For quite some time I have been meaning to write a blog about living simply in the countryside and how busy you are just surviving. But guess what? I haven’t had time because I have been busy surviving!!!

But now I have the moment I thought that I would give you an idea of what it would be like for you if you, too, chose to live in a ‘rural idyll’ with not a lot of funds, or realistically if that is another way to put it!

Firstly since my last post to you all I can confirm that our beautiful boy Harley is doing well and back to tormenting his sister with regard to chews and toys!! Chaos really does reign supreme in this house and we are blessed. So this has added to my routine because he has had to have numerous medications administered, kine (physio) three times a day because his back legs get stiff and lot’s of watching because he is a Welsh Terrier who thinks he is invincible – as most of them do!

Would I change any of this – not for the world and when he snuggles up to me at night and I have a Welsh Terrier under my arm (another on my head!) and a glass of wine the world is good……..

As you may know we have also started up a fledgling business making and selling rustic wooden stars and hearts  via my Etsy Shop so I have been busy, as chief designer and decorator, embellishing them for the people across the world who have bought them. I just hope that they like them….

 

A wonderful way to work though, and I am loving my Etsy shop petiteFrenchfancies, it is doing well for a fledgling and I continue to promote and build on it everyday – thank God for all the computer skills that I have learnt over the years.

But despite all of this when you live a rural life you really do ‘live’ life; especially if you have five cats, two Welshies, and seven chickens!! Let me give you an example:

I got up the other day and as is often the case, there was a half eaten mouse waiting on the mat, one of my cats does not like to eat the noses so she leaves them for us for breakfast – bless her. So  I went into the kitchen, fed the cats, put the kettle on, let the dogs out, cleaned up the mouse, opened the blinds, and let the dogs back in. Wiglet (ever the hunter) even thought butter wouldn’t melt to look at her..

proceeded to wiggle around the kitchen (remember I have not had a cup of tea yet!) I thought to myself ‘There is a mouse in here’ as I turned around. Then I heart what sounded like a dogs toy and I turned back to find her with a dead (whole) mouse in her mouth! ‘Oh well, I thought, at least it had a quick death!’ (I always try to look at the bright side!) So I cleaned the mouse up and eventually sat down for my first cup of tea.

As I drink my tea I promote petiteFrenchfancies (see link at bottom of page) and put pictures on Instagram, twitter, Facebook.

But work does not end there , our only form of heating is our wood burner so my morning goes like this …..clean out the wood burner, load the wood burner, light the wood burner. Rich cuts logs in the barn and brings them round and we load the log cupboard up with logs – carrying them in in old carrier bags because you have to be able to shut the door behind you or you will just be defeating the object.

Then you load the wood burner again…

Clean the kitchen – living in such a rural area and given the dead mouse every day I wash my kitchen down, every day! Unload the dishwasher, load the dishwasher, make some of my wonderful garlic and parsley mix (which I like to have in the fridge as I add it to so many recipes now!) Put washing in, feed the chickens, feed the dogs, feed the cats (again).

Load the wood burner…..

By now it is mid-day so because electric is cheaper, I run around and put the electric heaters on around the house for two hours.

Then I sit down to paint stars, paint hearts, embellish them.

Load the wood burner…..

Make lunch – I have made up some lovely recipes for soup now so look out for them and made a delicious Tomato soup last week.

Load the wood burner …..

Book postage for items sold on Etsy shop. Pack up items for courier.

Load the wood burner!!!

I think you get the picture! Would I change it? Not in a million years!

I will be blogging all week leading up to Christmas folks – thanks for staying with me there are some good posts to come and some seasonal as well.

As always please share; and if you want to take a look at my shop the link is below or just type in petiteFrenchfancies and up she will come. I have just opened a 40% sale so you may find something vintage you like….

 

Moisy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PetiteFrenchfancies