A couple search for the good life

Darren and Elaine Valentine are looking for the good life

A Shropshire couple have given up their jobs to learn how to be as self-sufficient as possible.

Darren and Elaine Valentine from Wellington are both attending courses at Harper Adams University College at Newport.

They want to make sure they know what they are doing when they embark on their new life in the country.

Meanwhile they are trying out some of their ideas on a small scale in the garden of their home.

Married on Valentine's Day

Darren and Elaine were married on Valentine's Day, hence the name: "Because we disagreed as to which surname we wanted, we dropped both of them and took the name, Valentine." said Elaine.

They spent their honeymoon in South Africa. That was not conventional either. Elaine said they been to Lesotho: " We spent two weeks doing this conservation project which was damned hard work because it was incredibly hot."

We did a straw bale building course, so we might build our own home from straw bales Elaine Valentine

After their wedding the couple decided to give up work and start preparing for their new life on the land.

Darren is about to start his third year of Countryside and Environmental Management degree at Harper Adams University College.

Elaine said they had already started by growing their own food: "About 18 months ago this area was all lawn and we just wanted to plant some vegetables, because I'm a vegetarian and it's cheap."

The Valentines already have two un-named chickens

Darren said their experiments would give them an idea of what they could grow easily and what needs extra care.

They have two chickens, but Elaine says they have not given them names: "We decided not to name them because if they die it's just upsetting."

Elaine and Darren plan to move to their own plot in the country once they have both qualified, but have not yet decided where they want to live.

Straw bale house

Elaine said they were not even sure what sort of home to go for: "We did a straw bale building course so we might build our own house from straw bales."

The other option is to adapt an existing house and put in solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system.

Elaine said they had ruled out moving to another country: "My eldest daughter is getting married next y ear so if she starts reproducing I want to be here to see my grandchildren."

The couple are determined to achieve the dream in the next couple of year while they are still young enough to cope with the physical work.

Elaine said some of their friends were envious of their ambitions: "People keep saying 'I'd love to do that' and I'm like 'why don't you?' "