Here are a couple of pics of the new house. The front is straight onto a road, but it's a tiny crescent in a small village so really not an issue.

The living room has a real fire, and spot the beams. It's small but got such a nice feel to it - it feels cosy not cramped. The people who viewed it after us probably weren't too happy we signed the paperwork then and there!

Another step

Another big step achieved today - we've found the place we're going to live in next (pending the necessary paperwork of course). It is only a stepping stone - no significant acreage at this stage! - but it's lovely and in the right place. It's a little old stone cottage in a tiny village just outside Helston. The landlord is happy with pets being there, it's got a proper fire, it's got a woodshed and it's also got a garage that will become Anthony's workshop. A pub in the village would make it 10/10 but we'll settle for 9/10 for now!

The worms are doing OK - I don't think we're overfeeding them but it's a little hard to tell at times - worms aren't great communicators really.

Everything else is just sort of on hold at the moment - we're in complete limbo but we've got an end in sight now so we're doing OK. There's plenty to organise - I've got a load of furniture to get rid of before we move!

Sonia.

Mini update

We don't seem to be very efficient at updating this! Never mind. Just a quick general update.

The worms are settling in nicely - apparently we need to make sure we don't overfeed them for the first 3 months or so, so we're being quite careful. They seem particularly fond of tea bags though - which is definitely useful!

I've finally got round to sorting out some techy stuff and putting a link up to let you see some of Anthony's work (on the right hand side of this page). I should say at the moment it's not complete - there's loads more! Also any queries or problems with the site just leave a comment here or email me. Feedback is always welcome!

We're waiting to confirm dates for the house sale at the moment - once we know that then it's all systems go to find somewhere else! We have spotted one place that's coming up to rent soon - although not sure yet whether it'll be soon enough. Hopefully usefully it's with the same agent as is doing the house sale - I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what they say. We'll keep you posted.

Sonia.

The journey begins

We've accepted an offer on the house! I'm not going to bore you with the details of it - but basically for us this is the start of the new way of life. Escaping this suburban box is the first step of many in breaking free from where we are at the moment. We'll just go and rent somewhere for 6 months for now to give us some breathing (and saving) space - while we work out how to get our 5 acres!!

We're also doing some business planning on the wood work stuff that Anthony is churning out at a great rate! If nothing else we need to start selling stuff just to clear some space! If anyone is interested in any of it just pop a note on here of the sort of thing you want and I can start putting more pictures up. Chopping boards, clocks, candle and tea light holders, boxes, trugs etc etc are all currently in stock and available!

Sonia

Worms!

The worms have arrived! We followed all the instructions and put them into their new home last night. They seem to be settling in nicely already - when I checked this morning they were tucking into their food already.

This is their new house - The Wormery.

The worms are in the left hand compartment here - for those unfamiliar with worms and wormeries - the idea is that you fill up one compartment first, then start on the next. By the time you've filled the third one the first should be nice useable compost! There are holes between each section so the worms can move through them to find the food, and holes in the bottom to let the air in (which is why the newspaper on the bottom - we don't want the worms falling out!).

Sonia

This stand for the cleaver goes really well with the butchers block. We picked up the cleaver at Royal Cornwall Show last month - it's a really old Sheffield Steel one, with hand turned wooden handle. It was pretty rough in condition when we bought it but it's cleaned up beautifully and has a lovely weight and feel to it. Anthony made the stand from an old pallet.

This is my bread bin. It's a great size and really sturdy. My home-made bread stays fresh for ages in this.

And this is my trug. There are more of these already made but this is my one - I refuse to let this one go! It's already been used to carry bread rolls to a BBQ on the beach, and to take a picnic onto the moors. I love it. Again it's all made out of recycled bits of scrap wood and like the others treated with olive oil (but I'll let Anthony tell you more about the process side of this!).

When it's got worms in, I'll show you my birthday wormery as well. :-)

Sonia

A few new bits

I thought I'd share the amazing butchers block I was made not that long ago. It's the perfect height for working on, and is really solid. I love it. I can't wait til I've got a whole kitchen made up of useful solid things like this. (Excuse the cat's bed underneath it! He loves hiding under there!)

More pics of stuff Anthony's made will follow soon - once I get round to connecting the camera to the PC!

Sonia