The Farewell Tour Begins

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let's start with a quick word about what I'm reading. I've finished Mark Cowan's Far From The Massive Crowds about a season as a fan watching Northern League side Guisborough Town FC and I'm happy to say that my views haven't changed now it's been read. A hugely enjoyable book and I'd recommend it to any football fan.

The next book on the pile of e unread turns out to be The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield. She's a writer some of whose stories I have listened to and liked but this is the first time that I've really properly approached her work. I'm looking forward to this.

Anyway as I mentioned yesterday subject to some completely unforeseen disaster the house move is going to take place sometime in the middle of May. So six, seven weeks in the future. It was my intention only to mention it passing until then. But something happened that I felt needed to be posted now.

Since the Sold sign appeared in front of the house I can't really say I've spoken to the neighbours. It was just a case of our paths not crossing more than anything else. And yet yesterday in the afternoon having returned from doing some shopping I saw one of them. For me. Being a solitary sort conversations with the neighbours are mainly polite friendly and short. Mainly just an acknowledgement of each other's presence before we both go our separate routes. This though was different.

"When are you moving?" she asked.

When I responded that it would sometime in the middle of May she said that the family would be missed.

Needless to say I was stunned. I'm rarely good with an instant response when something unexpected comes my way. Thank you was really the best I could muster.

Then later that evening we had a knock on the door. It was children from the house opposite. They had some boxes we could use for the move. The wife went to collect them.......she stayed an hour.

After she came back to what is still our house so that myself and our daughter could still confirm he existence the wife went to the other neighbour to give her the precise news. Again she was told by the lady of that house that we'd be missed.

Now I'm under no illusions here. Whilst I would like to think I'm liked the person who really would be missed is my wife. She has that lucky gift of being liked by most people instantly. I'm just the man lucky enough to have married her.

She is however also very honest. As I've explained previously in this blog she is the driving force of this move and was not hesitant to tell people why she didn't want to stay.

And yet, the way things have turned out it would appear to be like saying you want to move from Manchester United to City but getting a standing ovation at Old Trafford in your last game.

Life is sometimes very confusing.

Until the next time.