First this, then the other

I know, I know - we're all saying it to ourselves if not to the lady at the shop or the man at the post office.

I can't believe it's November! Where has the time gone! It'll be Christmas before you know it!

Chirk Castle

With all this time flying by at supersonic speeds, I thought it was time to update my profile pic. The old one was at least three years old.

summer in Eugene, Oregon - 2013

How things have changed in three years - different glasses, different hair, different home.

autumn in Wales - 2016

Now I'm going to bombard you with pretty photos because, one, it's been an amazing autumn here in the UK and everything is BEAUTIFUL!

And two, yes, I do live in a faerie tale land.

Chirk Castle

 

Stokesay Castle

Lake Vyrnwy straining tower

Between the photos, though, are my ramblings about balance. I am a Libra, the sign of the balance, and Libras tend to tip first one way and then the other. I find that it is, in fact, true.

Shrewsbury

Ellesmere

Ellesmere

I go through periods of being energetic, creative and upbeat. Then I go through periods where all I want to do is sit quietly and read or watch TV.

Welshpool canal

Welshpool canal

Llanerfyl churchyard

Remember all the paper dolls I did a few weeks ago?

Yeah, that seems to have blown over. I imagine I'll get my creative magic back at some point, and I'll dive in to my crafting supplies and start flinging paper around again.

Llanerfyl

Lake Vyrnwy

Llanerfyl churchyard

Until then, I'm just enjoying this lovely autumn before the weather changes to dark winter skies and howling winds, and a different kind of magic takes hold.

Lake Vyrnwy dam

Val

Sight Unseen

I don't consider myself a very brave person. Where physical peril is involved I'm a bit of a wimp. But I have taken some leaps of faith in my life, and so far I'm still standing.

My latest leap of faith (with Mr. S) is buying a house in the UK - sight unseen.

No, that's not it, but ours is No. 4.

It's amazing what you can do on the internet. Mr. S spent a lot of time looking for houses within a certain radius of the town where his children live, and as he kept looking he noticed prices kept going up. We decided we had better get something before we couldn't afford anything. So we bought an ordinary (affordable) house in mid-Wales, sight unseen, in a location we've never been to! We'll be living in a tiny hamlet, just down the road from a small village, which is just down the road from a small town, which is just down the road from the English border.

No, that's not our house, either. I don't want to give the exact location because of the paparazzi and all that, you know.

Using the magic of the internet, we've driven down our road on Google Street View, we've "visited" the local pub (dating from 1310) and even met our neighbor! He's a painter/handyman and has his business listed at his address. That shows up on Google maps, so Mr. S gave him a call and talked to him before we bought the house. The neighbor (I'll start using British spelling once we've moved) had already been cutting the grass and looking after the house while it was empty, so after we bought it we made arrangements for him to continue. He's been so helpful, checking the mail for us and doing a few repairs. Since the house is sitting empty for several months, this has been an even greater asset than having two bathrooms!

Just down the road is Lake Vyrnwy (pronounced 'vern-wee), which you can see here in The Telegraph's article of Britain's Best Lakes. I tried to download some copyright-free photos, but my computer said no, so I hope you'll follow the link and see how stunning the lake is. More photos and history here from a local B&B.

It'll be so fun exploring the area. I'm already following some local businesses on Facebook, so I know what soup the nearest deli is making and what's on at the winery. Yes, an English winery!

Nope, that's not the place either. These photos were taken by me in 2012, and as I said, I've never been to my new home before!

Val

Garage Sale

I started writing this post in various ways because I didn't know if I could make a garage sale sound interesting. So I decided if I told you a big secret - and the reason for the garage sale - it might keep your interest for a little while. Here it is:

Next spring Mr. S and I will move back to Britain. Yup, that's right. The Queen needs us.

I lived there for ten years, and now my British husband has lived in the US for almost ten years - we're so balanced! This time it'll be for the duration. We'd been planning to go back at retirement because of my stepkids and three beautiful granddaughters. Since I no longer have a permanent job here with benefits, there's another reason to go - free healthcare not dependent on having an employer. I can work freelance!

I sense the Canadians and Aussies and Europeans reading this are tut-tutting at our primitive system in the States. There have been positive changes in the last few years, but healthcare will probably never be free here in the "land of the free."

So we're going to bugger off back to Blighty, watch the kids grow up, visit stately homes, read the Telegraph and brush our teeth with tea. A major change like that is pretty, well, major, so there's a lot to do and a lot of crap to jettison.

That's why we had a garage sale last weekend.

the night before

It was actually a lot of fun, and hard work. We talked to so many nice people, many who live nearby. The first day I think we sold about 50% of what we had. The second day was not as successful - and the people were odder - but I did sell a necklace I made, and I sold Cafe Tout Petit.

gratuitous photo of altered tin

I sold these three dessert plates and the matching coffee pot, which I bought at an antique store ages ago. These will be used at two separate weddings!

Although I also had these out, I didn't sell these beautiful plates that I bought even more ages ago at a thrift shop. I just love the big tulip with the cabbage roses, and the little gilded mock handles on the side. Swoon. Maybe I'll keep them.

And nobody wanted this little jug - it's the bees knees!

I'll keep you posted on our progress. Hang on for a wild ride!

Val