The Crate Escape

After almost exactly nine months to the day, we are moving out of our Shipping container and into a real house again.

It doesn't look like much now, but this patch of ground marks our home for the past 9 months

With so much to do in the coming week, it feels as if there’s very little time to reflect on what it feels like to no longer be living in our tin box, or indeed rejoice to be finally living in a brand new house which we’ve designed and helped build ourselves.

Our version of marking off days in confinement -
Rose removes the final sheep label from above our bed.

I’d love to report that there was a ribbon cutting ceremony, and we moved into a fully functioning home. But in reality, we are crammed into two bedrooms, one of them set up as a very temporary kitchen/dining room. Our actual kitchen won’t be installed until mid-January, as we made the decision to sand the floors first – and this certainly takes a lot of pressure off the cabinet-makers. Our beautiful gas oven is in place and working perfectly, but what we don’t have is a sink – and we’ve both quickly realised that this humble and overlooked convenience is what truly separates us from the beasts. Being able to turn a tap, fill a basin with water and then pull out a plug afterwards is something I’ll never take for granted again, Plumbing truly was an enormous leap forward in the development of human civilisation.

I unplug our generator from the container for the final time...

In the meantime, we fill a dishwashing bowl with the water which Roger still graciously supplies to us, and at least have a tap installed in a length of house thanks to Mich our Plumber. More good news is that he will be returning in mid January – much earlier than we expected.

We’re aching to truly move in, but our builder, electricians and plasters will be working up until the last minute before Christmas, so for now we remain in our bedroom limbo – less moved in than feeling as if we are infesting our own home.

... and our patented cat ramp is taken down.

But the fortitude which got us through the last nine months will see us through this week, and the feeling when we can finally start living in the other rooms of our beautiful house will be a festive one indeed. Christmas is almost here, and with it comes a chance to relax and enjoy some peace and goodwill.

After a hard days carrying and cleaning, it's as if we'd never been here.

Our first meal in our new, umm... guest bedroom.

 There is possibly another couple of months work to be done on our home, and although the crate has been taken away, this blog will continue until our home is completely finished – after a short Christmas break.

And so - all the very best for a safe and happy Christmas to everyone who has kindly looked-in on our adventure this year – see you in the prosperous New Year!

Rose and Al

Snoopy and the Red Baron, photographed above our new home.