You would think that after having a big clear out of my room last year, packing would have been pretty simple. Somehow, though, the thought of whatever I pack coming with me into our new home put a different perspective on things, and I found myself letting go of a few things I didn't really feel were 'me' anymore, which was rather refreshing. Mum and I still had some old boxes of things to go through, and in the process of sorting through it all we found a little log book Mum thought she had lost many years ago, in which she had written down notes about the final months of her pregnancy and the first few months after I was born, along with all the paperwork from my birth. It was such a special thing to find, and we were both so glad it hadn't been lost after all.
To get a break from all the packing madness, we did pop out a few times for coffee. I ordered my first ever flat white (which has since become my regular order) and was delighted to actually see some latte art in my coffee - any fellow soy-drinkers out there will know it's a very rare sighting in a lot of places.
I was also lucky enough to be home when Mum picked up the keys for the new house, and as it was the first time I would actually be seeing the house, I was most excited. It was even lovelier than I had imagined; each room is wonderfully spacious and, thanks to the huge windows in each one, beautifully bright and airy, and we have a lovely garden outside, too. N came over later that morning, so the three of us popped back up in the afternoon so he could see it, too, and he loved it just as much as I did. I'm more excited than ever to start making it our own - I may even take some photos once everything is finished and write up a little room tour, because who doesn't love those?
On my last day at home before N and I drove back down to Brighton, Mum and I got our errands out of the way in the morning then ventured out for an afternoon of homeware shopping, which both of us very much enjoyed. We got home quite late, and exhausted (and hungry!) from all the shopping we caved and ordered pizza, which was exactly what we needed.
N was up and out early for a field trip to Sicily our first morning back in Brighton, and after seeing him off I spent the day at home, burning incense and drinking tea whilst catching up on uni work, ready to get back into the swing of things for the final weeks of the semester.
After my first day back at uni, I headed into town to run a few errands and do a little shopping, with some utterly delicious pea and mint soup from Pret serving as my fuel. Whilst I was out I picked up a few bath bits for Mum so she can enjoy some relaxing baths after all the moving, as well as this gorgeous card from Paperchase. After a couple of hours of walking around in the sun I was rather warm, so on the way home I picked up a mini tub of vanilla cashew ice-cream, which I paired up with an iced coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up (and cool-down!).
I spent my day off preparing for some upcoming uni assignments and watching Brave, which I absolutely loved. N and I also managed to squeeze in a quick catch up in the early evening, which only made me more excited for him to come home the following week. Times like this make me realise how important time apart every now and again really is, in that it gives you the chance to miss each other, and in return get those first-date flutters again when you're reunited.
At the end of the week (15th April) I caught a train home for the big moving weekend! After what feels like the longest month, we were finally moving into the new house the following Monday, so I headed home to help with all the last minute bits.
The weekend simply flew by in a blur of boxes and crates, and on Monday morning the removal men arrived to help us move everything over. Seeing our home of eight years totally empty, with all our personal touches gone was an odd feeling, a mixture of fondness, nostalgia and a touch of sadness, but also a sense of excitement at what was to come. It'll take a while to get used to returning to a new space in the holidays, but I'm ever so excited to come home in the summer and get stuck into decorating and making it truly our own.
Once we had moved all the boxes in, I spent a few minutes in the garden capturing the beautiful cherry blossoms that overhang the fence, which was just the moment of calm and stillness I needed after a fairly hectic weekend.
Once N returned from Sicily, I spent most of the week being a total mother hen as he was pretty much bed laden with an infected insect bite from his trip, so there were many bed days and quiet evenings in. All is back to normal now, though, and I'm just pushing through these last few weeks of uni before I can throw myself back into all things creative again over the summer. I'm hoping to make lots of time for blogging, photographing and designing, and of course preparing for uni in September!
I'm planning on making these updates fortnightly rather than weekly so I can alternate them with more varied content, so I'm looking forward to getting my blogging juices flowing again over the next few months and experimenting with new content. If there's anything in particular you'd like to see, please do let me know!
