The long road home

I am beyond excited. Today we complete on the purchase of our new home. I am up and about at sparrow's fart because I just can't lie in bed for another single minute.

Hubs and I were talking last night about the length of time it has taken us to get to this point. We decided we were going to move from our last home over two years ago. The road to get to this point has been strewn with a few highs and many lows. I think we have encountered every single house selling/buying cliche along the way. From purchasers who pull out three days before exchange causing us to lose our dream house (grrr, my blood still boils at the memory of that) to agents who don't sell your house but insist they are owed tens of thousands when another agent does sell it (do NOT get me started on this one, we almost got as far as instructing a solicitor before they backed down) to a vendor who kept us waiting so long (8 months with no sign of her ever moving) that we finally found another house we liked and on the day we offered on it she finally decided she was ready to sell to us!

In the light of all the above we decided last November to sell our old house and move in with MIL until we found somewhere we loved. And boy, have we done that in spades! Our new home is in a little village in West Sussex. The house is on a lane and has a lovely cottagey feel to it. We have fields behind us and fields in front of us - it is an idyllic setting.

Feel free to drop by for a cup of tea once we are unpacked.

In which I fall asleep at my post!

My MIL (mother-in-law) has a large pond in her garden, and both our bedroom and our sitting room below face out onto the back garden with a view of said pond. Said pond teems with goldfish - no really it does, it teems. They are friendly little wrigglers and if you stand at the edge of the pond they will all swim towards you, and thrash and sparkle about in frenzied anticipation of some fish food or bread.

Trouble is I am not the only one who admires said goldfish. Only my admiration is innocent and admiring and, you know, safe for the goldfish. No, their other admirers are a couple of very hungry and wily herons, who despite artfully designed netting seem to delight in sneaking in under the wire and then luxuriating in their own personal goldfish bouillabaisse. We have caught these herons "red-beaked" a few times over the past week, mainly first thing in the morning, or early evening. MIL is distressed that her babies (I know!) are being snacked upon, and has charged hubs and I to guard pond. This makes sense to her as our rooms have a good view of the massacre grounds, or water, whatever.

I now feel obliged early in the morning to get up out of bed and check the pond. This morning I looked out of the window at 4.30 a.m. and yes, to my unsuprise there was a heron quietly going about it's business in the pond. I banged on the window, and blow me, the blasted thing didn't even look up. Just gulped down another golden victim! Hubs was woken by the window tympany, and rushed downstairs whilst dragging on his dressing gown to cover his nakedness. Tripped over one cat, cursed, and got to the backdoor to see the heron gracefully and calmly take off, in stark and almost insolent contrast to his crashing and oath-fuelled course through the house.

We both went back to bed, and hubs immediately started snoring (aside: how do men do that, go from awake to asleep within moments?). I however felt compelled to get up every 10 minutes to check the flying fish-felon had not returned (I take my sentry duties very seriously). By 5.00 a.m. I realised that I had no chance of any real rest, so I got up switched on the computer and decided to start writing this post, whilst keeping an eye on the pond from the sitting room window. Figures.

Only thing is, I got engrossed - you know how it is, a bit of browsing here, a bit of writing there - and completely forgot about ponds, fish, heron, the whole raison d'etre for me being up. A few minutes ago MIL got up and came racing into where I am now shrieking "there are TWO herons in the pond eating my babies!"

Ooops!

Going to try a little bit harder

Cannot believe that in two years I have only managed to write two posts! I guess if anyone has been hanging in there hoping for some content of value - wait, let me rephrase to "some content" - they must be sorely disappointed.

Or maybe they are covered in cobwebs and dust just hovering over their keyboard waiting ... and waiting ....

If that is you then wake up 'cos HEY! I'M BACK! (might be for one post only - but who knows, keeping checking this blog for next post!)

This must be the most pointless blog out there. I guess that I hope that I will type something meaningful at some point. Contrary to the recent evidence I DO have things happening in my life. I have got used to being such a private person that I find it difficult to express exactly what I want to say. I read lots of other peoples' blogs and am amazed and dumbfounded at the courageous, human, humourous, resilient, beautiful, tragic, inspirational, comforting, challenging, and downright honest writing put out there by so many talented people. I feel as though I somehow don't belong among such a cool crowd. Silly, isn't it?

Right girl, just gotta get on with it. Start writing honestly, and lets see how it goes...

Look out for me ... won't you?

New laptop, new resolution

Just got a new laptop, and it has strengthened my resolve to start writing again. A step in that direction is taking the time to start my blog properly. I am a little embarrassed by my sad, lonely entry from 2005 that has represented my so easily fallen-by-the-wayside intentions of becoming the latest writing sensation of cyberspace.

Anyway, as per my post of 2005 I am,yet again, taking time out from housework to write this. I know it seems as though I am in a constant cleaning mode - and beleive me, I feel as though this is the case - but truth to tell I haven't picked up a duster or moved the vacuum from its cupboard since the end of December. I have perfected the ability to keep the house looking clean and tidy without recourse to cleaning utensils/materials, but ever so often i.e. after 6 weeks or so, I find the dust and muss just will not respond to being pushed out of sight and/or being rearranged (don't ask!) and I have to go in search of the proper "tools for the job".

I have just spent two hours cleaning and have vacuumed the stairs, the downstairs hallway, sitting room, snug and .... thats it! I know the upstairs needs doing too, but hey! out of sight is out of mind. When I go up tonight I will not switch the lights on, thereby continuing with the 'out of sight' philosphy. Not sure how my Much, Much Better Half, aka MMBH, will feel about stumbling around in the pitch black. Hmmm, maybe I could turn it into a pre-beddy-byes game..... Yeah Baby!

What I really wanted to emphasise was that I am NOT all about housework, but for now I guess you'll just have to take my word for that.

Wow! This was easy...

I didn't expect to be sitting here writing my first blog entry. Right here. Right now. How did this happen? I was just innocently whiling away some time trying to convince myself I was very, very busy on the computer (and thus justifying why I was not cleaning up the house), when I chanced on the Blogger website and BAM! .... here I am .... A PUBLISHED BLOGGER!!

Now how exciting is that?

Oh! Just seen the "Publish Post" button at bottom of this page. My comment above is a little premature.

Hold on. I will be a published blogger in
5....
4...
3...
2...
1....
YAAAAAYYY