Getting to know your Graphic Designer - A little about me and my family
I’m not your typical ‘Farmer’s Wife’, I’ve lived most of my life in Surrey, in the middle of a busy town with the odd field a drive away, and so it was a bit of a shock to be living somewhere completely different.
I do really love the country and always have but never imagined marrying a farmer and living in the middle of nowhere, not that I regret it for a minute. It’s so nice to have the space, the air and quite fortunate to have a great pub within walking distance! I know one end of a horse from the other (did have a dabble at riding but it’s extremely expensive in the town) and I understood where my food came from, unlike many other townies I had a pretty good head start.
My husband Crispin and myself are not far away from finishing building our house in the next field along from his parent’s farmhouse. The views are amazing - Maldon one side and the Blackwater Estuary the other. We are being very ecological building it using a wooden frame, heating it using the crops in the surrounding fields in our new pellet burner and using local suppliers and building talent.
It’s very exciting as it’s not every day I can get to help build my own house and I can mix it with working for myself as a Graphic Designer which I really love doing. Our house should be liveable by Christmas (we hope as my mother-in-law already has the date in her diary as it has changed regularly!)
Whilst we are waiting for Christmas to arrive, we are living with his parents aswell as 2 horses, 2 geese, 1 cat, 2 dogs, the odd pheasant and lots of pigeons (to the distress of my husband).
Crispin and his father Peter jointly farm their own 360 acres of land as well as others in the local area, using their favourite green machinery. They grow Wheat, Rape, Peas, Linseed, Barley and Lucerne.
Both dogs are from rescue centres and have pretty strong characters. Molly is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross and Ludo, a Whippet/Westie cross. Molly is always on a ‘food hunt’ and Ludo is always ‘just up to something’!
Crispin and Peter both are regular rugby players for Maldon. Crispin has been playing since he was 14 and Peter still plays at 66!
I’m a rugby widow every winter and a farming widow every summer, though I do watch him play rugby and occasionally join him on the combine to keep him company. Both communities have welcomed me in with open arms and I have made lots of friends.
My mother-in-law ‘Nutty’ and myself are both kindred spirits and love our art. She has even won awards for her animal paintings, though very modest about it. Her website is www.nuttyart.co.uk and you can see for yourself why.
For the rest of 2010/2011 I’m learning to cook properly instead of the ‘college cooking’ I used to do living on my own (ready for our house move), start dance classes again, horse riding and whatever else comes along I’m just going to enjoy it.
Julie
