We have a thief in our midst.
In addition to stealing bread from the bread bin, Mabel has discovered a penchant for my hair bobbles. She's very determined. She'll climb mountains to get at them. Doesn't matter if I leave them in the bathroom, over a candle on the dresser or on the top shelf in my dressing room. She will not be beaten. She can spot a hair bobble at twenty paces. In other news...
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Finally ordered the blinds for the lounge, Against all the odds I've gone with wooden venetian. Same as the rest of the house. But this time...a shade off white.
This week I also announced to the LinkedIn world that I am available for contracts: "I'm on the lookout for an additional communications contract with the flexibility to work from home / client office. I’m working four days a month for the International Paralympic Committee - working hours to suit me and my other commitments. I am willing to take on full or part time hours - copywriting, change, transformation, customer or colleague communications." Then proceeded to ignore any messages suggesting suitable roles. Maybe what I would like to say, if I was being more honest (which I could never really do on LI - it wouldn't be professional) is: "I'm on the lookout for an additional communications contract - working from home office. With no travel whatsoever. I’m working four days a month for the International Paralympic Committee - working hours to suit me and my other commitments (the local sheep, my garden, decorating, baking, snoozing, family visits, online shopping). I am willing to take on a few hours that pay really, really well - writing about sheep, my garden, decorating, baking, snoozing, family visits, online shopping." LinkedIn is a funny place:
I haven no idea why I scowl. I am pleased for them. I don't have their ambition. I like to keep stress to a minimum. So therefore I'm not jealous. For real. But anyway...maybe a scowl is actually my bless-them-didn't-they-do-well, go-to face. The fact that I hate LinkedIn so much suggests to me that I'm completely done with the rat-race. Ahhhh. Rats. I'm actually quite fascinated by them. But they are wrecking the borders with their rat runs. Anyway - this morning Stu found a rather large dead one on the paddock. Seems Zip (neighbour's dog who we're currently looking after) managed to catch and kill it. We love Zip. If he could just catch the rest... I don't have a particularly relevant pic today. So here's one of Zip with Patch (neighbour's dogs) in their mobile accommodation (dog caravan), looking like they've been naughty. So what happened to Summer? It's been an absolute pile of shite so far.
I managed to mow the paddock today - finishing up just as the heavens opened...again. Tilly follows me round when I mow. Each time I find a ball in the long grass I throw it out of the way. And Tilly fetches it straight back to me. Does get a little irritating to be honest. But it keeps her amused. In other news... Facebook Marketplace So I posted a couple of items for sale this past week: an Ikea bookcase and a M & S snuggle chair thing. A couple of things really bloody irritate me about FB marketplace:
Shit...brb. Left my mid brown hair colour on too long now. (I didn't really think things through. When I rushed to the bathroom to wash the hair colour off I remembered the hot water wasn't on. So I tried to wash it with cold. But because the bathroom basin is the size of a tea cup I just dripped dye everywhere. Finally sorted myself out...after I had turned the hot water on and used the utility sink). I now have black hair. The lounge We're so nearly there. Just a couple more little bits to finish:
Because I'm the 'designer' the responsibility of blinds material rests on my shoulders. Stu says..."whatever you choose will be great". Cheers bud. So I guess I'll have to bloody well get on with choosing then. If blinds cost 50p each I wouldn't worry. But they don't do they. They're expensive little bleeders. So if I get it wrong...we're stuck with them. Anyway - I have been googling the hell out of blue / gold fabric designs. And have narrowed things down to ones that I think would work. Well...they might work if Google had actually shown me images of fabric and not wallpaper. But at least I have some idea...even if nothing similar exists as actual fabric. The William Morris design kept appearing no matter what I googled...so I added it. It could be a sign. Though I'm not convinced. P.s. Before anyone (Sally) gets excited and starts trying to decide for me...these are only ideas. Types of pattern and colour ways. There's a lot more thinking to be done (several months worth most likely) before I finally get my Debit Card out. P.p.s. So if you're visiting in the next few months - don't expect blinds to be up. P.p.p.s. The bathroom won't be done either. So you're going to have to put up with nasty basin (now with added hair dye stains) during your stay. "Is the lounge finished yet?" Says...everyone. Erm. Nope. When you have to remove wood chip wallpaper, build a window seat, strip all woodwork, skim all walls, repair knackered coving, strip the floors...and finally clean up an entire fireplace before you get round to putting a paintbrush in your hand - it takes a while. Today is stripping the floor day. Which of course means dust. In every orifice. I'm in charge of rotary sander. Stu is using the belt. We are not spending money hiring a big stripper. (Lots of potential innuendos). My interior design stress-levels are peaking at light fitting. We have a colour scheme. We always had a colour in mind. But the exact format took me to near breaking point in B and Q as I tried to work out just how much of the paint I would need in matt emulsion and how much in eggshell. But I'm over that now. I'm also pissed off with Ikea for changing the colours of replacement covers for our sofa. How very dare they. I am now restricted to shitty stripes, blue and a natural shade of something crap. I could, of course, spend an absolute fortune on an alternate site that also does covers for all Ikea sofa ranges. But that's not happening. So..back to the lighting. The many options that we possibly, maybe like.... One of the above is a red herring. I'll leave you to decide.
