Living With Gladys Full Time

Its been an interesting couple of weeks!!

I knew it was time to finally tell my elderly parents what was going on, phew, really tough trying to get such life changing information across in a  way that doesn’t alarm, distress or confuse an already very confused couple! And yet again, in their own way, their love and concern and hope for us was tremendous. Alistair received calls each night from Dad for a few nights whilst the information was fresh, and as the information has dimmed and morphed into a somewhat different shape the calls have ceased but we are both still very much on their minds in some way or another.

Pippin moved out, properly, nothing left in her room. The dread and fear and worry that had woken me at the ungodly hour of 2am for the past several days finally translated into snot and tears that needed 3 things. The waaaaambulance, the crying chair and Alistair’s lap.

Candace moving out really signified the enormity and reality of everything that we are doing and experiencing at this moment. The hugeness of selling, moving, downsizing, healing and facing our fears. Well, and that I love her and miss her company.

We met up with an acquaintance  of my ex-husband who is ‘Fulltiming’ in his motor home for a couple of years (didn’t take me long to pick up the lingo, Fulltiming refers to people who live full time in their campers/caravans/R.V’s- makes sense doesn’t  it). They kindly showed us the ropes (not that we need any being as we couldn’t afford to buy the barge) and brought our attention to all manner of things that we had thus far been ignorant of! Being as Alistair and I are trying to get away from ‘The Man’ and all of his demands and constrains, rules and regulations I think we will tune out much of what we heard and revert back to the blissful state of blissful ignorance. In our true style we will simply get on with and see what happens.

We did make 2 decisions that day though. No satellite dish or ariel for us. That means (sorry Holly), no TV, no free view, no Sky! It’s hardly being free if we are still bound by the TV guide is it.

Secondly, we need a Dongle!

The move date is now looking to be around mid June. The lawyers seem intent on making this excruciatingly slow and painful. Questions, questions so many questions almost as inane as ” the blade of grass to the left of the summer-house, will that be staying or going”!

Gladys continues to prepare herself for our arrival though. She has a new wood effect floor (yes I know its like lino but she likes to think of it as wood), new rugs, new sheepskins (Brick Lane beckoned us back) and a new Tree of Life bed throw kindly gifted to us by Alex and Pagan.

I don’t know how, but Alistair and I have managed to condense our prized possessions and necessary equipment (clothes, kitchen utensils, food cupboard and tool kit) in to 24 archive boxes!!!!!!

We drove 12 of them up to Gladys yesterday and the final 12 will go up next friday.

How does it feel, honestly, strangely liberating.

The stuff that we had accumulated and kept over the years was ridiculous. Stuff that we hadn’t looked at or used in years that would have continued attracting dust for another 10 years had life not presented this opportunity for us to change. Stuff that had long since lost its meaning sitting abandoned and lifeless in the loft. Stuff that we thought we needed just in case.

A Shaman once said to me ” If you don’t know why you have something in your life either let it go or rediscover why you  have it, and that includes things and relationships”, wise words I think.

It is true at this moment to say that everything that we have in Gladys is meaningful, cherished and needed. And I am beginning to feel that all that we cherish will feel as at home in Gladys as it has in our tiny angel wrapped Brentwood cottage.

I wonder if the angels will follow us or stay here for the next owner?