Monday 25 June 2007

A Country Dream - originally posted 9th April

I've always wanted to live in the country. As a child I dreamt of perhaps marrying a farmer - until my dad pointed out that there was no way I would be able to deal with rearing animals to then use for food!! It's not that I have anything against eating meat - I eat it myself sometimes! It's also not that I have anything against the farming process - I LOVE farms! It's just that I would get far too attached to the animals themselves to ever eat the meat produced by them. I can't help it - I get attached far too easily!! But I digress...

I always loved the country. To me it speaks of family, life, and friendship. I think of sunny days, babbling brooks and fields of wheat and barley! And the country kitchen with the smell of baking bread and vegetables from the garden lying on the table waiting to be turned into a feast. Ahhhhh how I love the country - and how I long for a country life!

Of course, I know this is a dream - and there are downsides to living in the country - but my heart still longs for that life. And the other day I felt like I was truly home, even though we are living in town. I was sat at Anna's and she had her mother and sister-in-law visiting from Sweden. Oh how I loved to listen to them chatting away - I even understood a few words - but that's another digression!

We sat in the garden, listening to the birds chirping and singing in the trees, saw the squirrel come running along the fence to sniff us out and see what we were doing in his garden! We washed the blanket from Smith's house (Smith is a stray cat who is extremely fat from all the scraps he eats and lives in a two-bed bungalow - namely an old rabbit hutch - in Anna's garden). Then, as the sun went down we put the girls next door (the chickens) to bed and then sat around the table eating a feast of cheese, salad and fruit! Yum!

I love those kinds of meals - where you sit and chat leisurely, helping yourself to the goodies piled high in the centre of the table. As a picky eater (post eating-disorder of sorts and present sufferer of IBS) I much prefer being able to choose my food than have it placed on a plate in front of me. And I just find it much more homely to help yourself - having food served up is kinda like being in a restaurant to my mind lol

So this weekend I got a little taste of the country in the city! How wonderful it was and how my soul soared! It's back to work tomorrow... maybe I can try and spread some country charm into the nursery ;o)

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