Moving and getting organised

Moving

I spent Christmas moving house. Our new flat is only a five minutes drive away from our old place, but even so, it was not the most restful holiday activity.

Appropriately, we spent Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, packing all our things into boxes. We managed to move most of our possessions the following day. We then took a much needed break from all the chaos and spent a quiet couple of days at my in-laws in the Suffolk countryside. And then it was back to Oxford to unpack.

Getting organised

Our new flat is significantly smaller than the old one, with a lot less storage space, so I rather despaired of getting everything to fit. But somehow, after leaving some boxes at the in-laws and squirreling things about under the bed and on top of cupboards, everything was put away, neat and tidy and in its place.

The arranging and getting organised took place over New Years, and we were ready for dinner guests the following weekend.

People are always surprised by how quickly I unpack and settle in to a new place, but I can't bear living out of boxes. Also, I calculate that I have moved over 24 times in my life - so I've had plenty of practice. One of the advantages of moving a lot (and living in small flats) is that you don't accumulate very much stuff. Which does make the moving easier.

A bookcase of one's own

I dream of someday having a craft room all to myself . But until we move into larger accommodation, I have to store my craft supplies where ever I can find space - in various drawers, baskets, boxes and bags.

Our new place came furnished with one of those bookcases with deep shelves, spacious enough, I was delighted to discover, to hold all my cookbooks, craft books, and even my yarn. So now I have a craft bookcase all to myself. Not quite a craft room, but it will have to do for now.

My cookbooks fill three of the bookshelves, two are reserved for knitting books and magazines, and the three drawers hold all my yarn stash (well, except my yarn remnants - I don't count those as stash). On top of the bookshelf, my sewing machine hides behind my sewing box, and various tins and boxes store other craft supplies.

The yarn is organised by weight - DK, aran and chunky in one drawer, 3-ply, sock yarn and sport weight in another. The lace weight is jumbled in with my Habu collection (which is mostly lace weight).

Now that my yarn is so accessible, I will be able to take it out and admire it more often. Maybe I'll try organising it by colour next. And hopefully, the more I look at it, the more I will be inspired to knit!

Winter blooms

We have been enjoying an unusually mild winter here in England this year. There was a brief cold snap in early December, but since then it has felt more like spring than winter.

When I go for my weekly run in the park I've noticed a lot of plants already in bloom. I hope the mild weather has not brought blooms out too early, because much colder temperatures are forecast for this coming weekend. But I think many of these plants are winter bloomers anyway, so they should be safe.

First we must start with the snowdrops (scientific name Galanthus), that ubiquitous early sign of an English spring.

Then, clustering thickly among the snowdrops, winter aconite (Eranthis).

Next, the shy and retiring Hellebore, or Christmas rose.

You are likely to overlook the tiny blooms of the Sarcococca hookeriana, or sweet box, but you'll be reminded of their presence by their heady scent, which follows you long after you've past the shrub.

Another sweetly scented shrub is the Viburnum x bodnantense - more delicately scented than the sweet box, but with unmissable pink blooms.

And then there are the winter cherry trees (Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis'), providing a more delicate scattering of pink blossoms.

And finally, this unidentified shrub with clusters of small pink starry flowers, which I was unable to find on the internet - if anyone knows what it is, please let me know!