In the beginning.....

Welcome! I have been pondering blogging since we moved last October, from just outside of Bath to a tiny village in North Oxfordshire. With some gentle encouragement from a dear friend who has the most wonderful blog and all the beautiful blogs I have visited since our move I have been inspired to write my own.

So who am I and why am I here? Well Mr H's job moved to Oxfordshire, and as a family we just can't function when he works away all week so we decided that we would join him. After much searching we were delighted to find a very 1970's style bungalow set along a farm track with it's own orchard for a back garden and a paddock just crying out for sheep, chickens and ducks - our idea of pure heaven. The village has a tiny school just a few minutes walk from the Bungalow and Mr H's work just a 20 minute drive, all quite perfect. We were leaving behind family, great friends and a small woodland so the spot we choose had much to live up to.
As I sit and write this post I am looking out at B&A at the bottom of the paddock in the stream with Bumble creating a tidal wave of mud having a marvelous time - just one of those magical moments. Although there is a high price to pay for free range children,fun resulting in hours of hosing, moping and laundering things that used to look like children and clothes!We were so privileged to arrive at the Bungalow during a spectacular autumn. We had plenty of time to enjoy the colours, apples on the trees and the stunning views. Then the frosty cold days of a true winter with a magical fog that often clung to the trees at the bottom of the paddock giving a truly Christmassy feel to the whole place. Now we are into a new year which will bring us so many more wonderful times here. When we return from a peaceful escape to Finland we will collect sheep and settle them into their new paddock. Scrub chicken coops and find some plump, comfy residents, with the promise of fresh eggs and the sound of contented clucking to keep me and Bumble company as we march through the spring months.
It all sounds very idyllic and is, although we are no strangers to the learning curve of being more rural. Dragging the wheelie bin for what feels like eternity to get it emptied. Septic tanks are a whole new ball game, one which we don't understand the rules. Blocked drains are frequent and drain rods one of our new best friends. Oil tanks are also a great mystery which I am reliably informed will all become clear with time. But there is a nagging sense of dread that one day we will wake up with no heating or hot water, not something to look forward to as believe me it is two coats colder up here.

B&A continue to enjoy the freedom of the outdoors and the prospect of longer warmer days are very inviting. New friends are being made and there is always the thrill of seeing old ones. My hopes and dreams for 2009 is a year where we can enjoy all the wonders of where we have set up our new home and welcome all the muddles & magic to come.