The best girls came over for dinner last night and we invaded Mum's kitchen and conservatory as we ate numerous lovely things like jacket potatoes, cheeses, cold cuts, bread, chutneys, salads....the list goes on. We always have great chats over good food and wine!
I recalled when I went on a German exchange program when I was at school at the tender age of 15. I was a little unsure about going as I wasn't even doing German so had only a small grasp of the language and I voiced this to tutor organising the trip who cajoled me into it anyway. So, I find out to my horror that they have paired me with someone of a very similar background. Therefore a farmer's girl. Joy. I traded a country farm in the middle of nowhere for something similar in the land of Helga with a family who didn't speak the language where I was just as isolated as I was at home! This family had a hide of a Friesian cow on the landing floor which I found completely repulsive and felt the need to side step around it pressing my body against the wall as I went!
I did love living and growing up in the countryside but it does have its restrictions. You have to drive everywhere and therefore until I could drive at 17 I had to be ferried around which limited my getting out ability and in fact socialising in general. So when I was in Germany I had the same problems and was forced to stay around the farm while the rest of the exchange party were living it up in the local parks sampling the local schnapps.
This is the latest Google street view of the farm I grew up in:
It really is a beautiful home and it has been in my family for 3 generations being farmed for milk, beef and arable.
When we started considering moving and in fact emigrating we started to talk about what we wanted for Finn and Isla for their childhood. I think it would be nice to live somewhere that they can visit friends and the local park without having to get in the car. I have visions of children being able to knock on our door and ask if they can come out to play after school. Being able to walk to the park and use the swings and take some snags to chuck on the free, clean barbies for lunch.
There are my ideas, however I have never lived in a city, town or even a suburb as I have always lived in the country. Therefore my ideals may change over the next few years but I am ready to give it a go.
I did love living and growing up in the countryside but it does have its restrictions. You have to drive everywhere and therefore until I could drive at 17 I had to be ferried around which limited my getting out ability and in fact socialising in general. So when I was in Germany I had the same problems and was forced to stay around the farm while the rest of the exchange party were living it up in the local parks sampling the local schnapps.
This is the latest Google street view of the farm I grew up in:
It really is a beautiful home and it has been in my family for 3 generations being farmed for milk, beef and arable.
When we started considering moving and in fact emigrating we started to talk about what we wanted for Finn and Isla for their childhood. I think it would be nice to live somewhere that they can visit friends and the local park without having to get in the car. I have visions of children being able to knock on our door and ask if they can come out to play after school. Being able to walk to the park and use the swings and take some snags to chuck on the free, clean barbies for lunch.
There are my ideas, however I have never lived in a city, town or even a suburb as I have always lived in the country. Therefore my ideals may change over the next few years but I am ready to give it a go.
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