The Search for the Quirky Bird Gardener's new home

Its been an interesting few weeks, putting the house up for sale, having it viewed, watching other people walking around my home and garden discussing it. Then there's the separation process of moving on and getting used to the fact we wont be living there any more. This has been a three fold process; giving up my home and garden and getting used to the idea of it not being mine any more, grieving. Then comes acceptance; that that's the way it has to be and realising there are actually benefits to this happening. Finally moving on, focusing on the future, looking for some where new and planning the things we will do and the great new home we will create.

Then there is the quite exciting and slightly terrifying process of looking for somewhere new. Fortunately David and I have the same idea of what we want, small country cottage type house, no neighbours, as big a garden for our money as possible and some where we can put our own unique stamp on together. It also has to be in a very narrow area so that my youngest son can stay at his high school and not any further for David and I to travel to work. Sometimes the search has felt like a needle in a hay stack. It also has to fit into our down sizing house and up sizing life plan and budget. I have become very familiar with all the estate agent websites, quick at skimming through the photos of houses and being amused at the description of huge garden or extensive garden actually doesn't mean that at all.

Easter Mosshat Gardens is two acres, ridiculously large for someone who works full time, wants to do lots of other things in life, runs a home and tries to keep ahead of numerous teenagers. But we all have a dream some time in our life. I still want a BIG garden to try out my ideas and designs and to replant my plant collection. At the last count on Saturday I have potted up pieces of or taken cuttings of 1144 plants to take with us! But, it also has to be manageable and enjoyable and not a chore or burden that will stop us adventuring around the globe or too the far reaches of our own country.

This next garden will be quite different, my ideas have changed, I want to try new planting plans, new plants and with David's influence and ideas too, it will be something quite amazing. Hopefully it will be less exposed. Easter Mosshat sits on top of an exposed hill at 850 feet above sea level. I won't deny it's been interesting to garden in a challenging environment, I've learnt a lot about shelter and what you can grow if you are clever about it.

So far we've looked at a house in need of attention, with a large back garden containing mature beech and a wide swath of grass and dockens, an exciting challenge, scope for all my ideas, but would you believe after two months on the market, on the day we were going to put in an offer, someone beat us to it that morning! We also looked at a beautiful wee cottage, lovingly restored by its current owners with an acre of garden, most of which was paddock. Backed by an abandoned railway embankment, we were very taken with it, but honestly it was over our budget.

We have also looked at a house which we really like, small, old, plenty character, needs a bit of attention, but we like a project and one we can do together. The garden is 3/4 of an acre, pretty much a blank canvas and OMG it has a stream running through it! I've always wanted a garden with a real running stream, and it has a copper beech tree, one of my favourites and an old knarled apple tree which would look lovely in a wild flower meadow, maybe this one is meant to be? If Mr mortgage man would get back to us with number crunching, who knows. Maybe the Quirky bird has found her new home. Watch this space ..............................

The nightmare of de cluttering, packing and moving house .............