Monday 26 August 2013

Gazing into space .....

 
Like Ginger I've been caught gazing into space on many occasions over this past few days. 
 
There's lots on my mind at the moment, obviously we are really busy with our diaries needing to be updated and co-ordinated on a regular basis so we each know what the other is doing and what we are doing together.  Planning the dogs visits to kennels when necessary, visits to Wales, to Solicitors, to family, planning time when we can just 'be' and yes, that is just as important as all the other things.
 
There is so much going on at the moment, it seems that after months, nay years of planning everything is neatly coming together, but it melds so seamlessly there would be little time left for the simple things if we did not make it so.
 
 
Ginger can be snapped back to the here and now so easily with a simple 'hello  boy' or an even more simple 'shh shh' and he turns and looks, acknowledging your presence with those beautiful eyes .......

 
... but then his attention wanders and again he sits this time staring into a different space.
 
I know the feeling well, one minute I can be on my hands and knees weeding in the Courgette patch (the nettles and me are fighting an on-going battle this year), the next the trowel is lightly held and I sit back and think, sometimes it takes only a butterfly skimming low in front of me to snap me out of the trance like state other times I need a barking Jack Russell to bring me back to the here and now.
 
So many lists, so many compartments filled with information and all tucked neatly inside this little old head of mine.
 
I think I need to take Lovely Hubby's lead and start committing things to paper.
 
I have plans for September, if I didn't make plans for it I think it would whizz by in a flash, there's so much to do.   We have a weekend away all to ourselves at the start of the month, with friends coming to look after the farm, we should be the owners of our new house by the 13th and that will involve lots of travelling backwards and forwards, plans have been laid already for the first few major jobs. 
 
We need to make the driveway safe and install gates to protect the dogs from the busy road that runs parallel to our land.  Luckily we are backed by our woodlands  (oh how good it feels to say that 'our woodlands') and that should entice the cats at least, to the back of the house and upwards, away from the danger of the fast flowing road, they are both used to the excitement and hunting opportunities that the woods can bring them.  We need to get the kitchen slightly redesigned to make way for the reconditioned Aga that we are currently looking for, and we are making full use of the cupboards that we will be needing to move around.  The vendors are taking away a cooker, dishwasher, washing machine, and tumble dryer, of these we need only a washing machine so the spaces the other appliances filled will instead be accommodating the units we are moving to make way for the Aga.  It should work.  We have just this morning decided that the last remaining space, the breakfast bar will have a double sided bookcase underneath it to house my lovely collection of cook books.  How often would we sit at a breakfast bar when the table will be only four feet away!!
 
This is just a snippet of what we have planned, there is so much more, and I have decided to call this September ....
 
'Simple September'
 
... there's an irony in there somewhere, but my foggy brain is not quite getting it.
 
Sue xx
 

22 comments:

  1. Making time for just being and the simple things in life is a priority appointment. Making sure you get lots of that will help you to cope with the upheaval of everything else. It will be lovely to hear about all your adventures during and after the move.xx

    PS I am also fighting nettles this year - last year it was dock plants, wonder what it will be next year?

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  2. It's a lovely feeling moving into a new house and arranging it to suit you and your lifestyle.
    Lets hope it continues to move along seamlessly.

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  3. I am enjoying your journey, even getting a bit excited.....waiting for those pictures. OOhhhhh an Aga, you lucky thing thats been on my wish list for years, never managed to get one yet, doubt if I will now.

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    1. After having one in our last rented house and then not having one here we decided that they really are the 'heart of the home' and we were both determined that our 'forever home' would have one. The money for it was saved at the same time as our deposit and we are now looking around for a re-conditioned electric Aga.

      We used to have an oil fired one, but with solar panels being installed on our roof (once we have saved for them) it makes sense to get an electric one this time, as we will be generating (and hopefully selling back) electricity.

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  4. the book shelves under the breakfast bar is an excellent idea

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  5. Have been reading your blog for a while and always enjoy it. I wish you both well in your new house and life - so exciting.
    I am early retiring at the end of this week (through redundancy) and people keep asking me what I am going to do. I reply that I am not going "to do" anything for a while, I am just going "to be". I love watching the bees and butterflies round the lavender, buddleia, verbena and tall yellow daisies (not sure what they are!)in the garden, and watching my "garden tigers" (the cats) trying to hide under the grasses, then pouncing out as I walk past.

