Leaving Wales for Ireland by ferry.

Well to tell you the truth we were all a bit worried considering its December would the winter seas be very rough??

Luckily it was just a bit up and down nothing to make any of us feel sick. In fact, I kind off enjoyed the ferry trip but 4 hours is a little boring for my son but he coped quite well. Then my husband had to face about 6-hour car drive through Ireland. The roads were a lot better than the UK. Fewer potholes and bright cars eyes in middle and outside edges of the roads. Signs were also clear and clean!! Next nice thing no rubbish along sides of the roads. That was a good start on stepping on to Irish turf. The journey was pleasant my husband found the drive not stressful 😉. However, we were carrying all our belonging in that tiny fiesta car for 6 hours so we were squashed!!!!. My son had boxes and pillows by his side and he was almost buried within them.

I myself had all the kitchen food in the footwell so my right leg was stuck most of the journey, however, we seem to be getting quite good at long distances in small cramped spaces these days. It was a shame we had to travel a large distance across Ireland in the night. Which then meant we sadly didn’t see much due to the darkness

We arrived around 11pm unpacked are cram packed car and tumbled into our beds.

After one month a Cmwair farm in Wales truly nothing had entered the market which was affordable for us.

None of them ticked the boxes of what we were trying to achieve with our lives as a family.

We knew work where ever these days for my husband or myself was part-time and not reliable.

We also could clearly see that technology was taking away the jobs for the next generation. More part-time and 0-hour job low wages and there is only so much retraining people can do for imaginary jobs!!

The climate change which folk and politicians ignore was something we were not going to ignore.

What’s the point to money if your worlds falling apart.

We wanted mainly to find a home with land! So we as a family could become more self-sufficient. Growing food on the land would mean our own food cost fewer air miles and would help the earth. It would also cost us less in the long run and our food bills would become cheaper with a limited income this would help loads. Also, we wanted this as security for our son and his family in the future. If we had land when things go more belly up we would have looked after ourselves the best we can.

So nothing in Wale there with land which can afford after looking some time now it’s very clear.

Time after 40 something years! To leave the UK.

Every morning Kay would knock on our cottage door. She would ask if Finlay wished to join her on the daily morning tasks on the farm. This was so good for him in so many ways. To learn something different, and also spent  2 to 3 hours every day with an older person learning new things. To be given the opportunity to interact with a lovely lady from the older generation!! Something I believe to be of great value to him but until now he has not been given the experience of this as no one of the older generations has wished to spend time just with him. For another to spend this amount of time with him daily was wonderful for him. It was so nice to see their friendship develop and also see Finlay gaining knowledge from her. They would check the ongoing health of all the animals, feed them all, clean their areas, get the eggs, brush the horses and loads of other bits and pieces. Also, we would constantly be finding the escaping pigs over the fields or halfway down the road and bringing them home again. Then in the evenings my son and kay would check and feed all the animals once again. Finlay would also call the 2 horses from the fields in and walk them into the stables where he groomed them most evenings. He also got the knack of calling the sheep in he seems to love sheep now a lot. He spent so much time outdoors with the pigs, sheep, bulls, cows, chickens, ducks, geese, and the two horses. Let’s also not forget his 2 companions Marley and Brandy the dogs Such lovely souls and good loyal friends they truly gave him so much love. Some nice home education meat ups not loads of kids but still, they all played and interacted. Also, wonderful homegrown organic foods and salads. Plus some nice little chats with other mothers.

This month we spent time going to 2 different home education meetups where kids had a good mix have fun and a run about together.

These were in the towns of Newcastle and Emlyn and St Clears.

Both run by a really devoted home educating mother.

She was so welcoming to me and my son.

We are both very sociable and it was great to mix with others.

Before we went into the meet up in Newcastle and Emlyn.

My son and I had a little walk in the Rain and mud up the ruined castle and a brisk walk through the town.

Also fab organically grown salads and foods shared at the home Ed meet up in St Clears (wonderful Salad the colours wow so pretty)

Just look at the pretty foods nature provides us 💜🌿💜🥗🥗

A very fresh cold walk on this Stoney beach. The beach was made up of large boulder-like stones, slate and also white sparkling lumps of granite crystal stones.

We all enjoyed a good wander over the boulders and rock pool areas.

Myself being my normal magpie finding and looking for treasures in among the rocks.Mainly pretty pieces of slate and sparkly white granite.

However, I did find one piece of beautiful clear sea glass which had been shaped by the waves into a smooth long pepple shaped little treasure.

My husband also presented me with a gift he found a broken corner of tile which the sea had washed up.

White with red, yellow patterns and graze lines all over its glaze.

Most likely from age and wear from the tide.

I wonder who’s house it had once been in and how old it might have been.

A treasure for magpie me 😜.

Today we walked, played, talked and sat together.

Looking out at the estuary waters at Ferryside.

We had a picnic lunch in November! We are tough.

It was a bright day and even still some sun.

We played eye spy, tic tac toe and walked along the sand admiring the views and finding cockle shells everywhere.

Who won the game!! 🤔

Cold, bright and nice is what my afternoon looked like today.

Time sat watching our son happily playing with sand, sticks and shells.

Then running up and down the open space with the fresh air in his hair.

Myself collecting cockle shells as I am a true magpie when it comes to collecting bits on nature walks.

Making a bit of shell art in the sand and drifting off into the land of make-believe myself.

All good.

Cockels anyone!! 😉

Cockle shells as far as the eye can see. 

My new temporary abode is in Llanybydder up a long long lane.

The perfect lane for an evening stroll with no one, no traffic, and no noise.

Just the sounds of wind, rain, farm animals and singing birds. 🐦🐦

Like stepping back in time.

Just how I like it😊.

(Blackberry bramble leaves so many colours wow).

Peace and fresh air.

All good stuff.

Early evening, Muddy but beautiful

After a huge military operation kind of week.

All is achieved and we are all together now in Wales.

Now my son who never gets colds has a cough.

Cough coughing!

A few days later I go down with the cold as well.

Hubby escapes the cold 😉.

However, he has one of those backs, which just go sometimes.

A back simply can go! stupidly with such silly situations, like sneezing, tieing a shoelace, or bending down to pick something up you have dropped.

Hubby was happily shovelling muck out of the pig pen.

Lending a hand and afterwards, the back pinged!

2 days later its still not great 😕.

He did enjoy the task at the time.

At long last all the paper work on house sale is done.

We hand keys to new owners in a week from now.

So the next week holds loads of things for us to get done.

Monday packing final belonging into hire van which my hubby will drive to Wales.

Tuesday hubby driving to Wales unloading belongings into storage and driving back to Sussex in the same day!

Evening we will sleep in our campervan on our driveway. As the house will be empty at this point.

Wednesday we will all leave Sussex for Wales in our car.

Where we will be staying on a farm for a time.

Thursday hubby will take the bus from Carmarthen back to Sussex many hours, arriving late evening.

He will sleep back at our home in Sussex in campervan on drive way.

Friday morning he will hand over keys to the new owners.

Friday afternoon /evening he will drive campervan to a nice little spot.

Have some sleep in small hours drive campervan back to farm in Wales.

Saturday.

Hopefully after a crazy hard working week mainly for poor hubby.

He will arrive safe and well to be with us at the farm.

At this point we’ve left Sussex sold home and move on. 😉😉👍.

My doodle inspired by a love of wild flowers. 💐