Bye bye 2017...hello 2018

Hello Everyone
Gosh it has been a while since I have written so here are some animal pictures to make you smile taken today in a little bit of sunshine before the wind arrived.
​We have completed an extremely busy Christmas period, probably the most busy since we started our little butchery business 5 years ago. I think I managed to get all my orders right after trying a new organisational technique which seemed to work for my brain. I even managed to keep up the energy levels until the 28th as the 2 big children arrived home on Saturday 23rd and it was imperative to listen and say as much as possible for the next few days. 5 months is a lot of time to cover in a few days. On Wednesday I think I slept on and off for most of the day. It was great!

Hillariously we ran out of sausages before the kids returned and so I made  more sausages on Thursday with the help of my able assistant, who then looked at my face at the packing stage and swiftly dismissed me from the room. They have already made plans about how much space they have in the freezers at their residences and how many packs of everything they can take back to The Netherlands.

So after a rather intense year dashing around, and learning to run the business with even fewer helping hands than in previous years I would like to think that I have learnt how to organise my time a little better.  We have alot to celebrate within our family during 2018 and I hope to spend as much time as possible with friends and family achieving this goal. We have been in our new house for a year now and have fully appreciated the delights of being warm during the winter and have even managed a few renovations. Patricks room is nearly complete and the barn has been fitted with some pens suitable for lamb rearing which will sneak up on us sooner than we think. 

The whole family seems to be fit, well and happy with their chosen paths at this current time which is always reassuring. We have managed to eat like kings and be entertained in style this Christmas. I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to live where we do surrounded by as much delicious produce as we are with the ability to know pretty much where all of it comes from. So this last week I was able to rediscover my love for cooking when you have time, enthusiam and fantastic ingredients at hand. I tried some new recipes for a change and all of them were successful. I will definitely repeat the slow roasted lamb shoulder with spinach and cauliflower crumble, and the toad in the hole with sautéd finely sliced brussel sprouts with peas and garlic. All of it was sooo delicious that we ate it all and then said oops we forgot to take a photo. I will try and remember to photograph the ham that I intend to cook next week.

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We even found some time to pop to Bordeaux and have a bit of culture with Don Quixote at the Ballet. Very amusing and well staged.
Have a very joyful New Year and I look forward to seeing you all in 2018.
Helen xx