Well contracts are exchanged, deposits paid, banks spoken to, lawyers applying for certificates, dates for inspections are being considered and boxes - oh the boxes - are being packed. At last it's looking like we're going to be getting out of here.

We should have done this 5 years ago - before we got to the stage that we WANT to leave here. Before this area became the horror that it is. Still, we're going and that's what matters.

We really want to apply a proper Permaculture design to the new property. It's the ideal environment, being considerably drier and more marginal land than up here - although one would assume that the soil, whilst coarser and looking less "rich" will actually be much better in terms of mineral content and less overused - so that should be a bonus. Still, we're starting on a proper design and we'll document that and how we go about getting it all sorted out as we go. In the meantime some observations

6,000 books (give or take a few hundred) take about double the number of boxes to pack as you thought they would. Even then they are bloody heavy. (There are some other odds and ends in boxes in here but the great majority of this is just books - and that doesn't include the ones we haven't read yet).

Big China serving platters are an absolute bugger to get into a box.

All kitchen gadgets have one stupid sticky out thing that means that they won't pack nicely no matter what you do!

The spare bedroom is a darn sight smaller than I thought it was