After twenty years, we are on the move. Word Loft will have another writing den with a completely different outlook to that described in my first blog post, A Good Place To Start when life was so strange in the summer of 2020.

Fingers crossed; our change of address goes to plan. One can never be sure until all official administration has been completed, and there is still some paperwork outstanding. Nevertheless, Mr Word Loft and I have started packing as the removal men are booked for Easter weekend, just over a week away.

At last, our wish to downsize has been granted. The paring down of our household goods is a challenge, but also cathartic. I’m not a hoarder as somebody hinted recently, but I don’t like throwing things away if I think they might be useful at a later date.

With all this decluttering, I’ve become a familiar figure in all the local charity shops. Dropping off all sorts of paraphernalia has been fun, and it has taken a lot of willpower for me not to buy at the same time.

To help make the most of less space, we are reorganising old photographs from albums into nifty index boxes. Greetings cards saved over decades are still pushed to the back of a cupboard waiting for us to read again, but of course, that can’t be rushed.

Making trips to our new home to check on the building’s progress, or taking measurements, we realised how close we are to our local nursery and garden centre. So convenient and inspirational. Our plot will be turfed, but a more compact outdoor table and chairs are necessary, as well as plants. Some simple ornaments representing serenity to go with our sun and moon sculpture are on our list. Maybe a water feature too.

On one occasion, we couldn’t resist the mouthwatering aromas wafting from the restaurant – a roast dinner paradise. The turkey and trimmings tasted delicious, and choosing a cake from the appealing selection took a while, but I can thoroughly recommend the rich and zesty chocolate orange cake. Going there for meals on moving-in day will be extremely handy.

I usually write a fortnightly blog post, but with all the busyness going on, I’ll skip the next and be back in a month.

Until then, best wishes,
Sue. X