Time to unFirle

What could be better on a blustery August Bank Holiday than a good old blow as Granny would say, " Do you know Sarah, it was so windy up there it nearly blew me eyebrows off!" ( Said in a buttery west country burr.)

Firle beacon - sea on one side, South Downs on the other. A high swirling ridge where an English carpet rolls  out below us. A glorious carpet, all green and golden and studded with yellow and purple. Fields demarked by their hedges embroidered with late summer flowers.... and at the bottom? 

The prettiest little village resplendent with pub, post office, buckets of flowers and home grown produce.

Happy Bank Holiday weekend

xXx

Welcome, come on in, the kettle is on.........

Seems a lifetime since we left Kent and arrived here in our new East Sussex nest.

Seems an age since I last posted, and I suppose it is!

I have been floating along since the last removal lorry shuddered out of sight Down the Lane.

I must thank you if you have been wondering where I had got to and have checked in on me only to see I was still absent. Here I am! All bright~ eyed and bushy haired ( It's rained a lot!)

I owe you a lovely long, beautifully scripted post and instead I find I am a little shy and stunted as I feel uncomfortable blabbering on about how wonderful things are ~ seems a bit self congratulatory and being British that isn't something that comes naturally!

Instead I am offering snapshots of the first things that have captured my imagination here at the New Lane, and as always probably too many.

I will say that I can feel reams of words on imaginary tape tumbling from the very top of my head, out they spill, words of wonder and joy at being here, out and out they flow ~ concentric circles that express happiness, peace and gratitude.

I still think Alexander Pope had it when he said

"Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound, content to breathe his native air in his own ground. "

Come back soon, I have much to tell, went to Hampton Court this week and I simply must tell you about the Country Living Marquee....squeak......so good!

Have a brilliant weekend,

Sarah

xXx

Fortune Cookie

I am of the school that thinks fortune telling, horoscopes, palm reading, handwriting analysis, tarots etc.etc. are only for the gullible. I consider myself to be healthily sceptical unlike the Magpie who is a fervent life long believer. If you should find yourself at a party with her and inadvertently stray onto the subject you will find she is a veritable mine of brilliant and totally irrevocable examples of amazing feats of prescience. All anecdotal of course and mostly involving her.

I approach horoscopes with the same kind of trepidation shown by Tom Hanks as a child in BIG,he approaches "ZOLTAR" the fortune teller with great caution and then look what happens!

Except of course when it suits me to consult them. I think this is known as human frailty? Or perhaps simply double standards? It is like a terrible magnetic force, whenever there is something major happening in my life I reach for Shelley Von Strunckel. I know!

In an effort to "out" my shameful lack of spine in this regard I hearby publish the transcript of the internal dialogue that took place this very Sunday

S-J DTL Whilst flicking through Sunday Times Style Magazine "Ooh, Shelley Von Strunckel.....I wonder if I should just have a little peep? No don't be silly you don't read horoscopes."

Flicks pages backwards and then hovers undecided "well maybe just a quick glance, as such momentous change is afoot."

Flicks back to horoscope section

SVS "If you're heeding your instincts, you'll already be aware of powerful changes"

S-J DTL "I know Shelley, you're so right!"

SVS "This begins in earnest with Wednesday's eclipse and continues to early July"

S-J DTL "Right again, it's going to take me at least until mid July to get things straight"

SVS "Some developments are no surprise, but rather come as a relief"

S-J DTL "A relief? No s**t Sherlock! it's been almost a year since we started this process"

SVS "Your only real problem is those who don't recognise change as progress, especially if you must work or live with them."

S-J DTL "Wow, how did she know about Mr.Lane's trepidation in crossing over the border?"

SVS "Be patient. Gradually they too will realise in letting go of the present, they're embracing the future."

(I should also admit that I then immediately searched for Mr.Lane's future and found it just as apt!)

So the truth is out, we are iminenetly off to pastures new!

So excited, so nervous, so much to do, so soon now!

Robert Tavener "East Sussex High Weald"

For a long time whilst we were searching for the "New Lane" it felt that the luck was against us, we missed out on a farmhouse we were both besotted with and boy did it hurt. Tears and anger flowed and then apathy followed, after a brief period of licking our wounds we were seized by renewed vigour and determination.

And the rest as they say is history ~ the Lane is relocating to a new Lane!

(Yes still down a Lane, phew!)

We are moving from Kent, the garden of England over the border into East Sussex and onto the High Weald, AONB. We have bought a farmhouse with 30acres and several out-buildings, gasp,I can't believe I just said that out loud! We hardly dared to dream it possible and have had so many disappointments along the way I couldn't jinx things by telling you until they felt solid and certain, (So much for my non-superstitious self!)

Can't wait to share the tales from the High Weald with you all, I hope you will join me on this new adventure.

In the meantime much packing is required and less cooing and aahing at the discovery of long lost/discarded objects down the back of chairs and cupboard corners!

I think I can finally report our luck has changed

xXx