an afternoon stroll by the sea

Hello New (old) house

Hello new house! Well, new to us house, you are old, actually about 120 years old. Very nice old actually. You have a nice feel. Even though you haven't been looked after very well and you needed (and still need in some places) a good scrub, you still feel nice. I like you. You had the dirtiest windows I have ever seen, you look much better even with the downstairs ones clean. I'm not so keen on your front door, I promise you will have a more suitable one before long, one that doesn't let a gale in down the sides! I do however, like your space and your height. I like that you are on five different levels, and our enormous bedroom. We like where you are, and you have nice neighbours, one bought us flowers and chocolates! I even like your tiny 'courtyard' garden. I have plans to turn it into a pretty space with fairy lights. Ah yes, fairy lights make everything look better in my opinion. They were up in the front room on the first evening. Oh yes, I like your washing line! even though I need industrial strength pegs to keep anything on it (the North Wind doth definately blow) I have remembered that I like the smell of outdoors dried washing, I had forgotten that in my years of having a drying cupboard. You have potential, and this I like. Plans are already underway for a kitchen re-vamp. Very exciting. After a week of living in you I can say that I haven't once thought we have done the wrong thing, I may have got a bit overwhelmed with all the work there is to do but I still think you are lovely.

Goodbye House

Goodbye house.  I have lived about half of my memorable life within your walls. I've been happy, I've been sad, I've been bordering on insane, I've been desperate, I've been broken, I've been joyful. I think I must have experienced every emotion within your walls at some time or another.  We have grown up together. You have become what I think of as beautiful - plain but stylish, loved, comfortable and welcoming. You need a bit of TLC round the edges, but I don't really want to know what your new owners are going to do to you. Much of how how you are now was done with love. I will miss your beautiful kitchen, with your flashy worktops and glossy doors.  I will miss your big open area, and your lovely large and private garden.  I will miss your driveway, always waiting with my personal space. I will miss your crispy white walls and your old creaky floorboards.  I will miss your knee high handprinted stair wall, and your lightbulbs that we are so bad at replacing when they no longer work.  I will miss our cold bedroom, the birthplace of our beautiful daughter, and your frontroom which is always too hot or too cold.  I will miss my own little work space, so many hours spent working in there, so many secrets and conversations held within its walls. I will miss the way you accomodate lots of people so well, and I will miss the birds that we feed in your garden. I will miss your dishwasheer and probably  most of all your drying cupboard,
Goodbye house, I will miss you.

48 hours

In 48 hours I will be sitting in my new front room, having just moved to the coast! I have never lived more than 2 miles away from where I live now. I have lived in the house I am leaving for nearly 18 years and now I'm going.  It's a little scary and a little exciting but the main thing is that it will lead to us living the life we want to live. I need to go as packing boxes and cleaning toilets calls - more later