Friday 3 August 2012

a bit of a catch up..

where to start? so much has happened and is happening i am a bit lost and fuzzy. 

firstly i will tell you about our wonky roof.. how i wish i had taken a picture as it was quite funny really. the crown supports that are not supposed to be structural turn out to be very structural when it is the first time you put up a yurt and you have no idea how to tie a knot that actually stays tied! we planned after four days of glorious sunshine to take her down and put her again.. obviously it then threatened to rain most of the day but thankfully we made it just in time. we had some amazing helpers and a professional knot tier and all went as expected and our roof is back at nine foot instead of the five and a half foot it had slipped to, all the same we have left the crown supports in just in case!

secondly not only has papajoe started work in the office but i have been offered a sort of artist in residence role. the outlook inn (also known as the art barn) is a beautiful little hideaway filled with fascinating and eclectic objects taken from nature and the natural world. it is a space that invites creativity and reflection. while the groups are on their free time they can come and see me, join in or create on their own, i will be there, not to judge but to guide and to support. i have so many ideas, things i never had the time, space or resources to do. 

what else, what next..? today i discovered we have an abundance of fleece which i am going to use for felting, stuffing, spinning and best of all natural dying. i am hoping to use some of the space outside the straw bale to plant a bed specifically for that purpose. also i have been invited to a meeting to discuss some funding we have received for producing our own veg. the chap that comes with the money will only be able to give us a morning a week so he is going to need someone willing to fill in the rest of the time "abisnail waves excitedly".

last quick notes.. papajoe made us a pallet kitchen work station which is slightly to big but a vast improvement on what we had before. the home ed plans are coming along and we have arranged a bbq
which i am hoping will be sunny and busy and full of ideas. oh and papajoe played the dad in "we're going on a bear hunt" (read here by the author micheal rosen), in front of fifty people. it was fantastic and i only wish i had recorded it so i could embarrass him further and show you all.


Wednesday 1 August 2012

artist in residence

starting my residency with a poem -

yurt days

crackers by wind up torch light            
walking across stones to the loo          
the children are staying up later            
and waking up earlier too                    

plaiting the willow boundaries              
animals that need to be fed                  
the children have gone on a bear hunt    
while we put chickens to bed              

the kettle doesn't whistle                      
the washing ups done on the floor        
the children play games in the straw bale
we still need a lock on the door            

rustic homemade furniture                    
beautifully painted crown wheel            
the children and papa and baby
the happiest that we could feel







Friday 20 July 2012

5 things...

5 things that are great about yurt living -

1. the beautiful painted roof poles and doorway
2. the clear crown wheel cover fills the space with daylight/moonlight and it makes for some         
   spectacular lightning shows
3. our bespoke handmade higgledy-piggledy furniture
4. we are much more in touch with the outdoors - with nature and the weather
5. i can stay in bed and still be in the thick of family life

5 things that suck about yurt living -

1. once one of the kids is up we all are
2. we are in a mess all of the time even when we are tidy (that may have nothing to do with the yurt)
3. everything needs winding up all the time (papajoe describes this as a 'fun challenge')
4. the mud, the mud, the bloody mud (this may have more to do with the crazy wet summer)
5. i keep banging my head on the four foot door

5 things we still need to do -

1. take down and re build the yurt - we are seriously wonky
2. make a kitchen unit for our new oven
3. build a composting loo/tree bog
4. build beds for us and for kids
5. cut down the floor stuff in a load of felt and sort out the tarp

5 things we have done already -

1. built some very nifty kitchen shelves
2. papajoe built a very interesting outdoor table
3. installed a wood burner
4. located local libraries, swimming pools, charity shops and pub!
5. started organising home ed group - just need a good name

Thursday 12 July 2012

one of those days

sometimes i have these days.. these real down, sulky, slumpy days. i have had these odd days most of my adult life sometimes its ok.. i can shake it off but sometimes it lasts days on end. the need to pack a bag and run for it niggling at the back of my mind. the little voice that says no one would miss you, in fact they would be better off without you. 

today has been one of those days. i woke up cold (we are having some issues with our stove), always a bad start for me. i had a weird dream which had got me stressed about money. i am not someone who cares about money, i have a very "it will work out" attitude towards it. but this last month has been an expensive one and it unnerves me. to be honest i wallowed in it, and the pressure to get three kids and all our washing clean on the only sunny day we have had for a while totally panicked me and i lost it. 

