August - the Story so Far.

Year to date, we have had 35 campervans and motorhomes visit Frugaldom for overnight stops, each leaving their £5 in the box or paying via our PayPal QR code at a cost of 15p per transaction to ourselves. Several of our lovely visitors stayed for a couple of nights or else left a small donation in the honesty boxes, which is always a huge help when animal feed costs so much.

Willowby, Lemony and Blue

Towards the end of July, the first of the rescued foals, who are now 5-year-olds, went off in a hired horsebox after a 2-hour training session, initially heading for Darcy's Equine Assisted Therapy Centre in Strathaven. However, there was a slught deviation to that plan in that Blue shoud have gone with him but got left behind as he was too upset about being shut in the horsebox. 

BB Dobin in the horsebox

The driver then decided he wanted to take baby Dobbin home with him, as he had really 'fallen for the little fellow', or words to that effect. So now we have 3 youngsters left at Frugaldom and none has made it to Darcy's so far. However, baby Dobbin WILL still be goung to Darcy;s, hopefully this week. More on that soon - we now need to find an extra £315 to cover the costs of services provided by Nutmeg Equine Transport so I have launched a flash fundraiser to help cover these extra costs. 

If you can help out at all, you can find the Frugaldom fundraising page here.

The wildlife visits have been frequent and eventful, with what we think is now 9 badgers in Clan MacBrock. The youngest cub is a real cheeky character, always making a mess and causing chaos on te deckings by tipping up bowls and overturning the feeder boxes.

Badgers by the gate

The fox cub has now met the badgers after a brief altercation that was, luckily, caught on camera. You can see this and many more brief video clips on the Frugaldom YouTube channel.

Vincent Van Goat remains alone since the sad demise of his friend, Goatis Redding. We are open to rehoming a goaty companion for him, nanny or wether, but we need the goat to be tagged and registered accordngly with an approporiate movement licence issued.

The Sand Pit

Our August targets included moving ponies to Darcy's, making a sandpit suitable for Vincemt Van Goat and Ginger rolling in and getting the pond area improved. All of the above are underway, with the sand pit now completed, at a total cost of £115, and one side of the feeder pond partially fenced at a cost, so far, of around £40. The pond, itself, is being gradually cleared of duckweed, thanks to willing members donning waders and playing in the mud. The pond is alive with newts and frogs so great care is being taken while working painstakingly around these. 

We are currently awaiting the delivery of wooden boards for completing windbreak fencing around Vincent's house and finishing a bit more fencing. We were lucky enugh to source several loads of wood/tree chippings, which have been laid out around the orchard wildlife garden as temporary paths, The raised beds finally got refilled with top soil for planting some vegetables and this week will see the arrival of Harvey's next Ecoarts creation - The Four Horses of Frugaldom: Truth, Honesty, Integrity and Respect. All going well, these should be installed in a corner between the pony track nearest Vincent Van Goat's run.

More news soon - it takes sunshine to recharge the batteries for laptop and mobiles,

Frugal Aire

An overnight stop at Frugaldom costs just £5 in a campervan or motorhome.

We can accommodate vehicles up to an absolute maximum 7.5m if you are fully self-contained.  Frugaldom is totally off-grid so no lighting, no electric hook-up, no showers, no running water, so don't arrive expecting campsite facilities. Nearby Balloch o'Dee may better suit your needs if you aren't used to the wilder side of getting away from it all. We simply offer a frugal alternative.

What we do have, however, are basic waste facilities for grey water and toilet cassette emptying, as long as you are using eco-friendly products.

Bay 1 overlooks a wildlife feeding station where you may catch a glimpse of a fox, badger or pine marten, as well as the wild birds that frequent the feeders.

Next are the rearing horses, representing the ancient Galloway breed that once roamed the nearby hills and became famous world wide before being bred out of existance. The Bald Galloway is one of the original descendants of almost all modern day Thoroughbred racehorses and many top performance horses. Now you know.

Bay 2 overlooks more of the wildlife garden that leads to this little area, home to the ghostly hooded rider. Another bird feeding station can be seen here, often visited by the resident woodpeckers, siskins and various other birds and wildlife.

Bay 3 is adjacent to our visitors'herb garden, from where anyone can help themselves.

Payment for stopovers can be made via PayPal to frugaldom@gmail.com or via the QR code but we also have honesty / donations boxes for those  who prefer to pay cash.

If you would like to support our project, which is run voluntarily as a sanctuary, you can do so here.

Thank you for taking the time to read these posts. Please share with friends and help us keep our animal sanctuary, art project and stopover aire open.

Who You Can Expect to Meet at Frugaldom

 

For anyone visiting Frugaldom, either in a campervan, motorhome or while staying in the wagon or huts, chances are that you will meet Vincent Van Goat, our assistant gardener.

Vincent was one of two goats we rescued from being barbecued. He was brought here along with his buddy, Goatis Redding. Sadly, Goatis had to be put to sleep just a few months ago. We are still seeking a suitable goat companion for Vincent. If anyone can help out with that, we will happily rehome one or two goats, either females or castrated males but they must be tagged. Frugaldom is a registered holding and Vincent has his walking licence.

