We've Moved.

Well, that time has come. It's come and it's gone. I turned the key in the lock on Saturday. The Builder and the boys had left on Friday; Katie and I cleaned up and left on Saturday.

I was sitting in the car, having locked up when I realised I hadn't taken a photo. That is the ultimate no-no for a blogger - even for a semi-lapsed blogger such as my own self.

And so, of course, I did the necessary thing: I re-ran the whole locking up thing, and this time I clicked my camera phone to capture the moment.

And so, Saturday lunchtime saw Katie and I on the ferry leaving Lewis, not for a holiday, but to go and live elsewhere. It's not as though we're going to be far away. We're still in the North of Scotland, which in American terms, is practically only a block away. 

But this isn't about the number of miles. This is about leaving the island that's been home for most of our lives. This is about leaving the island on which my Mum and Dad live, and have lived all their lives. This is about leaving my sister and her family; my brother and his; the Builder's siblings and their families. My kids are leaving the island on which all their cousins still live.  Quite frankly, it's home. It was for the first twenty-four years of my life. It was still 'home' for the twelve years the Builder and I lived in Glasgow. It's been home for the past dozen years, and in our hearts, it will always be home. Whether we ever actually live there again, we don't know. We honestly don't know. But we do know that it will always be home.

And, at the risk of sounding rather the-king-is-dead-long-live-the-king-like, this was the sunrise on our first morning in our new home. I'll show y'all more photos very soon: suffice to say that the landscape is quite different from what I had, but I am still totally and utterly surrounded by God's beautiful creation.

That means that the Builder and our kids still have to hear an almost endless stream of:

"Oh, guys, have you seen this?"

"Katie, wow ... come and see the sunset."

"Have you seen the moon? Looooook!"

"Wow ... I just love seeing these fields. Look at that!"

Yes, it honestly has sounded rather like that these past few days.

Just one thing: whilst trees are lovely, in moderation, I can't help wondering why folks wanted to plant so MANY of them?? Seriously, they block out so much of the stunningly beautiful countryside. 

Aye, I guess whatever I am, a tree-hugger I am not.