Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year to you all!

2012 has been gentle in it's infancy so far and touch wood.

The weather was not gentle, far from it...a few more garden renovations, limbs moved from the places they were dumped by the last gale, Nature changed her mind and decided the limbs would look better over there with an added swing and a few plant pots....

The Farmer and our eldest son are out with the chainsaw cutting some of the limbs up. We all complained bitterly when some 'logs' were hastily brought in during the storm, chucked on the fire, went up in a huge blaze and then the smell hit. An old telegraph post had been chopped up and the smell of creosote cleared the room. It lingered and refused to leave.

We could not open the windows because of the gale so took to sitting in the kitchen (where the fumes from the ancient oily Rayburn were only slightly less evil).

We have been slobs this year, so far.

Toys for small boys are being played with by small boys, painting by numbers painted carefully by Rosie, old copies of the Scottish Farmer read happily by the Farmer and I am attempting circular knitting for the first time. Badly.

We had a lovely First Foot from the neighbouring farmer.
The entire family was so chuffed to have a visitor that we plied him with food and drink, listened to all his stories - who had been born, married and died (I had no idea who half the poor deceased were as he called them by their farm names as is common here), new calves and the struggle to bring them into the world, gossip then after his system was 'well oiled', some cracking jokes which made me blush then shoo the children out of the room for a few minutes!

Pledges were made between The Two Farmers to go to the market together more often and possibly one or two local social events (bowling - sorry but it does not float my boat).

This is that time of year when you really have no idea what day it is, nor do you care. The children have melted back into the home 'routine', school and nursery forgotten, sleep times longer, eating when hungry and playing when they want.

It is wonderfully peaceful.

I was chuffed and shocked to find that I had lost 2 1/2 kilos over Christmas, despite initial piggery. I still have no appetite at all but no doubt it will come back with bells on.

Scotland seems to be slowly wakening up after her wild shehannigans over the festive season and is taking her time to get back to normal.

I'm ok with that, right now.

Slante!