It’s been a peculiar three weeks since we upped sticks and moved to the country. Ade continues to work part of the week in London, getting up at 4am and getting home after 9pm. I’m also flat out with work at the moment, and will be until mid-December. Obviously, working from home is much easier than commuting, and I’m so thankful I no longer face the odious commute into central London, but because we’re both so busy, we haven’t had much of a chance to explore our new surroundings, and I’ve been itching to get out into the countryside.

This weekend, I finally had a proper chance to explore. My brother came to stay and we went for a long walk this morning. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for it; the sun was warm, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the colours are just glorious right now.

The countryside around here is criss-crossed with public footpaths, so I really look forward to getting out and about with my camera and capturing all the gorgeous sights through the seasons. We’re not that far from the coast either, and I can’t wait to spend more time by the sea!

But there’s also much to be done at home. Ade’s eager to get on with designing the garden, as you know, but there’s also the house. It’s going to be quite a renovation project, a bigger one than we’d originally anticipated (isn’t it always?!), and it means I won’t be able to share much news from the kitchen for a while. The kitchen we’ve inherited is slightly the worse for wear. I’ll open a cupboard door and it’ll come off in my hand or I’ll put the dishwasher on and find curious puddles of water seeping over the floor tiles – all good fun! I’m hoping everything will synchronise nicely, and by the time we have our new kitchen fitted next spring, we’ll be harvesting the first of Ade’s veggies. At least that’s the idea!

In the meantime, we’re trying to make the most of the abundant apple harvest from the crooked little tree in the back garden.

It leans over at such a worrying angle that it has to be propped up by a piece of wood, but the fruit are delicious!

Daisy is also getting used to her new surroundings. On her first day here she crawled under the duvet on our bed and didn’t budge at all. She seems a little more at home now, although she’s still suspicious of the garden which we’re slowly introducing her to. Mind you, judging by the road signs around here, I think she’s living in the right place…

It’s very much a new adventure for all of us!