We're finally moving on...

Just over a week-and-a-half ago, our home was finally sold.  Today, the deposit was been paid and transfer is in progress.

I love it!  Instead of giving us cut flowers
the estate agent gave us a bunch of helium
filled balloons :)  Not madly eco-friendly,
but I prefer flowers to remain in soil -
either in the garden, or in a pot :)

 Transfer, and occupation, will be effected at the end of July.

Party time :)  A bunch of colour to lift our spirits
at an emotional time

Which means we will be on the farm to plant the first seeds of this years spring / summer crop... :)


So much to do - a house and business to pack up and move to two different locations - one for living and one for the business.  20-odd years of family stuff since we last moved home to sort through, some to ditch and the rest to be packed.

Our 40-odd year old record collection - when music was music :)

Some of the items will be sorely missed - such as our turntable and our 100+ vinyl record collection - so many memories locked up in those vinyls, but, as RMan says, how often have we listened to them recently...?  All my Beatles, Bassey, Streisand, Diana Ross and Readers Digest 9 LP collection called Million Dollar Memories released in the late 60's.  It contains songs going back to the 40's - way before my time LOL, but I have listened to them so many times over the years, that they feel like old friends.


All RMan's Al Jarreau, Grover Washington Jnr, Louis Armstrong, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Vias con Dias, Sergio Mendes, Bill Withers, George Benson, Dionne Warwick, Dire Straits, Foreplay...  just too many to mention.


Some sacrifices will have to be made - not only are we going to be living in a much smaller house but our (solar) power generated energy storage has to be reserved for the necessities, at least until we find out what excess, if any, we have to play with. And we still have all our CD's and the 12volt car radio to play them on, so we won't be music-less.  But, oh, the memories that those long playing records hold.  I bought my first one when I was 16.

A few of the many boxes we are recycling with
the help of our local supermarket

We've talked the talk, now we're going to walk the walk LOL   Our 100% eco-friendly life starts now!  Completely off-grid, we're hoping to be as close as possible to 94% self-sustainable (and I want my food forest, Mr H J ), finally getting our fascias and gutters up in order to harvest and store all that precious rain-water, phase 2 (the bedrooms) of the farmhouse to build and so much more...  I've also sourced a recycling facility close enough by so that is our recycling sorted.  And, finally, the move affords RMan and I the opportunity to spend some quality time together.  We've raised our family to the very best of our ability, owned two businesses, and paid our dues and taxes.


Life begins again.


A major step in the preparation for our future has just been achieved.  We're both so excited, and, truthfully, a little daunted at the enormity of the task ahead.  But, we can't wait... J

I've got boxes everywhere....

So last week I toddled down to our local supermarket and relieved them of some loads of boxes which I am recycling as moving boxes together with a few rolls of buff tape.  I have to de-clutter, be tough on useless, but familiar items, and pack everything that is left?

De-cluttering is therapeutic, but I also wonder how on earth we are going to leave behind treasured memories of our existence to the members of our future generations.  Inheriting doesn't seem to be in fashion these days... unless it's a financial inheritance.  So my personal (physical) legacy will probably consist of things like my spice / coffee grinders, etc.  Priceless reminders of how things worked before we polluted the earth with our demand for grid power and the electrical appliances we had to use...


I'm aiming on sorting out one room a week - that way it will be manageable. That will hopefully give me the time to sever the ties to a few precious items which we won't have space for, and which we have to recycle / pass onto someone else.  And, Tami, I know you're always on the hunt for cardboard, come help me unpack and they're yours :)  Actually, hold that thought - I'm keeping them - they'll come in very handy for my new veggie patches... J


So, now for the emotional roller coaster as I start to sort out more than 34-odd years of memories in total.  But it's ultimately all for the good - nothing like making breathing space to properly clear the path ahead.