Our New Life in the Country: You know it's nearly Spring when.....

Monday, 7 February 2011

You know it's nearly Spring when.....

You know it's nearly Spring when......there seems to be more of the Border Collie in the Dyson and on the carpet than she's wearing herself!!

Yesterday after we got back from our farm viewing and fed all the animals, we gave Sophie her biggest grooming session of the year, and got enough excess fur to stuff a cushion (but we didn't...not that frugal...not yet!!) and then she had a luxurious doggy bath, she didn't think so, she HATES baths. Today she will have another session with the brush, as we have come down to the floor strewn once again with doggy fur!

She does look lovely though with all her straggly bits trimmed and all the tangles and brambles sorted out. It won't last though, this is one dog, who for all her angelic looks, loves rolling in mud.

The Challenge didn't go too well this week. Yes we lived out of the cupboards and freezers all week, well until Friday anyway. I hadn't spent a penny till then, and then we hit the road for our first viewing, stopped at the services and bought a much needed caffeine boost in the form of a Skinny Latte on the way there and then hunger struck on the way back, and we stopped for a pub lunch, amazing value actually, two meals and two drinks for £11.80, so not the end of the world.

But then I went to the 'Bad Place' on Saturday as we had ruin out of sparkling water (the 2 litre bottles are only 16p each and we re-cycle the plastic bottles for our 'Worm Tea' so even better value), and somehow managed to spend £29.13, admittedly all on fresh fruit and veg and bread, so within the remit of the Challenge, but it felt as though the pennies were slipping through my fingers.

I counted what was left and was almost happy to find I still had £25.78, not the end of the world then. But then we stopped off on the way to our viewing yesterday to visit a lovely little Farm Shop by the side of the road and suddenly I was handing over £15.22 for necessities. Oh well, £10.56 went in Spotty Jug, as Lovely Hubby said 'every penny counts' just as he tucked into his very necessary Venison Steak!!

Sue xx

6 comments:

BadPenny7 February 2011 at 11:42
I've seen knitting made from dog hair & it doesn't even smell like dog !

Keeping the egg money in a seperate jar lasted all of a few weeks as we kept dipping into it !
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Fran7 February 2011 at 12:26
Sophie obviously enjoyed the brushing, look at that great smile on her face! A very happy dog and a lovely picture x
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ted and bunny7 February 2011 at 12:30
I was grooming Bruce yesterday and noticed that his coat is starting to come out- I told him there's more cold weather yet to come so maybe he'd better hang on to his hairy trousers...or he'll have to wear even MORE rugs!
xx
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Alison7 February 2011 at 17:27
Well, she sure looks smart in the picture so Ilm thinking that is an 'after' shot! Will you put the clippings out for the birds to use in the nests? Hope your farm viewings are going well and you can make the move soon x
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landcuckoo8 February 2011 at 20:50
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to suffer the indignity of being brushed in the back garden followed by a dunking. Mum tells me I am very lucky because I actually get to go in the two legged folks bath and have warm water coz Dad has to come in too so I don't get out before the bubbles are washed off. It's not because they like their bathroom covered in my fur, it is because I just play with water in the garden and don't get any cleaner, well why should I have cold water when there is plenty of hot in the tap for me too!
Mud is good to play in Sophie isn't it? And it does come out of our fur eventually once it is dry and able to be scratched off on the floor!
Better go, Mum wants the computer
Bye Sophie, happy mud hunting!
George x
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Charlotte11 February 2011 at 13:10
Wow Sue! Being a - "constant tryer but inconsistent" blog reader, I had missed that you were now doing this so seriously and living on such a budget. Proper self sufficient. I am very impressed.

Btw, are you watching that program with Jimmy whatever his name about the 'run your own farm' etc - bet you'd walk it!

Love C
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

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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.