venern: Country days...

By the by, they ploughed the fields by our house yesterday. This ploughing has, over years, become significant for us. We live in the middle of a working arable farm. The fields are leased to various farmers so it's always a guess as to which crop we are going to get. Sometimes winter wheat, sometimes potatoes, sometimes corn, sometimes celery. For months now the field has been left to fallow and has looked, well, downright ugly. Weeds and more weeds growing up until one day a month ago tractors came and sprayed those weeds away with some kind of industrial weed killer. I don't even want to think about the chemicals. Every day since I have I wished that the tractor would arrive and plough - that's what I like; the freshness of newly turned mud (or 'sod' as my husband calls it and is, I believe, the correct name!)

The tractor ploughed a metre deep with the kind of farming machinery that makes you wince. Especially considering that in the good ole days, this must have been done with a mule, and as it ploughed, birds circled overhead. A shiny John Deere tractor went back and forth until what was left was the freshest, turned field. The children got home from school and commented (as the daylight dwindled; seriously it's dark by 4.24pm) '...ahhh, the farmer ploughed; that will make Mummy happy'. Such are my simple pleasures that this ploughing rigmarole does indeed make me happy.

I have caught a cold and so today I want to lie low. The weather keeps turning from rain to sun and there have already been three rainbows; that's got to be a good sign, don't you think?

I love living here this time of year, and despite the chill I enjoy winter drawing in; the chance to light the fire and loll on the sofa in the evenings. Tomorrow is time for Advent calendars... roll on the festive season; this year I am ready for it.