It’s been two weeks now since I moved to Cornwall. It still feels like I’m on holiday and that very soon I’ll need to pack up and head back to Swindon and back to work. I have to remind myself that this is now home. I’m now a resident and my name is on the council tax bill which should be dropping onto the door mat any day now. That is of course that the forms that I filled out online actually went to the right department. I really don’t trust online forms, especially when you don’t get an email back saying thank you for completing the form and we will want some money from you shortly! I love our new home but it still feels a bit empty as the majority of our belongings are still in Swindon. Now that we have a buyer for the house, I’m hoping that we can start bringing more things down to the flat. I was reticent to bring much when we were still having people view the house. We wanted it to look nice and lived in. A place that looked like a potential home. Not somewhere with bits missing. I miss those bits. I’ve been tempted to buy a plant or two but Mr R quite rightly, doesn’t want me to add decor and bits to the flat without him. It is our new home and not just mine. Besides, there is no point in buying stuff when we already have stuff! Mr R is due to come to Cornwall for Easter and is driving my car down. He will fill the car with another load. I need him to bring down my summer clothes. This will stress him as he won’t know what I mean. I might end up with the size 12 dresses that I’ve been loathed to get rid of in the vain hope that one day I will get back into them one day. The last time that I wore them was in 2006 so it really is time that I let go.

Mr R wants me to get a job to help pay the bills which I can understand. Not a full time job but for a couple of times a week. It’s a good idea and it will mean meeting people and having a routine. But what to do? I have been a teaching assistant since 1999 and before that a nurse. I was a seasonal temporary partner at John Lewis one year, but apart from that, my skills in anything else are a bit lacking. I could look fora job in education but I really want to try something different. But what ? My biggest interest is with anything to do with food and hospitality. I am a people person, I like challenges and a job where no two days are the same. I applied for a job last week as a housekeeper for the Landmark Trust. It sounded ideal. I exchanged lovely chatty emails with the person doing the hiring. An interview date was set, but I realised that I wasn’t the right person for the job and cancalled my interview. I’m still keeping in touch with the lovely manager though and we plan to meet up for coffee and chocolate biscuits. Will my age prevent me from getting a job? Will potential employers worry that I might need hospital visits or be ill? Actually I am very dependable and have taken only one sick day in two years. I know much younger people taking the day off for the slightest little sniffle or maybe had too good a night before. I have a good work ethic. I give 110% and just because I’m 64 it doesn’t mean that I can’t do the job. Saying that though my IT skills are a bit lacking. At school, the six year olds in my class would tell me how to write code or play an online game! So, if anyone in the Penzance area is looking for someone for a few hours a week then I might be your man … or woman!

My friends thought that I was mad moving here to a place where I don’t really know anybody. I have met up with lovely people who I know through social media when I’ve stayed down here for breaks. I hope that I get to meet them again, but they have their lives and circles of friends. I really don’t want to impose on them. So far I have been content with my own company but I do need to start making a circle of friends. I chat with our ginger mog, but it’s very much a one way conversation. I like chatting and miss chatting. I’m still getting used to being here and I am happy and love the fact that I’m in a place that I love but I want to be part of groups and keep active. I also need a bit of cerebral stimulation. I’m not talking about joining groups that have discussions on metaphysics or global issues. I know my limitations. Just something to keep the old brain cells ticking over. Maybe I will volunteer for something. I wonder if they need volunteers at this wonderful library ? So, if you want to be my friend in Penzance, get in touch. Joking aside, any suggestions for cerebral stimulation and meeting people would be great.

I didn’t post any images in my last post so here are some of the flat before we moved in. It was a rental before we bought it so its all a bit magnolia and with a basic kitchen and bathroom. All perfectly livable but we can’t wait to decorate and change the bathroom which will be the first big job. There’s one of our view from our balcony. That view was a big deciding factor. It’s not a big balcony but plenmty big enough for a patio set and a barbeque. What more do you need?

Until next time dear friends. xx