“I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lived in and loved and where all your yesteryears are buried deep, leave it any way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and never believe that an hour you remember is a better hour because it is dead. Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance.”
Beryl Markham
I write this having settled in my new home in Blaydon-on-Tyne. Well, not settled. I only moved in three days ago, but I'm definitely settling.
I’m still unpacking boxes and taking time to sort things out. The packing of some of those boxes happened in October, so opening them is a little like receiving a Christmas gift. No matter what description of contents the box might carry, I always discover a surprise inside.
The time I fill when taking a break from unpacking boxes is telling those that need to know of my address change. I don't mean friends and family. I kept them informed as the move approached. I mean the 'authorities'. The Council, HMRC, DWaP, DVLA (I may have given up driving, but a licence is an excellent form of ID). Indeed, moving on to health care, I can only register with a new doctor with such an ID. Then there are the banks, credit card and pension providers.
One new element of this fresh chapter of my life is registering for garden waste collection through the summer. Yes, you did read that correctly, garden waste collection. Sarah was the gardener in our marriage and an excellent one indeed. Our garden in Wiltshire always appeared a profusion of colour. Testament to the work and effort she expended there. I'm going more modest. I plan to plant shrubs and bulbs. Things that are minimal maintenance. I’ve taken Sarah's advice; if I get it right, I should produce a range of colourful offerings from spring to autumn. I'll never match Sarah's standard, but a bit of colour as I look out the back window will be nice to see.
Although I mentioned it earlier, the one thing passing me by is Christmas. I've written and will send some cards, and I have a small potted Christmas tree on the way to me (the plan being that it too will go in the garden, and as it grows, I will it move from a bigger pot to a bigger pot). Well, that's the plan. But I have yet to buy a single present or any form of decoration for the house. I will. A trip to Newcastle’s Christmas market is on the agenda for that.
I do have some Christmas festivity stuff ahead. Next Thursday, it's a candlelight reading of a shortened rendition of Dicken's Christmas Carol. The following Saturday, it's to Lindisfarne's long-standing Christmas Concert. So, they'll help me into the spirit.
I've discovered my local independent cinema too. The Tyneside Cinema shows a wide range of independent and some mainstream films. I made my first reservation. It’s to see ‘Babylon’ in the new year. The movie’s description is of a story of "decadence, depravity and outrageous excess that leads to the rise and fall of several ambitious dreamers in 1920s Hollywood". It boasts a good cast list of Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Toby Maguire, Phoebe Tonkin and more …. at over three hours long, it will be something of an epic.
I'll mix up cinema and theatre by reacquainting myself with the many museums and galleries in the area. When the weather improves, that will include a trip to the Beamish open-air museum. I'm so old I can remember when some of the buildings now in the museum were in their original location in nearby towns.
I'm also looking forward to getting out to the coast. Not just in the pleasant weather either. There is something exhilarating about watching the raging North Sea rampage against the shoreline. More tranquil trips will be inland to the Northumbrian countryside or the Lake District.
That all lies ahead. For now, it is about unpacking the rest of the boxes. Then, to check out what little jobs might need doing around the place. Yes, you read that right too. Gardening and a bit of DIY!!
I’ll also pay a call into my close-by second-hand furniture place to source a wooden bookcase, a small dining table, and a couple of chairs. I know IKEA is the place to go, but I'd prefer something pre-loved and, if I am bold, of sturdier construction.
Now, let’s find out what’s in that next box ….
I’m glad your settling into your new home and enjoying discovering what’s in your boxes.