Home?

Having left Max sleeping peacefully at his Grandma’s we travelled back to Addlestone to say one final goodbye to our home. I already felt detached from the town’s streets as though it was already part of my past. Problem is, I wasn’t attached to anything else in its place yet so felt rather drifty and lost all afternoon.

The early evening consisted of us manically chasing the cats round the garden with bowls of tuna trying to persuade them that they really honestly did want to be locked into a cage in the back of a hot car for the next 12 hours. For Marx and Lenin, the attraction of the fish was too much to resist so we captured them and left them yowling agonisingly in the back of the car. Button however was having none of it and refused outright.

A delicious supper at friends later, and we eventually managed to cajole her into the kitchen leaving me with my back to the cat flap preventing her from escaping and M chasing her round the kitchen – petrified cats can really honestly climb up walls like Spiderman you know?!

The night was very very long – the car smelt of cat fear and various other feline secretions, Belgium blessed us with extreme storms and roads full of bits of tree and torrential rain but eventually, 15 hours later, we arrived ‘home’!

The house is even better than I remember (I had only ever seen it once so was slightly worried that in my mind’s eye, I was seeing it through somewhat rose-tinted glasses) AND the new sofa had already arrived (lovely brown leather) AND the new kitchen is so delicious I had to do a little dance on the spot! The only problem is, it feels so big that I keep getting lost and have to ask Marion to remind me which floor the bathroom is on! With all those stairs, I don’t need to go to an evening class to do step aerobics either!

Also took a little trip around the town and actually, it’s really quite OK – a pool, a nice big shopping complex, parks, lots of little communities with families in them, a couple of nice little restaurants.

I think we’re all going to be just fine – this afternoon, the removal men might even bring us a mug or two and some cutlery so we don’t have to eat muesli with our fingers anymore and maybe, just maybe, in the next couple of weeks the cats might come out from under the cellar shelves where they have taken residence!

Now, we’re off for a much needed and well deserved coffee.

Empty House

It's done. Well, mostly. The removal men came today, emptied all the cupboards and wardrobes, filled boxes and a big lorry, and generally created havoc. They are going to come back in the morning to take the rest, but it already feels totally different, a house, not a home.

I'm now sitting on the sofa, drinking champange out of a tea cup, eating a kebab with the one remaining little spoon (the same spoon I used earler to eat one of Max's pots of green risotto). There's no light, except that coming of the telly and the PC, nothing to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning, not a single tea bag in the house, though I do have one of Max's towels for after the shower (without any smellies). Lovely ;-)

It feels a bit sad, leaving this house, after living here for nearly 14 years. It's changed a lot, in the process got a lovely kitchen and a very nice bathroom, new wooden floors, new carpets, much new furniture, and many licks of paint. It's seen a big and certainly one of the most important parts of my life, including that momentous day when Max arrived and took over. And it will feel strange to leave it behind, and know that I'm not coming back again, at least not to stay. Hmph. Sniff.

Mind you, I am getting rather excited about our new house in Germany. Big rooms, a cellar, two garages, brilliant! And a nice lake to go swimming in less than a mile away. As far as I am concernd, summer can come.

Sad

Carla is unhappy, the thought of leaving all her friends and family behind is making her cry... 

Stress

Yes, we are stressed. Quite a lot actually. 

The people at Ikea aren't answering the phone. We need to order and arrange deliveries of sofa (Ikea), kitchen (Ikea), appliances (all over the place) etc while we're still here in the UK, most of the time at least. The removal company hasn't confirmed when they will be able to deliver our furniture (it takes about a week or two, quite vague, so far). The cleaning people haven't confirmed our order for the big clean, just before our tennants arrive. And our painter and decorator (Granddad Dave) has a dodgy ankle, but assures us that it'll be ok in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and on top of everything, Max might be getting chicken pox, having been exposed to another baby who got it two days later. Which would be just in time for not being able to travel to Germany on the already booked flights at the end of the month.

Who'd want to move house, unless they really had to?

Enough moaning, though. We have finally decided on a new kitchen, and thought we'd share with you what it's going to look like. It's really lovely, or will be, once it's installed. All shiny and red, with wood and stainless steel inbetween. Absolutely gorgeous - until Max gets his greasy fingers on them ;-)