papajoe then insisted that he would take the kids out to the park.. instead of being grateful for the break i took this as a dig at my ability to look after them. i took it as him wanting to get himself and them away from horrible mummy. i got even more upset and unmanageable and so understandably he left. 

first i was devastated, how could he abandon me, and then i felt terrible. it was me, i had pushed them all away. i am unbearable, of course they don't want to be around me. i went for a walk to calm myself down. i found myself marching, i became determined to catch them up, regardless of the fact they had gone in the van and i was on foot. i marched the three or four miles into beccles. by the time i got there i was so desperate to see them i hardly remembered to feel miserable but of course i had missed them. the park was filled with other happy families. 

i tried to call but they didn't answer so after a sit in the church garden i began the walk back. this time as i walked at a more sensible pace i was able to enjoy the twists and turns in the path the poppies and dog roses lining grass and the hedgerows. how lucky i am to have such undulating beauty right on my doorstep. how lucky i am to have a family waiting at home for me, that love me even at my most unpleasant. 

things are not always easy, and i thoroughly except to have crappy days, sometimes worse than crappy but also i will have good days, amazing jump in the air days, sometimes sing and dance days. i just need to open my eyes.. walk a bit slower and who knows what tomorrow will bring... 

Monday 9 July 2012

week no.1

we have survived our first week of yurt living through torrential down pours and severe flood warnings. what is more we have survived unharmed, apart from one small leak by the door and the small bog surrounding us. mainly it has been exactly as expected.. a bit like luxury camping ( i refuse to use the term glamping). 

we have no electric or running water and we have a small walk to the nearest toilet but we do have a wooden floor, a proper front door and tonight a proper mattress! we have borrowed a table from the straw bale building so are managing to be quite civilised at meal times. well as civilsed as you can be when you are baby led weaning and babys favourite food is mashed potato. 

papajoe built us some shelves for our kitchen area which will only need a small amount of tweaking before they are perfect and we are on the hunt for pallets to make some more bits of furniture. the big kids are having a bed designed and built by the lovely tim germain which will be so multi purpose (and curved) i get excited just thinking about it! 

all in all we are settling in nicely, getting to know everyone better and doing odd jobs to help out. if only it would rain just a little less so we could really get out and enjoy the space, visit the beach (only half an hour away) and get started on the millions of jobs we need to get done. 

Tuesday 3 July 2012

yurt building for dummies

we have only gone and done it...

weds 27th june - we set off early to collect the van. the plan, to buy the wood we needed and drop it off on site. papajoe would then head into london to collect the yurt on thursday morning ready for a mad day of floor and yurt building. an easy start? well, first the yurt people rang to say they were away and we couldn't collect till friday then we had a serious maths debacle. papajoe underestimating and me over. i had a miny meltdown (see previous post).

thurs 28th june - uncle piers was late. he slept in and missed his train so we arrived on site (with just us) late. we marked out a circle with string and sticks and then, as all maths skills had deserted us, spent most of the morning lying planks on the floor to correctly work out how many we would need. we were later joined by mrs cleary, one of her lovely boys and finally uncle piers. we picked up all our wood laid our tarp and starting setting out the struts for the base of our deck. by half seven the kids the clearys and i had had enough and we left the boys to start screwing down the first few planks.

fri 29th june - papajoe picked up yurt! he arrived on site at 2 o'clock and since i had been on my own with the kids had not done any more than unwrapping the beginnings of our floor. we began work.. when (wait for it..) my mums boyfriends sisters boyfriend showed up to offer a hand. what a star! we were almost finished when we ran out of battery power for our one drill and one screwdriver (yes we were very prepared!) and so wrapped everything back up and called it a day. 



sat 30th june - determined to set of early we picked uncle piers up at 9 made a quick stop at the diy shop and headed back to site.. today was going to be easy! just a few more screws and onto putting up a yurt. whoops spoke to soon.. the floor was done but turns out we cut it pretty fine. we had a nightmare trying to fit the door and getting all the wall sections the same height. mum came and took some pics and chased the kids around till i couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and she ferried us home. again we left the boys to it but it was late and getting dark, they managed to get her up and get a waterproof cover over her before rushing back to ipswich to miss uncle piers' train. 


sun 1st july - moving in day.. or not. we were exhausted right from the word go so we decided we would take down the waterproof cover and add the proper layers, cotton, then felt, then canvas and plastic, then more canvas and a pvc rain cap, and get back to ipswich for an early night. the wind and the weight of the material held us up and if it wasn't for the help of a man named tim i don't know where we would be. but we did it. she was up, she was dressed and as much as we wanted to stay the night it was good to go back to mums. we had a takeaway and a bottle of fizz and collapsed into unconsciousness. 



