Christmas Eve. We discovered a dark patch appearing in the concrete floor in the lounge. As it was increasing in size we wondered if it could be a leak in the new under floor heating, so we contacted the plumber who arrived scratching his head and tutting and muttering very softly to himself “Oh dear … oh bloody hell … oh dear dear … oh bloody hell .. this hasn't happened before ... oh bloody hell ... ooh bloody hell ... oooh bloody hell”. He explained that part of the new concrete floor would need to be dug up and the leak repaired. Good job we hadn't put down a floor covering yet. He switched off the heating with a promise to return with the builder in the new year. At least we had an efficient log burner to keep us warm.
All 4 children arrived, 2 with partners, to spend the next few days over Christmas with us. The days were cold wet and windy so we stayed in and had an enjoyable time eating, drinking sleeping and playing among piles of boxes. Somehow we managed!
One of my specifications for buying a property was that it should be within walking distance to a village shop. Our village shop is about 15 minutes away (downhill). Good enough for me. Horror of horrors - just as we moved in, the shop declared they were closing down!! Oh well, we still have a post office. My 3 times a week walk to the shop was to be my weekly exercise. I guess I'll have to take up writing letters just so I can buy 3 stamps a week. Could prove a little costly. A pint of milk is cheaper!!
2013
Back to 'normality'. An empty house again – well, except me & Will. Still full to the brim with boxes. Leak and hole in the floor mended. The builders have finished our part of the house. They have now started on the 'lower end' which we plan to use as a holiday let.
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We routinely check our land for any stray sheep, not that we mind them keeping the grass short, but I object to all my plants being destroyed. We have future plans to section off a small area as a sheep-free zone. Then they can go wherever else they like - except the sheep-free zone.
On one occasion (well more than one really), we checked the land and when sure there were no sheep in it, we went out. As we drove down the drive, 5 smirking sheep were lined up along their side of the fence watching us leave.
We turned down the drive, passed by the bottom of our field, and as we looked back, there, in the middle of the field were 3 white blobs! They'd fooled us again. Who says sheep don't have a sense of humour
On another occasion, I was trying to chase sheep out of our field. Eventually I cornered them. At which point, they transported themselves from standing position in my field to standing position the other side of a 4 ft stock proof fence. Stock proof? PAH!
Returning from a walk one day, we came across 3 sheep in the road, they walked up our drive towards our closed gate. We walked behind them, hoping to scare them into showing us their secret way into our garden. Instead, they turned and faced us, then took off and leapt 5 feet in the air, between our heads, then ran away behind us back into the road!
I feel a new tourist attraction coming on - 'Sheep Olympics', or better still, 'I'm a Sheep, Get Me out of Here'..
We went to Asda and bought food including a warm cheese-topped baguette which we were to eat with ham for lunch later. On the way home we called in at a tile shop to buy some bathroom tiles. While I was in the shop paying, Will put the tiles in the back of the truck, and in typical man character, decided to tighten up a screw that had come loose which took forever! On my return to the truck, we noticed the baguette had disappeared! Then Will noticed the end of a warm cheese-topped baguette protruding from the mouth of the shop owner's dog! Clearly, while Will had been tightening up the screw, he had left open his side door and unbeknown to him, the Labrador had jumped in and stole the baguette - the whole lot!!! Pah! we were really looking forward to our lunch. why didn't he take the healthy wholemeal cobs?? He didn't even take the ham! Maybe he was conscious of our 'trying to eat healthily' diet and was helping the cause. Well, it didn't work because instead we consumed a packet of chocolate biscuits!!
We never found the polythene packaging the cheese-topped baguette came in!
We turned down the drive, passed by the bottom of our field, and as we looked back, there, in the middle of the field were 3 white blobs! They'd fooled us again. Who says sheep don't have a sense of humour
On another occasion, I was trying to chase sheep out of our field. Eventually I cornered them. At which point, they transported themselves from standing position in my field to standing position the other side of a 4 ft stock proof fence. Stock proof? PAH!
We had an unexplainable, repeated performance from Blodwyn the sheep.
On one daily inspection we found 2 white blobs in our field - Blodwyn & Dolly. Will herded them up towards the top of the garden, while I hid in waiting to chase them along the drive and out of the gate, BUT every time we did this, two sheep disappeared behind the house and only one reappeared the other side. Leaving me to escort only Dolly off the premises. We had no idea where Blodwyn was hiding. Thorough searching revealed nothing. The same happened for 3 days in succession. Dolly and Blodwyn appeared in the field and only Dolly left! On the following day we solved the enigma. Blodwyn very swiftly runs up to a small ruin behind the shed, runs along the wall where the fencing is a little low (lower on our side than field side) and jumps off into her field while we are in hot pursuit and out of sight, then calmly mingles with other less adventurous sheep. We have yet to discover how they get in.
One night we had a fantastic thunderstorm of continental proportions. It blew a large chunk of ivy from the top of a tree. The fallen ivy was the size of a 3 ft by 3ft sized bush with a 3” thick trunk. I decided to try and salvage it so I stuck it in a bucket of water with a plan to plant it the next day.
One night we had a fantastic thunderstorm of continental proportions. It blew a large chunk of ivy from the top of a tree. The fallen ivy was the size of a 3 ft by 3ft sized bush with a 3” thick trunk. I decided to try and salvage it so I stuck it in a bucket of water with a plan to plant it the next day.
The next morning, I found the ivy removed from its bucket and leafless. Standing over it looking not the least bit guilty, munching away was Blodwyn!
Returning from a walk one day, we came across 3 sheep in the road, they walked up our drive towards our closed gate. We walked behind them, hoping to scare them into showing us their secret way into our garden. Instead, they turned and faced us, then took off and leapt 5 feet in the air, between our heads, then ran away behind us back into the road!
I feel a new tourist attraction coming on - 'Sheep Olympics', or better still, 'I'm a Sheep, Get Me out of Here'..
We went to Asda and bought food including a warm cheese-topped baguette which we were to eat with ham for lunch later. On the way home we called in at a tile shop to buy some bathroom tiles. While I was in the shop paying, Will put the tiles in the back of the truck, and in typical man character, decided to tighten up a screw that had come loose which took forever! On my return to the truck, we noticed the baguette had disappeared! Then Will noticed the end of a warm cheese-topped baguette protruding from the mouth of the shop owner's dog! Clearly, while Will had been tightening up the screw, he had left open his side door and unbeknown to him, the Labrador had jumped in and stole the baguette - the whole lot!!! Pah! we were really looking forward to our lunch. why didn't he take the healthy wholemeal cobs?? He didn't even take the ham! Maybe he was conscious of our 'trying to eat healthily' diet and was helping the cause. Well, it didn't work because instead we consumed a packet of chocolate biscuits!!
We never found the polythene packaging the cheese-topped baguette came in!
Next blog - And if other people's animals aren't annoying enough
Thank you..... just loving these exploits after a naff day at work
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