Just a quickie, because I am so tired.
Yesterday, Thursday, had a leaving party at my friends house and she baked me this outstanding cake,

The bell tent cake underneath is a rainbow cake. The layers slice together with jam and butter cream.  The base cake is my favourite, a coffee and walnut cake, which was delicious.  The Berlingo van was a chocolate cake. The detail that my friend went into was stunning.  The van had on the side a silhouette of a witch on a broomstick.  Just fabulous!

It was such a lovely party, and Rye and all the other children had such a fun time. I am really going to miss all our friends down here.

By the evening time, it was just me and two of my best friends. We cracked opened the cider and spent it a joyful evening laughing and joking.  Cue a very late evening and a very tired morning being woken up excruciatingly early by the children.

And now there is three sleeps and I will be in Liverpool. There is a bitter sweet joy, on one hand I am really excited at the next chapter in our lives. On the other hand I feel really really sad at leaving our amazing friends and connections we have made here. And also I haven't lived this long in one place since leaving the farm that I grew up on.

Also Rye's best friend is a precocious four year old who is gorgeous he is a lovely little boy. And he is so sad that Rye is moving away.  The past week or two he keeps coming up to me and give me cuddles and then telling me very seriously how is going to miss Rye and that he is very sad because Rye is his best friend. It is rather heart wrenching. Also the reality of the move is beginning to become very real for Rye. He is suddenly realising that he's not going to be seeing his friends down here very often. So while he is excited about going to Liverpool and seeing the friends again that he made there, he is conflicted. 

With that in mind I have booked train tickets to come back down at Yule for a few days.  Amazingly cheap, only £35 return for Rye and me.   And my friends do have plans to come up and visit next year.

Anyway, really need to go and get some kip. For ages it has felt like moving day was so far away, and then suddenly it's speeded up crept up on me and then there's only two days now. And I look around and I think ARRRGGGHHH.

T'will be fine, by Monday evening, Rye and me will be in Liverpool, and beginning a new life...

 

The End is Neigh

I am weary.  The packing and now cleaning is still ongoing, the end is neigh, and moving day begins to tentatively loom.

I am conscious I am going from a house to 3 rooms, and I look around and wondered if there's still too much - the skip is full though, and the wooden toys have been decimated; either sold or passed on.   And I remind myself those boxes are quite small.. And I may be moving into 3 rooms; the size of those rooms means I'll have about the same amount of space as I do now (maybe even a bit more) Plus the communal areas - oh how I will appreciate those communal areas, and a large house where the noise children make becomes a joyful playful racket, and not an ear splitting din.  Oh yes, that will be wonderful, and housemates, ooh I'm looking forward to having housemates.

As a single parent, it can get a bit lonely, and there can be days and days without talking to another adult.  Even more exciting, the ethos is social change, I am looking forward to non children related topics ;-)

Looking forward to new knowledge, new friendships, to city living, to a whole new way of living.

The end is neigh, with exciting prospects :-) 
 

Fancy communal living?

A mama on the Green Parent forum, found this marvelous place:  Bygrave Manor  and half seriously asked if anyone fancied joining her to set up a mini commune.


From there its becoming a real possibility - so if you're interested, email me and I'll let you know the details of when the viewing etc is.

Packing

Oh please end. I seem to have been packing for a lifetime - how on earth did I accumlate so much in one year??????

I've been up since midnight (I went to bed with the little 'un at 7pm) packing some more and cleaning the kitchen - on the upside the oven and hob are sparkling now.

I rather suspect tonight will be all nighter, I still have the upstairs to pack up - thankfully there isn't much up there, mainly clothes, towels and bedding - oh and the little 'uns' clothes and toys.

Still, the removal van arrives at 8am in the morning and then begins a whole new chapter in our lives.

Despite the tiredness - I am very excited.