Country Life, No Idea!

October 2016 There have only been a handful of occasions when I've met someone for the first time and just known that we will be good friends. There's something about them, what they stand for, what they say and do that I respect. This was one of those encounters. In October 2016 our luck changed, through mutual friends (thank you Helga and Tim) we found Kim and Dean.  I've always thought of them as the Good Life couple (Tom and Barbara), if you're old enough then you'll know who I mean. They're based in a field down the road and have horses, chickens, sheep, geese, bees and tones of experience.  Their love of all creatures and seeing how content they are just being with their animals is something I could relate to. What I especially admired was Kim's willingness to help anyone, whether it was someone struggling to look after their animals or just facing difficult times. So after showing them around the...

June 2011 Seven years ago Phil and I met, we got married and decided to move to the country, well sort off. We moved to the outskirts of a beautiful little village surrounded by farmland and a high street littered with antique shops. Initially our plan was to find a property with an acre plot for a donkey (not sure why I was fixated on this animal). Anyway, what in fact we ended up with was a seven acre field and lots of big ideas. My vision was to have an animal sanctuary, Phil thought it would be great to race quad bikes or do some clay pigeon shooting. I was not impressed by his vision. Nothing much happened for at least three years as we were busy extending our family. A dog called Rocky Rockstar arrived first, much to the cat, Boris' disgust. Then came Nathan and Dylan.    As if life wasn't exhausting enough we (correction I) decided to dip our toes into fostering rescue horses. After the initial excitement, we realised ...

I've always been a big fan of volunteering so when an opportunity to help some rescue ponies arouse, I jumped at it. What was suppose to be my personal journey has now become our family's journey not only into the world of fostering rescue ponies but to life in the country.    I'm writing this blog so that in years to come my husband Phil and I can reminisce about our successes and failures. Hopefully it will make us laugh and Phil will finally agree that all the blood, sweat and tears we've put into this adventure was worth it.  I would like my kids to remember the fun they've had and realise that all the 6am starts, the digging, exploring (especially in the Gruffalo's den), the berry picking, watching mummy endlessly poo pick and daddy building things in all weathers have helped shape them hopefully into becoming strong, brave and kind human beings.  Finally, I hope if someone reading this is on a similar journey they can lea...