We are considering a shift to a rural location.  DH is a country boy through and through, and I'm a complete townie - if I had it my way I'd be a city slicker.  We knew this about each-other from the start.  Anyway, now that we're parents, I have to admit I want more space around our house - we live in a good-sized renovated villa that's on a section not much larger than the house, surrounded by other houses all snugly sitting around each-other.  Both of us love this house, but not the section - we wouldn't consider re-locating the house though.  Some of the neighbours here can be awful and I've called 111 way too many times from here.  So since I want space for our kids to run and fruit trees and a bigger vege patch & a garden, and since I'm fighting a force I can't overthrow (DH's urge to live in the yukky country), we'll give it a shot.  We've looked at one place so far and are thinking quite seriously about it.  It's 10mins from the outskirts of town, and very near a school that's reportedly an excellent school.  Those who've lived rurally with kids - please, please can you help put my mind at rest about some of the drawbacks? 

I'm worried about feeling isolated there, even though there's houses nearby, about there being no pavement to go stroller-walkies along with my kids (I walk with Ella a fair bit), about not being able to pop to the shops for anything, and about the extra time and expense of the extra travel, especially for any part-time job I have (remember, we live in Palmy - everything is reasonably nearby!).  I love walking to the shops here and that'd be all over.  Also no-one would just pop by for a visit out there - my parents live near us here and mum comes around quite a lot, which has been nice.  Yep, I think we will take the plunge, because you don't know if it'll be OK without trying it, and it might be wonderful.  But crikey I need some advice on how to manage out there, whichever house we go for. 

Which end of town are you looking at Andie. I might catch up with you this week some time and I can give you my thoughts about it. I've got the same thing with Nigel being a country bumpkin and me a townie.

Feilding is so not that far from Palmy, I make a trip there every week and sometimes more than that depending on how we are going.

Thanks for all the info and ideas, everyone.  It's kind of a done deal that we'll live rurally - DH would love to be in the middle of nowhere but I think 10mins from the outskirts is the wop-wops!  We do both want more space and less trouble from the neighbours, and we love eating home-grown vegies (and while I love free-range eggs from happy chooks, I'm still too scared of touching chickens to go there just yet! ah, country folk will mock me so much!).  The place we're considering is the existing house on a farm that's being converted to a new rural subdivision.  Nah, certainly no pavements or shops going up in the area though - I think we're thinking of different schools, T!  But it is in a similar direction.  Keeping the groceries organised is definantly manageable.  Having fewer visitors is the bit that worries me.  My sis told me I'd hardly see her if I were out there, because of rising petrol prices!  But I'm thinking it would mean less time with friends but more quality time, because you'd make it worth their while to pop out there - for a meal or something, not just a half-hour coffee. 

I'd say we'll give it a shot - maybe not at that particular house, but certainly in the country.  If it really doesn't work for me, we can always sell up and shift again.  I grew up in town and still had a pet lamb and guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs, a vege patch and fruit trees - it's do-able in town (then again, that was a different era), but you still don't get the same amount of space for your dollar.