It's a Long Way Away!

My dear friend, Mo helped me to pack up the last of my things before the van arrived on Tuesday. I always knew that it would have to go in two loads despite the optimism of the driver. It all got crammed in precariously ready to do the trip the next day. I spent the night in Glasgow and left early the next morning. The van man must have really put his foot down because while my trip took 12 long hours - he unloaded the stuff single-handed into a barn then headed back to Scotland and sent me a message to say that as I arrived in Devon he was 2 hours south of Edinburgh! 

My temporary home is a static caravan which is perfectly fine but when I arrived I was a bit overwhelmed by how remote it is. I spent the next day airing it out and hoovering up cobwebs then went off in search of a supermarket. I discovered that Satnav often does not work here so I drove around in circles for a while. I have a 5 mile section of bumpy, single track road before I reach a “proper” road which is terrifying but so far my Mini is doing a great job. It is 50 minutes to Tavistock which is too much so I need to find somewhere more convenient as soon as possible.

Luckily, I had plans for the weekend and headed to Looe on the South-East Cornish coast to stay with my friend, Mel. We had a lovely time wandering around the little town, harbour and beach and had the best cream tea in sunny late-summer weather. 

Last Post from Brigton Farm

I have been in a strange state of Limbo this week with the bulk of the packing done except for last day stuff such as my bedroom and everything else that I may have forgotten. I took some things to the Red Cross shop, some more bits and bobs to the Deeside Vintage Emporium then de-listed everything I still had for sale on E-bay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace. It was all quite an effort but raised funds towards the move. Apart from all of the packing boxes, my workshop looks a bit forlorn now that the last of my fabric stash has been collected by a buyer!

I headed to Glasgow for a couple of days to catch up with the Children and we had some lovely meals together, went junk-shopping (without buying) and rejigged Fergus’ laundry pulley which kept getting snagged. It is a great way of drying laundry in a flat but not ideal when you are ducking under damp clothes while cooking. Summer finally arrived for a couple of days in September and was possibly the nicest weather in Glasgow since July.

It was fun zipping around the city in the Mini but some other drivers are dangerous eejits. I am still getting used to it and it took me a while to figure out how to de-mist the windows. It has to go back to the garage the day before the move to get a new radio and fix the mirrors which seem to be stuck. There have been a few minor teething problems like that so fingers crossed it is all sorted before the big drive South!

I have tried to make the most of the down time because the moving and driving days are likely to be full-on. I don’t really want to unpack because the thought of moving it all again is daunting. I don’t think it has really sunk in that I am actually leaving Brigton Farm. I am certainly embarking on a new adventure and next week’s blog will be from Devon!!!

Packing It All In

September 1st is officially the start of autumn and I have noticed a chilly nip in the air and worst of all, darkness is falling earlier. My week was all about packing to the point that I can’t pack any more until almost the final day. The kitchen pantry is almost empty and there is a yurt frame sized space in the garage (sold for peanuts but better than nothing, I guess). 

I found that if Mo was not around to chivvy me along I tended to faff a bit aimlessly. Despite selling and chucking out all sorts of things I still seem to have an awful lot of stuff. I lay awake worrying where I will put it all once I eventually find a place to live because I can’t afford keep it all in storage indefinitely. 

My lovely Volvo estate car seems to be dead! Mechanics have declared the wiring loom melted which will cost too much to fix on a 2010 car. The worst thing is that the nicest car I have ever had is now worth £180 for scrap! I did not have long to look for a new vehicle so I have bought a Mini locally which I hope will serve me well in Devonshire lanes. It is a nice wee car, although the radio does not seem to work - and it is not the Volvo;)

This week is going to be a bit weird - I have no sewing projects and most of my stuff is packed. I have a couple of folk to see and I plan to visit my kids in Glasgow. I guess this time next weekend I will be dismantling my bed and wondering what can be left behind when we can’t shove any more into the removal van.