Other than a random three or four posts over the last couple of weeks, you may or may not have noticed that I have been a bit AWOL from blogging (again – that’s twice this year!). The reason being – we moved house, and it has been a completely different lifestyle change for us.

We’ve moved into what was my in laws house; so we have gone from a small 2 bed flat in a town, surrounded by what I can only describe as ‘unsavoury’ neighbours who we have had endless problems with over the last year, to a large 3 bed house in the countryside, with lovely peaceful neighbours and fields!

We originally moved here to help care for my FiL with a terminal illness, and to basically take over the running of the house (and eventually the house altogether) as he just hasn’t been able to manage it by himself since my MiL passed away a couple of years ago. Unfortunately though, a week after we moved in he rapidly went downhill and was admitted to hospital. He was there for three days before he passed away peacefully. So, we’ve had that to contend with too and emotions have been rife with all of us.

Anyhow; as I said above, it is a totally different lifestyle change, for me & the boys anyway. Hubby grew up here so he is used to it, but going from being a town dweller to a country bumpkin has been major for me!

Just some of the changes that have been made for us:

• we have gone from gas central heating and hot water at the flick of a switch, to having to light the woodburning boiler for it and keep it going. I actually had to learn how to light a fire, at the grand old age of 28…
• we have gained a whole lot more space; for both living and the boys to play.
• we have gone from a shared paved courtyard, to lots of land to upkeep and a proper garden for the boys to play in where I don’t have to constantly keep an eye on them.
• we are no longer in an area with high speed cabled internet – that really is a major for me! (We had to wait two weeks for it to be installed hence the lack of posts).
• we have completely different views rather than just houses at every angle. Farmer’s fields to the rear, and the river to the front.
• the peacefulness and no drug smells! That’s the unsavoury neighbours I mentioned earlier…
• we have to drive to the nearest shop when it was previously a 5 minute walk. It means money saving though as I don’t just spend for the sake of it!

As well as all of the above, we have also taken on a lot of DIY & remedial work so we have that ahead of us for the foreseeable future too. I have visions though of a – I would say quaint, but it’s quite grand, for me anyway – country house and I hope to bring them to life and share them with you.

I could write so much more on some of the things I have mentioned above but we would be here for hours, so I’m going to write some separate posts. I hope you’ll enjoy sharing our country living with us!

 

Have you undertaken any major lifestyle changes in the past?