Wednesday 27 June 2012

bloody wood

first of all i feel i should put it out there that i love my husband and he has done an amazing job trying to figure this all out and make it work. he is a super star. today though i nearly rang his neck, when i thought we were spending quite a bit on wood only to discover we had bought far to little. i sat in the van and cried down the phone to my mum. having had some stewing time with some paper, a pen and a calculator (and a large glass of wine) i have come to the conclusion that -  

a) money spent on floor is money well spent
b) working out how much rectangular wood you need to make a circle is bloody difficult and 
c) papajoe did his best, the man who worked at the wood place was obviously a wally and this is about moving forward and making the best of whatever we've got! 

with that in mind, tomorrow we will get up early, go buy some more wood and then rush over there to build a floor. we have after all, in case you haven't heard, bought a yurt! that involved quite a bewildered cashier and a very large envelope. when i went to deposit the cash i very briefly entertained the idea of just legging it but was distracted by the lady ahead of me in the queue with not only odd socks but odd shoes!!!  

so after a whole lot of hoo-ha and changing of minds the plan goes... tomorrow build a floor, friday pick up and build a yurt, saturday, if not dead from exhaustion, empty storage keep some stuff but mainly fill nearer storage and sunday start living in a yurt!! 

Tuesday 26 June 2012

we belong

as our travelling comes to an end i wanted to share a little song with you. it is baby's total favourite, it always stops him from screaming when he is cross in the van and although we all now know the words inside out and upside down it will forever remind me of this part of our lives.


hope you enjoy it! 
X

Wednesday 20 June 2012

a good name

in all my excitement i completely neglected to mention our mid week move..

after spending two nights in fairyland, having a small flood, doll building a fairy house and some embarrassed looking school children hiding from us behind trees, we decided we needed to find a more secluded spot.

fairyland is a clearing of grass in the woodland. it has a fire pit at either end and lots of paths in and out of the wood and dell. it is beautiful but it is in constant use. we didn't especially mind the kids running to and fro and enjoying the space but they did seem to mind us, we felt in the way.

when we had been on our day trip it was suggested that behind the straw bale building might be potential spot. i had, if i'm honest, written this off completely. it doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it? but as we started to get used to the place we began to look at it in quite a new light.  

the building is surrounded in grass, a herb garden, a few other flower beds, a living willow play house and another built with sticks and straw all of it enclosed by a living willow fence. it is tucked away without being hidden. there is plenty of space for us to live and play without being in the way of the other groups using the site.

so it is settled.. we will live a short walk from fairyland and we will come up with a good name for our little corner.


Monday 18 June 2012

a home at last?

aaahhh i don't really know where to start.. i am so excited i can't stay on my seat.. i keep jumping up and down and screaming.

we have somewhere to live.. somewhere so amazing and exciting that i can't really believe that they want us.

we thought originally we would set up in fairyland and it was great there.. the bell tent looked beautiful surrounded by woodland and willow and with fairy lights all round the entrance but it just wasn't practical. really it was a thoroughfare and we felt in the way of the school party that were staying in the main hall. plus the power line i had failed to notice before with the huge "danger of death" sign was slightly off putting.

hang on rewind... where had i got to? we had done a day trip and fallen in love with the place, we had arranged to go back and camp for a week or so. i had a sulky week in ipswich whingeing and waiting.

so.. this wonderful place is actually an education centre of sorts.. there is a main hall that sleeps around fifty, there is a meditation space and a arts and crafts building. there is a straw bale barn, a tree house, it is surrounded by woodlands and meadow. the education team work with kids from nursery age right the way through.. while we were there they were doing the wizard of oz with a group of forty four year olds (thats small kids not middle aged people) .. next week they will be doing earth watch. it is all outdoors, hands on, amazing fiery excitement.

