Christmas gifts

Tray from our neighbour Charlie; glasses & ice cream scoop from Andrew's sister & her family; egg cups from our friend Daz aka freaky boy!

Mr J gave me the complete DVD set of Gavin & Stacey

Chocolates, port, gourmet cheeses and chutneys

A toy cow Helen bought for Andrew in Budapest

Weeeeeeee!

We did extremely well for Christmas.  Because people knew that we didn't have alot of practical things for our home, we got some great stuff.  I am really pleased with the tray and the ice cream scoop, I was only thinking a couple of weeks ago that I would like to buy these things.

The chocolates were well received and didn't last long (hanging my head in shame).

I've got a job!

Starting yesterday, I have a part time job as a milk sampler.  Basically I have 5 or more dairy farms to visit twice each month (once in the afternoon, then once the following morning), I have to collect a sample of milk from each cow during milking and write down how many litres of milk each cow is producing.  The milk samples get sorted and sent away for testing to find out how much fat & protein is in each sample.

I have done this job before in Australia, although on a much larger scale.  The farms I'm visiting have around 100-120 cows, so it is small and manageable, and each visit to the farm only takes around 2 hours.

The money isn't alot, but it is a real help to us as it will cover 1/2 of the food bill each week or fill up the car and give me a little bit extra cash to buy things for the house.  The job isn't my ideal but it's better than nothing and at least it means we have more money coming in until I can find something more suitable.

Andrew & I are heading to Dartmoor for 3 nights' stay at a cottage which we are sharing with some friends.  I am hoping for some sunny weather so we can go out hiking and take some nice photos.  The forecast is for possible snow for the south west of England, that would be fantastic too!

Merry Christmas

Real snow!

We had a surprise visit from a group of carollers last night, including Andrew's boss' wife Denise.  If I had known that the village had organized to go carolling I would have joined them (not that I like Christmas carols, it would just have been a nice way to make some friends).  After they'd been through the village they stopped in for mulled wine and mince pies at The Old Forge B&B.

I actually went looking for the group after they left our house but they had completely disappeared and despite following their tracks in the snow I couldn't find them.  I was so upset to have missed out and really disappointed that I hadn't been invited.  So to cheer me up, Andrew took me for a walk after dinner so we could go look at the Christmas lights and walk around the village.

Local villagers at our front door singing Christmas carols to raise money for charity.

The only house in the village that had gone to any real effort to decorate.

Our driveway and house from the road.

Shaftesbury high street (church is on my left).

Shaftesbury Abbey overlooking Blackmore Vale.

Snow.... almost

It snowed for about an hour yesterday.  I was so excited, I really hoped we'd get about 1-2 inches, just enough to blanket the garden & roof of the house so I could get some photos.  Sadly, it didn't do that and the snow melted away as soon as it stopped falling.

Don't know if you can make out the snowflakes falling.  It all melted away pretty quickly.

I decided to have a go at making a Christmas wreath today, thanks to a home decorating series called Kirstie's Home Made Christmas.  I didn't have any of the materials she had so I made do with some string and very flexible branches.

My first attempt at a (rather rubbish) Christmas wreath.  Cost me absolutely nothing so I'm happy!

Fireplace again with some berries and evergreen foliage along the mantle.

I've been going crazy with candle making again.  Andrew & I are giving candles as Christmas gifts to a few of our closest friend this year, so I have had fun making a mess in the kitchen.

The finished candles.  Some of the wicks need trimming before they are wrapped and packed into gift bags.

The next batch of various colours and shapes.  These candles will be used around our house.

The two large jars at the back are recycled salsa jars, the three small clear tealight holders are from Tesco (50p each! Bargain!!) and the purple and red tealight holders at the front are from Homebase (99p each!  Also a bargain!!).  Rather than put tealights in the tealight holders, I made wicks and stuck them inside the holders so I can pour the wax straight in.

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas

Andrew & I decided to pick up some Chinese takeaway for dinner on our way home from visiting his Gran tonight. Neither of us goes through the high street of Shaftesbury unless it's during daylight hours when the shops are open, so it was a pleasant surprise to drive into town last night and find the street ablaze with lights and colour for Christmas.

The photo doesn't do it justice, I'll have to go back again tomorrow night and take more pics.

Take-away food in hand, we are just about to jump in the car and head home.
Andrew reminds me of Blackboard (from Mr Squiggle) in this photo - "Hu-rrry uuuup..."

Can you see the similarity??

Our fireplace with a little bit of Christmas cheer

For the last 4 years I haven't felt very festive because of the terrible things we've endured and the sadness it has left in my heart.  It certainly took the "Merry" out of Christmas.

