Sunday 3 May 2015

Habit?

Are you a creature of habit or do you vary the order in which you do things from week to week, or even day to day?   I think that once I retired from the busy life of teaching I became a creature of non-habit - that is until I met and married the farmer.   Since then things have become very ordered indeed!  (and that is twenty-two years).

When we first married it was pre 'Foot and Mouth' and this was still a working dairy farm.   Cows are definitely creatures of habit and at a quarter to six every morning the cows would be queueing at the pasture gate - and what is more they would be calling (loudly) for the farmer to get a move on.  Similarly at half past five in the afternoon.   On the odd occasion when he was not there they would not be pleased.

That of course meant a couple of slices of bread and butter left covered on the table for half past five in the morning,  breakfast always at around nine o'clock, when the cows had gone back to the pastures, lunch at 12.30 so that wherever the farmer was on the farm he knew that that was the time to come in for lunch,  and tea at five o'clock.  At least I knew precisely where I stood and what I was getting into!

And that is how it has remained apart from breakfast, which has moved to seven in the morning, although we are now semi-retired.   And I must say there is a certain orderliness about it which I like very much and most of the time it makes life much easier.   If I am out with friends I can always leave something for him to manage for himself (he is very good on the microwave - much better than I am) and he does a very good crispy fried yesterday's potatoes.

 Even my shopping has that same orderliness about it.  I order on line and each week it is delivered between eight and nine in the morning on Tuesdays.   That just gives me time to wipe out the fridge and put the breakfast pots in the dishwasher before my order arrives.

Does all this sound boring to you?   Well, maybe it is but it does make life so much easier and more comfortable.

Today, the second day of the local Food and Drink Festival in our little market town, has dawned with pouring rain.   The fields need it badly.   After a couple of warm weeks when the grass grew well, we have had a cold week with night frosts and the grass has gone backwards.   Most farmers have put out their dairy herds and the situation is that they will be short of grass before long unless things improve.   This rain will be gratefully received by those little green blades - not so the Food and Drink Festival folk.   Good news is that it is set to clear the country before lunch time, so perhaps they will have a good, successful afternoon.



16 comments:

MorningAJ said...

I'm not a creature of habit but I do like to plan things. I don't really like spur of the moment things. I need to know where I'm going and what I'll be doing when I get there.

Cro Magnon said...

I don't know how people can exist without reasonable orderliness in their lives; I certainly couldn't.

Just back from our first 'boot sale' of the year. Warm and muggy here.

Heather said...

I am such a creature of habit that Bank Holidays put me in a whirl and I don't know what day of the week it is! Breakfast usually at 8, lunch at 1, supper at 7. It does make life easier. Apart from that I am quite flexible and we have often changed our weekly habits to fit in with whatever life throws at us. That again makes me not know what day of the week it is!

Tom Stephenson said...

I am definitely a habitual creature. It drives H.I. mad, even though she too shows marked tendencies to the same.

Elizabeth said...

I am utterly and boringly routine bound - but at least it gives some order to my day...
plus the dog likes it!
Cheers

jinxxxygirl said...

When i was working ...yes i was a creature of habit more so than i'am now although really i think the case is i have just developed different habits...most of my habits now seem to revolve around the morning. i like to rise around 7 or earlier because i feel the day is still young, feed the cat...have a couple cups of coffee while i see what has been going on in blogland...then its time to get dressed and started for the day...hugs deb

Joanne Noragon said...

I wonder how we learn order from chaos? I learned order from my mother; my brothers did not. Neither of my daughter learned; I have two granddaughters who practice order to avoid chaos. And they are not both the two I have. One is my other daughter's child, Caroline. The other is Laura Caroline, who lives here. They share my mother's name and we say the right children got the name. Or did the name get the children?

Joanne Noragon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel Phillips said...


I am a creature of habit.

Mac n' Janet said...

We're pretty set in our ways, breakfast and lunch are usually at the same time as is our morning walk. Everything else is flexible.

Rachel Phillips said...

Bad ones.

angryparsnip said...

I am on somewhat of a scheduled.
Up to feed thehamish every morning on time so he can have his insulin shot and start the series of eye drops and pain pills throughout the day. Then evening dinner and another insulin shot.
My life revolves around his meds. Sort of like the cows.
The problem I have always liked to work late afternoon/evening. But that doesn't work with getting up early to take care of the gud dugs.
I think that comes from when I went to school and work. The only time I had to study and do my projects was late.

cheers, parsnip

Jenny Woolf said...

I cannot stick to being orderly but I see how nice it is for other people. I think children particularly appreciate it, I remember how nice it was going to my grandmother's and great aunts house when everything happened like clockwork. Very reassuring.

the veg artist said...

I'm not particularly tidy, but I do like to run an orderly house. Breakfast laid out the night before, lunch at the same time every day, fridge, freezer and larder cupboards with food stored in their places. It just makes life much easier. I can see at a glance what needs to go on the shopping list. I also like to keep up to date with laundry and ironing, but I am very relaxed about the dusting!

The Weaver of Grass said...

The veg artist puts me to shame methinks.
Rachel, as usual, has posted a most amusing comment. I love her sense of humour.
We all seem fairly 'habitual' - again probably because we are all bloggers of like mind.

Terry and Linda said...

OH, yes. I am a creature of habit. I love routines. I can function for a spell without a routine, but I am glad to get myself back into a cycle.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com