The Move - & friendships
well, as i sit here eating my marmite and fruit lunch, i thought i'd reflect a little of the last few days.
first, we are IN. all boxes bar cellar ones are unpacked, and we are in the phase of "now where did we PUT that??" generally followed by "why did we put it THERE?!!!" The house is beginning to feel like "home." Books are out and arranged, and our photos and pictures are now beginning to find their niches. It is odd to have three floors (four, if you count the cellar -which I keep referring to as basement, strange how canadianisms slip out every now and then), and my calves are sore from unacccumstomed climbs! The views out the back are really good - there is an enormous horse chestnut tree some distance away that provides drama. Also, to our great joy, the garden/courtyard has blue tits!
The only drama (still) is the bathroom, which was unexpectedly gutted by eager helpers, to a degree that we hadn't anticipated - so we'll need a plasterer, electrician and plumber some day soon!! (but the water & hence the heat is now on - good news!).
The house is truly lovely -and we are discovering over and over again how rich we are in friends & family - who sacrificed much of their time to come and help us. They lightened the burden and shared in our joy. They've tirelessly fetched, carried, put things together, fixed things, brought flapjacks, thermoses, calming presence and good spirits - oh, and made coffee ... Andrew and I are beholden. Now, we are beginning to think about more normal rhythms of life being able to reemerge on our life's score. We've been talking a lot about hostitality, friendship, and sacred space and life. We're going for our first ever outdoor climb this weekend - (yes, I know it's cold. Yes, I know it will probably be wet. Yes, we'll be careful!)
Apart from all of that - one of the funny aspects of the move was my discover of a bag with my Christmas present in it!! So I've now read a new biography of ted hughes, whose poetry I love. It's yet to be determined if I'll get a present on Christmas day! Hughes is sucha wordsmith, he captures so much of nature - both light and dark. Andrew and I have been reading his translation of Beowolf together, and his descriptions are vivid, and rhythms captivating.
And so... onto class.
But just as I go, if you're reading this, and a friend - whether absent or present - Thank you.
first, we are IN. all boxes bar cellar ones are unpacked, and we are in the phase of "now where did we PUT that??" generally followed by "why did we put it THERE?!!!" The house is beginning to feel like "home." Books are out and arranged, and our photos and pictures are now beginning to find their niches. It is odd to have three floors (four, if you count the cellar -which I keep referring to as basement, strange how canadianisms slip out every now and then), and my calves are sore from unacccumstomed climbs! The views out the back are really good - there is an enormous horse chestnut tree some distance away that provides drama. Also, to our great joy, the garden/courtyard has blue tits!
The only drama (still) is the bathroom, which was unexpectedly gutted by eager helpers, to a degree that we hadn't anticipated - so we'll need a plasterer, electrician and plumber some day soon!! (but the water & hence the heat is now on - good news!).
The house is truly lovely -and we are discovering over and over again how rich we are in friends & family - who sacrificed much of their time to come and help us. They lightened the burden and shared in our joy. They've tirelessly fetched, carried, put things together, fixed things, brought flapjacks, thermoses, calming presence and good spirits - oh, and made coffee ... Andrew and I are beholden. Now, we are beginning to think about more normal rhythms of life being able to reemerge on our life's score. We've been talking a lot about hostitality, friendship, and sacred space and life. We're going for our first ever outdoor climb this weekend - (yes, I know it's cold. Yes, I know it will probably be wet. Yes, we'll be careful!)
Apart from all of that - one of the funny aspects of the move was my discover of a bag with my Christmas present in it!! So I've now read a new biography of ted hughes, whose poetry I love. It's yet to be determined if I'll get a present on Christmas day! Hughes is sucha wordsmith, he captures so much of nature - both light and dark. Andrew and I have been reading his translation of Beowolf together, and his descriptions are vivid, and rhythms captivating.
And so... onto class.
But just as I go, if you're reading this, and a friend - whether absent or present - Thank you.
posted by erdreid at 12:49
4 Comments:
Glad the move went well - have many happy, insightful, joyful days in your new pad
Glad all is well. It was a joy to help over the weekend and see some of the tranformation happen. It was a greater joy when we left you on Saturday night knowing the smiles on your faces were slightly larger than the ones on Friday!
Enjoy and we will be round soon!
J
I'll look forward to coming for tea sometime then!
Blessings on you and Andrew in your new place! I am sure you have created a beautiful space for yourself and others to retreat to.
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