'Off the grid'

I found a delightful blog today - full of whimsy and glorious photos - about the nomadic life of a travelling artist and her partner who live' off the grid' , self sufficient and living off the land as best they can. It is beautifully written and accompanied by her artwork, which, while not to my taste, is eyecatching and her talent is obvious. This couple travels the countryside of England in the equivalent of an old moving truck converted into a home on wheels, complete with windows and providing both home and studio as she paints to make enough money to provide their most basic needs. Stops are made at country fairs and encampments where they sell their wares out of the back of their home which does double duty as a gallery.

The flowery prose and romantic imagery make it sound such an idyllic life (not my idea of living by any stretch of the imagination) but then I stop to think a while, and my natural cynacism sets in. Are they really 'off the grid'? judging by the mere existance of the blog and her online web store, I would say not. Somehow they have regular access to power for a computer, not to mention the internet connection. So, do they join the grid when it suits their purpose? And where? the local library paid for by the residents of any given town they find themselves in?

And what about parking and settling for an extended period of time? Either availing themselves of parking lots, publically available campsites or the generosity of landowners, they are taking advantage of what others have worked hard or in our consumer driven society. There is some writing of an unpleasant confrontation with some 'locals' when they were given permission by a farmer to park their home in his field. Perhaps an unpopular opinion but I admittedly side with the locals; they have paid their dues, earned their homes and attendant privacy only to have their peace upset by the sudden appearance of a rather unsightly truck on the landscape.

Then there's stories of encounters with local law enforcement whenever they attempt to sell their art in the street, claiming they are not bothering anyone and are careful to set up 'shop' outside empty retail space so as not to interfere with mainstream commerce. That's as maybe but why should they be given free reign not to play by the rules because they eschew the idea of being part of society, putting down roots and going to the expense of running a real storefront business? Most of us have to jump through hoops to get all the right licences, permissions, sales tax ID etc in order to conduct business so just because this couple chooses a unconventional lifestyle why should they be given a free pass when it comes to business.

image found in google search and not the home on wheels talked of here