Movin’ on out
Hello internet! Hello wider world! Hello, dear blog from which I have been absent a fortnight! I feel like I’m all rusty. Here, someone help me bend sideways.
We finally got connected yesterday and, let me tell you, if you ever want to feel the First Worldness of your problems, go without wifi for a couple of weeks. It actually hurt, but for heaven’s sake. It’s hardly cholera, is it? Even so, now we’re all wired up I feel like doing a celebratory dance. Brb, just Googling everything ever.
Let’s catch up, shall we? Photo iceberg ahead, cap’n.
The move. Ah, the move. The move that ended up being confirmed two days before, while Tim was in Scotland on a work trip. We’d started Caution Packing before he went, but I spent those two days sweeping everything into boxes AND running papers here and there AND lion-taming two boys, one of whom was teething molars like a baby shark. Reader, I survived. With the aid of excellent friends, plus two burgers and a pizza.
Moving house involves many feelings (see previous overly-emotional post for reference). You find yourself packing books in a box, and then thinking histrionically ‘my books have gone, so I don’t live here anymore. But still no confirmation of a new house. WHERE DO I LIVE?’ Drama, drama. I’ve toned it down several thousand notches now.
The actual move was hectic, but went smoothly. I was panicking about getting our old piano down the stairs, but with the help of several willing gentlemen, it came down in one piece. (We had so much help all day, and we were so grateful.) Once everything was packed, the boxes pile stretched from floor to ceiling, taking up our entire living room. Tim had the time of his LIFE (no sarcasm) working out the most mathematical way to fit it in the van. It was like a game of Tetris. He’s really very good at Tetris.
Once we’d taken the last thing downstairs, hoovered and swept and mopped and closed all the doors, and left the new owner some chocolate and drink, I just sat for a bit on the windowsill. It looked too small and it looked too big. I cried a bit. And then we drove away.
I felt funny here for the first couple of days – things everywhere, trying furniture in different configurations that didn’t quite work – but we’re settling well now. We have clothes, food and a working washing machine. The boys have been fantastic, getting excited about new parks and our little scrubby garden (to be continued).
We love being so close to Henry’s nursery, and surrounded by woodland on every side. This morning I took Teddy to explore one of the bridleways – wearing loafers, like an idiot – and apart from the loafers, it was wonderful. Living in close proximity to trees makes me happy. This is a distinctly hippyish thing to say, but it’s true. I can see our next ten years here. It looks nice.
On the downside, the water here is either harder or softer than we’re used to, and with that plus autumn gales and damp nursery runs, I haven’t yet managed to achieve anything on my head other than this.
This is a couple of steps down from bed-head, and it looks like this all the time. Sigh.
On Sunday I helped Sarah move into her new house (which is lovely), accidentally broke the car a bit on the way out, and drove back worried. I came in to find everything tidy, our art on the walls, Sunday sun falling onto the floor in every room, and Tim waiting in the quiet with the boys asleep. He said I hadn’t really broken the car. And it felt like coming home.
