There are times when perfect timing is everything. For years this ice cream van has plied its trade in the cul de sac. Most times that I hear the jingly jangly ice cream music filtering across the fields I either miss the van as it drives off before I get there or, I can't be bothered to find my shoes. Today was different.
Last night we decided to drive over to Somerset with the fish tank, partly as it was late in the evening and being so tired our longing to be in a house that wasn't dismantled appealed. It's a stressful experience manhandling 11 fish out of a tank, into bags in a cool box, then drive them for 2 hours to their new home, refill the tank and keep fingers crossed they survive. We did it though and at the time of writing all 11 are happy in their new home and whizzing about like loons. Driving back to East Grafton this morning we stopped at Planks Farm Shop Cafe near Devizes, mainly as we needed a break from the endless thinking about packing, but were absolutely starving. Next time we'll employ the removal firm to pack.
Eventually home, it was pack, pack, pack and then at 4pm we had literally just packed the last box when I heard the jingly jangly ice cream music filter across the fields. Exiting the door like a stabbed rat I poised and returned with my double 99 in a cone. It was delicious, only the 2nd time ever I've had an ice cream from the van in 5 years. Couldn't have come at a moment too soon.
By 6pm we were starving again. I wonder how many calories one burns up packing to move. What to have for tea? Our vague plan was to go out to a pub for a last meal (as everything had been packed away) but we were so pooped remaining on the sofa used up about all the energy we had in reserve. Decision made, lets eat at home. We had a problem. As all pans and other cooking utensils were now in the Tip, or packed in a box not recognised; as all food was packed and under another mountain of boxes. What remained accessible was the contents of the freezer which we were just about to defrost; five lonely items. Hash Browns, Cauliflower florets, Peas, Yorkshire pudding and a green thing in a bag which we though was soup. I set too with the hash browns, in a wok, the only pan left in the house, using a spoon, the only implement I could find to use. Chaos reigns. Frying the hash browns in a wok was a spectacular failure as their integrity and structure soon dissolved and I ended up with a dry casserole of hash brown remains. I did find a bottle of whisky and some lemonade. And so the Last Supper was consumed, no not some gourmet feast from the local pub, but....... hash brown casserole with whisky and lemonade pudding, eaten in the garden out of the wok as we'd packed all the plates too.
By 9pm we really were in a state of tiredness only moving house can bring, but suddenly the sun shone from the clouds, a sunset was developing. Last chance, so into the car and a drive around the favourite haunts we often drove around at night, including Wilton Windmill which for the first time in 5 years I managed to photograph against a stunning sunset. Plenty of animals out too, deer, brown hares running in front of the car and a tawny owl perched on a bridge with a vole in his beak. It felt like this part of south east Wiltshire and its natural denizens were saying goodbye to us. A lovely end to our time here.
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