Handbag and Cheese Weekend

Had a lovely weekend with friends. Handbag moments on the beach with a latte and Hello Bliss! Came back and Son and friend sat on Hubby's lap and took it in turns to drive the Landy around the field. Little things that make you smile. I really do feel that we have been so lucky and have so made the right decision. Went back to Oxford last weekend and drove up the road paralell to our old house and just did not feel the need to go past the house. That is an old chapter in the book and we are on to a new one. Good to know a decision is a right one - it would have been a bloody nightmare if it had felt wrong!! Had a cheesey day today picking sloes to make sloe vodka for friends and family for Xmas, Need to keep the costs down.


Cats have now arrived Eric and Esther(did not choose the names!) they are so sweet. The rescue lady said we have to keep them in their cages for three weeks - I feel so cruel. They appear to be handbag cats as they are not liking the cheap cat food I have bought them!



Interesting bird at the bird feeder today - Good old Meg not as stupid as she looks!


Latest score on the rat wars - Humans 2 (1 rat and 1 mouse) Rats 1 (took peanut butter from the trap)

Busy Busy Busy

Haven't updated for a while, been a bit busy. Had a handbag weekend off to Wembley to see Coldplay supported by Girls Aloud (not bad) and Jay Z (shite! noisy shite to be precise). Funny the journeys home used to be quite depressing but now we look forward to coming home. The war against rats is well and truly on - I have put all manner of bits of wood etc around the edges of the chook house, but the little (well quite big) buggers still get in there. Went down in the dusk and saw one running across the lawn and Hubby went down today and saw them half way up the garden.......now that is starting to get serious, at the bottom of the garden I can just about cope with, but in view of the house NO WAY! So purchase two rat traps and gave Son a stiff talking to that these things are not like the cartoon ones where you are not hurt they could hurt real bad. First morning went down sheepishly to see if had dead rats and traps sprung but no rats! So it is intelligent rats that we are fighting so it is peanut butter and bread tonight will that work. If all else fails we took delivery of Eric and Esther today - two outdoor cats about 15 months old. (need to change the names). Had more trouble and paperwork getting them than we did when we had Son!! They have to stay in for three weeks until they get used to us and then it will be "on my command unleash hell"

I am a country girl!

Popped down to the chooks to lock them up tonight - picture the scene. red crocks, tracky bottoms and a head torch. It is dark, actually very dark in the country you know. I heard a noise as I was approaching the hen house and I thought OH MY GOD a rat........ As I walked up to the run I saw it scampering away from me. First thoughts S**T, second thought MY CHOOKS - do rats eat chooks?! Could I put my hand in the run and lock them up for the night and run the risk of the RAT coming within ten feet of my hands. Well I didn;t have to worry the RAT was more frightened of me - it scampered about trying to find a way out of the run and then climbed up the side of the run and out through the top. It sat there long enough for me to see how big the thing was. I have been spending the last week or so trying to stop the bloody thing dug under the run and the cheekly little bugger has been climbing up the side! Well throughout all this I did not scream which just goes to show that I am now a country girl, it is official. I have passed the first test. I went back in the house to tell Hubby and Son and we all decided it was time for a trap!

Reminding ourselves

Had a funny old day today - missed home today well not Oxford, but my friends. Popping out for a coffee with them etc. Keeping up to date with e-mails, calls and texts but not quite the same. So on my home I thought, sun is shining (about bloody time), let's remind ourselves why we have made this big life changing decision. So I rang Hubby and said stop making tea we are going out. We all jumped into the Land Rover and drove to Pembroke, picked up fish and chips x 3 and drove to the beach. We all sat on the headland looking over the beach, watching the sun setting over the cliffs with a beautiful calm blue sea. Son said "if we were in Oxford now we would see cars, houses and hear the ambulances", but we weren't in Oxford and we could see sand, sea, sun and hear the crickets. We said to each other Now that is why we moved here!

Wrinkles or grey hair?

Had my hair dyed today - as I was waiting for the grey hairs to vanish I thought to myself - can I afford to have my hair done and a facial every six weeks - the answer to that question was not at the moment.... so wrinkles or grey hair that is the question.
My face is OK at the moment, pretty good skin with not too many wrinkles for my age, that can't be said about my hair - too many grey for my liking and I am not going to turn into a grey frizzy haired country hippy!! so I have the answer. Bye bye grey hairs

Better Delivery than Tesco!

Had friends down this weekend so took them to the local where we met our neighbour with the boat. "Do you want any rabbits?" he said. "Oh yes please" I said. " Dead ones" he said. Still I said yes please not wanting to sound too much of a towny. The next morning son came running into the bedroom saying we had to get up and have a look out of the window - we did and found two fluffy rabbits, hanging from the porch! What a nice sight that was for our visitors!, little pool of blood forming on the floor. So I rushed to get the Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall cook book for instructions and read them out to Hubby as he skinned it and chopped it up for the freezer. Very proud of Hubby not sure I could have done it. Better delivery than Tesco - order and delivery within 12 hours, free and no carrier bags! How green is that!

Disappointing Handbag

Well I had been VERY excited about the Bank Holiday weekend as we were going on a trip to a shopping centre without son. Not just any shopping centre but one with John Lewis in it! I could hardly contain myself! Started off well managed to squeeze a little facial in on Friday and then balanced that with a session cleaning out the chicken house! The left over facial oil managed to mask the smell of the poo - it isn't that bad really.

Up at 6.30am the next morning to make the most of the shopping - had to drive 5 hours as picking son up after his holiday so didn't want to have a short shopping trip. Hubby and I had vouchers to burn in our pockets. M&S, JL and Blacks how very exciting. Alas it was not to be - purchased a new phone from JL( hardly handbag material) but could not find anything to buy with other vouchers - I was desperate to part with them - I mean when would I get this opportunity again?! But no the boxes of "things that I need" still unopened in the sheds were telling me not to be too hasty, and the people everywhere were beginning to annoy me....... so vouchers went back in purse/wallet for another day or perhaps a internet shop. Now 6 months ago I would have spent spent spent - but now? is the cheese beginning to take over?!