Hi everyone, I moved to the countryside two months ago.I am enjoying the beautiful skies, the views and the wildlife. However I hate pulling out onto the main road, feels very scary! I also realise that I can't go out due to having chickens, its worse than having children. I live at the end of a dark farmers field can't ask anyone to pop out to put my chickens to bed.

how do you get the solid fuel rayburn hot enough so that the rads kick in?

Any ideas, also do those roadside mirrors work?

when will my feelings of isolation go/

lots of questions, look forward to hearing from some of you

Suzy

Replying to:

thank you so much for replying to my plea. The WI is a great idea as is the mirror. And yes I could go after after the girls are tucked up. Some things are obvious on reflection.

THANKS AGAIN

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Hi SuzyQ,  It might be a good time to year to get involved with the local community and with Christmas round the corner there should be some festivities and events you can get involved with.  Offering to lend a hand in your spare time should be met with open arms.

If you have friends and relatives in easy proximity, why not invite them to spend a weekend with you, then you won't feel so isolated.  Planning decorations for you new home and having people to show it off to should be enough to spur you on.

Hi, SuzyQ, and welcome! It would help if we knew a bit more about your situation, I think. Are you on your own? Is there a village nearby? Even a village shop?

The thing about CL and mags of its kind is that it makes country life look all homespun and comfortable, or frightfully classy and sunny - the reality is that it is dark and very quiet at times, and that in winter - as anywhere else - people stay indoors and you won't see a soul for days on end.

The only way to start getting out and about is to do it. Take your courage in both hands and make yourself go out at least twce a week, onto that main road. If by roadside mirrors, you mean those convex ones that  show you what's coming round a blind bend, yes they do work if they have been properly positioned and not clouted by some passing lorry.

If there is a village shop, go and introduce yourself - I'm Suzy from Farmer's Edge House, or whatever: ask if they do deliveries - you may not want them, but it starts a conversation.

If you've never kept chooks before, tell them you have them and wonder if anyone has any advice.

There may be such a thing as a Library van doing the rounds once a month - but if you don't ask, you won't find out!

And read the posters and ads in the local shop windows - you can learn a lot there.

Buy a local paper, find out what's what and what happens where. That's what I've done here in deepest rural France, and other English used to say, how do you know about that? whenever I mentioned some event or place of interest. Simple: I bought a paper.

In the town, people don't rely on neighbours as much as they do in the country. In bad weather, people need to know where you are and whether you are okay, so you are going to have to reach out.

Two months is no time at all to have lived anywhere. But the locals may well be curious about you, so get your face known in any way you can.

Early days indeed, SuzyQ! Hang in there. BB

Know where you are coming from Bideshi.  I was bought up in the deepest countryside of Bedfordshire and took it all for granted until the day I was uprooted to the city!

Now its the other way around for me.  Just how do I switch the constant noise off and the street lights is there an off button somewhere?

I would love to go back to the country and raise chicken and geese again. (sigh)