Yesterday...

...was the first visit to Norwich since we've moved. It's strange how being a "local" gives you a whole new view of a city, and you don't feel as though you've got to cram the whole city into one visit, that you can make another visit next week.

In our visiting around we were looking at sofas, for next year you understand! Ha...it doesn't work like that, now does it!? We have two sitting rooms, one has beams, and our current furniture is great for the traditional feel, the other room is a newer extension...and that's where we needed the sofa for....and this is the one we've found...it's not as matt grey as this photo, it's more slubbed and mottled greys...and is in fact a sofa-bed with a proper mattress...
It's coming early February...so I need to get my pots of paint out! The fabric for the blinds is(at present) going to be..."Silver Birch"...again not as grey as this shows, but with a more creamy grey background.

The windows are reasonably large and give views right through the garden. With wooden flooring, a large chunky rug...and splashes of colour brought in...it wasn't going to be the first room thought of, but you just have to do these things sometimes, now don't you!

I've decided...

...we've bought a house in it's very own "Brigadoon"...I'm sure everything will disappear at the new year.
Speaking to real locals in Fakenham, which is five miles away, they've never heard of our village. A cousin who was looking for the village before we moved in, asked a policeman there and he had to get his maps out to find it. Yesterday I had a delivery of glass via Parcelforce and she looked at me saying I could have had it Tuesday, but she couldn't find me...we're not on their records, though the normal post gets through, but then I get others too! The chimney sweep has never been here and he's lived three miles away all his life.
So, if you decide to stay in either of the two holiday cottages, or the bed and breakfast opposite, then make sure you come prepared to disappear...it might be a hundred years before you surface again!

It makes you...

...wonder. I've discovered and heard about our Lady of Norfolk. It seems she's thinking of moving! Yes...you read that correctly...she's seriously looking at moving! Having had this house on the market for four years, and pulling out of several sales, she's now thinking about trying again. She must be very unhappy where she is, or...who knows!
At last I've placed an order for more glass. I didn't think it would happen, but having sorted everything out, I can now start ordering again...and making! My space is basic, but it's there...and with lots of natural light...and the frilly bits will happen soon enough.
I've been looking at colour charts...with only one room that I can think of decorating without any mending or changing, the smaller of our two bedrooms will get a facelift...I can only take ice blue for so long. I bought a beautiful pink mohair throw this week, and that will lead the colour change. I think pretty and feminine. Having sons, and grandsons, I now want pretty and feminine...something for the two young ladies in our family...and my sons lives. Just to keep things from getting too female orientated, I've also bought some polish and wax remover along with some wire wool...the lobby doors are in for a shock...
My team drew today...after having one Sodje sent off for a foul as the last man, his youngest brother scored our equaliser and could have scored again...I hope we have the chance to sign him in January....I think he'd be a good signing. We play Bristol Rovers on Tuesday...we need to keep the momentum going, stay ahead of the gathering pack, and not too far behind Leeds. Also a huge salute to every one of the Charlton fans(1700) who went to Yeovil today. Getting drenched in a stand with no cover, and cheering the team...thank you for flying the flag....

As the wind...

...howls around my eyrie in the roof of our cottage(the upstairs is in the eaves), I'm sitting listening to the commentary from the Charlton match and getting my Etsy shops back up and running.

With the darkness gradually drawing the cosiness of our cottage closer, the trees dancing a frantic weaving dance, it makes me content that our house isn't very tall, and we're in a little hollow...where before the wind would whip down the fields behind of our old home, battering at it's back door, it whips over our new one. The fact our house has sat here for four hundred years, must mean it's fairly happy where it is.

Okay, having just been interrupted from my tapping by my hubby, Charlton have scored twice...we are now leading 5-1...let's hope this continues and gives them the confidence that's been sadly missing the last few games. It hasn't been luck, it's been good football even with the windy conditions and MKDons scoring first...

Opposite our cottage is the village church of St Andrews, and we've been told has a Christmas Eve carol service, when the church...as it hasn't electric supplied, is lit by oil lamps...so wrapped in jumpers, scarves, gloves, and thick socks...we'll be going...

