faites simple

24 October, 2012

Adjustments

As I write, I am sitting in a beautiful barn conversion surrounded by fields full of sheep, trees in autumn leaf and very very grey skies. Later there will be the smell of wood smoke.

And Tom is in New York. So we have gone from our commuter lifestyle back to our life of Tom here all day or Tom not here at all. Takes a bit of getting used to. Last week I was complaining because he was stuck working in our house while the workshop internet connection was sorted out and now of course I miss him. Still, I like the fact that I now know where he's heading off to, and who he'll be seeing and staying with once he gets back to San Francisco.

When we lived here before it felt like Tom had two lives - one here and one somewhere on the US West Coast. Now it feels like we all do. Hence the photo at the top of the page. I don't know why I didn't ache for London the way I do for San Francisco. Perhaps because it is still so reachable. Perhaps because I was tired of it after 17 years, but was really only just getting used to California. I don't regret returning to Wales but I do regret having to leave, if that makes any sense. A friend (hello Doug!) said San Francisco would probably start to feel like home when we left - wise words.

So what's going on?

The girls are doing well. There's a bit of what Emilia calls "girl mayhem" in Year 6, and she's thoroughly unimpressed by the obsession with boys, shopping, fashion etc. There are apparently so many more interesting things to talk about and "I'm ONLY 10!". Lottie meanwhile is inventing games where she and her friends cook boys. Once they've caught them of course.

I am gradually sorting out our new home. I am plodding through changes of address. Yesterday I baked my first loaf in at least two years and I am really out of practice - it came out looking like a large boxing glove. I am rubbish at remembering the chickens. They have been forgotten a couple of times and we have now delegated a lot of the care to Lottie (aka Chicken Girl) because she is way more responsible than I seem to be. I am putting off working out what I shall do for the rest of my life as thinking about it makes my head ache.

05 October, 2012

Moving (again)

This weekend we move into our semi-permanent home. We will be living in a furnished barn while its owners go travelling in Europe. There will be chickens (two to start with) and sheep (six), large fields and a garden to run around in, and a separate snug office for Tom in the stable block. I think we're all looking forward to getting ourselves a bit more settled though we will miss the friends.

As to actually moving, we have boxes to take and clothes to pack and odds and sods around the cottage to pick up. Lots of odds and sods. I should probably be doing something about it, but I'm not.

17 September, 2012

Settling in while unsettled

I am in a strange phase of this move. The girls have just started their third week at school and so far things are going well. The girls were a little nervous but came home very confident and happy on the first day, and continue to do so. And so far they seem to be finding work well within their abilities ("easy-peasy!") and making friends is going well too. Lottie has had at least three invitations to parties and Millie has a sleepover coming up.

Tom continues to work remotely and has a routine of sorts involving regular meetings with his colleagues in California slightly but not extremely after hours. He's booked his first trip back for work too, which he's looking forward to because not only will he see his mates at work but also will be staying with and seeing our good friends in San Francisco.

And meanwhile, I still have no permanent home. We finally got into our container - it had rusted up over the last two years so needed the help of a welder to get back in. But we have nowhere yet to put things and there's still a lot we need to buy - towels, duvets, mattresses, plates, wine glasses.

I am trying really hard to live by the following rules:

But don't feel sorry for me. We are having a great time living next door to our friends. The children treat the cottage and house as one large house to rampage around or as smallest friend said yesterday "have a shouty time". The adults get to share a cup of tea, glass of wine, the school run, dishwasher tablets or bin liners.

So it's all good but I am still in limbo.

*Found this at the Renegrade Craft Fair in San Francisco - you can get one for yourself from theheated

04 September, 2012

It takes time ... (back to earth with a bump)

Today is the first day of school. The whole family went and it was good to see familiar teachers, parents and children. And then I went to Waitrose in our new car for groceries. And I wandered around Abergavenny looking for odds and ends that we need. There are lots of odds and ends that we don't have.

And so here we are. Normal life. Well as normal as it can be given that we don't yet have a permanent home. And it's all rather exhausting. Moving is. And setting up home again is. And I knew it would be like this but I'd sort of blocked it out of my mind. It isn't as tiring and stressful as it was to move to San Francisco. Of course that was also very exciting in the way that "abroad" and "new" are but it was also confusing and worrying sometimes and it took us months to find our feet which my mind is conveniently forgetting at the moment. All I'm remembering right now are my friends, and the school I knew backwards, and Mission Pie and burritos and hearing Spanish and Chinese all over the place.

So yes. Feeling a little "homesick". But then I always felt a little homesick in California too.

So I have to hold on to the lovely good things about being here - family, friends, beautiful beautiful Wales, country life (trying to catch chickens seems to loom large at present) - and forget all the ploddy, setting things up side of stuff, and working out what I will do here.

31 August, 2012

Aaanndd we're back in Wales

We've been here just over a week now and are adjusting quickly to country life. Within moments of arriving in the Black Mountains, my sequined Toms were off, my green wellies were on and I was on baby alpaca feeding duty! Which was a little unexpected.

So where are we? Well, we are staying with alpaca.farmer for a month or so before we move into slightly more permanent accommodation. And as the alpaca farmers are currently on holiday, we are on animal duty - 29 alpacas, nearly 50 chickens, 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs. We have divided up responsiblities so I am handling the alpacas (feeding one 3 times a day and just checking the others are all present and active), Lottie has taken on the chickens (she LOVES them), Millie takes care of the cats, and Tom got the guinea pigs (not hugely enthusiastic about that, I must say).

Meanwhile, we are also trying to get set up for real life back in the UK. So far we are in the process of looking for a car which is an essential here in rural Wales. We are about 20 minutes from the school by car, and will be a lot closer but not able to walk as the road is fast and there are no pavements. Our days of Zipcar only are over.

And the girls and I stocked up on school uniform ready for their return to their old primary school on Tuesday. We have also bought new wellies and fleeces and raincoats - it has rained a bit every day since we got here. This is normal. And actually I don't seem to mind much at the moment. I guess the novelty of having a bit of cooler weather and wet hasn't worn off yet after that scorching summer on the east coast.

And the other part of life has been reconnecting with family and friends. The girls had a playdate with friends yesterday, we saw my cousins and family for Emilia's birthday earlier this week, and last Sunday we spent the day in Hay-on-Wye with Tom's parents. So while just as when we moved to SF, we had a lot of sorting out today and buying of dull stuff like hair dryers, this time we also know people and they appear to be pleased to see us again which is lovely.