we went to stay for five warmish but rainy nights.. and apart from a small tent flood it was amazing. we got better acquainted with the education and hospitality teams. i did some volunteering in the kitchen and papajoe plaited willow hedges and did some weeding. the kids stripped naked and ran and rolled and splashed in mud. 

at the thought of two more torrential nights and potential floods we disappointingly left early but we are in the south west preparing to go back and this time with our home!

not only are they offering us a space to to put our yurt but a building we could use to run a home ed group and a steiner inspired parent and toddler group. they are completely on board with papajoe building a composting loo and we would have space to grow things and keep animals. we get to help out and be involved in a group of people doing something so fantastic for the local community and even wider.

it is a beautiful and inspiring place just to hang out and i get to bring up my family right in the middle of it!



Wednesday 6 June 2012

a post in pictures


our journey so far.... 
                                     



                                                                      
            








         











                                                


   


    





Tuesday 5 June 2012

glum

the last few days have been long and slow. my head and my body are tired. each morning when i first open my eyes i want to close them again. maybe if i sleep the day away, tomorrow i will feel better.

it started just before we left the cottage. getting ready to pack everything back into the van filled me with dread, and the reality was no better. i was emotional and exhausted, shouting at the kids when they got under my feet. they feel it too. doll begged not to leave, even though we have come to grandma and stevie, one of our favourite spots. the twelve days we were still passed so fast and we were leaving them behind with no concrete plan for the next ten.   

jubilee sunday was wet and grey much like i feel. we went into christchurch park to cheer ourselves up but the fair and the stalls were deserted. the town was not much better, soaking wet cut outs of the queen and dripping bunting but empty of life. in felixstowe we hid from the rain under the pier and ate chips. the children ran in and out of the splashing waves. i long to be carefree and paddle in the sea.

monday afternoon the sun was shining, i felt i should step back out into the park and join my family, see their smiling faces as they listen to the bagpipes and watch the parade. once i do, once i walk with the sun on my face i feel the fog starting to lift.

today, the last day of the bank holiday, we are going back to beach. come rain or shine we will drink hot tea and eat sandwiches in the pink hut. tomorrow everyone will return to work and i am still not sure where we will go.

it can not be for much longer now, i am ready to go home.. wherever home may be...










Wednesday 30 May 2012

fairyland




what a week of excitement and nerves and sunshine. we have filled our lungs with the countryside everyday since we left london. we have walked and run and climbed and jumped partly thanks to the clearys and high lodge in thetford forest and partly due to the wonderfully hot weather. we have sat in pub gardens and parks and fields and even found time for a swim. but best of all we visited a place i could only of dreamed of living and it may even be a real possibility.




we went to see our potential new home in the middle of last week and i have thought of nothing since. the place itself, the woodlands, the dell, the buildings including a huge old (and in much need of renovation) greenhouse were beautiful. the couple who live on site and run the place with such drive and vision were fantastic and interesting. i love it. i love what they do, what they strive to do. it is everything i could of imagined and more. 

after falling so much in love with it and them i could only hope that they felt they could bare us enough to put with us. i worried constantly that i had been too distacted by the children (and my own excitment) and not chatted enough, not asked or answered enough questions. we emailed they the next day to propose that we camp there for a few nights as a sort of get to know one another, see how it might work trial. it took three of the most anxious days of my life for them to get back to us. i knew they had a busy weekend and the weather was glorious no one was sat indoors at a computer execpt me. checking and checking my emails until it finally arrived. yes, it said yes. camping is a fine idea. 

what huge relief and excitment. this is it. i feel it. i imagine myself there. i imagine my family there. living in fairyland. 

