Into the Void

weeeeeeeeeeee!

........Oh don't be daft, it's not that bad......just a period of adjustment and reflection whilst ordering roses for that forever rose garden one day! It's good to dream isn't it?

Hello again you!

So, we've been busy getting settled here, it had to happen at some stage I guess? We are still unwrapping our worldly goods but in slow time now. There is method in the madness I feel, as it's the first time in a 6 year period that all our stuff is in one place. It also means we have 3 of everything but we are nearly at the end of it. Then we will have to decide what stays, what goes and yet we are reluctant to part ways with things until the future reveals itself!

Here at cranky farm, life goes on with a daily dose of those amazing Lincolnshire wolds views!

They are doing the trick, bringing us down to earth, helping us both heal and breathe again.

Sadly, the Landlord here hasn't suddenly become a great communicator, no, in fact he's actually ghosting us! Not helpful really. He's obviously one of those that hides from maintenance issues! Some people never learn! Nevertheless we are plodding on best we can, settling in for the long haul.

It all feels different some how after we decided there was no going back, but also there's better weather and that is making all the difference.

Sunshine makes everything better doesn't it?

The end of this month marks a year since we left France and it feels real now. A whole year, gone in a flash! No more France. It's permanent, done and dusted. A lesson? Definitely and I think, we will always have more than a few regrets as to how it all turned out in the end. In another few years it will just be something we did once eh?

Almost a year on we are still dealing with the aftermath and the house sits there waiting patiently, too patiently for its new owners to discover her. I do look at the photographs sometimes and wonder what is next? I cut my interior design teeth in France and I'm so ready to do it all again but I must wait. I can make do with getting rid of some of the magnolia paint in this place I suppose? I honestly do think that colour should be banned and any painter using it flogged!

My floral journey continues but rather more muted than I had hoped and I'm standing in my own way. We have a second shop viewing on Tuesday but my concern about the economy is holding me back. I don't want to saddle myself with a retail space for three years or do I? That said I'm on the wedding intensive soon and maybe that will help me figure it all out?

Having a studio space would help, but we don't have any flat ground here, so it's not possible.

The shop?

I think not and honestly I'd rather invest in a place of our own if truth be told and that just needs time. This is where I think we have changed post France. We aren't as gung ho and instead are really reluctant to do something, anything that could make things worse. We are finally ready to wait.

I actually think we grew up!

Far from being bored, I'm pottering, content enough and as I said we've been super busy emptying the lorry and storage. I've been using my hard won skills to make a silk purse out of a sows ear as per!

We've taken it slow and steady, mainly because we just lack the energy to slog it out these days. Honestly, this move as long and drawn out as it has been, has highlighted our advancing age if nothing else. Or maybe it was because we had little choice but to leave France? Both, I think!

Look, we need to get a grip because if Sir David Attenborough can reach that coveted milestone of 100 years on this earth with all his vigour and joy intact, there's hope for us yet! He's one of my hero's, a nature king.

I think what 'him in doors' and I need is a new adventure but what! We thought that would be the American caravan but finding out a little too late, that it isn't legal to pull it in the UK was a problem. So it's back to the drawing board eh!

I'd book a holiday but fuel prices and low stocks could end up making air travel difficult and so we wait. I think I could get used to twiddling my thumbs, thinking, dreaming, procrastinating! Meanwhile, we are awaiting the delvery of our new hybrid car, which will certainly make things easier. We weren't quite ready to go full on EV but maybe next time?

I think he's decided to keep his beloved Vogue and have it as a project, starting with getting the dents and paint work sorted! It was me! Yes, I was the problem! I jack knifed a trailer! Ooops!

We are also concentrating on storage! There's nothing much in this house and so we've ordered some and will go treasure hunting tomorrow for a linen press. I really feel a house can only function well when everything has a place to live!

It's funny you know? We feel quite at peace at the moment and rather unhurried. There's no drama or stress really which is unusual. Our nervous systems are settling. It's rather refreshing really. There's definitely something to be said for just getting on with things as they are!

What does the future hold for us?

I have no idea, I don't think any of us do!

Love and gumption

D x