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  6. Nature is an amazing restorative...I'd be lost without it.
    Jane x

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  7. I can understand your gazing and headspinning moments. I seem to be in a similar position myself - we had not planned to be back in Hampshire just yeat (about 6/8 weeks early) but have made good use of the time by getting things sorted out. We are almost doing the opposite of you - we have all our furniture in storage and are unlikely to need it for at least another 18 months (probably much longer) so have decided to get rid of it. The furniture is being taken by a charity shop, but we still have to go through all the boxes of our posessions, remove all unneccessary items and dispose of, then re-organise what we are going to keep for the longer term. All this plus we both need to find some work with nearby campsites for at least the winter months; sometimes it is difficult to know where to start as each thing seems to depend on the next, which only seems to add to my confusion. Oh yes, also want to up the 'health' anti - need to do more exercise and hoping to return to regular swimming and hopefully lose a bit more weight. Will be with you all the way though (whether you want me or not!!)

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  8. Golly, I would love an Aga, too. But...too expensive for us.
    I just found a blog entitled, "Bernard's Backwater." The writer is a man in the Chilterns. Anyway, his last post featured his 17 year old cat Wesley who looks very much like yours. I was very surprised when I opened your page and for a moment thought it was the same cat!
    If you like cats a lot you might enjoy his goofy cat jokes. They made me laugh a lot this morning.
    Wed have a rather old Westie girl who goes off and sits gazing into the distance just like your cat. We call it "having private time." and like to tease her about it.

    It is very exciting to be planning changes to a new house. We did it 12 years ago when we found our own "New life in the Country." Now we are thinking about remodeling the remodeling!
    Have fun with the move. It's a lot of work but so worth it.

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  9. well, I think you should change your slogan "the year of less"... these days you're going to be the proud owner not only of a house and a farm and a garden, but even of some woodland! how can you call all this "less"?

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  10. It's an exciting time, I'm sure your head is spinning a little. Cookbooks on shelves in the kitchen sounds wonderful. Glad you are making sure there is a little time to just be.

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  11. If there is anything I can do to help? I am here... Lots of love Karan xxxxx

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    1. Thanks Karan, it's all under control - just. What would be nice would be yours and your Lovely Hubby's company one evening very soon, I'll be in touch. xx

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  12. So exciting and yet so overwhelming...I'm not surprised you are distracted. A. is right about writing things down.

    And good luck, but I know you won't need it. September is going to be Spectacular!

    Sft x

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  13. I am only just up to May 2009 in your blog so I've got a long way to go before I catch up to where you are now! There is just so much to think about when moving- most important is to know where the kettle is once you're in I seem to remember!
    Arilx

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    1. Oh poor you - reading all our history in one long tale, see you soon as you catch up :-)

      We know how important a kettle is and we have a brand new one for the new house as we will be there for a couple of months decorating before we move in and you can guarantee if we had to use the same one backwards and forwards from house to house we would forget it on one journey!!

      I managed to get us a very posh one for our lovely new kitchen, well it was 'buy a kettle and get a toaster free' - how good was that, so coffee and toast for the decorators (us).

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  14. I think Blogger ate my comment! I've not had much time for blogging lately but I've enjoyed catching up on your blog today. I'm excited for you gettting your new place and well done on getting such a large percentage of money to put down! you should be proud.
    I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing all your plans.
    Kev

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  15. I too need to make lists as the older I get the more I forget things!!

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  16. I am careful when I try to make simple list and yet they never fail to get complicated .

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  17. Ah sue, how excited you must both be. With good reason too! I still can't wait till you put up that picture of the front of the house :)

    Have a great week lovely lady. May the sun shine for you.
    Rw

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    1. Thank you, it's shining at the moment, so I have a day of washing ahead of me :-)

      The new house picture should be coming very soon, we have another visit to the solicitor this week, each one is a step closer, we're very excited :-)

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