Friday 18 May 2012

the show yurt

we are stopping off on our grand tour for a posh week in kensington. papajoes little bro runs a lovely pub  http://www.thequeensarmskensington.co.uk/ and we are staying in his flat. we even have tickets to see swan lake on ice at the royal albert hall. how classy! 
we have taken the opportunity to go to loads of museums and to finally visit the show yurt. it is the size we are thinking about so it felt really important to go and stand inside it and really get a feel for the space and the light. also it was built in mongolia. we have been strongly advised to buy an english yurt because of the wood quality so it was interesting to see the wear on one that is six years old. there is a substantial difference in price between local and imported and we need to be sure that we make the right choice. buying local will mean that we need to buy smaller but we are talking about our home so it needs to be able to stand up to some wear and tear.

i have been excited about this post for weeks, i was all ready to write about how positive i felt, how the space was great and the kids loved it but i'm afraid i have a slightly different story to tell.
it was definitely smaller than i had prepared myself for.. i know, i know.. it was always going to be tiny. when you plan to live in a space with a 19ft diameter you are not expecting a palace but when i have tried to imagine the space it was bigger in my head. the walls were lower than i expected, i think that is what did it. we have measured out the floor space before but the low walls enclosed around it shrank the space. the light was fantastic though. i had assumed that with only the small window around the wheel in the roof it would be dark and even the white walls would appear dull but it was wonderful. doll and i secretly planned hanging our disco ball from the centre to fill the space with pink speckled light. mind you, that was the only sense i got out of either of the big kids the whole time we were there. they clambered all over the poor ladies authentic yurt furniture and threw stones about the garden. i resorted to bribing them with chocolate to keep them quiet. 

i came away feeling unsure about what we had signed ourselves up for.. my first real doubts that this was a good idea. after a cup of tea with an old friend, a fantastic burger and a good night sleep (thank you baby, two nights in a row with only one wake!) i am getting on top of it. it is just a lot to process, being homeless and drifting is harder and more tiring than i ever imagined and on top of that we have big, tough decisions to make and so much organising to do. london is a very stressful city, i long for the open flat fens, where you can stretch and think. not long now, roll on monday. two weeks settled, sites to visit, friends to catch up with.. i can't wait.     

Tuesday 8 May 2012

bongo a go go

i am taking a quick break from packing the golf the last time ever.. not because our road trip is over but because we bit the bullet and bought a bigger car. quite fed up with squeezing five people, three car seats, a enormous suitcase and all our other nonsense in to our fairly small vw we were swept up by the madness of ebay and have bought a bongo. we have a mammoth drive tomorrow to go and check it is up to scratch before handing over every last one of our pennies. the kiddos are so excited that they will be able to sleep in the pop up top and i must admit that i am too! 

our other super exciting news is that we (keep everything crossed now) potentially have three sites to go and visit when we next find ourselves in east anglia. nothing is definite but, people seem to want to talk to us and that is an amazing start. i am feeling really positive.

i won't say any more now i don't want to jinx it except... 
go me and go my lovely family things are starting to happen!!   

Thursday 3 May 2012

advertising me..

this week we have started to compile a list of interesting sites and i have started to write a small advert selling.. well.. me. when my mum suggested it a few weeks back i acknowledged that it was a good idea and then went on to completely ignore her advice and do nothing. turns out that is was not just a good idea but totally necessary. when writing an email to someone you are hoping may consider having you living on their land you need to sell yourself.

now, i think that papajoe and me are fairly likable and have some practical and useful skills between us but putting that into words has proven quite difficult. we are a hodge podge of random things and that is hard to quantify. our skills not necessarily connected and our interests wide and varied, i think that makes us interesting and potentially useful to have around but i am worried people will think we are scatty and unfocused. what we are, i am discovering more and more, is very determined. something that was just a pipe dream this time last year is becoming closer and closer to a reality. 

these first few days together have made me realise what this has all been for.. home made soup and long walks all of us together come rain or shine. 

Tuesday 1 May 2012

papajoes last day

the last time i sat at a computer for any length of time i was settled very comfortably into an arm chair in the rolling hills of gloucestershire. we have since been to a rain soaked hampshire and our now hidden in a corner of the fantastic tourist destination.. cheddar gorge. 

despite the rain we had a wonderful week with granny knickers and the boys. big boy and baby had their first trip to the cinema, and we discovered a beautiful playground and some wooden animals at alice holt forest http://www.forestry.gov.uk/aliceholt

a momentous occasion has manged to slip by us barely noticed in all the hullabaloo of moving a family around the country. papajoe finished work. 

it was a day i expected to be full of tears of excitement and jumping up and down but was in fact, at least for the kids and i, a day of miserable traffic and poo explosions. so after a miserable journey we arrived at the worlds first garden city the kids ate and slept and i, although hoping to join papajoe and some work friends in the hotel bar sat in the corridor with my book. he came back at three in the morning, i was long asleep.

and now we are here.. some wonderful fenland friends came to visit and fill our first two days here with noise and thoughts of home. seeing them has made me long for east anglia in a way i never thought i would.

i am starting to tire now of this open endedness, this feeling of going nowhere. we need to get things moving this week.. maybe some more concrete plans will create a more settled feeling. now papajoe is at home we should have more time for thinking and organising.