So as I am supposed to be in the office on a client call (which I have just realised is tomorrow - not today) I better look lively and go grab that orbital. This year I will be fifty something. Which to me sounds horribly old. But so long as I don't look at my hands and neck I can carry on thinking I'm still in my thirties and nothing has changed.
For fifteen years I have worked in 'Change'.
So how do I feel about Change myself? It's like I have two personalities (some would say they've known that for years) - one who loves change and the other who is shit-scared of it. I guess we're all the same really - no one can truly love change in its entirety. We all have a favourite spot on the sofa and get quietly pissed off when someone sits there. Moving to a Life in Wales was one of my life's biggest changes (but doesn't compare with bringing your first child home from hospital). The move was a gamble - what if we hated life in the country, what if we missed the Altrincham vibe, what if the Welsh spiders are just so much bigger?... And the worst one...what if I get bored and miss TKMaxx too much? How am I doing? The move to Wales hasn't just been about a new house with a view - it's been a complete overhaul of my everyday. I have a new-found need to enjoy every minute. I feel relaxed, fitter and happier. I don't care that I don't have a full-time job. And I don't ever want one again. I am fifty-something for goodness sake - I am SICK of the machine. I have more confidence that I have something to offer the world:
Anyway - I am embracing this change... In other news:
Today's photo...my blogging partner and the reason for any weird typos. Lambing is almost done. Just two pregnant ewes remaining at Rick and Helen's.
I guess I am rapidly running out of 'reasons' not to find work. So I shall have to set myself a deadline - a date where I will aim* to sit myself down, decide on what I want to do and crack on and do it. *with the the use of the word aim I am detecting an unconscious avoidance of any real commitment I don't want work to involve big cities - working away from home several days a week. So that pretty much rules out every available role on LinkedIn. Thinking out loud (typing) - it's clear that I know what I don't want. Now I just need some clarity on what I do want. Top (and only thing) of my current 'want' list is:
But, of course, I am unlikely to be the only applicant (though perhaps the only one over 50) - so there's little chance that I'll get the opportunity. In other news... The animals We have a new addition to our household. A very confident nine-month old silver tabby British Shorthair - Mabel. We've read all the 'how to introduce a new cat' guides. And we're taking things slow. George is shit-scared of her. And he's about three times her size. She is currently residing in the back bedroom (Joe's room) most of the time. When it's time for her to come downstairs for her daily intro to George she gets into her cat carrier (without being asked). She knows the routine. And when she's had enough and wants to go back to her room....she simply gets back in her carrier so I can take her back up. She's a fidget. Hates being carried. Rolls over for tummy tickles. Hisses at poor George. Rules the roost. And she's gorgeous. The house All the bedrooms are now done - no more holes in ceilings, cracked walls and peeling paint. It's a major achievement as nothing has been straightforward. Stu has had to unravel decades of awful decorating and DIY. So what's left to do?
Stu has a lot of hard work ahead (I'll do my bit stripping paint) and I have some big paint-colour and design decisions to make. The chickens Nine chickens do not equal nine eggs a day. But they do equal knackered plants. Every time I am in the garden planting or watering all nine of them waddle over at top speed and start scratching. New plants do not have a hope in hell of surviving. So we have to stop them from getting into the garden (and hopefully stop them from getting onto the road**). I wouldn't mind if they didn't have a whole paddock to scratch in. They can even get into the neighbouring fields if they want to. Go scratch in there! So top of this week's to-do list is the creation of a cunning chicken-proof garden fence - one that doesn't block our access to the paddock. I'll let you know how it goes. Next on the list has to be the rat. Spotted it tonight sneaking into the Eglu shelter to eat chicken food. So we also need a rat-plan. ** Last week Dolly (our pet chicken) was spotted leading the six warren hens (newcomers) out of the paddock and up the road. Pretty sure her aim was to dump them out there, leg it back when they weren't looking and hope they got lost. Today's photo: Mabel's demonstrating how Hague Blue brings out the best in her stripes and spots. A year in Wales and my Facebook feed is unrecognisable: from updates on the latest auction prices for sheep and cows to weekly tractor and farm machinery sales and a host of local issues (e.g. "who let their dog crap outside my front door?" and "does anyone have any sandbags"?) .
And my own timeline?..how we've moved on from the woes of the daily commute. My commute this week is:
Lambing is all-consuming. Well it is when it's your first experience. I am chief 'business-end' checker. Looking out for the tell-tale signs. I can spot a ewe who is likely to go into labour at 100 paces (Not entirely true... but I'm feeling slightly smug today as I suspected a ewe was getting ready because I thought she looked a bit 'pissed off'. I wasn't wrong though. She did start about half an hour later). I also have two bruises on my rear. From the quad bike. It appears when I ride pillion I sit so far back that I sit on two bolts. The quad on a farm track is not the smoothest of rides. Today's photo was going to be one of Joe and his first (junior school) prom date, Chelsea. But I might not get anything for Mother's day if I post that one. So here's a lamb. We've been in Wales for a year. A whole year of dust.
