My last post covered all the agony of our move, or touched on it at least - I did not want to upset anyone with too much detail! This week, I thought I would focus on some of the good things about moving.

1. At the end of the day I can nip down a path at the end of our garden and read a book, have a dip or go for a walk along the river. I have swapped this joy from a beach walk. I miss the drama of the sea but love the tranquility of the river. On a warm day it is NOT freezing along the river, as it can be along a beach. I found that unless it was the height of summer, on a nice day I would head out and very often be belted by the wind and the sand!

2. I love exploring our new local town and discovering gorgeous shops and cafes...

3. Finding stunning beaches, new walks and spare moments to get our bikes out.

Yep, if I really miss the beach, this is 5 minutes drive away, a 40 minute cycle, which I am quite nervous about but working up to it!

4. Making new friends is really fun, there are so many lovely people in our new village who seem to share our interests: gardening, cooking, walking, music. On Thursdays throughout the summer there is 'Veg shed' every week at 5:30pm, you bring a glass of wine to the village green and any excess fruit and veg from your garden and swap produce and cooking ideas. In winter they meet monthly and pick a vegetable and everyone takes turns to do a dinner starring your chosen vegetable, either in their home or the village hall. Rhubarb and blackcurrant crumble below, all from my garden - sounds a bit tart I know, but the trick is to add a chopped banana for balance.

5. We have culled a lot of 'stuff' - I am not that happy about this - I am a natural hoarder and have clung on to favourite paperbacks, my dad's record collection, a few sentimental blankets and cushions and particularly special or valuable furniture like there was no tomorrow. Douglas on the other hand had a strong desire to start afresh. I still mourn our lovely old garden furniture for instance but he keeps promising a beautifully designed new garden set up with freshly built furniture and carefully chosen freestanding pieces. OK, there is something to be said about 'out with the old and in with the new' I suppose.

6. Last but not least - I am loving planning the new decor!

Our wonderful new living room - too bare for me, you can see a hint of the curtain material we have chosen below and I am searching for some nice cushion covers. Doug chose the zingy lime corduroy cushions on a trip to Ikea and I was too exhausted to argue, 5 years later I cannot see them far enough and I am searching for a more tasteful selection.

Really need to sort out the flooring as well, I know! We were becoming quite fond of the jade fitted carpet - it is EVERYWHERE - until a visitor said it was the kind you might find in a care home - oh dear - it HAS to go, I promise, but might be the last thing we do I am afraid, as we do not want to install gorgeous new flooring before we have finished decorating and shifting walls etc I have been ordering samples online and getting nowhere I am afraid. I think, in the end, I will take great joy in going to a really good flooring shop and just indulging in a 'no holds barred', whole house solution, when everything else is 'done'.

I feel quite brave broadening my horizons and strangely relaxed after all the stress and at the end of it all.

We are very lucky that old friends and family seem to be able to visit so easily.

Cannot wait to catch up with you all in fact!