Just over 5 weeks to go until I abandon Ship. I don’t have a firm date as yet, despite my asking, however it’s looking like the first week in June. I’ve alerted my scurvy landlord of the above, and maybe he can ‘bother’ them to get a firm date for me. So far, I’ve had an estimate over the phone, and 2 Scurvy Dogs come out to give me a quote on the move. Due to it being across country, I need to go with a large firm so that they have a big enough lorry. I knew moving wouldn’t be cheap, however the removal firms are more expensive than I thought they’d be. The Deckhand has already given me the money to pay for the whole of the first month’s rent. I have to pay a similar amount deposit, a further £200 for the dog, and have already paid the fees charged by the agents. Add to this the removal fees, and it’s a lot of money so I appreciate his financial contribution. I raised a good one there.

Much to my surprise, and delight, the removal firms will all take some of my plants. It may sound daft; however, I have an Azealia that is older than the Deckhand, several large, beautiful shrubs that would be costly to replace, and blueberry bushes that fruit prolifically and are over 10 years old. The garden we’re going to is slabbed in part, and decked near the back door, so the potted plants will pretty it up.

When the Deckhand was quite young, we made a move to the Midlands for my partner’s job. His company paid a huge amount for his relocation and we had a large firm come and pack for us. They were amazing! I don’t have that luxury this time, and every nook and cranny in the Ship has a packed box in it. Both Scurvy Dogs were impressed at how much I’ve already packed. Last time I moved to the Midlands we lived above Walsall and I didn’t much care for it. We had a few small shops nearby, and a large common which was nice, however any decent shop required quite a car drive and the traffic was abysmal. Socially, there was nothing to do locally, and no work, which is the problem where I live now.

This move will be to the outskirts of a town. Not too big, but also not too small. There’s a supermarket within walking distance (says the Deckhand) and the town and pubs and restaurants are also within walking distance. Within a mile is a large park, and within a 5-mile radius there are 2 very large parks which could make for a nice afternoon out with the Ship’s Dog. Within that same radius, there are also 2 university’s, and several schools and colleges, so hopefully I can get a job working in Education again. I’m getting quite excited.

Therein may lie the problem re the title. As regular readers will know, this year has so far been pretty stressful. We’ve had a death in the family (Dad) and Mum has been extremely poorly and in hospital for months. She’s now home where she wants to be, though isn’t behaving herself well. Her behaviour could lead to another infection – the last one almost killed her, and I’ve had to tell them all at the house to behave and get along, or the house will have to be sold to pay for Mum to go into a care home. Sounds harsh, I know, but sometimes tough love… Anyway, I’ve not been sleeping well. I’ve had so many dreams this week which means I’m not really entering deep sleep – that’s my understanding anyway. I’ve had one dream I awoke chuckling from, not telling you about that one lol, and a few nice dreams, however these have been interspersed with ‘bad’ dreams. I got up just after 4.30am Tuesday after waking from a particularly unpleasant dream, and I definitely won’t tell you about that one! Suffice to say, I had no intention of going back to sleep after that one. Maybe a nap later, preferably dream free… Have a good week.