Looking back we've done so much and come so far:
And yesterday, for me, it got even better... Every day I pop down to Helen and Rick's to see how things are going down there. According to their maths - their lambs are due to start arriving this week. So yesterday I was even more hopeful that they'd have their first healthy babies. Some of their pregnant ewes are up near the house (the polytunnel field) - mainly ones who're expecting twins. And yesterday when I arrived one of those ewes had taken herself into a corner. As Rick says...she seems to have 'found a place'. After at least an hour of her pawing (hoofing?) the ground, lying down, getting up, and so on - she was definitely up to something and things were starting to look a little fraught. To be honest - at that moment I felt sick. I was worried for her. If she was human - she'd have been shouting abuse to the father. Rick decided we needed to step in. Things were stuck. So I donned my gloves (which ripped as I put them on), Rick laid the ewe down and (cutting out some of the process)...I pulled. That moment when the (big boy) lamb slid out, as I checked he was breathing, cleared his mouth and put him in front of his mum...I will never forget. The biggest grin on my face - and relief. Such a relief. His baby sister arrived some time after - with no intervention required. Biff(a) and Chip. We left them all alone to bond (and for mum to clean then up) before we took them into the polytunnel. By the time I left I had lamb wee down my front, something rather nasty up my sleeves, and baby lamb sloppy poo up the back of one leg. But it didn't end there... Much later, around Stu's bedtime, Helen messaged to say another ewe had just had her first and the second was expected soon. So I put on all my best wee and poo-proof clothing and went to join Helen on lamb-watch. But the time I got there the second lamb had arrived - mum had one girl (black) and one boy (white). Yin and Yang. And it didn't end there... Looking around the poly-tunnel one of the other ewes was looking restless - so we put her into a pen, just in case. Cutting the story short again (these things go on for a while)...two more boy lambs. One looking very like a baby goat. Billy (the Kid) and Pat (Garett). Six lambs in one day - all born before midnight. And all looking pretty healthy as we called it a night. I finally got to bed at 1am - to dreams of sheep in labour. Many thanks to Rick and Helen for putting up with me and my questions. And for letting me be part of something quite wonderful. I am on my way to getting my lamb midwife certificate*. * Not a real thing. Today's photos?...
Before we moved to Wales, Spring, for me, was buying a bunch of daffs from Sainsburys every couple of weeks (tulips if I was feeling flush).
Now it is the sound of tiny lambs when I wake in the morning - that we can just about hear through the howling winds we're having. It is proper windy up here on the hill. Surprised we don't see lambs flying past the house. So what's new?
Today's photo..a rather surprised looking lamb We returned from Iceland to a clean house and happy pets. All thanks to our 'Trusted Housesitter' Ruth. We may even give that another go next year.
Once the washing was done I set off for a few days in Bonn. Along with a plane full of MCFC fans. Mostly drunk. On an 8.05am flight. I think I was the only person who ordered a cup of tea on the flight. Returning from Germany was the best return-home ever. I had missed everything so much (probably mainly due to the fact I was travelling alone and staying in what can only be described as cheap student digs - and I had a pot noodle in my room every night). So returning home to Spring in February. The birds seem very busy. Every day we see several buzzards and Red Kite. And at night the Tawny Owls haunt the dark skies (which sounds like the first line of a ghost story). Of course the bliss has to be marred. By the neighbours. This time they chose to deliver a message by snail mail. Tracked and Signed For. I won't go into the detail. It's taken me three days to calm down. But I do intend writing back at some point - asking them to please maintain their hedges and trees as they are causing distress (distress = tons of bloody leaves and overhanging hedge branches). Back to the better side of life... Our nice neighbour, Rick (from down the hill) decided that this weekend, just gone, we would take the solar water heater panel from our roof. Of course this put the fear of Dog into me. Our roof is high. But Rick had it in hand. He built the scaffold. Climbed it. Threw up the roof ladder. Shimmied around on the tiles. Passed down the huge glass tubes. Then the frame. Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt. Done. He even took a little detour over the ridge tiles to remove the TV aerial which was hanging by a thread. We owe him. Again. And finally... We're getting more hens. Thanks to Helen (living over the brush with Rick). I offered to keep some hens for her if I could borrow her old coop (made from a small trailer). The coop has been given a spruce up and some extra weather-proofing (necessary up here...the wind and rain can be harsh) and its now ready for some new guests. So our three girls (Dolly, Nanan and Gladys) could soon find their flock more than doubling in size. And..I might just get a cockerel. A bloody big noisy one. Today's photo... Rick (living over the brush with Helen) enlisted the help of his young son to climb the scaffold. Photo in order of most shit-scared... Me - taking the shot (a long way from the action) Stu - not allowed to climb (by order of Me) Rick's son - halfway up Rick - right up there (thankfully attached to a rope which was in turn attached to my car behind the house). |
DebbieMe, my life, my family and my travels Archives
November 2022
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