[Helencus]

It's the same here Jackie but I have made 1 good friend who thinks what we are doing embracing country living is brilliant given most folks move from the city but want to carry on as if they're still in the city. Sadly she's moving in the spring. We've accepted that the others just don't get us and frankly that's their problem. Luckily I have friends from where we used to live not far away so it's ok.
I hope you have better luck than we have, best way is usually to go to the local pub every Saturday night til they get curious enough to talk to you.. They will eventually.. I just couldn't be arsed with them in the end but you may want to try harder than I did. Good luck keep your chin up x

[sheila]

Jackie, please join the Womens Institute. They were a life saver for me when I first left the big city to move to the country. I have dozens of friends now. good luck to you.

[knightquest]

I wouldn't worry about the locals Jackie. If they need you, they'll soon come running. Until then just be courteous and the afore mentioned pub idea is great too. I'm in the 'couldn't be arsed' camp though to be honest 

Jackie, I don't think that we'll have a smallholding for two reasons. One is that my wife thinks she's too old to start one and the second is that I don't think that with what's going on with our shop at the moment, I've got the energy to talk her in to it  We've built our shop into a good little business but it's been bloody hard work. I'm not complaining about that but we are coping and we are proud of our little shop and we've done it ourselves! We now employ two people but that is part of running a business.

All this is ok but on the flip side, a shop keeper about half a mile from ours got stabbed to death for a packet of cigaretts last weekend..............maybe we're too comfortable?

Anyway, sorry for hijacking the thread and waffling on..............sending a little energy your way now Jackie........................ it's good to talk.

Ian

[Hilarysmum]

Hi Jacke its lovely to see you so full of positive energy.  People in villages do take a long time to become friendly.  Eventually they will come around. 

[Jackie]

I think I'm going to take your advice and go to the pub plus join the womens institute.

We moved permanently into NK the day before Christmas eve as the carpets are now all down and it looks a little more homely. The house isn't finished but it is now livable.

Martyn is feeding and watering the animals and I dint go out much so I'm incredibly bored. I must make more of an effort to 'do the rounds' so to speak but my boots have holes in so I'm wondering around in my mums slippers as they have a good non slip sole.

I have noticed that the two boar babies are not so much babies now and are trying to hump everything so they must go to slaughter as soon as we can. The kune kunes have got an incredible coat you could shave it and weave it! lol So too have the mangaliztas.

We seem to have gained 3 extra cats over the holidays and they are living in the cattery unill they get used to being with us then we will let them out. 1 cat used to belong to one of our workers who when he came to work for us and live here to do the work he brought his dog and cat. The cat, he says, is better off with us so shes staying, her name is Splodge!

The other two belonged to my daughter who came for Christmas dinner and left her cats. To be fair, one of them used to be mine but when Lianne left home she took the ginger one called keo with her. Keo suffers from a form of OCD and continually licks his fur off and makes himself raw so I'm going to get him something to calm him down to stop it. The other one she left is an entire male kitten she has called Boots. I understand why she got him as he looks exactly like our cat called Charlie which Lianne got us when she was 15 (Lianne is now 28)and I wouldn't let her take him when she left home.

So as well as Charlie cat, the part feral Enzo who has gone walk about again, and the new kitten we have called Gypsy, we now have 3 more cats to keep vermin down.

Please god no one else decides their cat would be better of with us lol. Enough is enough me thinks!!!

Mum hasn't settled in very well yet as she takes herself off to bed most of the day only coming down for meals. I'm a bit worried about her doing this but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. Mums bedroom is the most 'finished' room in the house as it has all her things in and pictures on the wall etc so its very nice.

To help with me losing weight I have bought a running machine from a cash converters in grimsby. It now sits alongside my cross trainer, the bike and a side stepper and I AM using them often. lol Its Martyn's joke that Mum isn't drinking cos she the designanted bike rider!!! I'm a real lightweight drinker and 1 glass and I'm ratted so thats why I don't drink much!!! I did have champagne with Christmas lunch though it was diluted with mango juice and i still got squiffy.

