Monday 21 November 2022
We are now in possession of the keys to our new home in Scotland, and have been for three days already. So much for the honeymoon period of daily writing. This is the first time I have felt able to write. It’s 07:51, I’m on our sofa opposite the dying embers of our stove (which also powers the radiators; they’re currently off and it’s one degree outside). My view is across the woollen blanket over my legs, piles of unpacking, and then, beyond that, a window, through which I can see a bank of grass and bushes. It’s grey, still not full daylight and it looks cold (‘dreich’ is an apt Scottish word; dreary and bleak). I am aching pretty much all over and my hands in particular are suffering from four consecutive days of packing, unpacking, lifting, driving and all-round over-achievement. As a result, I feel exhausted. However, I still feel unbelievably lucky to be here in this stunningly beautiful and peaceful part of the world.
On entering the house, it all felt comfortably familiar and we were both happy and enthusiastic. That feeling is ongoing. However, both of us have moved house (mainly renting) tens of times. This time though, it has made far more of a physical impact than previously. I suspect that is largely down to our being older and each of us having some (fairly minor) ailments and aches. It’s also kind of weird because we are unpacking a few boxes that we packed this autumn but most of the stuff is from our storage unit and hadn’t been seen for between one and eight years. We’ve concluded it’s a bit like Christmas, a largely disappointing Christmas.
There are no curtains or blinds in the house and I have been slightly more okay about that than I expected. On the first night, we could see stars and a sliver of moon through the skylights from our makeshift bed on the floor. That’s all very lovely, but I will be much happier to have Velux blinds.
As for our worries about nighttime animal scuffles and howls, we haven’t heard a thing. The house feels secure and solid. My experience of older houses is comprehensive (including one other Georgian house). They have all been draughty. This one is not draughty to anywhere near the same extent, though it is significantly colder around the curtain-less windows than anywhere else in every room.
Our biggest issue, kind of unsurprisingly, is the stove. The essential stove which heats all the radiators. Learning about stoves is going to be my first project. Did I mention it’s one degree outside? It doesn’t feel particularly cold indoors, though that’s on the cold scale of brr-it’s-cold to feels-like-I’m-outdoors-in-a-swimsuit-and-encased-in-an-ice-block. However, it’s going to get colder as the embers die out (we’ve decided to let them as we need to get rid of ash and clean the burner) and today appears to be the coldest day so far. Brrrrr.
So what does today have in store? More unpacking, more moving of furniture, learning to clean and light the fire well enough that the radiators come back on, piling up all our blankets and duvets in anticipation of stove lessons coming to nothing and a possible shopping trip to incorporate winter tyres, a vacuum cleaner, a toaster and kindling.