So, it’s week three in the new house and the love affair carries on. We love the house, love the quiet, love the area and love being here – totally.

Spring is in the air and it shows in what’s happening in our new garden, leaves are sprouting, birds are nest building and all around new life is forming. The unpacking is gong well, only a few left, but we’re running out of space, and the loft is becoming a secondary wardrobe and ‘junk cupboard’. Don’t mention the garage which although huge (17′ x 17′), is scattered with stuff that needs sorting, but at least it’s not immediately needed. But that’s the effect of ‘downsizing’; although in our case we’ve downsized from a four bedroom house to a smaller four bedroom house, and we left wardrobes and built in cupboards behind, in which all sorts of stuff can be stuffed. It’s also meant we have down-junked more since we moved. I thought we got rid of a shed load of stuff prior to the move, but now realise that some of the stuff we bought with us, needn’t have been. Still, it’s easy to dump stuff we either don’t need or don’t use any more; getting it back could be problematic. We’re also getting rid of furniture that just doesn’t fit in, but my view is we’ve had our use out of it for many years so it doesn’t owe us anything, and it is only IKEA, now pronounced ekea rather than i kea I noticed on the TV adverts. But to find room for everything; that is the challenge.

We’ve had loads of visitors to have a nose around. Our former neighbours, close friends and family have all come here to have a look and be impressed. We’ve taken them over to the local pub, a minutes walk away and enjoyed superb food and my favourite tipple, Hogs Back Tea. We really have struck lucky, the area is fantastic, it’s countrified, quiet and peaceful. What more could one ask for?

View from round the corner: