Last year our flock of hens, ducks and geese finally reduced itself to one feral Light Sussex. As we were planning on moving we decide not to rebuild the flock. Now we have decided to stay we have some new girls. Meet Dolly and Polly (Light Sussex), Dotty and Spotty (Speckleds) and Doris and Floris (Copper Black). 
They have been in the hen house and run since Saturday to acclimatise them to their new home, but this afternoon I let them out into the orchard. They were cautious at first, but soon started flapping and playing. I left them to explore and settle in.
I am doing much the same thing, exploring and settling in to my home. We have lived here for over 16 years but all the changes, decluttering, redecorating, new soft furnishings and curtains, new shelves and bookcases have given our home a new direction. It feels lighter and airier. I find myself picking up something and moving it to another room, I don’t know why but somehow I feel it will be better there and usually it is. I have moved pictures around, dyed loose covers. There are more plants and even the cut flowers seem to be lasting longer!
You don’t have to move house to take time to settle in. In fact, the longer you have lived somewhere perhaps the more important it is to look at your surroundings as if they are new and take time to settle in and see what you change and why. We live with stuff for so long that we just assume it has to be there. Maybe it doesn’t.
Love Gillie
one pair of shoes at a time 