Country Life's 39 steps to a better life. How accomplished are you?

[HipposGoBeserk]

Link here.

I wish I could do most of them. I'll pass on the shooting, skinning, plucking and gutting though.

I can do 15.

I can't do the languages one, the techy stuff and the bank account. But I can and have done all the others!

Should I hand in my Labour Party membership card?

DELIVER A LAMB???

6 .

18.... plus two that I marked 'I'd like to think'!

I've left out the delivering of lamb, because I'd hope I could after a childhood of devouring James Herriot's books... however, I realise the reality may not be quite as easy as sticking your hand 'up' and twisting if it's a breech!

16, despite growing up in the country on a housing estate.

It reads rather like a brownie badge manual, I think. I never got many of those, either.

About 29 I reckon. But that includes some I THINK I could do but have not done (deliver a lamb for eg). The language one I didn't include - but I have asked for help in at least 5 languages. If you travel it's something you deal with as and when. Have
No desire to skin a rabbit :)

33. how the heck did that happen? im not even british!

Is it just me that thinks most of that list is a pile of pompous, pretentious twaddle?

I don't want to be able to do most of them, and those that I do want to do, I can.

No it's not just you. But I do think it isn;t supposed to be taken very seriously. I am very amused that I can do almost all of them - I always knew I was a walking stereotype!

But then I am a city girl hag

If you lived in the country and had a lot of inherited wealth, the list might have some point to it. That's if you want to live a cliché that is a bit tired.

The life skills anyone requires will vary according to where they live. When I moved to Paris, many years ago, I certainly didn't possess all the standard Parisian life skills that people who have grown up here possess. I could probably write a list of 39 of them à la Country Life now.

21. But I disagree heartily with their criteria for selection and don't want to do most of those! (am sniggering at their cliched ideas of what is essential)

Oh yes, do Parisian ones, Bonsoir. Don't forget the ability to sylishly abandon your car in a way that is most inconvenient to the maximum number of people, to wear a black dress impeccably, and to be effortlessly rude in such a way that the person you're rude to doesn't actually notice for 3 days!

Walk straight in high heels and a pencil skirt while carrying bags home from the supermarket?

Do the school run in a pale pink strapless satin Chanel dress, including sitting on the grass in the park afterwards while feeding goûter to your DCs and remaining spotless?

LOL, I was going to forward your Paris list to my db who works in Paris one day a week but I don't think he can do either of those

Flatter a woman on her appearance in a professional setting with nonchalance

8 and I was lying to myself on 3 of them

Bonsoir.

How on earth are they toff activities? normal people live in the country and can do those things. Why do you english make every little thing about class! Really it creeps into loads of threads.

i am proud to have gotten the glorious score of 3.
To be honest i think most of those are poncy/ridiculous/unnessecary (Slip away from a football riot?) and am very glad to be able to say i'm not the type of person who generally is accepted by Country Life!

hardly any! And don't really need to either, in my day-to-day life. Surely to grow carrots you bung the seeds in some soil, in a pot, or just put them in the garden... this is what dh does every year and it works!

have no wish to deliver a lamb or skin a rabbit, thanks. I don't live on a farm. Much more useful to be able to deliver a baby, which I reckon I could if needed!

27... alarming really, who knew someone called Harry Wallop may one day describe me as accomplished...

(28 if by addressing a Royal, he doesn't mean adding a royal in the correct manner...)