Are we nearly there yet?

I can't believe it's nearly over. The move, that is. After weeks of increasing angst suddenly it's the day before the move. At 8.30 this morning four strapping lads appeared with a large lorry to start packing up our belongings. Four hours later the foreman who'd recently finished another job appeared to help along with three more lads. In the meantime, Ian and I just kept well out of the way outside, moving our wooden bench around to follow the limited but welcome shade in our south-facing garden. It was so hot we only had one tea and coffee round to organise for the lads; the rest of the day they just kept helping themselves to tumblers of water. By 2.30pm the lorry was full and they left, with some of them due to come back on moving day with a smaller 7.5 ton truck to pack up the rest of the garage, garden plants, our clothes and the bed we'd slept in overnight. The rest of the afternoon was spent wiping down skirting boards, washing floors, vacuuming up dust and cobwebs from where our bookcases had been and generally making it as clean as possible for the house's new owner.

Outside, the goldfinches were making a lot of noise this morning, calling to each other with their distinctive high-pitched twitter, perhaps wondering where the food was that we normally leave out for them. But now in late afternoon it's quiet. I think they learn quickly and have found their free lunch elsewhere.

Despite weeks of rain, the garden that Ian and I spent years working on from scratch is looking lovely. Some plants have definitely suffered, some have even died, their roots suffocated in the wet soil, but others have flourished. There's a glorious yellow hybrid tea rose in the corner of the garden that catches the late afternoon sun, next to several sunflowers that are yet to flower but are already well over six feet tall.

But we have a new garden to tend from tomorrow: quite a different challenge, being very steep and terraced, with about four levels stepping up from the house. Onwards and upwards, as they say.