A University of Oxford law graduate who works for Sotheby’s is living in a ditch to prove people can do without all the mod-cons, a British newspaper said on Sunday.
Hugh Sawyer (32) always turns up impeccably dressed for his high-flier auction-house job in London while sleeping in the woods in Oxfordshire, southern England, The Observer weekly reported.
While his colleagues retreat to their posh pads in London’s swankiest districts, Sawyer is making do under a piece of tarpaulin.
“I am trying to prove it is possible to do everything you normally do, maintaining a full existence, while cutting back,” he told the newspaper. “I have realised I can lead my life without television, carpets, sofa, electricity, chairs, tables, a fridge and a freezer.”
Sawyer has just a few items of clothing, a cooking stove and a sleeping bag with him, but life has not been easy thus far for the commuter who began his year-long attempt at the simple life in June.
Even with his meagre possessions, he has already been forced to move ditch after an attempted mugging, and he fell ill after trying to make water from the River Thames drinkable with a purifying tablet.
“When I first wake up, I think, ‘Oh my God, I am living in the woods,’ but then I get up and it really is nice being surrounded by country,” Sawyer said.
“The amazing views on the way to the bus stop make it worthwhile and you can spot the changes in season.”
Girlfriend Natalie Skidmore (24) said: “My friends think it is strange when I say he lives in the woods, but now I am really proud of him.”
Colleague Mark Chisholm (24) added: “It is pretty eccentric. It is unbelievable that he can live in the woods and combine it with a nine-to-five job.” — AFP