This year I am feeling a little more relaxed about it so, rather than buy a tree, I have decided to invest in some Christmas lights just to brighten up the fireplace (the foliage you can see inside the pit is just some cuttings I took from a tree outside).  These are teensy tiny LED lights that have about 7 different flashing functions.  Tomorrow I will add some more green foliage and berries to the mantlepiece so it looks even more Christmassy.

Brighter day

Today I had my first job interview.

The job is for a part time milk sampler, which means going to 5 farms every month to collect milk samples for every cow which then get sent of for lab testing to see how much fat and protein is in the sample.  I've done this job before but on a much larger scale when we were farming in Australia.

I got some positive feedback from the interviewers, they told me that I am the strongest candidate for the job as I'm the only one who has had any experience.  Sounds good so far but I'm going to keep level headed about it and not assume that I've got it, otherwise I'll be shattered.

The money isn't too bad really, it will be nice to have a bit of extra income for us, and there is opportunity to pick up more work when someone goes on maternity leave shortly.

Fingers, toes, anything crossed for me.

Feeling very blah

Another birthday gone.

I feel utterly miserable tonight.

I'm 35.  I have no job.  I have no children.  I have no home of my own.

This is not what I had planned for this stage of my life, Andrew & I should be in a more secure position than we are right now and we should have at least two children if everything didn't go to shit like it did.  Instead we are still up to our ears in debt with no way to pay it and we will be declaring ourselves bankrupt very soon.  When that happens, we won't be able to borrow money to buy our own home for years, the banks won't come anywhere near us.

I feel like I have failed in so many ways and wasted so many great opportunities.  Money isn't everything to me, having a grandiose home with all the high tech gadgets and a fancy lifestyle isn't up there on my list of wants.

Ignoring the debt for a moment, in some aspects the absence of a mortgage and a house is a blessing.  We aren't tied to the one place, so if Andrew was to get the dream job offer we can pack up and go.  We have a freedom that so many people don't, so that is one thing I am truly grateful for.

I am also grateful for the support and love I have received from my family and friends, I am grateful for my health, I am grateful for a loving husband who has been through so much with me and stood by me when the going was so tough it would probably destroy many relationships.

We deserve so much more than the shit we have been dealt.  All I want is for us to be financially secure, and above all I want us to be parents.

Right now, we are neither of those and that is what makes me so sad.

Bliss!

This is my second Dyson vac, it arrived today.  I left the first one behind in Australia, gave it to Mum as she needed one!  This model is the DC23 Allergy and it is fantastic, I bought it from an authorised seller on eBay and the best part is that I saved almost £100 off retail price, plus free delivery!


Double bliss....  Dr Phil has started showing on Freesat, today I got to see the very first episode he ever filmed.  Now I can have my midday fix of Dr Phil every day.

Having withdrawals....

I think I left my DVD set with the tizzy clutch at Matty & John's place (boys, if you read this, can you check the cabinet ploise.... toot sweet).  So, for now, if I'm desperate I can watch little snippets of my favourite K&K scenes on Youtube.

Andrew had a job interview on Wednesday and I tagged along with him.  If he is offered the job it comes with a house but the only downside is that the house is in town, about 5 minutes drive from the farm.  The house looks beautiful (I didn't get a pic, sorry) but it has no gardens and is in the middle of a street so we will have alot of neighbours.

 The farm is in the Cotswolds, kind of like the Hunter Valley with its beautifully groomed paddocks and picturesque scenery.  And very wealthy estate owners.

Farm shed, milking parlour & office

My handsome hubby wishing I'd bugger off while he psyches himself up for a job interview

Cow being groomed by a giant hairbrush

Oh yes....  that's the spot...

Can't forget the tail can we now?

Inside the shed where the cows are "housed" during the winter.  The most impressive shed I've ever seen.  There are scrapers that periodically muck the shit out of the sheds, the cows have individual beds that are filled with sawdust, giant fans suspended from the roof to keep a good airflow, and of course the giant hairbrushes to keep the cows looking pretty.

~

It was bright and sunny this morning so I decided to take advantage of it and tackle the vegie patch a bit more.  I weeded the patch in the foreground, and even though it is larger than the patch at the rear, it took less time to weed.  It's a shame the sun didn't stay out a bit longer for the photo.

~

Andy & Nat came to visit us today, and they gave me this perfectly lovely gardenia scented candle set as a birthday present.  I've already put the set on display in our kitchen on the window where our dining table is.

We sat in the lounge room sipping mocha and eating chocolate croissant, talking about Christmas shopping and admiring my home made candles in the fireplace.

I only had 45 minutes to spruce the house up before they arrived so I lit the candles and put out some Christmas pressies that I haven't got around to wrapping yet.  If you think that reindeer looks terrified now, just wait til he sees Jack (the dog next door) on Christmas day!  We decided that, as Jack has befriended us and he's really quite harmless, we would buy him the reindeer toy and a chewy treat.  Jack's owner Charlie will be getting a nice big tin of Fox's biscuits.

