Leave a bit for the wit?As part of our quart to pint pot move we gave away immense numbers of books which had trailed around the world with us. 300 alone to Embra University -the nucleus one imagines of the Huttonian Memorial Library. As many to the Charity shops with the racier titles discreetly placed in the Oxfam bin outside Sir Morrisons (No, don't rush, that was some time ago)Despite buying up most of IKEA we are still desperately short of bookshelf space. Every inch must be used:returning (for the antepenultimate time) from house clearing in the Old Manse, I noticed a tiny space in the smallest shelf of the narrowest bookcase-too thin for a Wisden, too short for a Penguin; then I found just the gap filler-it fitted easily: a slim volume indeed:Scottish Wit and WisdomSample from John...
Beyond Help?Yes we move tomorrow. Shunters and their van at 0930. Are we ready?No(We have our washing hung up on our line at the SHID. And our washing machine installed.And on the world's slowest broadband. Now down to .09MB)That's something I...
Duns! Here we come? Perhaps D Day minus 7The work on the extension has not started!The wood burning stove is still somwhere but not where it is needed. Like in our small house in Duns. Ditto the associated piping. The decoration is just under way and it will not be finished in timeThe Old Manse is a shambles.And its next Monday we are talking about.A week may be a long time in politics. But in a hyper spatial move time blackholeIts a blink of the eye...
Berwickshire Freecycle. Come and Get It! R-e-s-p-e-ct-f-u-l-l-yI don't know how we could have ever managed our move out of the Old Manse to the Small House in Duns without the marvellous Free cycle network. Broken Motor Mower, rotting carpet liner, children's toys, past their normal playtime date, model cars mostly wheel less, excess unattractive carpet,ancient leather pouffe, Computer tower, odd glasses-some very odd, miscellaneous picnic stuff with extra Wadi Rum sand. Once advertised on Freecycle they are usually taken away by some kind person within twenty four hours. The rules are straight forward . To quote from the world wide freecycle blurb (obviously geared to the cross- Atlantic market: KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example, no Alcohol,Tobacco,...
Are we mad? I wonder. The sun is warm, the sky a hazy blue, everything in the garden blooming, the tadpoles in the pond humming with contentment and the Old Manse basking in the glow of a Borders sun. Give this all up for a small, dare I say, poky, house, with a small garden, in a nice but unremarkable town? With a close up view of surrounding buildings rather than a never ending horizon with homo sapiens nowhere to be seen. Only gentle coos, carpe dieming like crazy. Are we mad?I refer the Honorable Gentleman to the reply I gave a few posts before.And I better resume my seat before I change my...
Tat for Free or nearest offerUntil we finally dispose of the Old Manse our life of Entre Deux Merses continues. Some nights in Duns, some in Hutton, some, it seems, in both. Which is Dr Jekyl's residence and which Mr Hyde's? The wife, already in mourning for the OM can only think of the small house in Duns as a holiday cottage, not as the permanent feature it will one day become. It is indeed a very small house-not so much down sized but shrunk. To the extent that we are going to have to build on an extension so as we will eventually have space to breathe out as well as in. And even after disposing of over 500 books, several heavy pieces of furniture to various family members (also living in smallish houses) we still have much to get rid of. Some Tat and surplus-to-never-requirements have...