Saturday 14 April 2012

the money issue...

i didn't want to do it but i think it is time to talk about the money.

the whole thing started because we wanted to save money but we found that we couldn't. there was no where to cut back. after rent and council tax and other bills all our money went on food and kids activities. we budgeted carefully, planned our meals, used washable nappies but there was nothing extra.. we were only just surviving month to month. this was made worse by papajoes sucky job. he worked ridiculous hours, including weekends and evening and was often away. but they didn't seem to appreciate the effort he went to, the time with us that he had given up. they expected, in fact demanded more and more. because we couldn't save any money we were stuck. maybe when our contract ran out in april we should of moved to a smaller house and let him carry on his horrid job for another year or two while we saved but we couldn't face it. after baby was born and we, finally after two years, had papajoe at home for a while we realised how much we had missed him and how much we needed him with us. it was then that we made up our minds that we couldn't carry on, we needed to get him out.   

my grampy had offered us some of our inheritance early in order to start us off on this mad adventure and we have managed to put together a very small sum from the sale of our furniture and the return of all (can't quite believe it.. big boy spent at least 12 of the 18 months we were there scribbling on walls and radiators) of our deposit from the house. but when he sadly passed away last month we found ourselves in the awkward position of having to raise the inheritance question earlier than was perhaps appropriate. i don't want to take away from the sadness of his loss. he was loved dearly by us all and will be missed intensely but we are relying on his money to be able to move forward. the money has gone into probate and we are now waiting to hear when it will be released and how much it will be.  

the fear of course is that we don't know how long it will take. that we will use up the small amount of money that we have scraped together waiting and drifting from place to place. papajoe has two weeks left of work and we want to be celebrating and moving forward. but we are not really sure where to go. it is the first time i have felt really nervous about this project and what will happen to us.

Monday 9 April 2012

easter break

the whole family is together at mums (even my big little bro) so made a decision not to think about the big move and just enjoy the long easter weekend. sadly it didn't work out quite that way.. had some advice from a friend of ours with regards to wood and that has thrown up some serious questions about where we buy our yurt. i don't know wood so the larch vs ash debate is going to take some research. any thoughts welcome..? 

there are so many companies that sell yurts, people who will teach you to make your own yurt. they range in price and size and optional extras. it is so confusing and there is so much more to think about than i ever anticipated. and it goes so much further than which wood.. will it be carved or painted? what flooring do we need? what about a stove? how many layers of felt and canvas? what about windows and a door? and that is just the yurt. that is not even touching on washing facilities, a toilet, cooking facilities, other furniture and the really big one.. location. so much for not thinking.

on a more fun note our first week without a house is nearly up and it has been a busy week for kids. baby is interacting and moving more and more everyday.. he nearly sits independently, is reaching and grabbing and even tried his first taste of banana. doll is writing her own name and can tell me things about the ancient egyptians i never knew before. and big boy, well he is always busy and now when he wants to avoid answering questions or doing what he is told he tells you as much. "sorry mum, i'm very busy".

tomorrow we set off for the west country and the next stop on our imposing yourself on your relatives tour. it should be a fantastic week catching up with old friends, and going to familiar places. watch out bristol. 

