I’m about to spend the longest time away from the Convent since owning it. A weekend or two away may not seem long but I’m usually there every three to four days and now I’ll be away for 10 -14 days (or more) whilst the floors are being done. I’ll hardly be welcome whilst the floors are being polished and sanded. Nor will Roxy and Tango. And I’ve been warned that the smell is more than unpleasant.

My neighbours and the tradies have promised to look after everything and will water but it’s hard to explain that I really wanted to see the Manchurian Pears flower for the first time, the scruffy Prunus, that I’ve pruned and fed and loved, flower and those Freesias that I’ve watched for months are just so close…

Anyway, the Convent is progressing very quickly now and this also means I’ll soon be up there permanently. It’s a big change and one a rare decision which has been all mine and for me. The enormity hit me when I was driving back from Mudgee over the weekend and thinking how beautiful and truly rural the countryside was, when I realised it wasn’t just a country drive – it was now where I would be living and these were my neighbours. This is probably a good time to digest the quantum of change.

The next few weeks will be full on – I finish up handing over my job at the office, I clean up my Sydney home, get some jobs done to get it on the market, check out some auctions for furniture and fittings, buy some of the plants that are harder to get in the country (eg the “Saint” roses from Swaynes) and get ready to start carting movable items to the Convent.

The Sydney home has been great for the girls and me and provided a lovely welcoming place for us all when we needed it. It has also seen many friends through the doors and I will be sad to see it go, however it will also mean an new start and many more opportunities going forward. I’m already booked into soft cheese-making classes and have promised the local craft group I’ll be a regular. It’s just a very big change in so many ways after a long corporate career in the city and suburban family life to going it alone in an ambitious move to rural central Australia – well except for a whole community, friends and family and, of course, Roxy and Tango who have been with me every step of the way.