No flies on me....yet!

I have definately found another downside to living in the beautiful countryside, apart from the hayfever and having to drive my rubbish to be picked up! FLIES! I love having the rabbits and chickens in the garden and sheep, cows and horses in the surrounding fields, but I guess it helps to attract them. I can't believe the amount of flies we have swarming in my kitchen! They are driving the cats bonkers as they fling themselves around trying to catch them. I've hung up the very disgusting option of fly paper but they do an amazing job of avoiding it, and of course it's not very pretty. I wonder if any of you other country folk have any ideas? I am slightly chemical sensitive so I would obviously prefer natural solutions.

Me and the girls had a lovely day at the river again yesterday. No rocks were thrown in faces and my sister brought her mad Kelpie for a bit. She has a tendency to run off, the dog, not my sister, so the girls had the job of continuously throwing sticks into the water to keep her interested. She did disappear at one point though, when a plane dared to come over. She saw it as her duty to chase it off and make sure it didn't land, again, the dog, not my sister! But with lots of splashing and stick waving, she soon reappeared and got back into the swing of things. After a while my sister took her mad Kelpie back home and me and the girls made fish corrals and tried to catch little water beasties with an empty scotch bottle that someone had shamefully dumped by the river. Then it was down the shop for an icecream and home. Lovely.

Today we having a nice relaxed stay at home day, which A doesn't approve of in the slightest. But I told them both at the start of the holidays there was no way we could do something exciting everyday. What with living in the middle of nowhere and petrol prices as they are, it's just impossible. So we are working on going somewhere every other day. Besides, they are entering a few classes at a local village show soon, so we have things to do!!

Speaking of village shows, I was telling my darling husband about the girls entering and then had to spend half an hour explaining to him what the hell a village show is all about! Ok, I know that he's a real town boy, and as a kid he was fishing at the docks and nicking milk of doorsteps and things but not to know what a village show is about? He thought flower arrangements in wellies and showing off your best onions was completely mad! So that weekend he is most definately coming home so we can drag him down there and give him a real country education!! Can't wait, I might even enter him in the bale toss!