Here I am blogging from somewhere new, but not strange. My life, on the other hand, definitely feels strange. Last week I left my lovely little home and moved in with my brother and his family 125 miles away. This is a temporary measure, until my new bespoke park home bungalow is finally ready. Issues linked to lockdown, followed by Brexit, followed by further lockdown, have caused a delay, which I’m told could be anything from days to weeks to months. I am having to learn to be patient.
It has been a busy and stressful few months getting my house packed up into boxes, selling and giving away unwanted items and moving things to Niamh’s house for storage. This had to be quite a gradual process, given that I live on my own, am disabled and we are in the middle of a pandemic. Connor, Niamh, Sophie and Callum have been amazing – lifting and moving things, taking stuff to the tip and moving packed boxes for storage. We managed all of this whilst being as covid safe as we could – masks, hand washing, social distancing and ventilation. It wasn’t easy, but we did it … I’m so grateful to my little team of hard working helpers ?
By the end of February, I was beginning to feel as if I was camping out in my own home! Bare walls, minimal furniture, a few kitchen basics and a lot of making do, became my way of life. The whole experience of streamlining my belongings and living in a rather minimalist way for a while, really highlighted to me, just how much “stuff” we have, much of which we don’t really need (or is that just me?).
Unfortunately, my cats, Ziggy and Luna did not cope well with all these changes. Ziggy can freak out at a chair being in a different place, so you can imagine how he coped with every room constantly changing. He is also sensitive to loud noises and sounds of people moving about in another part of the house. I have no idea how I ended up with such a neurotic cat!
By the time moving day came, I was ready to go. My home no longer felt like home and my cats were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. As I haven’t driven such a long way for quite a while, my children offered to drive me, my cats, my car and my belongings to Herefordshire and deliver me to my new temporary home.
To add to the complexities of the day, I was booked in for my first Covid vaccine on the same morning. Perhaps not the best timing, but I am grateful to have been offered it so soon and continue to be thankful to all the scientists, medics and volunteers who have helped to get us to this point.
So here I am for the next few days/weeks/months until my new home is ready. I am settling into rural life and very much enjoying the peace and quiet. Anna and Zeb (niece and nephew) have already taught me the names of various garden birds and last weekend we had a picnic and found a rope swing … this doesn’t happen often in Stockport!
Whilst in the midst of all this sorting and packing, I have also officially informed work that I am not fit to return and have submitted my application to Teacher Pensions for their consideration (along with 5 pages of notes explaining how my MS affects my ability to work and 17 items of documentary evidence – doctors letters, hospital notes etc).
It has been an awful lot of change in a very short space of time, so perhaps it is no wonder I am feeling a little unsettled and out of sorts. I am also a little “homesick” for a home that no longer exists for me, which is hard to get my head around. When I bought my house, I thought it would be my forever home. I loved its quirky old fashionedness, the local community and location. When I started this job, I thought it would be my forever job! I loved the work and my team and my office was just three miles from my forever home. I was hoping to feel settled, to take time to get my house exactly how I wanted it, to focus on myself and to plan new adventures. But my MS had a different plan and decided to deprive me of both my home and my job all in one go. I have spent much of the last year feeling heartbroken about this, but am now starting to feel optimistic for the future, whatever that may be … I am turning to face the strange … and it’s ok.
Big thanks to Jimmy, Gill, Anna and Zeb for taking me in during my hour of need. Also thanks to William (the cat) who is now having to share his home with two neurotic visitors.
