AFTER ten years of city life Rowley Pusey knew he just had to get out.

Just over a month ago, the 35-year-old decided to ditch his suit and briefcase for a pair of wellies — just the job for his new role as a farmer.

Mr Pusey said he and his wife Camilla, 34, had not looked back since they began learning the ways of country life at their 200-acre site at Hill Farm, Long Wittenham.

Instead of Mr Pusey’s usual routine of spending hours in front of the computer or at meetings in his former job as a national representative for a charity, he now wakes up at the crack of dawn to attend to his 220-strong flock of lambs.

He said: “It has been a dream come true. After ten years’ working in the city, I just couldn’t deal with it.

“My wife and I have wanted to become farmers for a while and we saw an advert in a magazine and just thought ‘Why not?’.”

Mr Pusey said: “It’s a complete culture shock and has taken a lot of adjustment.

“The work is a lot harder because you are up early in the morning and there is so much that needs to be done, such as making sure the lambs are all right and well looked after.

“Going about in the morning on the quad bike and seeing the kites and the buzzards makes you feel alive. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to give it a go.”

Mrs Pusey, who juggles life as a farmer with her full-time job at farming charity LEAF, where her husband also used to work, said the life change had proved to be rewarding.

She said: “The charity I work for is involved in farming so it helps to have that link. It’s been a busy few months but we’ve really enjoyed it and are looking forward to showing off our products at farmers’ markets.”

Helping the couple is ten-year-old sheepdog Meggy who only understands commands in Italian after coming from a trainer teaching eight other dogs and choosing to command them in different languages to avoid confusion. Mr Pusey said: “Meggy has been a lifesaver in herding our lambs, although it has taken some getting used to speaking to her in Italian.”