Our New Life in the Country: Priorities.............

Monday, 1 March 2010

Priorities.............

My Beautiful Betty, a truly Happy Pig.

We have just had THE BEST weekend. In many ways it started to put things into perspective. Today feeding the pigs, the final piece dropped into place in the jigsaw.

Life will be VERY different from now on. ## We had a couple of working days on Friday and Saturday, getting jobs done on the farm and preparing to leave the animals for a day on their own. Lots of fresh bedding available, food etc. Saturday night saw us at the village hall dancing the night away (literally, we got home at 1.30am) at the 'Cheap as Chips Disco'. So called not because there was a dapper antiques dealer in attendance, but rather a fish and chip van parked outside that supplied us all with a supper of the yummiest, freshest fish and chips ever as part of our admission ticket price. Staggering bleary eyed out of bed at 7am we checked the animals really were okay to be left for the day and then piled the dogs into the back of the car, heading for Manchester and a lovely family get together with my parents, brother and the birthday boy himself, who got the train from Preston. After a lovely meal and chat we headed back to Mum and Dad's where we caught up on news, LH caught up on sleep and then the men watched the match (well this post is called 'Priorities'!!).

And today......well the sun is quickly melting the frost, there is a promise of Spring in the air and I have just had a pleasant hour with the pigs, as these photos will show.

While the pigs were eating their breakfast I mucked out the bedroom, Betty goes to check.....

seemingly everything has been done to her satisfaction.....

so she pops across into the 'toilet room' to see if that is equally as well cleaned out....

when all housework has passed the 'Betty test' she tucks in for the rest of her breakfast with Martha and Maud.

And the priorities........if you have family, food, love, laughter and happy animals, what more do you really need. I will not be stressing any more about the state of my house, I will not be stressing anymore about jobs waiting to be done. I will not worry what other people think and do. I will care for those that care for me, take with a pinch of salt those that don't and mainly..... I will be living for the moment and enjoying the living.

And the sign of a happy pig.............

....is a smiley face......

....and a curly tail.

Sue xx

11 comments:

Sandra1 March 2010 at 10:23
Such a lovely post and oh so true. I just need to concentrate on the "don't worry what other people think part"
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~Kim at Golden Pines~1 March 2010 at 10:40
Your weekend sounds like a lot of fun! I agree with your advice and what your pigs obviously know--I sometimes get so wrapped up in the details that I lose sight of the big picture and what's really important. Thanks for a good thought to start my day! :-)
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VintageVicki1 March 2010 at 10:49
A very positive post - a great start to the week :)

Those pigs look very happy :)
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Anne in Oxfordshire1 March 2010 at 11:02
Hi Sue, I am sop pleased you had a great weekend and a good break away from your farm.

This is a lovely post, one which I should take heed of. I have too much time on my hands that is why I stress about my house, I have too much time on my own, so I do lose sight of what is important.

This is the second post I have read today about the importance of smaller things in life, maybe someone is trying to tell me something :-)
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Anonymous1 March 2010 at 13:54
Fine pigs, fine sentiments and an all round fine post! Here's to a happy new growing season...
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Helen1 March 2010 at 15:38
Dear Sue,
I can't think of anyone who puts into words ~ simple words ~ what all of us should be thinking and living!
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BadPenny1 March 2010 at 17:22
Aww what a happy smiley post. I'm so glad you had a lovely lovely weekend Sue.
You sound as happy as a piggy in paradise !
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Jak1 March 2010 at 18:00
Very sound sentiments indeed, the break seems to have done you good. Coincidently, it was my son's birthday on Saturday too, he was 18.
Take care, Jak
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A Green and Rosie Life1 March 2010 at 18:57
Priorities - you are so right. I would rather have cleaned out animals and a decent home-cooked meal on the table than a magazine perfect house. Dust only comes back again anyway!!

Rosie x
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VintageVicki2 March 2010 at 07:40
Sue - just to let you know there's an award waiting for you on my blog :)
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Pixiedust2 March 2010 at 07:51
What a great happy post. So glad you had such a nice weekend. Your piggy's look very happy and the smiley pig pic made me laugh. xxx Pixie xxx
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Comments are now turned off for this old blog of mine. Thank you for reading the posts, I hope you enjoyed them. xx

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

This was my Blog, just me writing about our day to day life learning all about and then living the smallholding life. First we started on a farm in Oxfordshire, then we moved to a smaller place in Berkshire (both in England) and then we found a place of our very own at the bottom of a hillside in North Wales. Along for the ride were all our various animals, and we ended up with just our dogs, Suky and Mavis, our cat Ginger .... who secretly thinks he's one of the canine gang, a sheep called Ethel who wandered in off the road and stayed... and a roving band of egg laying chickens that live cheek by jowl with the local wildlife.

We grow our own fruit and vegetables, selling surplus plants and edibles at the gate. We sell the eggs the chickens lay, we reuse, recycle and rethink ... and life ticks over at a pace that suits us.

It was simply the wild and wacky ramblings of a 50 something townie turned country girl called Sue, who lost her heart to a sailor and started a new life in the country .... many years ago. On a path that took us from Cumbria to Oxfordshire, to Berkshire and then we found our home at the bottom of a wet and windy Welsh hillside by a busy main road.

Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and relax into a world of dogs, cats, chickens, polytunnels and veggies with the occasional grass munching sheep thrown in for good measure.

Sue xx

Disclaimer

Our New Life in the Country is my blog.

I use it to chart the day by day, week by week, year by year goings on in mine and Lovely Hubby's life. In it I also express my views and opinions, and say what I do and occasionally how I do it. I am hoping that this will prove to be a useful reminder for myself of how we did things, as we continue in our learning process.

If you chose to follow my practices it is assumed that you will do so with care and consideration, and question where necessary any methods or techniques I use to your own satisfaction and match them to your own circumstances.

The pictures in each blog post are taken by me unless otherwise credited, and as such should not be borrowed and used elsewhere without my consent.