De-feathering the nest...

I once read somewhere that the first signs of an imminent marital breakdown are the sudden desire to organise one's books and CD's into separate rows.

The article went on to describe the next steps but this is the only one that stayed in my mind
It's called de-feathering the nest, that gradual withdrawal from Us to Me and You
Sad when it happens but we cope and we move on

In between dsperately trying to find a house to rent that will permit me to have my pets, reading emails and half-heartedly attempting chores I have begun my own process of de-feathering the nest

I've cleaned out the old kitchen attached to the side of the house that has been used as a kind of garden store/shed/rubbish tip, and taken the unwanted items to a tip (where incidentally I met a lovely English couple who've just signed to buy a house here and so I wish them Happy Dreams, Good Fortune and may they never have the misfortune to employ The Cowboy)

Pause to muse...

I read on the Guardian Online that "any two strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation. In other words, putting fractions to one side, you are linked by a string of seven or fewer acquaintances to Madonna, the Dalai Lama and the Queen"
I like the idea of being close to the Dalai Lama, not sure about the Royal Connection though!

I've started a list of Things To Do and, happily, I can report that No 1. on my list is1. Stock up on favourite cheap fizzy white wine and bottles of crème de cassis, pêche and framboise
Since I see absolutely no reason why I shouldn't continue my habit of a single glass of kir drunk from a beautiful crystal glass while I cook the dinner

No 2. Return to Mont St Michel to say au revoir

and I've started to read English papers online again, well, The Guardian (see above) at least and to plan to rejoin my favourite Save The World groups (Greenpeace, Friends Of The Earth, Free Tibet, RISC in Reading) because, it may be me but it seems very hard to be socially and environmentally aware in a Backwater of Brittany and I have so missed being involved

Want some good eco-news?
Scientists have found an inexpensive way to produce hydrogen from water, a discovery that could lead to a plentiful source of environmentally friendly fuel to power homes and cars.The technique, which mimics the way photosynthesis works in plants, also provides a highly efficient way to store energy, potentially paving the way to making solar power more economically viable
Guardian Environment

and this?

China is the world's leading producer of energy from renewable sources and is on the way to overtaking developed countries in creating clean technologies, according to a report by the Climate Group.
Guardian Environment

It's important to be optimistic to avoid sinking into that Doom and Gloom scenario that leads people to stop making an effort to change their lifestyles, n'est-ce pas?

BTW Here's a link for Marja-Leena to Britain's Prehistoric Rock Art
I'd like to visit as many as possible...

Where was I?
Ah yes, sitting here planning what to take and what to leave...

The cottage that I hope to rent is, approximately, 1/3 the size of The FVH
I will need to plan carefully how to fit in enough furniture, books, plants and clothes (in that order) to make it cosy, comfy and mineand wondering where to find packing cases

and am I tempting fate by taking these tentative steps???
I look for signs everywhere
My Horoscope:
Last Friday's eclipse marked a point of potential liberation, freeing you to re-invent your act. If that means de-coupling from someone (not necessarily a lover) intent on shackling you, so be it. With Mercury completing its passage through your skies, there's no time like the present to push on, rap out orders or even issue a royal ultimatum

I missed an eclipse? That's so unlike me. I'm the kind of person who wakes up her young kids at 1am so that they can watch a lunar eclipse and marvel at the blood-red moon hanging in a velvet-black sky. I have forced The Ragazzi to lie on their backs in the garden for hours in order to catch the Perseids Meteor Storm that heralded the birth of The Ragazza (08/88) and which returns each year without fail in order to provide a free celestial firework display. I made them stand in -28 degrees to catch The Northern Lights from a small hut in Finland
(And they loved it everytime)

You see, I have lately come to realise just how divorced I have become from the life that I need to lead with its eclipses and challenges and all that working again will entail (have I mentioned that steep learning curve? and how I hate heights?) so it is, most definitely Time To Go Back

Which brings me right back to de-feathering my nest
I'll put the house on the market and let The Universe decree its fate
My emotional ties to the place have snapped and it is, simply, a house
Home is where the heart is
And mine is back in England

The Ragazza will be at university by the time I return
The Ragazzo will be close enough to spend alternate w/e's being spoilt by the mother who missed him so much she cried buckets
I have so much missed being a mother to my Ragazzi!!!
Wipes eyes...

I'm looking forward to knitting again
I've been battling on to finish a simple scarf, well, simple except the yarn is one of those with satiny bits and it makes it impssible to pick up dropped stitches after the Tibetans have chased it around the lounge and so has been restarted several times, but I am determined....
I want to knit socks and cardigans (remind me to buy one of those lovely angora wraps from the expensive but adorable shop in Callac before I go) and I simply can't cope with the simple task of buying the necessary in the local shop that is owned by a witch who, I'm pretty sure, hates Brits and will cast a spell on my stitches...
Maybe I can start a Stitch and Bitch session from my little cottage?

I'm looking forward to bacon and eggs and a fat Sunday paper
Fish and chips and a takeaway curry after working late
Waitrose

Most of all I am looking forward to feeling secure once more

now, where CAN I get those packing cases?

AM I tempting fate???????????????????????????????????????????????