There are hundreds of dog roses around Frugaldom, each one planted over the past few years. We have assorted colours of Rosa Ragusa as well as the common dog roses, Rosa Canina. Vincent doesn't mind which type he trims. The rosehips are collected for feeding to the ponies and wildlife and also for adding into cordials, syrups and hedgerow jelly. Foraging is actively encouraged here at Frualdom.

I must not forget the oxeye daisies. We have thousands of them here at Frugaldom. Vincent does enjoy eating the heads off a few of them but for anyone visiting, you are welcome to take some away with you for your own gardens. 

An overnight stop at Frugaldom costs just £5 in a campervan or motorhome. We can accommodate vehicles up to a maximum 7.5m and they need to be fully self-contained as we are totally off-grid with no electricity or running water. We do, however, have waste facilities for grey water and toilet cassettes with eco-friendly chemicals.

The Frugal Freedom to Observe Nature

 

Mama Badger

Frugal living can mean many things to many people. Some think of it as being mean and penny-pinching, ohers think thrifty and moneysaving but for many of us, frugal living simply means living well within our own means so we can afford to do things we enjoy without incurring debt, no matter how low our income. Based on certain Government 'ideals', I happily live not just below the poverty line but below actual destitution level, based on my income. I don't claim any form of benefits, I have the prviledge of being able to do what I do simply because I can. Everything else goes into savings and investing in the future, living in hope that the future will be kind to those who follow in my footsteps, be they many or few.

Bunnikens

Some people crave travel, different weather, different scenery, different climate, different people and different places in order to try and satisfy a lack of contentment. This leads to the hamster wheel of spinning out income to keep up with the costs of all these things and then, even when working flat out, that income may not cover all of the above without living in debt. Debt is the enemy, no mater what anyone tells me otherwise. Yes, I agree that if you borrow capital to invest in a business venture then that debt is good debt while the business is solvent and adequately profitable. The bigger the business, the bigger the debts and the bigger the risk of getting out of it with absolute financial security. How much is stress costing you in financial terms? If you have 'gone public' then yur business is only worth the paper it's written on if all the shareholders decie they'd rather keep their money elsewhere. Where do we invest?

3 Spot the pine marten

We invest in property and invite new tenants from nature - the wildlife. You don't need hundreds of thousands of acres of land, or forest, moorland or woodland. You can create your own tiny haven or find that haven nearby. If you are fortunate enough to have a garden, dedicate it to nature and wildlife, even if that wildlife is the smallest of creatures. Observing them in nature is worth every penny invested. If you don't have or can't find space nearby, research your local conservation projects and get involved at whatever level you can. Frugaldom now offers a monthly subscription to enable virtual participation for those who can't actually visit but for those who can, we welcome them anytime.

Foxy

Yes, we even welcome the regular visits by the fox. It's a mini jungle out there and amazing to see some of these animals interacting. The pine maren avoids the fox for good reason but the badgers don't seem to mind the company. Most of these photos are being captured on trail cams that cost less than £25 each so you don't need expensive equipment, just patience and rechargeable batteries.

Right now, as well as the wildlife, we have 8 ponies and a goat living at Frugaldom. These aren't "my" animals, they all belong to the people who care to contribute towards their keep each month, those who come and help look after those who choose to adopt, sponsor or rehome them at their own expense. Frugaldom didn't just become a sanctuary for animals but also for the people who need to stop the merry-go-round of their lives and get off for a break. A change is as good as a rest and it is absolutely amazing to see how animals and people interact when either have endured untold past events. 

Macaroon

Feeding the wildlife, for those involved here, also means feral cats. There are, as far as we are aware, four cats frequenting the place.

Socks

We have no idea where these cas came from nor where they go when they leave here - if they do. We have never seen them strolling around, they are only ever spotted on the trail cameras or perhaps a pair of shining eyes caught in the beam of a torch if out walking after dark.

Commander

We gave each a name but they will never know that. All they know is there is food for them should they chose to come to be fed here. We don't have close-by neighbours and those we do have further afield all confirm these are not their cats - they are feral. As you can tell by Commander's ear, he has been part of a previous trap, neuter, release scheme - probably the root cause of his absolute fear of humans now.

Minstrel

If anyone anywhere recognises any of the cats, please do get in contact to let us know. The least we can do is confirm he cats are alive and well, fed each night and occasionally seen on camera interacting with one another.

The next step in the frugal living, with the emphasis now on living, was to invest in accommadation for fellow frugalers to share this experience. We chose to build single-room cabins and fit wood burning stoves. They have sparce furnishings and are completely off-grid but they are comfortable and warm. No, we do not rent them out to holiday makers or the general public. These huts are for the benefit of fellow frugal living, wildlife loving, need-a-break-from-society Friends of Frugaldom

Pursue your passion and find contentment in what nature can provide. Share your hopes and dreams with others so they can help make them happen and together, we can forge our way ahead, content in the knowledge that we did our best to look after the land on which we depend entirely and always will. It's the little things that count the most, in my opinion, and those things all tend to be free when you know where to find them.