One of the good things about buying a house before you sell your current home is that you can take your time sorting, recycling, and packing. I’m pretty much done with the many items that were contained my big, old cedar chest. The school years, ballet years, college years, traveling years, working years, and family memorabilia have been sorted. The packing has begun and we’ve been moving boxes to the new place.
We’ve now met with the realtor and are listing our current home in three weeks. This means that we have to declutter every surface and have every room camera ready by the 14th of April. We’ve also contacted a moving company who’ll also help with packing, dismantling, and reassembling. Moving day is April 26th. So, I now have a deadline to work with, which is good. Thanks to years of writing and submitting work to editors and publishers, I work well with deadlines.

The area of the Lower Mainland that we’re moving to (a 50-minute drive away) has more sunshine than we do in Port Moody. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve driven from here on a cloudy, drizzly day only to find dry roads and the sun peeking out in South Delta. South Delta is flat and subject to much more wind than we have in hilly, Port Moody, which has mountains on its north side. As you’ll see in the photos, the weather and land in South Delta means that plants flourish. This photo was taken last week in our new front yard. Meanwhile, our Port Moody home still has a patch of snow on the ground.

Needless to say, I’m not writing much these days, which is fine. I finally sent the urban fantasy to beta readers a few days ago and am currently dabbling with another project. Writing is my happy place, and it’s how I like to start my day. I’m also taking part in one monthly BookFunnel discount promotion, and this month it’s $.99 #sale for my 3rd Casey Holland mystery, Beneath the Bleak New Moon.
So, these days, the routine is basically writing and writing-related tasks in the morning, packing in the afternoon, and relaxing in the evening. We drive out to the new place at least once a week and visit the grandkids. Things will look quite different in the latter half of April, but it’s exciting to think that by Mother’s Day we will be in our new place. We’ll probably still be living among lots of boxes, but at least I’ll be able to step out my front door, pull up a chair and admire the all the beautiful flowers coming our way.

Oh my gosh, this really is an exciting time for you. It’s fabulous that you’ve been able to arrange for this civilized pace that isn’t always possible when a move’s afoot. Those crocuses look divine. They’re probably a good 4-6 weeks away in our part of NB. Enjoy it all, including the writing!
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Thanks, Jane. Yes, slow and steady has always been a pace that works well for me 🙂
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Oh, that sounds perfect. I quite like Delta too! We’re putting new backyard fencing panels in today. I love having a real yard after twenty-five years of living in townhomes and condos. Yesterday I pruned the roses. We have lots of old perennials. This will be the first year we’ll be able to watch everything bloom!
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Excellent, Wendy. One of the best thing about spring is all the blooming and growing. We can’t wait to see what other flowers will appear in our yard this spring!
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We lived in South Delta for 14 years and loved it! Things are moving along nicely for you.
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Thanks, Darlene. So far so good!
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I don’t know how to make that buy-before-you-sell work. And I won’t ask how you arranged the down payment without selling. I think I know! Kudos to you! Enjoy the change and love how you phrase writing–Writing is my happy place
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Thanks, Jacqui. I will say that being a really good loyal customer to the same bank for nearly 40 years put us in a ‘high value’ category that had the mortgage specialist bending over backwards for us.
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I can feel your excitement building—won’t be long
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True! We’re on a countdown now.
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