Can't play in the snow
 3) Can't rides bike in the rain or if the floors a little bit wet
 4) Not allowed to dig in mud in case of bacteria and infection
 5) Not allowed on the mud in case anyone slips
 6) If you see your parents standing on a chair and changing a  light bulb you have to tell them its not safe and they have to use a stepladder instead.
  They search the pack lunches for metal cutlery in case the children hurt themselves
9) You have stand three feet away during the Christmas parade because of insurance

Well i threw my son up a tree and showed how to skate on the ice on my street. Built the snow out of the little snow we had, told the school he eats with metal not regenerated plastic.

I'm officially enemy number one after i kicked off at them for feeding sugary sweets to my child.

The worlds gone mad we used to roam about in the mud and slide on ice all the time!

This whole H&S thing really makes my blood boil. It's fair enough if you're working an a chemical plant for example where mistakes can really cost lives but it's just gone too far. There is one person in my office at work who takes this all very seriously. A sign above the hot tap saying "Caution! Hot water!". A length of tape across the step in the store room saying "Caution! Trip Hazard".

I used to climb trees, play in the snow, ride my bike in the rain (without a helmet), play in mud, use metal cutlery without injuring myself or others etc etc. I also used to swim in the local river in the summer and I would go fishing, play football and generally have fun.  If I suggested to my parents that they were acting in an unsafe manner I think I could expect a cuff round the ear for being a little smart a***!  I don't live in a sterile environment, I don't bleach the kitchen, I sometimes eat food that's out of date if it smells alright.  I am still here with no allergies and hardly ever get colds or infections.

I could go on and on and on but suffice to say I am not impressed by the assumption that we have an inability to use common sense. Or I suppose what is worse is the increase in claims being made by people who now don't think that they should be expected to use their common sense.

I think this has hit a raw nerve!!!

We are looking to buy some play equipment for the garden and found this on one of the sites

http://www.sutcliffeplay.co.uk/sutcliffe_new/risk_in_play.asp

Our son has always been allowed to use sharp knives (supervised), instead of telling him not to touch plugs he has been taught how to do so safely, he has used an electric drill (supervised) and a whole range of other things. He knows not to use them by himself and is very safety conscious whilst still taking risks. He fell down the staris yesterday!! Said he wasn't looking.

Weird I got a message saying site could not be found so I clicked back and submitted again and now the post is on twice?

... getting back on topic

Fair play to the village, this is a model that should be better supported by local government with their sustainability funds

I think everyone on this site does their bit , but the leap to what they have achieved is a big gap.

I hope they publish all their stories and mistakes

I'm sure there'll be an enterprising publisher willing to make a buck off their success in time for Christmas !  

As long as they do it as a 'how-to' style book.

Definitely needs encouraging. I reckon it could work just as well in a town or city. Larger local poplace to sell to. Obviously couldn't do it from allotments due to the no-resale clause.
But I'd give up some of my garden for it.

Rob