The solution is staring you right in the face, my head'll be bitten off for this one... Assert your manly authority
LOL, Yes, I probably should insert
my manly authority WBF, but I value consensus and teamwork too highly to lose that (and potentially far more
) by simply over-ruling Mrs Womble.
I have to say, though I'm not surprised to hear that opinion voiced, I'm surprised that it was by you, [member=42855]waterbuffalofarmer[/member] , being a young lady and all. A genuine question then: how do you think you would you feel if your husband / wife / significant other asserted their (manly?) authority over you? Do you think you'd respond well, or would you hit them over the head with a rolling pin, as Mrs Womble would most likely do to me?
I've decided my negotiating strategy though; if Mrs W will agree to get rid of Dinky and Bramble, I will consent to buying two more productive ewes to replace them. OK, that could lead to overstocking eventually, but if I manage to buy some old dears who only have a couple of years left, it could be a good compromise.
Sally, you're absolutely right; having written objectives and priorities would definitely help to guide us here. We'll have a chat about it, since if we really do want different things from the smallholding then we can adapt our plans accordingly, to keep both of us happy as much as possible.