Finally succumbed tothe central heating

We have had to put the central heating on. Fought it until the last minute but the switch has been finally clicked. It has been a very
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mild autumn and the range cooker in the kitchen keeps us very cosy around the table. But the chill winds, biting cold and promise of frost each night has convinced us a bit of extra warmth is needed.

At least we are not being disturbed by the sound of the bawling calves when snuggled down under our duvet.

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The calves took a while to settle but we made a very strategic move by going away for the week’s stalking the day after the calves were weaned off their Mums.

Our house sitters said they needed ear plugs for most of the time.

Although our land work is finished now for the winter, the emergent crops still need some TLC. Yesterday John had me checking out weather reports on t’internet to see if any frost was imminent in the next few hours as he needed to spray the corn with herbicide.

He seized the moment and finished his spraying within a timed safety limit.

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But there is never a real break from work. Repairs both domestic and agricultural loom large.

Outside the most immediate repair job has already been completed. A new motor for the dirty water pump has been installed. The old one was put in twenty five years ago to clear the dirty water from the milking parlour.

The wash out from the milking parlour could not be flushed away into the dike and had to be collected in an underground tank and pumped out into the fields well away from any drainage systems.

Now the tank only collects rainwater, but the pump had failed.

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When the water reaches an unacceptable height, a siren is set off.

A screech that would keep the whole village awake and which necessitated emergency measures to stop the yard flooding and surplus dirty water going into the dikes.

Then there was our electric fence system that needed a repair after being lent to a neighbour.

The sheep are on fresh pasture and the fence required to restrict their access to select sections of grazing so they do not get eaten up all at once.

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Domestic jobs of course are seen as very low priority; a leaky kitchen tap and loose door frame that has resulted from too many slammed doors when one of us (not me of course) was indulging in a hissy fit.

A sneaky move by me however to ask for a new posh kitchen tap for Christmas will mean that a) we can bring in in a plumber so the job will get done properly and not be the bodge effort that it has suffered from for the last few years and b) it will get done in the next few weeks and not next year.

Maybe. John meanwhile has asked for new shooting trousers. You can see what he considers important.

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