Sunday 21 August 2016

Knackered but Happy





Our 'hygge' house in the fog




It's been a busy time and my old bones are complaining, but I'm not, I'm enjoying every minute of it.  I was determined to make a lifestyle change and my body will just have to get used to it.  No more soft city life, oh no, it's spending Sunday mornings in the wind and rain pulling up ragwort in the field from now on!  I know how to rock and roll :)   I now own lots of brambles (not something a lot of people would be pleased about) so I picked the first few blackberries to appear, only half a pound but with apples they will make a nice crumble when I have time, so they have gone into the freezer. Hopefully I will have tamed the Aga by then, if I turn my back it goes from uncooked to burnt.   I also rescued another exhausted bee clinging onto some ragwort and revived it with sugary water, the storms seem to be taking their toll.    I could then be seen kneeling in the veg patch in the pouring rain pulling bindweed from what may be gooseberry bushes.  I'm not sure what to do with the ragwort or bindweed so I put them in an old bin for now out of harms way.

I then decided on a bit of light indoor work......which turned into hauling boxes up into the attic. I did cull some more books though, but I just don't seem to be able to let go of the boxes of my sons paintings and school books, even though they would happily throw the lot in the bin!  We still have way too much 'stuff'  I don't know how I managed to cram it all in our other house, it was literally full to the rafters, hidden in every crook and cranny.

Talking of stuff, I am about to bring more into the house as I will need another freezer for the various wild and hopefully home grown fruit and veg.  We had an integrated freezer which I left at our old house. I'm debating whether to get a chest freezer which is more efficient and has less waste of space or an upright which takes up less floor space.  I'm tempted by the chest freezer but have visions of little old 5' me leaning in to get something and falling in, the lid closing and a frozen Chickpea is found hours later....yes I have a vivid imagination.    I'm also thinking of getting a dehydrator which among other things could be used to turn some of the hundreds of grapes in the polytunnel into raisins.  This self sufficiency thing is turning out very expensive!

Oh and for the first time in my life someone knocked on my door to ask me if I had lost any cows.  Never thought I would be asked that :)




Ziggy Stardust is still being kept in, she doesn't seem too upset about it, it will be interesting to see how this city cat copes with becoming a country cat.  I will be very nervous about letting her out for the first time.  I have put butter on the feet of previous cats when I moved, yes it probably is an old wives tale but may be worth a try.


So my new life involves getting up even earlier than I used to, more physical work than I am used to and evenings in the conservatory knitting, reading or listening to music, before hobbling to bed.....literally.    The television hasn't been on (apart from the bearded one watching a football match) and I haven't missed it at all.  I walk around the field at least once a day regardless of the weather and I am absolutely loving it.  I really needed to get out of a rut and this has certainly kicked me up the backside.  Lets hope it lasts.

I will leave you with a little film of our favourite lodgers the House Martins,

Chickpea xx


20 comments:

  1. That all sounds brilliant!

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  2. The house looks beautiful in the fog and I am imagining it surrounded by snow at Christmas-x-

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  3. Ragwort is on my list this week, its not in our fields but in the fields we are buying and will be ours in a few weeks, Ragwort will be burned, never compost it along with bind weed and Japanese knot weed, all real baddies. before long you will get into a routine, you can dehydrate things in the bottom oven of the Aga when its on tick over.

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  4. Ziggy is probably happy to explore the house, and boxes, for a start.
    And the windowsills, the patch in the sun ...

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  5. Your house reminds me very much of the one from "The Snowman"!
    And I hope you are not too "cream crackered"! HA!
    Oh, and my Dad lives in the country and people are always asking him if he has lost his cows! LOL.

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  6. Ah maybe busy but you are in your forever home and very nice it looks too. All that love and effort in the long run will pay off. Ziggy obviously approves. It looks a proper party home lots of space for entertaining and lots of room to try lots of new things. Much joy and happiness.

    pattypan

    x

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  7. Ziggy looks very much at home. Be careful handling ragwort, it can cause irritation to the skin.
    The house looks lovely and quite mysterious in the mist.

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  8. We adopted an outdoor cat who found us. When we moved my vet said to keep the cat in the new home for a week.I kept him upstairs.
    Then we let him explore. When he when out I saw him rubbing his cheek/mouth ? on everything. I think that was his path back home.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  9. How lovely to have House Martins - hopefully they will return every year. Your house looks so welcoming in that first photo and you sound so happy. Long may you feel that way as you enjoy your home.

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  10. Love the foggy photo; so cosy looking. I envy you your lodgers too! xx

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  11. Sounds like you definitely made the right move!

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  12. You are certainly living the dream, such a beautiful home amidst the fog. Long may you enjoy it.

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  13. I love the photo of your house in the mist :-)

    You should burn the ragwort and bindweed, it won't compost thoroughly enough not to have seeds left in the compost unfortunately, although the ash from the bonfire will be brilliant for the compost bin.

    Be brave with your cat once he is totally used to the house. Ours were both fine, we let them out for the first time just before their teatime and then left the door open and started making food prep sounds after they had been out for 10 minutes. The transition from city cat to country cat is a scary one at first for them and you, but when you see them relax into living as cats are meant to live your fears will fade away.

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  14. Your house looks brilliant through the fog
    Our cat had to turn from a country cat to a town cat, but she's fine so don't worry, they are quite adaptable.
    if you do all the self-sufficiency stuff you might need 2 chest freezers!!

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  15. How exciting ! I wish you all the happiness in your new home in the country.
    We've moved so often with our cats and never had any real problems. Cats these days are more used to home comforts and their slaves (us), that they don't seem to be so attached to a place anymore, but to the people they live with.

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  16. you sound so happy....and it's a different thing when you're a happy sort of tired, and the house looks an absolute dream.

    i can just imagine how glad your land is to have someone tending it again. xo

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  17. What a beautiful pose the cat gives. Looks funny!

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  18. Ooooh WOW.You do sound sooooo different and "HAPPY".Love the latest pics.As someone else said you are tired but it's not a Stressful tired.Love the video of the House Martins,such lovely birds.Hope they found the owner of the cows heeh hee.We didn't let our mog out for some weeks until he was totally happy indoors and got used to that environment.Then we let him out but called him after 20 mins to see if he was still nearby.I just Love that house.Enjoy,Christmas will be Brilliant.Huggles xxx

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  19. Hey Chickpea,
    Just checking in and gearing up for a return to blogging and normal service resuming around here. I simply love that first photo of your house surrounded by fog. It seems as though you've finally got the house (and space) of your dreams. How flipping fantastic!! Lots of changes going on around here too. Enjoy your blackberries; we are off berry picking next week. Enjoy all things physical and self sufficient too!
    Leanne xx

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  20. Fantastic news that you finally have your dream home. It's good that you feel tired from doing work you love that is the best kind of tired. I've just been catching up on blog reading and I love the images you have shared, that conservatory looks like the place to be! x

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