OOOH talking about Christmas lunch. The goose was amazing!!!!!! We all loved it and I'm so pleased we have 17 more to eat lol.
I only managed to sell 1 goose and 3 turkeys. People are just so stupid sometimes as my stock was much much cheaper than a supermarkets and much much tastier too!!!

Ah well more for us then!!!!

I'm missing my grandson and eldest daughter as it was the 'other' set of grandparents turn to have them for Christmas so we are going to celebrate New year more. lol We haven't even got any decorations up and if you knew me that is so very out of character for me as my house is usually something like Santa's grotto and low flying aircraft try to land in my garden we have so many lights!!!  It really hasn't felt like Christmas at all.

One thing has really surprised me, I don't want to be here. I miss Melton and still class that as home as I have lived there since I was 14 and in my house for over 20 years. I am having to think very hard about why I wanted NK, did I want it cos it was a hobby? Did I want it cos it was very hard to get and I hate being told 'no'?
Am I feeling like this cos its winter?

I felt very guilty when Les proposed a toast to 'Jackie's farm' on Christmas morning as I cant tell him how I am feeling because it has cost us mega bucks and months of hard work.

I really don't know why I am feeling like this I just am.

[knightquest]

Hiya Jackie, thanks for the update 

You probably feel the way you do because it's all new. You've also had difficult times and a bit of a health scare so the last few months have been a bit 'pants' so to speak.

At least you can come on here and tell us how you feel so that you can get other peoples input too.

Keep the updates coming and I hope you have a fantastic 2011.

Same goes for you all on here too! 

Ian

[little blue]

sorry to hear you're feeling "down" about the move .... yes, its winter and its very new & far from "home" so give it time.  Its been a long, hard road for you, and its not like Farmville really is it?! 

Your mum will take some settling too.  my (late) father-in-law had dementia, he lived in just one room eventually, he wouldnt eat if we didnt take it in to him & wouldnt eat in front of us (we spied to make sure he actually ate!).  your mum's condition will make it so much harder to know what stems from it, and what comes from the move... but I'm sure you know that. 

there are days I'm sure all of us want to jack it in, especially in wintertime, just remember you're not alone. Les sounds like a good 'un for all he does.  and we are here if you need to talk / moan / laugh / cry. 
try not to let it get you too down - its hard to see into the future, but hopefully you'll be able to look back & realise you were right all along!

take care of yourself
and I love the cat story - we have 4 now, one (found as a stray) is the spitting image of the old boy who died at 16, and out of the kittens, one looks just my Claude (he just never came home ) and the other behaves just like him (soppy!)

[Hilarysmum]

Hi Jackie, its really great to have your updates.  I doubt you really need to lose weight, you must burn it off with all the work. 

Looking foward to hearing how things go now you are permanently there.  HM

[Helencus]

Chin up Jackie. I know how you feel sometimes it gets on top of you especially when the neighbours aren't friendly. My mortgage is massive and I have to work full-time long hours as I've told you in the past and then get up early and do the animals then come home and do the animals...in the winter it seems never ending and sometimes I think what the hell have I done..  but you will settle and the spring will come and things will seem better honestly. Big hug x

[sheila]

Jackie your posts are important to us so I am sorry you are missing your old life. It will get better as you begin to get to know more people. Chin up love things will improve and we have had the shortest day. I will be away for a couple of months but as your nearest neighbour (I think)  We could meet up sometime and have a good old moan!

[Jackie]

Thank you so much for all your inspirational replies they have helped me.  I'm still feeling unsettled but have decided to grasp this life and instead of it just happening to me I will direct this life to be what I want.
To that end I have contacted the local Slimming World consultant and am going tomorrow for the first class. Today I'm gong into Grimsby to look for two sofas for our living room and I have seen a dress in a shop window in a sale I want so I'm going to buy that in a size 12. Its a red cocktail dress in satin, a totally frivolous nonsense for a farm but at £20 its gonna make me feel good, or it will when I can get into it!!! Its my target dress.

This morning whilst feeding the sheep we saw a carcase that had been stripped by foxes. The bones were not there yesterday so the sheep/lamb died in the night and all that was left this morning was the spine, some of the rib cage and the head. Do foxes actually attack? Badgers maybe?
The rest of the sheep had forced their way through a fence into the rest of the land away from the carcase and/or attacking creatures..

