The original eco-warriors

So we've been on a Christmas road trip visiting various family members, including Nan and Gramp (Steve's side) who live in Builth Wells.

Nan and Gramp grow most of their own veg and pick fruit and berries (for the freezer) whenever they can; Gramp 'finds' wood in the local hills and chops it himself; and they trade services with nearby farmers and posh folk. Until recently, they lived with an Aga which heated the house, and their water comes straight from the brook that babbles through their garden. Everything else they own comes from a car boot sale. It's their way of life that has always inspired me.

However, being of their eco-friendly, country-living generation has drawbacks too. Like an old-fashioned attitude to women ("hoovering, now come along Anna, that really is women's work") and other races (can't repeat those comments). An addiction to cigarettes that was firmly embedded before anybody knew about the health implications.

I wonder if we will be similarly inspiring and disgraceful in the eyes of our grandchildren...