Mosaicist To Move House
Sorry readers, please forgive my protracted silence.
For the past couple of months I have been getting ready to sell my house. At first there was a period of emotional adjustment and tidying up. It is not easy to make the daily work place of many adults seem sparklingly neat and minimal, and charmingly, rather than squalidly scruffy. This was followed by an intense search for somewhere else to live. It devoured days, which spilled into weeks. Finally, we put the house on the market.
I thought this was where real trauma would begin, fearing the narrowed eyed judgment of people I didn’t know, but in fact, everyone who looked seemed remarkably appreciative, and free from beady criticism. Matt has been away filming for the duration, but we’ve just accepted an offer, and thoroughly approve of our buyers. I wasn’t quite sure where we stood when one of them said ‘I think you like colour more than you like done-upness’. But when the other said ‘This is a really romantic house. It’s almost like an art gallery’, affectionately patted a mosaic and continued ‘I do hope these are included in the sale’ I felt they were safe future caretakers of our lovely home.
So, what next? We have to move our library, studio, workshop and enough china to fill a barn. It’s hard to find the right place in London, so our solution has been to leave. We have found a lovely odd house – part-cottage, part-mansion, part shop, with owls, and a barn built of chalk you can enter from one of the bedrooms. The house has three separate staircases and overlooks a church. There used to be a tunnel between church and house until a previous owner filled it in. He wanted to be sure the tunnel wouldn’t collapse beneath the weight of the steam racing cars he built in the shop . We believe the bell ringing and low flying military jets will become so familiar we will no longer hear them.
The house is in an isolated village, surrounded by rushing brooks fringed with willows, geese grazing in the meadows, skylarks singing, and hares running.
This will be a new life. I will let you know how it goes. We leave in three months time. Plenty to do until then.
Photograph: Glenn Harvey
You’re going to be Country Mice? How nice!
No Nancie, we are going to be hard-working urban artists in a house filled with mice. I wonder how slow non-high-speed broadband can be? I foresee trouble ahead.
uh oh, slow internet connection? You’re gonna be cranky!
And hey, I’ve seen Bella catch a mouse…I think the mouse population is about to go wayyy down!
Yes, worried about that — the internet, rather than the mice. Bella and Aga will have their hands full. The MP promises she is onto the internet thing, but you know, they are all promising the moon at the moment. Power cuts more likely than hi speed internet I suspect.
Awww…another person on the London exodus trail. All our good friends are leaving…boo hoo! Where are you going to?
Internet connectivity,or lack there of ,was my first thought– hope the rural UK is better than the rural US in that respect–however- it sounds lovely- –can’t wait to hear more.
We are off to East Anglia, Concetta. Not because of not enjoying London. It’s a bit closer to the North of England (which I suppose would be my favourite place to be outside town) but not too far if we need to come back for work. VERY different though. Like going back in time, which is complicated, and not simply pleasurable.
Don’t doubt there will be more tales to tell Liz. Gotta get the nonsense off my chest.
I’m sure it’s very exciting and very scary in equal measure.
A move out of the city is something we’d like to do eventually too, that’s if we ever get brave enough , I’ll be following your adventures with interest.
So happy for you Emma. The new place sounds dreamy. While living in England I was captured by the storybook quality of the architecture and landscape. I’m imagining you right there in the midst of it, owls and all:) Enjoy!
Yes Elaine, it is a mixture!
Thank you Vicki. Hope to keep you informed, and perhaps we can have a mosaic convention there, once we have settled in!