Highs And Lows

Since moving into the ‘glorified shed’ last year, I have definitely experienced a huge range of emotions.

Excitement at the prospect of a new home that we’ve designed ourselves; wonder at the beautiful view and interesting wildlife I can see from the window; trepidation at the enormity of the task that we’re undertaking; near horror at the way in which we’re having to live during the renovations.

Some days I look at the current set-up, a kind of ramshackle affair with no real bedrooms (just areas divided by wardrobes) or kitchen (just a mini oven on an old workbench and a dresser crammed with as much as possible, both food and eating implements), and emit a sigh of despair. It can be quite daunting living for a prolonged period amongst ‘organised chaos’, lacking the type of fixtures and fittings that so many take for granted.

But then there are those moments that serve to remind me of why we are doing what we’re doing. The time I walked out of the door to see a heron flying over my head; one of the early days when I stood in the garden and saw the head of a seal pop out of the river and look in my direction; the morning I glanced out of the window to see a beautiful woodpecker sitting in the tree; the feeling of space due to the fantastic view that we have across the river and surrounding countryside. I just have to remember that for every down moment, there is something wonderful to offset it.

It will be quite some time until we have even a vaguely finished home, with further chaos and disruption as guaranteed as night follows day. But in my gloomier moments, when I long for cosy interior décor, I have to focus on the final goal and the lovely surroundings that have been here from the start!