Moving is certainly an interesting
occupation. We took over our new office on Monday but had to wait
until Wednesday for the removal men to have a vacant slot for us.
This move was not really all that complicated: all the archives, of
course (which are quite bulky), and a file copy of every edition of
each of Marcia’s books (including Large Print and Audio versions)
in every language. By the time they were all packed up there was an
impressive stack of boxes.
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| Just outside the office window, spring is announced |
As it turned out we were incredibly
lucky with the weather. The sun shone down and it was one of those
days when you just know that spring is on the way. This was confirmed
when I looked out of the office window onto a carpet of snowdrops
against which clumps of bright yellow daffodils glowed cheerfully.
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| This was a meadow - a field with grasses and wild flowers which was a delight to see and the stock that were turned out here definitely looked as if it was good to eat, too. Then came the floods. I suppose it has been under water now for about six weeks. Now, at last, the flood waters are draining away but you can see the damage. Will this sea of mud give rise to enough grass to feed stock this summer? We shall see: I am not very optimistic. |
The removal firm we use (South Hams
Removals) started off with one man and his van some twenty years ago.
Said man (Mark) moved some stuff for us before he gave up the day job
to become a full-time removal man. We have used the firm for every
move since then and would happily recommend them to anyone. It is now
quite a big firm but Mark has managed to collect together a group of
extremely cheerful and very efficient people. It is said that the
three most stressful moments in life are bereavement, divorce and
moving. When Mark’s team (it was Richard and Dean this time)
appeared on the scene bringing with them their “can do” attitude
we could feel all that stress roll away. Next, in about ten days
time, they will be tackling the domestic bits and pieces.
Since most of this material had been in
the garage here – a very damp garage – I had been quite worried
about what sort of condition they would be in but I need not have
worried: all was well. When I have finished unpacking all these boxes
(which I intend to do at my leisure rather than run myself into the
ground) they will be on proper book shelves in a properly ventilated
and warmed office. Sorry the blogs are a bit below par during this period but life is extremely hectic. Hopefully we shall be back to normal in a few weeks.
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| The wet winter has not been all bad: the mosses and ferns growing out of the walls in our old towns have loved it and look splendid in the sunshine. |
Meanwhile, Marcia had thought she had
finished the book she is working on but then remembered a rather
indistinct figure who had been lurking in the shadows when she first
started the book – only to then disappear from sight. He has come
back and so will have to be woven into the story. She tells me he
will appear in the first chapter and I am really looking forward to
finding out more about him.
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| Molly is a Border Terrier. |
