You don't know what you've got till it's gone

Hello All
It is not until something goes wrong that you realise how important certain things are to the full and effective functioning of a small business and how stresful your life can become without them. Whilst there are some things that you can probably make a plan with, or you can bodge with a cheap purchase to get through a couple of days of a trying situation. Some items are apparently indispensable, and my advice is that if you have one of these things then a spare is probably essential. Not a spare however that is quite old and unreliable, and that you only take out of the cupboard when you are desparate for an extra machine during a rush period, which is what we had been relying on, but one that is nearly new and can actually do the whole job if required. Now I hasten to add at this point that if ever you do a business analysis and discover that your indispensable piece of equipment is your partner, by which I mean the person you share your life with, I am not advocating that you immediately go out and get a replacement. I guarante that this would not help you to create a stress reduced environment in which to work.

So next week I very much hope to be the recipient of a shiny brand new vacuum packing machine, or a repaired fully functioning vacuum packing machine, or better still both. If not I may disintegrate into a mass of chocolate munching, romcom watching, large cardigan wearing, over emotional blob resembling a human. 

In other news we have had two baby lambs not miracle births but certainly surprises and we have rather a large group of bottle fed babies that we have acquired en route to swell the numbers, because Gavin didn't think we had enough animals. So even though I have not been at the market, which I have missed terribly, (no gossip, you see) I have have not been sat idly by twiddling my thumbs. 
​During my quieter moments I managed to empty some more boxes from our house moving at the beginning of the year and have even persuaded Gavin that a trip to the tip might be a good idea. He started to sweat and come out in hives at the thought of throwing things away, but I was quite surprised at how he got into the swing of it after a while and managed to do it with a spring in his step and joy in his heart ;) Only another 50 boxes to go and several rooms and we should be there.... ;) Oh my how can it be possible to accumulate so much rubbish in 13 years.
Note to self become a minimalist. I wonder if that is even possible when you are a farmer?????
See you all soon
​Helenx

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