[Jackie]

Hi All

Im a nutty mum (and since May a grandmother) who has decided to relocate everyone to my idea of heaven to build a smallholding in Licolnshire. Having a smallholding has been my dream for many a long year and now we are in a position to make it become a reality. Yay!! 

I have owned, showed and bred Golden retrievers in the past and have retired from a short nursing career to look after my mum, who unfortunatly has dementia, after my dad died. Hubby has renovated a few houses whilst still working at being a self employed Amiture and stata winder so I have followed his career all our married life whilst the kids were growing up so now its my time. 

The property we are trying to buy has 5 acres which is just right for a couple of weaner pigs (osb), 4 sheep, some ducks, chickens, geese and guinea fowl. Im not sure at this point whether to get a few rabbits for eating as there is a purpose built rabbit house.

Oh and by the way I love koi carp so I will get dug out a mud pond for the breeding of them. I have owned 'good' koi for 20 years so am quite 'in the know' about them, especially their health needs.

Well, thats me. I am looking foreward to getting to know you all and hope I dont ask too many silly questions! 

[jameslindsay]

Hello Jackie and welcome. Fingers crossed your dream comes true, as planned. I am in a very wet Fife and it's when the weather is so bad you ask yourself why do I have so many animals?? Mind you we should not complain as we didn't have a drop of rain all day yesterday! Enjoy your time here.

[JulieS]

Hello Jackie and welcome from North Devon.  Very windy and damp here today.

Good luck with all your plans.  What an exciting time ahead for you!

Look forward to hearing how you are getting on.

[sandy]

Hello from Clackmannan....I am from Leicestershire, born in Leicester, lived in Market Harborough, thats were 2 of my daughters are, the eldest in Australia. I moved 3 years ago and love it, you have to go for it sometimes in  your life!!! I also worked all over Leicestershire, miss Leicester Market and of course Melton Market...Stilton, Pork pies..well you still get them up here but not so fresh usually!!!  We thought about where we wanted to move, based mainly on where we could both get work, that crossed out some more remote places so here we ended up, Central to everything....Look forward to your posts....a lot of nuts on here...I am one of them!!!

[Jackie]

Thanks for the welcome James and I soo know about the rain up in Fife as I used to live in Rosyth/Pitreavie and its the only place I have ever been where it was raining one side of the road but not the other. Guess which side I was on?  

Thank you Julie for the welcome. Lucky you living in north devon, so does one of my daughters (Westward Ho!)
I alternate between being excited and being very worried, excited cos its what Ive wanted for years, worried that at 50 Im too old.
 Ah well Ill soon know, I hope, fingers (legs,arms eyes) crossed.  

Hello Sandy, aha you know Melton then?  I shall miss Melton when we move, but like you, we have to move to realise The Dream.
I too looked at Scotland to move to (Dunfrice and Galloway) but its slightly too far away (hubbys Mum and brother still in Melton, my Mum coming with us) and as James says it rains a LOT so Lincolnshire is cheaper land than Leics and not too far away.

[JulieS]

50 isn't too old.   I'm 47 and only moved here in March.  A fresh start does you good 

I'm not very far from Westward Ho!  If you're visiting your daughter and want to come over to see what we're up to, you will be very welcome.

[sandy]

I planned several things today when I was 50 and have done them all now....50 was the start of a new way of life!!!!! I used to make sure I worked in Melton on Market day, just to pop into the cafe' and get a sausage and bacon roll!!! Before we moved   we lived in WOodhouse Eaves, a lovely lovely village, very expensive and a bit too posh for me...I like to be able to go out looking rough (thats easy!) without people knowing me ;DHow x citing

[Jackie]

Thank you Julie for the reasurrance that 50 isnt too old. Its very nice of you to invite us pop over,  before we go down to see my daughter Ill give you a call/mail. Its always interesting to see how a better (than me) smallholder does things.
Daughters in laws have a smallholding in Langtree, mainly horses but a few sheep and pigs which keep escaping as they are Tamworths.lol

Sandy thats a great idea to write a wish list of things to do, I may just do that myself.
1 Lose 2 stone
2 Go skiing
3 Scuba diving in Aus
etc 
The best market day in Melton now is on Friday as thats the Farmers market, lovely fresh unusual breads, extra special meats, venison, cockeral etc oh and the smoked sausages are to die for!!!
OOh Woodhouse Eves is very lovely. Did you know its gone so up market that they have a toll gate each end of the village now? hehehe not really.

Talking about looking scruffy, I once went to buy a jaguar car straight after I had been working on my allotment, I was ignored. I bought it at another garage.

[doganjo]

Hi Jackie
Welcome to the forum!  Our paths may have crossed in the show ring!  I show and work my Brittanys - ABERDON is my affix, have been to a number of Champ shows down South, and used to show Cockers (only at Open Shows though) I used to live in cold Aberdeenshire, now I'm in wet Clackmannanshire - just down the road from Sandy!
'Moregin' show and work their dogs too - no doubt they'll be around to welcome you too soon.

Hope you enjoy our company!

[Jackie]

Doganjo thank you for the welcome and yes we probably have crossed paths.
I used to be a half way house for my friends from Scotland when there was a midland/southern/welsh champ show on and we had some great times getting drunk the night before a show.

My affix for the Goldens was Ishards although I havent held that for a while now but my line can still be seen if you google 'Ishards' as some are on the Golden register. I gave up breeding and showing as I promised my hubby when I sold a pup to America.
I never advertised my litters and always had more potential owners than pups so it was a great compliment that they knew me in America. Funnily enough the guy (who was a minister) that bought her wanted me to register her with a "typically english name" so I named her Ishards Daisy May, when he heard the name I had chosen he drawled in a southern accent "Honey, where I come from Daisy May is a lady of the night!" So I had sold a pro to a priest!!!!!  Only me hehehe

My affix is now Akerris and I have 1 golden and 2 young German shepherd bitches.

How nice to know in real life another poster from here and be so close, great support if needed. 

[sandy]

  Amazing how diffently you get treated when dressed correctly!!! although my partner has a nice accent and we used to go to London every other weekend, when we went to Harrods he looked like some excentric in the music business or art as he used to have vewry long blond curly hair and wear scruffy balck jogging bottoms, a BIG fishermans jumper, pink converse boots and still get the sire, can I help stuff whereas I was ignored

[Jackie]

ooh Doganjo I have just looked up your website and you have some really nice dogs there, be very proud, I know how much work has gone into getting them. 

Sandy we just dont use enough deodorant then. lol

Im sorry but I have to go now, but will catch up with you later and thank you so much for the warm welcome I have recieved it is apreciated. 

[HappyHippy]

Hello Jackie 
From another one of the scottish contingent 
Sounds like you're going to be busy, look forward to hearing all about it.
Karen x

[Hilarysmum]

Hello Jackie, 50 is a great time to start a new venture.  My sister is off to Oz at Xmas she is more than 50, I was over 50 when we came here (Brittany).  Its an invigorating new beginning enjoy....

[little blue]

Hello and welcome from a wet and muddy Derbyshire.  I have family (and ancestry!) in Licolnshire, and a rescue German shepherd so looking forward to hearing all about yours...