I guess we really ARE moving

I've just come back from a quick trip back to our old house... I say 'old', it's still ours until Friday but we've already moved into my in-laws house as I'm sure has been mentioned in earlier posts.

I had to pop back for a quick task but I took the time to wander around a bit to see what's going on.  The shipping guys have been in all day boxing, packing and whatnot but it turns out they don't need us around so we've been out and about as usual.  Anyway, even though of course on a practical level I know we're moving out and will soon be on our way to Australia it kind of hit home a little bit seeing the house we've lived in for the last 3½ years sitting there in a partly packed state.  It was quite echoey and looking into the already-packed rooms I saw evidence of our life there, mostly kids stuff...

• Some duplo blocks
• A Landrover Defender I gave Finn a few months ago
• A solitary drumstick
• Two mismatched jigsaw pieces
• A flat-head screwdriver (that's one of mine!)

But as Sarah has already said it's not really the house but the people in it that make a family home, I'm sure that once we've found our ideal place in the Sydney suburbs about 18 months from now we'll start making many good memories there the same way we have in Somerset.

Andy

White stuff

So, we are forecast between 10 - 20 cm of snow tonight which I find myself ridiculously excited about, rather disturbingly I feel I may wake early to take a peek out of the velux to check.  I feel at 31 this is rather unnecessary, however I can't fight it!  We rarely get snow where we live and having 2 little ones to help us appreciate it adds to the excitement.  Fingers crossed we will get enough to make our ungritted road impassable and force an impromptu day off with the littlies making snow angels.

So, today has been the day to decide on a shipping company to move our treasures to the other side of the world.  It looks like Crown Relocation are going to be the winners.  The sales guy really made me feel like they would care for our things and ensure our container arrived safe and sound.  We are thinking they will come and pack us up in the last week of January.  It's a bit of a shame that our belongings are going into storage before they are shipped as it means that we won't have a huge sea freight container outside of our house as boxes are loaded in.  I will be glad to commit to a shipper and not have to talk about it any more as to be frank I find the whole subject a little tedious after meeting 4 guys now and talking technicalities and insurance etc!

Today is Tuesday which means I have been to work.  That in itself is fine although my welcome home from Finn & Isla leaves a little to be desired.  They seem to punish me for being gone all day.  I don't see them in the morning as I start at 07:00 and I'm not home until 18:00 so just as they are going upstairs for a bath.  So, when I get home their frustration at my absence comes to the fore front.  They are generally a little irritable, quick to cry and Isla tends to be clingier than usual, but it makes me feel rotten.  I try to appease my guilt by reminding myself that it's only for another 6 months and then I will be off with them all of the time.  The plan is that I will stop work and Andy will be the sole breadwinner in Australia.  We want this for Finn and Isla.  I never thought that I would want to stay off from work and do the school run, after school clubs etc, but I do.  I really do.  I want to do it for them.

When they are both at school I will feel able to pursue other activities for some self development with the hope of doing some work to fit around when they need me.  I quite fancy doing a photography course and I have been looking at what the colleges in Sydney would have to offer for this pursuit.  I think that would offer me flexibility in the future and would help me to do something for me.

I've just looked out of the window.  It's still not snowing.  Grr.

Sarah

So, this is us.

To put some faces to the names here we are, the girls:

Sarah & Isla

.....and the boys:

Andy & Finn

So, this whole process leaves me wondering how long we will manage to keep up this blogging malarky.  We talked about it for a few weeks before deciding that we would start 2010 with a blog for our family and friends as we embarked on this journey.  I know with mobiles, e-mail, Skype etc etc that communication across timezones and the equator should be easy and seamless.  However, some members of my closest family (namily my Mum) will find it nice and easy to log on each day and see what we are up to before choosing to Skype me at no cost.  You get the irony.

The other reason we wanted to start this is to keep a record of this huge change in our life.  I think it will be nice in the years to come to look back over the record of our blog to see what was happening to us all and how we felt about it.  I would love it if in 15 years Finn & Isla can look back on the record of this adventure we are to embark on and appreciate what we were trying to achieve for our family of 4.

We are currently on the cusp of exchanging on our house sale, which I have to say, is quite stressfull in itself as I now consider with some trepidation how we are going to feel packing our life into a 20ft container and then living with my Mum for 6 months as we consolodate our affairs. 

I have lived independently since I was 18 and I am approaching the impending deadline of enforced co-habitation with interest.  On the one hand I am so excited to have 6 months of "quality time" with the old dragon, attending such events as the Edinburgh Tattoo and Les Miserables.  However I am keen to ensure that we don't get under each others skin.  On the plus side we have the kind of relationship that means we can say it how it is which should make things a little easier if not a bit highly charged - poor Andy!  The funny thing is we are now planning to do more things together in the next 6 months before we migrate than we have before.  We are even planning her 1st visit over and what we will all see and do in Sydney.

So, Andy and I have managed to both blog on the same day and probably not very cohesively but we have to start somewhere!

Sarah