Now that my 2nd order of wax and wick has arrived, over the next few day I will be making more candles as Christmas presents for friends and family.  I can't believe how easy they are to make, I really wish I'd started this years ago.

So much to do, so little time

Not quite true, there is alot to do and I have all the time in the world, it's just difficult to decide which way to go as there are so many things happening at the one time.

Everyone really gets into the Christmas spirit in the UK, the villages all rally together for various events, all these markets start popping up at the same time, usually on the weekend so I'm torn between at least two or three.

This weekend is the Farmer's market in Shaftesbury at 9am, then there is a Christmas craft fair at Stourhead and a festival at Tisbury (aptly named 'Tiztheseason).  I guess I could attend all of them but the great lure of all these activities is to spend money, of which I have none!

Next weekend is going to be a busy one as well.  On Saturday Andrew and I are going to a Christmas dinner at the Fox & Badger Inn at Wellow, it's a 3 course dinner for 16.95 a head.  That day there is also a farmer's market at Stourhead, a Christmas fair at Bournemouth and a Christmas craft & gift bazaar in Gillingham!  Then on Sunday there is a free candle making workshop at Stourhead.

To tell the truth, the main reason why I'm so interested in going to these markets and fairs is so that I can be a spy girl.  I want to check out what kinds of market stalls people have, whether there are any candle stalls and if so how they display their candles and what kinds of prices they put on them.  I definitely won't be ready to hold my own stall for a few months yet as I have so much to learn, but this is the best time of year to investigate these things because there are so many fairs and markets around, after Christmas it will be very quiet for a few months.

I hope the next five days fly past, Andrew has a four day weekend coming up, starting on Thursday.  I want to take him to The Udder Farm Shop in Gillingham, where they serve yummy food and sell produce from local farms.  We try to support local producers as much as we can and Andrew loves his cheeses (the smellier the better he reckons - barf!!!) so what better way to do it.  Andrew's favourite cheese at the moment is Dorset Blue Vinney (eeeww), however I see that the Udder Farm Shop sells a cheese with the name of Stinking Bishop, so I'm sure Andrew will be in raptures.

Today I drove to Nunney to see Grandma, then I stopped at Homebase in Frome (I am addicted to Homebase!) and bought some more wine glasses with chunky stems so I can make all the candles we need for Christmas presents.  I was pretty lucky actually, as I thought they had sold out of the tall glasses when I was there the other day but they'd found more stock and had them out on display when I returned today.

Tomorrow I'll go to the National Trust gift shop at Stourhead to find some nice Christmas gifts for family & friends back in Australia, as well as do my spy girl activities at the Christmas craft fair.

Salisbury

These photos were taken on Andrew's weekend off a couple of weeks back.  We went to Salisbury to see Up at the cinema and the farmer's market was on so we walked around for a while to browse.

Andrew was trying to get out of the frame.  Not quick enough Mr J!

The smells coming from this stall were insane - I wish I'd bought some semi-dried tomatoes.

Gloomy weather but it was a good day - although the lady in the middle of the pic probably wouldn't agree.

Mr J squirming at being in another photo.  This is one of the streets of Salisbury.

Inside the Odeon cinema building.  This section of the cinema was built in 1470 by John Halle, a wealthy wool merchant and clothier, and four-time mayor of Salisbury.

Original 1470 fireplace.  Alvin and the Chipmunks look bizarrely out of place.

The ceiling of the 15th century hall.

Ornate carved panelling.

Ironically, we didn't even get to see the movie that day as it was the weekend and the place was crawling with parents and children, so we decided to go another time when it is a bit quieter.

Lanterns

I found these lovely beaded lanterns on eBay for a bargain of 8.77 for four!  And that's including postage.

I was a bit disappointed when I received them as they weren't as red as they looked in the auction photo, they have more of an orange-red tint.  But once I lit some tealights and stood back they looked more red again.  I can't complain really as I got them for an absolute steal.

The finished masterpiece

I have to say, they look stunning.

I burned the candles for almost 2hrs last night and the wax had barely melted when I examined them this morning.  This is good news, it means that my candles have a very long burn life!

The only thing that I will need to change for the next batch is to use a thicker wick for the wider glass, as the melt pool was quite small, unlike the melt pool in the taller glass and tealight holder which went right to the edges.  The size of the melt pool isn't so important for plain candles but if I want to make scented candles, the melt pool has to be bigger to give a good scent throw.

So much to learn!  But I'm having so much fun exploring my creative side, I felt quite a sense of achievement last night when I lit my candles and sat back to stare at the flames.  There is something hypnotic about candles, I always feel a sense of peace and calmness around them.