Chickens in a box

....is apparently on the move.  Last month I had no idea there was such a thing, now I'm obsessed with it.  Can it really be true that after 3 months of almost perpetual rain it will finally stop?  I doubt my feet will fit into normal shoes any more after wearing wellies for the entire summer.

A fantastic night spent under canvas while the rain lashed down outside.  Hog roast, wine and a great band made for laughter, dancing and catching up with our old friends.  The only downside - a 50 yard slog through the downpour to the loo, thank heavens Sonya brought her brolly (although sadly it wasn't enough to save our shoes).

After much searching of soul and Prime Location, we finally found our next house and took the plunge to move out of the village we love so much.  At the end of the day it came down to space, or lack thereof.  With two growing boys, not to mention the dog, there just wasn't enough to go round and to be honest I'd had enough of living in a goldfish bowl with every Tom, Dick or Harry commenting on my slightest move; from putting out the bins, to walking the dog.  I just wanted to scream 'I LIVE HERE'.  Something a lot of St Martin's parents fail to comprehend - there is actually life beyond the school run. So it's week 3 at Olney Lodge and so far so good.  Lots of walks for Bella, I'm getting to grips with the timings for the boys various school drop-offs and pick-ups and the people seem friendly.  All good signs that we're in the right place. In the meantime I'm trying hard not to be upset about the fact that the new owners of The Old School H...

More tired than ever, I don't know why. And grey. And bored. Need sunshine and a sense that spring is around the corner. Today I put the fire on, sat next to it and tried to imagine warm weather....it didn't work. On the positive side, James cracked rising trot today which was fantastic and suitably rewarded with his own riding boots and hat which he is thrilled with. William did equally well in the afternoon, playing very good tennis when concentrating (and not messing around). It's not that he's being naughty - unlike his brother - he just has the attention span of a goldfish.

I keep forgetting I'm no longer 20 and although this is usually not a problem (although quite a shock if I catch a glimpse of my reflection), I've come a cropper this week teaching the boys to head bang. We were listening to Guns & Roses' "Paradise City" and dancing round William's bedroom which was great fun; the boys playing air guitar and generally having a fantastic time rocking away. Alas the next morning I could hardly move, my neck has completely seized up and it's out with the Deep Heat. A cruel awakening to the gradual disintegration of my physical being. To add insult to injury, when Googling Axl Rose to show the boys who Guns & Roses were, I find he's now 50 and grossly overweight.....depressing....

It's time to get outta Dodge, yes we're moving. To where we have no idea, but after having spent the past 6 months looking at - and losing out on - a variety of different houses, it seems the only way to get what you want is to have money in your back pocket and for that you have to either A) have a billionaire in the family prepared to lend/leave you their fortune or B) sell. B it is. It's horrible letting go of a house you love, but we have to move on and we have to have more space. Who knows where we'll end up? It's unlikely to be anywhere as nice as East End, but there's nowhere here big enough (that anyone's likely to sell anyway) for us, so we don't have much choice. The photographer was here this morning and if we get everything together we could go to market as early as next week. Watch this space.

The last day of January and it's beautiful if freezing. Still, better that than the endless, grey - the mud this winter has been unbelievable, and unavoidable. A relief to step away from confusing spreadsheets (that I don't understand) and playground politics (the dinner party fiasco continues to fester ). On a more positive note our house will go on the market soon and we've made an offer on a new place. I have no doubt we won't get the house we've offered on, but at least now we've got a plan and soon we'll have money in our back pockets which should give us bargaining power that we haven't had previously.

r I finally fulfilled an ambition of mine and escaped for a weekend's skiing with Eddie. So decadent but great fun and most importantly an opportunity to be together without the children. Not the greatest weather, but the snow was fabulous and lots of opportunities to relax in between runs for wine, raclette and frites avec mayo. HOWEVER....remind me never to put myself as lead driver again, the trip up to Meribel was nothing short of hair raising. Had a crocodile of frustrated French cursing me as I crawled up the mountain, tendons on my neck popping, hands gripping the steering wheel for grim death and Eddie on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown.....

It only took one faux pas caused by too much wine at last night's dinner with friends, and before we knew it one of the guests had stormed out! Talk about tumble weed....as the door slammed behind them we sat round the table in horrified silence wondering what on earth to do next? There was only one option in the end - leave. Quickly. Such a shame to end a dinner party on a sour note, particularly when it was obvious how much effort the hosts had gone to. We're all adults (or supposed to be), surely it's better to grit your teeth and rise above one, drunken insult, than spoil a night that friends have taken time and effort to put together.