Thank you

Thank you so much for your kind offers of gifts when I move, but I actually have no idea what I will need.

I was doing quite well, going through what we have here, deciding which items could be divided between us and which items I'd need to replace.

Then my son told me he was moving. He's been renting for some years now and when the lease was up my son decided to buy a property rather than continue renting. To make it easier he's moved in with his Dad, this way he can save more and he also has more flexibility, as when he finds a property as he will not be tied into a lease.

He has given me some idea of what he's given me ( he's put all his stuff under cover at my daughter's house) but it is only an idea. I won't really know what there is until I move in. He also asked me to store some items that he'll want back when he has bought a property. I think it will take me some time to work out what's mine and what's not.

I know he's giving me a dishwasher and a washing machine, I'll need to remember to run the dishwasher occasionally, won't I.

So although I'm very grateful for everyone's kindness I really have no idea what I will need.

In a corner.

If anyone is looking for me I'll be sat in a corner gibbering quietly to my self. For someone who hates moving I'm certainly mad, especially so close to Christmas.

I can't wait to get out of here, hopefully when I move I will be able to talk to the neighbours, go and watch the play's put on by the local Am/dram society, and join a couple of the club's held in the village hall.

I've got to the stage where I have no idea what I will have in my new home. I was prepared to have to start again from scratch and was gradually buying small cheap items to manage with.

Then my son decided not to look for another housemate, his housemate is moving in with her boyfriend and my son has decided to buy a property, until then he is staying with his dad. Because of this, my son has given me all his house contents, some I can keep and some I'm just storing until he finds the house he wants. 

I'm sure it will all work out just fine but the waiting is difficult.

Walking the dog.

I don't mind walking the dog, I don't mind walking the dog in bad weather. I'm a believer in "There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes". Especially here in the U.K. where we rarely suffer from real extremes of bad weather.

What does drive me up the wall, however, is constantly having to open the front door so Beano can check if it is really raining! And if so why can't I stop it raining.

I've just returned from a dog walk and my neighbouring cat lady is stood in the rain trying to persuade her car to go inside before it catches a chill. I usually refer to her cat as Greebo, after Nanny Ogg's cat in Sir Terry Pratchett's books. It's a huge black and white tom cat with an evil expression. Beano is scared of the cat and rushes past it with his eyes averted. But like Nanny Ogg,  the lady still sees her cat as a timid little kitten.

I've ordered a sign.

It's mad I know, but I've ordered a sign for when I move.

It's a slate house sign and on it, it will say Cuckoo's Rest.

It will take a while to arrive, but I've decided that when I move, that will be the name of my new home.

The reason behind the name is that my daughter's children call me Cuckoo, many of them have grandparents so although I consider them grandchildren I don't expect them to call me grandma or anything similar. My daughter came up with the name Cuckoo originally as a lot of people think I'm weird.

Tippity tap, tippity tap.

Ye gods!

Steve has developed tippity tapinitis.

He sits and taps his feet continuously all evening. I'm ready to nail his feet to the floor with ten inch nails.

I'm still waiting to have my moving date confirmed, estate agents, mortgage advisors and solicitors all seem to take their time. All I can do is keep buggering on, it will happen eventually.

I've purchased an assortment of items ready for when I move, just small things, a potato peeler and a tin opener etc.

I'm slowly collecting items from around the flat and stashing them in the bag in my wardrobe. I'm also ordering some tinned food and dried pulses with the weekly supermarket delivery, these are also hidden in my wardrobe. I do pay for my shopping so I'm not expecting Steve to pay for them.

I will change supermarkets when I move so Steve won't have my new address and as it will be near Christmas I may not be able to get a delivery immediately. This is why I'm stocking up now. There is a local milkman who delivers to the area so I can order stuff from him.

I don't think there is a cooker there either of that is so I will buy an air fryer and a stand alone single ring to  cook on.

More shopping.

My son has dropped the furniture he's giving me at my daughter's house. This means I now know what size bed I have, a standard double, so I've ordered bedding for it.

Steve went out this morning and didn't get back until 4:30, he rushed straight over to the summer house to ensure I hadn't had too much fun in his absence.

I went over at 3 o'clock and left just before Steve arrived back, I usually only stay for a very short time as, when Steve is there I can't talk to anybody as he talks over me. It was so nice to chat to people, I don't cope well with isolation. 

I've not been feeling very well for the last week or so but there are a few social activities I can join in with when I move. I think it will do me good moving to somewhere where I can have some sort of social life.

Some in some out.

This morning I visited a local  charity shop, I was surprised that Steve let me go on my own.

I took some clothes that I no longer wear and bought some things for when I move.

I bought a craft kit of crochet Christmas baubles on a string, I also bought a bag of assorted baubles in an mixture of colours. I bought a black dress to wear to Betty's funeral, a set of four table mats, three dessert spoons and two china tea plates.

Steve has agreed that I can take half the cutlery and crockery etc but we only have three tea plates and  three dessert spoons so I bought some extra.

When I returned home Steve was stood with Beano waiting for me at the bus stop. He wasn't happy that I'd taken so long, nemmind!