Living in the country is great most of the time – plenty of fresh air, space, green field, very little noise, no immediate neighbours, beautiful views, lovely walks … the list goes on really.  It does have its drawbacks though – one being farmyard scents I guess, the other being very nosy neighbours!  Occasionally I hear back stuff that is said about myself and Brian and not only does it make me chuckle but I do wonder why on earth people find us so interesting to gossip about, and I’m sure I only hear back a fraction of it (okay, I probably sound a bit big-headed now expecting that people are talking about me but judging by the occasional titbit I’ve heard back – the limits are endless!)

Admittedly, Brian and I have given people plenty to talk about although in the grand scheme of things, our lives are fairly quiet and boring.  But we have taken a few risks such as leaving our jobs and careers in England and totally changing direction, buying land, renovating houses, setting up an interior design business, opening an online shop, going on national television (that was a big ‘un) and talking on local radio.

This afternoon, I was in a meeting and when I left I was listening to my voicemail to hear the dulcet tones of our local auctioneer asking me to phone him back which I did.  It turned out he had already called to the houses but neither of us were there so I was wondering what the urgency was.  Apparently he heard it from ‘the horse’s mouth’ or, I should say, 3 horses, that we were selling the house we rent out (which is vacant at the moment) and as he had heard it from 3 different (and allegedly reliable) sources, he decided to see if he could manage the sale.  I had to laugh – if people are saying that we are selling that lovely house, they are probably suggesting that we are skint (well, we are but so is every farmer out there), that we have to sell up, that we overstretched ourselves, that we’re getting our comeuppance and who does yer one think she is with her fancy curtains!!  Anyway, I had to laugh as I told him that while we weren’t buying anything at the moment, we weren’t selling either.  Now, imagine if the ‘3 horses’ knew what we were planning next!

Anyone who lives in rural Ireland or indeed any other country, can probably empathise with this scenario.  News doesn’t mean national news, international news, or indeed local news, but who is doing what within the 5 mile radius.  City living does have its distinct advantages!

PS I’ll be writing the Friday Fix-it blog post in a couple of hours x