The sheep are well fed and have lots of shelter plus the weather was warmer last night so I cant understand why it died unless it was some sort of animal attack?

We have decided to move the remaining 11 sheep/lambs into the quad area in front of the house and house them at night in the puppy kennels where we kept the baby lambs and baby turkeys.

One of my bitches has come into season and now categorically hates the other bitch, so we are playing musical bitches to keep them apart. We have also got extra bits of carpets all over the floor to catch any blood drips and Ive taught the bitches to clean up after themselves.

Im starting on the offices today with cleaning and getting rid of the rubbish so we can make a 'proper' gym in an area which has a small kitchen, shower and loo. We have had a delivery of heating oil so can put some heating on in there too.
The offices is where we have made 2 temporary bedrooms for our guests over New Year. The offices are 45 feet or 15 meters long so there is 5 seperate rooms.

I did think that in the future this could be made into a seperate home, a 2 bed bungelow as it is big enough to do that and will get us extra money should we sell the farm.

We bought Martyn an Ibenez accoustic guitar for Christmas (he also has an Ibenez electic guitar and a Spanish accousitic guitar) and the pre amp doesnt work so that has to go back. Im annoyed!!!
Martyn started to go to guitar lessons ages ago but the guy who was teaching him said that he was doing very well without the lessons as he has a sort of 'feel' for the guitar and plays it by ear. Im impressed with him as he can play almost anything and at one point hearing Martyn play was the only way we could get Alfie to sleep!!!

Mum has decided not to change her clothes ever again as I have been encouraging her (come on Mum lets get you into something nice today as its Christmas, lets get changed for Christmas dinner, The waters hot Mum you will enjoy a shower etc) to change the ones she has now been wearing for nearly a month!!!! Ive told her that unless she gets changed and has a shower Im not feeding her!!!! Mums reply is; I had a shower yesterday and these clothes are clean you cheeky bugger!!!
The only reality is the reality of dementia..... and I hate it!!!!

[doganjo]

Hi Jackie
I have only just caught up with all your posts as I stopped reading it when George died, I just couldn't face it.  I miss him too and I never even met him.  He would no doubt have something amusing to say about your Mum, and perhaps some sound advice too - does it really matter if she doesn't change her clothes?  Maybe she smells?  I remember a friend said to me when John died - who cares or even knows if you don't change your knickers for three weeks!  Well, I think they WOULD notice after three weeks but it made me laugh, and that was what I needed!  Something will be a trigger for her to have a wash and change her clothes sometime - maybe even a pretty new top left lying on her bed?  If she is anything like you she will rebel against being told to do anything, won't she?
I moved here almost three years ago now, 150 miles form the area i had been brought up in - no friends down here at all, just my kids about half an hour from here.  For the first year  did nothing to the house, just couldn't settle at all.  Was always out somewhere with the dogs, cursed the place because I was paranoid about not letting them off lead where they could get anywhere near roads.  But since that first year has passed I have now realised that in fact this is an excellent home for me, so near to all the facilities I need as I get older, made loads of new friends, including Sandy and Steve,and being their Matron of Honour yesterday, found safe, fenced off walks for the dogs, and started to make this house the way I want it, and the garden roughened up to look more like a smallholding.  Very little money left now, and at present no water or drainage, but very positive.  So things will feel better for you, I can assure you of that.  I will keep an eye on this thread all the time now.  xx

[little blue]

and again Jackie, I can sympathise from experience about your mum and her clothes.

my father-in-law was never good for washing or changing even before dementia struck....
and when it did  - it was a constant battle & usually only a threat from a good family friend that she would strip & scrub him was the only solution!!
sometimes he even rotated his clothes, keeping a much worn jumper over clean unders or vice versa.

there is no easy solution, the best advice I can offer is "dont sweat the small stuff"  - the advice Annie was given sounds good to me!

[Jackie 2]

Would anyone like me to start this blog again? 

[plumseverywhere]

Absolutely Jackie!!

Must admit, seeing a post 'started' by George brought back loads of happy memories just now, I think we all still miss him!