Friday 6 April 2012

stylish homelessness

homelessness in (messy) style..


travelling bunting courtesy of the fantastic motherfunker at feetonthegroundandheadintheclouds
double bed and en suite shower room courtesy of my lovely mummy
and the mess.. oh crap i need a whole house to fit all my mess


Tuesday 3 April 2012

no fixed abode

we went back to the house today to finish up and i was surprised that there were no tears. doll went around the place and said her goodbyes.. goodbye greenhouse, goodbye garage, goodbye kitchen, goodbye under stairs cupboard.. well you get the point. she remained very matter of fact about it and when she sat on my lap waiting for grandma to pick us up she said, "it is strange and exciting not having a house. we could live in the car... me and big boy will sleep in the boot, you papajoe and baby can sleep in the back and we can do our cooking in the front".

i did feel sad to say goodbye though.. just before getting into the car i looked through the window of the living room, the room i had hoped baby would be born in, and it occurred to me how many memories we had made in that house.

so much has changed since we moved to the fens 18 months ago. for a start we were only four then and now we are five. we have embarked on a home edding journey that was not our original plan but has been rewarding and challenging in equal measure. we have made interesting and inspiring friends. we have discovered a landscape that is both beautiful and bleak. we are more determined than ever that we can be together and happy, that we don't need high status jobs or loads of cash.

but doll is right, this feeling of floating not knowing what will happen next, it is strange. i am not scared, i sometimes feel that i should be, i try to be but i'm not. maybe as the end of the month approaches and our relatives hospitality is waning the fear will kick in. i will get back to you, let you know. but as for now i hope to enjoy being around my extended family and meeting a much awaited new baby girl. it is a good lesson in living for the moment, for the present. a lesson the kids were born knowing and seem to unlearn as they get older.

we may have no fixed abode but as a very wise person reminded me, we are at home when we are with our loved ones, so i am very much at home right where i am.

Monday 2 April 2012

clean and paint my house

well i am out.. i set off last night leaving papajoe behind to finish up.. i would like to say i left after a very productive day and there is hardly anything left to do but i'm afraid it is quite the reverse. mostly we watched tv on the laptop, ate quiche and pretended to be working.  saturday was only slightly better. only two of my mumma friends could make it in the end so while one held baby and the other cleaned the windows i ran around like a headless chicken not achieving an awful lot.

the children, i was hoping would enjoy their last day in the garden and i would get lots of great bouncing and splashing photos to remind us of our last few days in the house. but after two weeks of glorious sunshine it was grey, windy and a bit too chilly for the paddling pool. instead they sat in a dark room glued to nanny mcphee and the big bang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVOzEmywwMM.

the whole of our house is squeezed into 82sq ft of storage container..


and as of tuesday we will be officially homeless.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

the big trip is cancelled

a lovely day in the sunshine with the wonderful motherfunker who bought us all kinds of goodies, boxes and bags and yummy things to eat. but i can't shake the disappointment that our big trip for tomorrow is cancelled. the yurt guys can't fit us in and so the kids will have to wait, i will have to wait until another day. we were, to make a day of it, also planning a trip to the british museum. doll has gone mad for the egyptians these last few days and we were going to see if we could hunt some out. however we have decided that london is too far for us to just go anyway and we ought to stay home and tick some things off the to do list.. but you know what.. fuck it.. one day can't hurt. it is papajoes birthday and i refuse point blank to make him give up a lovely day in the sun for boring house stuff. so we won't go to london, doesn't mean we can't do lots of other fun sunny things and have one day not thinking about the move.  

since writing the above papajoe has refused to go along with my plan, he is convinced that i am mad.. we must make use of the day we have been given to get on with stuff. there is just to much to do to relax we must work work work! we may, in order to celebrate have a mini butterfly hunting trip to the woods but that is all. for the rest of the day we must deny all knowledge of birthdays. he has insisted on no presents, and although i would normally ignore this ridiculous request i have totally failed to get anything what with the kids bugs etc, so he will have nothing to open. i will have to get up first so he can have coffee and toast in bed.

oh well.. still have the party to look forward to. tiny bit worried that if this weather continues we will all lounge in the garden, drinking the cider papajoe has requested, and nothing will get done. but it will be a lovely way to say goodbye to the house. i am grateful for the things it has given me over the last 18 months and it deserves a good send off.


Sunday 25 March 2012

the mess that is half living half moving


  the one bookcase we intend to  
  keep, i will have to fit all the toys, 
  books and crafty bits on here.. 
  good luck with that! 

doll and big boy enjoying their last week in the playroom 






what was the grown up living room and home to all the grown up books, now packed and stored in nonnas loft, oh how i miss you


the room that used to have a gigantic bed, and is now just a mattress filled bomb site


can you spot baby?




the ridiculously full garage..
what am i still doing with all this stuff? 







if i tell the truth although i blame the packing i wasn't much tidier than this before we started..