Escape to the Farm on Muddypuddle Lane: a delightfully uplifting feel good romance by Etti Summers

of her sister’s first encounter with a hen. ‘Shut up,’ Dulcie said. ‘I know what you’re thinking. I was surprised, that’s all. I didn’t expect there to be any hens.’ ‘Or sheep,’ Nikki added. Otto had also shared the Flossie incident with her, and she’d almost split her sides laughing as Otto had recounted how his dad’s tame sheep had chased Dulcie into the house and demanded to be let in because it wanted to be petted. ‘That creature has got a hard head,’ Dulcie protested. ‘Bees sting,’ Nikki pointed out. ‘Only if they feel threatened. I’ve been looking into it.’ ‘I’m sure you’ll work something out, and if keeping bees means that you stay afloat, then go for it.’ ‘Thanks, sis. I don’t want to be a customer care advisor forever. I really want to make a go of this place.’ ‘I don’t blame you for that. It’s gorgeous.’ The farmhouse may be in need of renovation (seriously – that bathroom was a nightmare) but it had so much potential and Dulcie had already done a considerable amount of decorating, although there was some way to go yet and Nikki suspected she might be asked to wield a paintbrush before the week was over. The grounds around the house – the garden, the veggie patch and the orchard – also could do with a large dose of TLC, and some of the fences needed to be repaired. The barns and the other outbuildings could do with some attention, and the fields surrounding the farmhouse had turned into meadows due to them not being grazed. They were currently full of late spring an