In 10 years time

Where do I see myself in 10 years, that is the big question is it not. We all have some idea of what we would like to have achieved in 10 years but the truth is however long 10 years sound, it just flies by. But today I shall focus on a mixture of the realistic and idealistic future.

My own cottage.

If all goes according to plan I will have a small cottage to live in, I will have renovated it myself and apart from plumbing and the like will have done all the work with my own hands. It will be ever so small with whitewashed walls and a gorgeous slate roof, it will have either a red, blue, yellow or green door and windows. We will have to see which colour will win, we might just change it every couple of years.

Step inside

When you step inside you will arrive in a live-in kitchen, I will have my own Rayburn stove and my sink will overlook the field filled with pet lambs. On one side there will be a dark and rustic table that can easily seat 6, it will have a bench on one side and chairs on the other side. Then when you turn through a door on your right side you will come into the cosiest little sitting room with a nice open fireplace. The walls will be filled to the brim with books for us to read during the winter months, while we sit in front of the fire. Next to this sitting room, there will be my own tiniest ever bedroom, because as far as I’m concerned the smaller the space the better it is. My bed will be comfortably enclosed with the walls, my husband and I will have one small closet each for our clothes. And on the left side of the kitchen, there will be 2 doors which will lead to the kids their bedrooms. They will be able to decorate them however they wish. Then when we go back into the kitchen we will see that at the back of the kitchen there are 2 more doors, one will lead to a simple little bathroom and the other will lead to the garden. Next to the garden door there are herbs in pots and a bit further into the garden there will be a little bbq area with a table and some chairs.

My own garden.

I will have a little area where I will grow some potatoes, a larger area where I will grow my vegetables and berries. Like some salad leaves and cabbages, with some extra carrots and swedes for good measure and for my eldest plenty of raspberry bushes. And hopefully if there is enough space I will plant a couple of trees for apples and the like. My eldest daughter has always wished for a little rose garden she would be able to tend, so she will get a nice sunny spot where she can grow her roses. If there is enough space I might even manage a little sally garden for willow shoots. In front of the little cottage, I will grow some dyeing plants so that I can dye my wool into the most gorgeous colours.

My own sheep.

And as the cherry on top I will have a small flock of my own sheep, depending on the space I have my flock will be anywhere from 10 to 200 sheep. If I have a smaller flock I will have different breeds, maybe one or two for milking and the other ones will be for their wool. My favorite milking sheep breed is still the Zeeuws melkschaap, but I’ve never personally worked closely with a lot of different sheep breeds that are kept for their fleece. Because I’ve heard about the merino sheep but I also know they are a pain come shearing time, so I think I would prefer Blue-faced Leicester, Shetland or Suffolk but we will see when we get there. That way I will have different types of wool to choose from for my spinning and knitting.

I would also love some chickens for eggs, depending again on how much space there is and I can have a bigger or smaller flock of chickens I would like some Brahmas or otherwise something like a Rhode island red.

With a little bit of luck and some hard work this really will be my life in 10 years’ time. I hope that you will continue reading this little blog of mine so you can find out where this road will lead.