 He bought a farmhouse with 320 acres of farmland, and from there he commuted to Halifax where he hosted a show called "[[Take Time With Noel Harrison|Take Time]]" for [[CBC Television]].In winter 1974, the wood stove caught fire and his house burned down, inspiring him to write the humorous song, "The Middleton Fire Brigade", which appeared on his 1979 album "Mount Hanley Song".He subsequently built a new house from scratch with no electricity, inspired by the fashionable pioneers [[Helen Nearing|Helen]] and [[Scott Nearing]] and their self-help bible, "Living The Good Life".