My cinema...

...the local one, is in Fakenham and is a very rare commodity. It's an independent and not affiliated to anyone or any others... It has three screens, though from the outside I'm still trying to work out where and how they're housed.

It shows the current crop of films, but has special one day screenings. You can get your popcorn, hire it...it has vouchers and accepts 2-1 Wednesdays...

I might try it...I fancy seeing Dorian Gray...

Wow!! What a time...

...It was crazy moving, the removal people arrived Thursday to pack, and supposedly half load the lorry..except the starter motor had gone on our particular lorry...so they packed, and then had to finish packing and load Friday, the day of the move, with me cleaning each room as they vanished from it with the last box. Hectic wasn't in it!! The solicitor side of all went through fine, and I came up to get the key at about 3:00, meeting everyone else back at the house...our new home. The removers left at just after 6:00....having worked their socks off for two days. Our lady of Norfolk had left bits everywhere...towels, tablets...pictures, anyway, that's all packed up now, and we're mostly done. The bedrooms are sorted, so's the kitchen(no AGA and so small....lol), and the main sitting room, the one with the beams...I'll take a photo and show...at some stage...the other sitting room is home to what's left of the boxes, which is fine as we've got to get a sofa bed and bits for there...and everything needs decorating! It'll get sorted slowly...along with some new window frames and a moving kitchen...

I did have an interesting conversation with her solicitor when I collected the key....she only wanted to back out that last Monday! She visited her solicitor in floods of tears saying she didn't want to do it, it was a mistake...she was told a few home truths, like how much it would cost her...and no judge would find in her favour, as she'd had over six months to change her mind, and six weeks since exchange, he'd tell her to move anyway. I also found out she had the house on the market for four years on and off, others wanted it, but then she'd back out....I guess it was just waiting for me...and my bloody mindedness!

So....I'm back!!! Yup...definitely here! That's another of this moves stories! How many twists can there be, I hear you say!? Well, we did have a land-line for the first weekend, and then dear old BT cut us off! It took them ten days to re-establish the line...with a new number, and then our provider made us wait until Monday to take our order...and today is the first day back...in fact about half an hour ago is our first time back! Oh and if you know Norfolk, you know it hasn't got the greatest mobile reception in the world...so all the time BT are leaving messages on my phone, I'm running up to the end of the village to listen to them...

Oh, and the chimney's swept...so a log fire tonight. I don't care if it's not cold enough!!

Now all I've got to do is catch up with everyone and everything....think I might have a bit of reading to do!

Confirmation...

....came in the form of a telephone call from our solicitor. Our lady of Norfolk is moving on Friday! She has signed the last of her papers, paid some fees she needed to...and friends and neighbours are helping her pack. So it seems we will have a home on Friday...

I'll be off to Fakenham to collect the key from her solicitor, whilst hubby waits for the removal lorry to appear...

We just need to take our key to our agents today, and then....our sons are coming to say goodbye to the house tomorrow evening. It's not where they were born, but they were twelve and ten when we moved here, it's where they met all the friends they have now, and if we hadn't moved here...I wouldn't have the two beautiful women in their lives...nor my two amazing grandsons.

My team play Huddersfield on Saturday, and after a bit of a stagnant time recently, three points gained would be good. It would take us top...as Leeds don't play until Monday, but will have two games in hand. We need to keep those nipping at our heels just there, behind us...so no giving free or easy points away...our support needs to be strong, the team need to know the supporters are with them, not picking holes in what's going on on the pitch...or decisions made. The game agains the Gills...Gillingham, will be interesting as there's no love lost...and we would like their front man to call our own, and they'd like one of ours. Unfortunately for different valuations...and they don't really want to lose theirs...though, if we're still strong at the January transfer window, that might swing the balance for the player...we'll see, we still have October, November and December to negotiate first...

Well, the computer gets dismantled tomorrow morning and with no access for awhile, I'll say adieu...wish everyone happiness, a lovely weekend...and may you all give me lots of reading to catch up with.

Take care
Love Su xx

PS...and the plans for Sunday...a walk on the beach.