It’s been 9 months since we officially moved to our very rural village in Warwickshire.

I have failed to purchase any kind of waterproof boot, or indeed an appropriate coat. Neither have we managed to go on as many rosy-cheek making walks as we would have liked and my grand ideas of whipping up some home baked goods on a regular basis have completely gone out of the window (unless you count a few attempts by Mabel and I of very basic cupcakes and the odd batch of slightly under cooked biscuits).

Turns out just because you change your location and surroundings, doesn’t automatically mean you are any less busy or preoccupied with the day to day treadmill of “life”. In truth the renovating and decorating of our cottage has taken up far more of our free time that we perhaps initially anticipated. At the moment we have a kitchen that’s not quite finished, a utility room that’s not quite finished, a master bedroom that’s not quite…..you get the picture. We’ve reworked our extension several times so to cut a long story short, we’re no where near even submitting for planning approval yet. What I can tell you is the latest idea will save us about 20/25K but I’ll write about that in a separate feature as I think it might make for an interesting discussion.

And then I thought I had destroyed the Damson tree.

James and I are not green fingered. We know hardly anything about growing flowers successfully. Or plants. Or what to do with top soil. I often admire “wild” blooms only to be told they are in fact weeds.

My idea of “gardening” was to tie some glitter globes to the aforementioned Damson tree so that they threw light shapes all over the lawn when the sun set. I was very impressed with my own creativity. That was until last week when the huge branch they were attached to snapped off.

Bollocks.

I have managed to wreck the bloody Damson tree with my big self-indulgent shiny balls.

As it happens it was the weight of the damsons themselves and a particularly dry summer that was the cause. Still. The whole thing has made me feel decidedly non country bumpkin worthy.

I’m also not down with the insects. James and I have literally been bitten to buggery. I swear all these weird creatures didn’t live in our previous more urban dwelling. And our neighbour David has recently informed us that apparently we have wasp nests in the roof rafters to look forward to throughout August. Joy.

I promise this post isn’t supposed to read as all woe is me, we fully intend on embracing country living to the max. Mabel loves it which is the main thing, and her new nursery is wonderful. I just think we are a little out of our comfort zone and we are trying to take on too much too soon.

I just need to invest in a mosquito net. And start reading my Mary Berry book or prune the roses rather than perusing online fashion stores on a Sunday afternoon. I’m sure it’s a prerequisite to have a very neatly trimmed bush in order to keep up with the Joneses as it were.

I have however manage to score this pretty “city maxi tea dress” as seen in the header image above (also available in black) whilst engaging in non country pursuits so all is not lost.

I’m also impressed with our interim garden furniture solution, a £50 Bistro set from Wilko. Everything I’ve seen is so expensive so at least this budget option means James and I can dine al fresco together once Mabel is tucked up in bed.

Have you made the move to the rural countryside? Have you made an altogether more impressive start than us? Do you miss having a local shop within walking distance (I do, I really do)…Ever made Damson gin?