Lyra, Oggs, Berrie, Zeb and Binkle....OVER HERE!!!!

[binkleandflip]

No idea...I don't really understand the bulb/seed thing. Trouble is, the higher the grass and weeds grow, the bigger job it is to clear later on and it's a big area. On the other hand, I suspect that the only reason that the plot is full of primroses, bluebells and other wild flowers is because it has been wild for a while and the chap who had it last used a scythe. The other orchards are far more primped and much less pretty. I've told dh that I will strim it when the time comes but he just laughs at me...

When is your festival?

Hiya Oggs, I bought the book to take to Florida with every intention of doing the diet when I got back but we all know the old story there dont we

However it is a very nice book, with reams of good recipes in it and I've heard it mentioned on MN so I thought I'd sell it.

Now, seeing as were mates, I'll send it off to you for nowt if you send me your address again. Just e-mail me and I'll send it off on monday.

I was supposed to be going to the gym at 9, but I went for my first session after 6 weeks or in the week and I literally cant move my legs independently at the moment they are so sore I need both to give me purchase lol so I have made dh go and I am doing his 3.30 session this afternoon in the hope that my muscles might have unclenched by that time!!

Binkle, are you sure? I'm very happy to pay you for it.
I'll email you now.
Good luck at the gym. Are you back on the shakes now then? I've been pretty miserable the last few days. I cooked curry last night for dh and dd and stood over the pan sniffing it for ages

Berrie, have no idea either. I just know that my mum waits till the bluebells have made seed pods and partially dried, then she sometimes collects the seeds.
I would say that you are right in that the more natural a place is left the more wild flowers you will have. It must be beautiful. Some more pics on your blog please .
The festival is next week. I'm battling the pros and cons of breaking my diet. That's probably what's making me miserable at the moment.

Ahhhh bluebells. I've got an entire wood of them - and every one of 'em native English, not those Spanish imigrants!(Zeb just showing off her soon to be erstwhile lordly acres). As far as I can work out they're self seeding, so you need to wait until the heads have dried up completely, and then you have the seed heads, which look a bit like poppy seeds. I'm not sure exactly when this will happen, but I guess in the next month give or take. And in the spirit of good neighbourliness, and if I have time, let me know if any of you want me to collect seedheads for you and I'll post some to you. I'm not sure if this is strictly legal, but hey-ho!

And no. Me and the cows don't get on.
DH has announced he's coming home after all, having scooped up loads of cups & rosettes at his County show. So please could I make sure the fire's laid so he doesn't come home to a cold house. So that's nice.

Anyone got anything exciting planned today?

Ooh, ooh. Yes Zeb. Please, please. (I won't tell if you don't )

Nothing exciting planned. Just off to the library with dd to get books and dvds. Then making lunch for her and dh when we get back.
It's ruddy freezing here.
Got one fire lit (the wood burner) and need to go get anthracite from the yard for the other and I can't be bothered.
Then I need to pump water, do washing, do tidying, sort dd's clothes as she has far too many that she doesn't wear/don't fit.
Then I need to cook yet more food which I can't eat.
Really, really exciting day all in all

What are you up to?

I meant to start on the shakes yesterday, in fact I did, then went to see mum in the afternoon, felt elated that she was on the up so decided to go out to eat to celebrate..I wish I wasnt such a bloody cliche of an emotional eater but I guess I am - eat when I'm down, eat when I'm up with myself!!

But, as of today I am back on shakes for definate yes, no sense blowing it, only to feel peed off in summer when I cant where anything nice...again!!

I am going to take nurofen before the gym, the aches are creasing me up - how pathetic can you get

Oooh, Cornwall Farmers for some chicken food. A bit of washing, tidying, feeding cows, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner... DS has announced he wants 'tatoes'. So that's easy! I'm also staring at the inordinate amount of mess and papers in the office and generally all around and thinking OMG, I have to get this all sorted asap. Seriously, the place is such a state you'd think we'd been burgled!

Is it wrong for me to be thinking about divisions of curtains (which are gorgeous but won't work in this house and have been in a box since we moved in) & furniture and stuff?

And keep reminding me about bluebells - I reckon either next weekend or the weekend after might do it.

Good for you Binkle. I'm glad your mum's a bit better. And well done with the gym. I've just cancelled my trainer permanently as I really can't afford it if I'm planning to leave. But it's more than possible that once I'm through all this, my new-found independence might see the weight fall of. Well, anything's possible.

So have you discussed this with your dh then Zeb? How does he feel about it?

