I have been neglecting this blog shamelessly lately. Like everything else in my life, I go hot and cold with it. Okay, well today’s a new day and all that crap.
Much has been happening with us. Chris was in the States last week at a company meeting during which he sat down to discuss our pending relocation. Everything went swimmingly, indeed much better than either one of us had dared to hope. The upshot is that he will be relocated to Philly, and that it is a great move for his career. I had assured him that I was fine here and could hang on until it was the right time for his career, but he assures me that this is perfect timing. We had harbored ideas of another Munich summer, but that is not to be. It will be good to get back and to find a permanent home for us. We’ve been having a lot of fun looking at real estate on the internet. Prices, if it is possible, have escalated even since I left in April. Haddonfield is out of hand money wise, but I love it, and so does Chris, and I really hope we can find something there. But Collingswood is lovely too as is Haddon Heights. But having lived in Haddonfield for such a long time, I really forged some nice relationships and also like the downtown area. I loved when I lived on Potter Street because I could walk to work, to the train, to the grocery store, to the coffee shop and most importantly, to Joanna’s place. And I won’t even start waxing poetic on the Haddonfield Library, truly one of my favorite places in the world, with the most quirky and well chosen collection of books. Doug Rauschenberger, the Director of the Library, has done a great job. It’s a beautiful building, modeled on Jefferson’s Monticello, and it has been in the same location for almost 100 years, but there has been a library in town for 200 years. Anyhow, here’s a photo of it. I’m looking forward to prowling its stacks once again.
So we are all involved in relocating. I have had a great time, but I miss having a living space with my personal stamp on it. After years of collecting art, pottery, books, and rugs, it was a shock to the system to come here to a place so generic. I also miss having a garden. When I was home last though, I went by the old place on Potter and saw that the new owners had ripped out my beautiful and extremely well established perennial garden. I was absolutely flabbergasted as it was beautiful in the way an English cottage garden is, seemingly unplanned, but in actuality plotted to within an inch of its life. Catherine told me she went by on trash day and was grabbing stuff to put in her garden. I have to say that seeing that bland patch of grass really upset me and if I weren’t so close to Todd and Pam, who live next door, I would avoid Potter Street completely. You’d have to be lacking a soul to destroy that garden. “Nuff said though, different strokes and all that. I also really miss my great kitchen ware, temporarily on loan to Melissa. Stuff just cooks better in Le Creuset, you cannot deny it!
This has been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to our final months here. We have lots of great stuff planned. Next month we are going to Egypt for 11 days, a dream for both of us. We are also planning a week in the South of France as well as some weekends away before we return to the States and a bunch of work surrounding the purchase of a new home. Jason will be here next Friday, which should be great. My friend Tara is coming in May for a few days to kick off a trip of hers. A friend from work, Jane, is doing the same in June. It’ll be an eventful run up to leaving, but ought to be fun.
Much has been happening with us. Chris was in the States last week at a company meeting during which he sat down to discuss our pending relocation. Everything went swimmingly, indeed much better than either one of us had dared to hope. The upshot is that he will be relocated to Philly, and that it is a great move for his career. I had assured him that I was fine here and could hang on until it was the right time for his career, but he assures me that this is perfect timing. We had harbored ideas of another Munich summer, but that is not to be. It will be good to get back and to find a permanent home for us. We’ve been having a lot of fun looking at real estate on the internet. Prices, if it is possible, have escalated even since I left in April. Haddonfield is out of hand money wise, but I love it, and so does Chris, and I really hope we can find something there. But Collingswood is lovely too as is Haddon Heights. But having lived in Haddonfield for such a long time, I really forged some nice relationships and also like the downtown area. I loved when I lived on Potter Street because I could walk to work, to the train, to the grocery store, to the coffee shop and most importantly, to Joanna’s place. And I won’t even start waxing poetic on the Haddonfield Library, truly one of my favorite places in the world, with the most quirky and well chosen collection of books. Doug Rauschenberger, the Director of the Library, has done a great job. It’s a beautiful building, modeled on Jefferson’s Monticello, and it has been in the same location for almost 100 years, but there has been a library in town for 200 years. Anyhow, here’s a photo of it. I’m looking forward to prowling its stacks once again.
So we are all involved in relocating. I have had a great time, but I miss having a living space with my personal stamp on it. After years of collecting art, pottery, books, and rugs, it was a shock to the system to come here to a place so generic. I also miss having a garden. When I was home last though, I went by the old place on Potter and saw that the new owners had ripped out my beautiful and extremely well established perennial garden. I was absolutely flabbergasted as it was beautiful in the way an English cottage garden is, seemingly unplanned, but in actuality plotted to within an inch of its life. Catherine told me she went by on trash day and was grabbing stuff to put in her garden. I have to say that seeing that bland patch of grass really upset me and if I weren’t so close to Todd and Pam, who live next door, I would avoid Potter Street completely. You’d have to be lacking a soul to destroy that garden. “Nuff said though, different strokes and all that. I also really miss my great kitchen ware, temporarily on loan to Melissa. Stuff just cooks better in Le Creuset, you cannot deny it!
This has been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to our final months here. We have lots of great stuff planned. Next month we are going to Egypt for 11 days, a dream for both of us. We are also planning a week in the South of France as well as some weekends away before we return to the States and a bunch of work surrounding the purchase of a new home. Jason will be here next Friday, which should be great. My friend Tara is coming in May for a few days to kick off a trip of hers. A friend from work, Jane, is doing the same in June. It’ll be an eventful run up to leaving, but ought to be fun.
posted by jane at 3:20 AM
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