Easing in to country living..

Did I ever tell you I left the commuter belt to head to deepest darkest Sussex? I went straight from everyone having a full face of makeup and probably having already hit the gym before the 8.30 drop to the extreme.  Makeup is rarely seen except among the working mums and pyjamas shoved in wellies is a perfect norm (apparently it makes mucking our the horses or feeding the chickens in the early mornings much more manageable)

Nearly everyone here own a horse or chickens or a dog and the hunter wellies down here? Well they’re coated in so much mud you can’t guess their brand! A sharp contrast from a pickup in our previous village where a mum was bemoaning that her very lovely wellies couldn’t possibly be allowed to walk across the field to school, it had of course rained the night before!

So after a year I’m starting to submerge myself into Sussex life. It’s a whirl of gaiety would you believe? With harvest fairs, autumn shows, apple pressing on top of the everyday events its fabulous to be so much outdoors and part of a community.
That little window in the tower? Thats where I ring!


My latest hobby? Bell ringing! When we first moved down here every Sunday morning the windows were thrown wide to hear the bells ring out. It’s an incredible sound, English country bells. Did you know nowhere else in the world has the same? Perhaps a few common wealth countries have but otherwise that’s it’s just us. Beautiful no? I was a little in awe of heading off on Monday as I fully expected to be the youngest by about 50 years. But no there were children from my sons school there who happily peal and learn for an hour. They’ve been coming for two years and are amazing. There were farmers there who pop in between harvesting, a lovely national trust volunteer, even a gentleman who drives over an hour to get here and have a play. All down apparently to our amount of bells (8) and our caller! I have to say it was exhausting, you aren’t allowed to look up and your feet must stay firmly on the floor to save you being whipped across a room if someone weren’t holding on properly. I focused firmly on my instructors’ shirt buttons and tried to listen in time to when it was my go. 

Being slightly fearful of heights I didn’t enjoy my visit up to the bells. I kept having visions of scenes out of Midsomer murders or Miss Marple! And I did have to mentally ignore the fact that there was 8 tons of metal over my head the whole evening but gosh it was fun! I’m off to help them out over the harvest fair on Saturday and if you live locally open your windows Monday and listen to one bell ringing on its own and probably slightly out of time, that’ll be me! 

Comments

  1. Love this! So pleased you are beginning to immerse yourself in village life! Bell ringing sounds a hoot! xxx

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