If I'm being nosey (which I am lol) just tell me

Nosey? I'm more worried that you're all getting bored with my self obsession.

Anyway, no, I haven't discussed it with him. I haven't seen him since last weekend, and TBH I don't want to talk about it until I actually have a proper plan in place, have found a house, and begun to straighten out all the farm paperwork and so on, otherwise it'll just be a subject that goes round in circles...again. Also, if there's no definite date involved, it could drag on awfully and horribly. He certainly ain't going to like it, and he'll be most concerned about DS not growing up on a farm.

My CM split up with her husband in August, but they had to stay together in the marital home until he finally bought her out 6 months later as they couldn't find a buyer. Horrendous.

Gosh, just goes to show how much warmer it is down ther Zeb, our Bluebells are only just on the turn. I did a google search and one person says don't mow before July or you'll wipe them out and another saying however much she mows, they just kee coming up through the lawn.

think you're wise to get a plan into place if you've definately made your mind up Zeb and I really hope it works out with minimal upset. Youre a brave woman, it takes guts to make the break IMO

Do you love him Zeb? Does he love you?

Morning
How long have you been together/married Zeb? If you didn't have ds do you think you would be together still? and if not, at what point/when would you have called it a day? How do the good times/bad times balance out?
You don't have to answer these by the way , just throwing in my two pen'orth.

So. What are we all doing today?
Lovely and sunny again here. Taking dd riding shortly then back to make dh his ritual sunday bacon buttie for lunch.
Then I must get the nets up as I've been bitten a couple of times by midges so they will be here soon .

Midges. That's why I could never live in Scotland, which is a shame as I love the place.

Errm, in brief. We've been together for 10 years almost to the day. We've been married just over 4, and living here for 5 years. No, I wouldn't still be here if we didn't have DS, and I've been vacillating about leaving for nearly 2 years - normally as a direct result of something to do with the farm. This is the first time I'm seriously thinking about this 'sensibly' and making proper plans rather than simply an emotional reaction, IFYSWIM, which is why I'm pretty certain I'm going through with it. I'm not sure if I do love him any more, or at least I'm not 'in love' with him. And he's not with me either. I do, however, care about him, when he's being nice, but that's such a rarity these days....and generally speaking we are friends (I'm almost the only friend he's got). This is one of the reasons I feel I should go now, because the longer I leave this, the more I'm going to build up hate & resentment, whilst at least right now there's still a chance we'll have a relatively amicable future. The short term will be absolutely bloody horrendous though. A friend in RL described her divorce of around 10 years ago to me and her circumstances were very similar to mine. She described how she lives and feels now as having 'freedom and independence' and unfortunately that's exactly what I want.

Who will he get to hold the fort when you tell him? How much warning will you give him?

Off to my brothers today and we are going to Wicki Park...will tell you what that is when I return!

Wicki Park? That sounds like funpark for white witches.

And I intend to give him plenty of warning because of the various issues. But we already have a guy who checks the cattle 3-5 times a week. The dogs, I guess, will have to go into kennels for the time being. But 2 springers in a rented house just isn't going to work.
Today was really a case in point of why I need to leave - another 30-odd years of all my weekends revolving around the farm and cows just fills me with dread.

Hello!
We've been away to the New Forest this weekend, staying in a little hotel in Lyndhurst. Spent Saturday walking in the forest near Brockenhurst then we went out for a meal, which was the worst I'd ever had. I think it was cooked by the work experience boy who's never seen a cooker before in his life.
Today we went to a castle right on the coast then had a meal out in Lymington, which was lovely. Just got back.

Oh, and we've found another house we want to buy (the last one was sold to someone else).
It's got loads of space but it's a bit of a wreck. The owners have been in it since the 70s and it doesn't look like they've decorated at all in that time. It's about 400 sq ft bigger than our house so loads of extra space. Just got to sell ours now...

That sounds like a lovely weekend Lyra .
Have you had much interest in your house? Is the new one in the same area or will it mean a change of school?

that sounds like a great project Lyra!! Dont know what your taste is but I think I'd probably find a few 70's gems that I'd keep in the house if it was me, some of the light fittings etc can be awesome.

Oggs, just to let you know, I am on a course in Manchester today til wednesday setting off in a minute, but I'll post the book off to you on thursday morning if thats ok.

See you all thursday!!

Have a good time Binkle. Manchester used to be my stomping ground

Morning all.
Biggest hurdle today, making ds go to preschool. There was a huge fuss last week which he never does. He was sobbing and screaming. They kept telling me I ought to leave him but it didn't feel right. Can't do that again though, he starts school in August