Friday Smiles 2024 # Week 34

I am starting with a bit of science for you this week. I am sure most of you are familiar with the saying "Once in a blue moon", meaning very rarely, but did you know that a blue moon is an actual occurence and it is very rare - hence the saying. Blue moon has two meanings. It refers to a full moon when it is the second one in a calendar month,  and it also can refer to the third full moon out of four in any season (between equinoxes and solstices). Well we had a blue moon on Monday night, as it was the third full moon this summer with one more to come.

There is also the phenomena of a "Super moon". This occurs when the moon is the closest it gets to the earth's surface so it appears a little larger and brighter.

This Monday a blue moon occured at the same time as a supermoon, so a Super Blue moon, and this is incredibly rare. I believe the next one will be in 2037! So I hope you managed to see it. It doesn't actually look blue, but it did look huge and bright. I tried to take a photo but when I zoom in enough to get a clear focus, all the colour disappears, but this is a little brighter than I usually manage.

What else have I been doing besides moon-gazing? Well I made this little barrel with my lazer cutter. I guess it is what some people call a 'whatnot' jar, as it can hold any little bits and pieces that are laying around. It was cut from MDF which is not my favourite to work with. It doesn't engrave very well, but as this was only cutting and fitting together, it wasn't too bad. There wasn't a lid with the file I bought, so I made one and added a small wooden bead as a knob.

Someone mentioned to me in a video call this week, how big Leo is now. When you see a cat every day you don't notice how they are growing, but I said "Yes, he is probably the same size as Tolly now", so that evening when they both came to sit near us out on the porch, I decided to take a few pictures to compare them, and as you can see they are much of a size now. But they are very different cats. Tolly is a solid, heavy cat, whereas Leo is soft and relaxed in your hands, but you can see them here together and judge for yourselves.

With long video calls with my sister and the boys, that is how my week has gone.

But it has actually been a very busy week and I will share why here. After a few vague conversations together, Chris and I have decided it is time to pack up, sell our house, and move back to UK. Surprise? Yes! Initially we were talking about in a year or two but everything is moving so fast, it could be a lot sooner than that. Two agents have been and given us provisional, no obligations valuations and we are happy with their quotes. Now we have two frantic months, de-cluttering, throwing lots away, taking piles to the charity shop, and packing the few items we want to take with us. It is quite usual here to sell a house fully furnished and we don't intend to take much back.

Don't ask about future plans etc. We haven't anything definite sorted yet, but no doubt I will let you know when we have. My first task is to overhaul my craft room. There is so much in here that I no longer use but it is hard to part with some things. Unfortunately there are few crafter around here who are interested in taking any of it. Next it will be the garage which has become a dumping ground for anything that doesn't have a proper home! After that the sitting room and bedrooms will be much easier.

Last week Lisca asked why anyone would make a life here and then go back, so no doubt she will be thinking the same about us. Many of my friends have returned home for health reasons, or to be nearer their grandchildren. For us, it just seems like the right time. The summers are getting hotter, and I am not sure I can face another one. Also, if we leave it much longer, we may not be physically fit or able enough to handle the packing, moving, and settling somewhere new.

So this is the start of a new Adventure. When I think of all that needs to be done, it is quite scary. But I know if we are determined to do it, we will. We have given ourselves until the end of September to get rid of enough 'stuff' to have photographs taken, and put the house on the market. We have a lot of points in our favour with the house and its location, so we think it will sell fairly well. Watch this space....

Now I can link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and get back to the sorting out!