Well this is it ... 2015 is almost over.
I usually do an in-depth review of the year on this blog, but I can't bring myself to do it this year. It started off so badly losing Charley, the building work that started in March and only finished a couple of weeks ago got me down to such a degree I fell completely and utterly out of love with our house and it's land. I feel as though I somehow have to rebuild a relationship with it, the polytunnel helps and soon I will be out there planting again and setting in motion our food plans for the coming twelve months.
The house has continued to let us down during the wet weather and we obviously need more work done before we can paint the exterior and finally call a day on the renovations. Two years of decorating, building, waiting for things to be done and planning complications that are now ongoing again, as we have found out that the previous owners never got building regulations approval for the work they did to the house, after another inspection, due soon, we are hoping we will get approval for their work .... we already have it for ours.
So as you might have gathered I am feeling almost as gloomy as the photo above.
Yes, we have sheep back in our field on this wet and gloomy New Years Eve ... it would be wrong not to .... the farmers round here have lost large swathes of their land to the constant rain and flooding, any higher, dryer and lush grass is desperately needed to feed last years lambs and this years pregnant ewes.
We have 14 of last years lambs grazing the field. They are a nervous but self contained lot, on their own for the first without mature ewes to show them the ropes in our field, but they belong to a good farmer and he treats his sheep well, and they know to watch, learn and trust. We are getting them used to the routine of us walking the dogs around the paddock, which we do at least twice a day.
They are learning that if they stay together and move ahead of us and then position themselves in one of the top corners the dogs will never go within twenty feet of them and they can relax. Although as usual Suky is desperate to be one of them, she stands staring and copying as if to say 'let me join you I can eat grass too', their look of disdainment at this strange little creature copying their every move is laughably funny.
So there is lightness in our damp, soggy days, funny moments that we grasp at and that hopefully that will lead us into the New Year with a smile on our faces. We need to enter this New Year with renewed enthusiasm for there is a lot for for us to accomplish in this coming year. It's time for us to reign in the spending on all but the most important of things and to prepare even more thoroughly for the day when our only income will be what we can grow and produce on our land.
As usual then there are exciting times ahead, and it will be lovely to share these with you as we continue Our New Life in the Country, and we would both like to wish all the very best for this coming year to all our family, friends, fellow bloggers, followers and readers.
Thank you for being there.
Sue and Lovely Hubby xx