Lu & Gordie

Fifty years ago, Lu and her 2-year-old son moved into a crumbling stone cottage, set in the Cornish moors. Despite it’s rudimentary nature, with no electricity or water, it immediately felt like home. Shortly after Gordie moved in and the couple had two girls, completing their family. Lu and Gordie have built a life within these walls, raising children, and building and adapted their home. Power came from windmills and the odd solar panel, wired up to car batteries to get intermittent lighting and electricity. Water was collected from a stream until a bore hole was eventually dug. Essentially, life was off grid. Over the decades that followed, the house protected them, as they protected the house. Fifty years on, their home continues to grow around them as they themselves grow old together, their impressions are etched into the granite itself. Despite the inevitable nature of time, their age and health does not prevent them living happily and comfortably. New solar panels and windmills ensure they have all the power they need and more, the choices they have made in building a sustainable life reflect their respect and care for the environment that helps them survive.