I am sitting in the library, so this feels like hurling out a message in a bottle. Our phone line was installed yesterday so should be online at home soon, but L's attempts this morning were unsuccessful so need technical support...

All is strangeness. The wonderful light in our new kitchen, and the views of sky and hills keep me sitting and gazing for long periods. I love the house but the constant dust and the apparent endlessness of the work to be done is wearisome. However, it should be drawing to a close this week... I have been feeling poorly in a rather amorphous way and am worried about friends J and C. C broke her ankle in two places when out walking just over a week ago, had to have an operation, and is still in hospital having now developed a mystery virus involving vomiting, headache, tingling hands and breathlessness. Both are anxious and desperate for her to be able to come home, but she is too weak to even practice walking on her crutches never mind manage to look after herself at home. J driving over to nearby town B (but not that near) every evening.

I started my temporary job last week, then got ill, and have just started again today. No blogging about work is the rule, but it's good to have some purposeful and paid activity again!

The house will be wonderful, but it will be a while before we can empty all boxes and bags as we need new furniture, shelves etc to accommodate our stuff. And the decorator needs to finish the sitting room... And, most urgently the plumber needs to fix the mystery leak which has at last been tracked down and has been seeping a cup of water a day into an internal wall. Tomorrow should see that sorted, and that will remove a worry, though I'm sure it'll take a while to dry out.

I'm rambling and the library is noisy with kids fresh from school, so I can't concentrate, but normal service should be resumed in the next few days!!