Final madness.....

Well this is the first time I am posting on the blog and I am pleased to say that I can report that Greg and I have not had a single cross word or row during the 12 hour crossing from Port Solent to Cherbourg. 

Why is this worthy of comment I hear you asking? Well the truth is, we have been rowing at an extreme level for the past month. The stress of dismantling my nest of 30 years, battling with Greg's desire to just go (he ordered a 16 yard skip and was very gung ho about its contents!) I have been clinging to my memories and memorabilia like a limpet on a rock. The final day before we set off was epic. Today in the calm and relaxing atmosphere of the waves, the sea and the sky I found myself reflecting on what actually transpired.

There are some of you who will be receiving weird parcels on Monday. Jenny Cowell you will receive a parcel that looks like a leg of lamb wrapped in a black bin liner. It is actually a bundle of leather remnants and two pairs of lederhosen from our Austrian phase. Why have you received them... because you told me you were planning to make animals from leather ( and I believed you!) and you told me how to clean suede but I forgot the instructions so I've sent them to you for restoration. Sue Johne will have received a belated birthday present. Abi Veevers will have received two books, in separate envelopes with no message but only because they got left behind from the charity shop run and I couldn't bear for them to go on the skip. We only had small envelopes left as Greg had already thrown the whole of the office filing cabinet on the skip. Chris Scott I returned that book you loaned to me 12 years ago. 

And then in the midst of the chaos of packing I made Greg go to the post office with all of this stuff. Actually I'm amazed that didn't create a bigger row. 

My blood pressure did however rise off the scale when the new tenant Alan pitched up in the hope of finding some calm because he was rowing with his wife at their end of things. Alan and Greg then proceeded to compare notes on the unreasonableness of their partners packing and retention habits... when I saw them doing a high five and man hug I went ballistic! So leaving my lovely Thicket Meadows was extremely traumatic. I have had several wobbly and tearful moments of sadness, anger and now joy. As we were crossing the channel today, the sun was out and all of the stress behind us; Lou Reed came on the playlist singing Perfect Day and I cried with happiness. It has been traumatic and doubt filled but now we are actually off...I know its right for both of us at this point in our lives.