Don't come down here with you're Northern ways!!!!

Poor poor Hubster, I am still as ever addicted in this quest to find the perfect house for our ever expanding family in the most wonderful location. Any breaks I have from looking after the dc I am on this laptop typing away.
I've started to look for jobs in areas now too. Lots of nursing jobs in GY area, the ageing population keeps me in a job and found a brewery assistant job for dh. He was most impressed with that.
Have thought about writing our letter to the lettings agents giving our 2 month notice but am so scared in case we really do find it difficult to find the right place/school/jobs but it you don't jump you'll never fly as they say. Don't ask me who says lol!
Went out with my beautiful friends last night for a meal and of course part of the discussion was about my move, although unhappy about our decision to leave the area (and no weekly chai's in starbucks) they are friends for life so I will see them on a regular basis (must be close to a quick rail network into London / add to list of requirements for area).
I have decided to leave some of our children at home as I found THE most perfect little picture box cottage in a small village see pics. Master bedroom had a roll top bath in!!!! Seriously do you think the kids will mind being sold to the highest bidder for the luxury of thinking I am in a romance novel every night. Don't worry kids I won't really sell you.

Anyway back in focus, my forums have mostly been saying that we are making the right choice and although there are flaws to living in the country, the perks outweigh the flaws easily. So fresh air (ish) here we come.

Another gorgeous little cottage (again must remember not to have sooooo many children) in a beautiful village in Devon.
Words from a resident describing the area on another site '

"Living in H*** House has been a joy over the past seven years, we have enjoyed sitting in the garden of a summer's evening with children playing appreciating the beautiful landscape surrounding us, which is breathtaking. Even when it snows it is such fun to enjoy the sledging potential in the neighbouring fields with some of the fellow villagers. There is a real sense of community here without it being too intrusive, you can be as involved as you wish.When we arrive home, we feel totally relaxed, mainly because we live in such a rural area, where there are no distractions that you encounter living in a busy town, you can travel into the nearby towns to get your essential chores done and then come home and switch off. We feel bringing a family up in Bickington is very safe and idyllic, we feel quite protected here." Then words in reply on same such site : Warning harshness approaching : "Devon is pants! Belive me you don`t want to live here! NO night life NO good times nothing to do!Great locals great scenery! But if your north of Exeter you would`nt understand what we have !Respet, maners,old fash values,Iv`e got a theory all you northern nomads are running away from, ex wives, kids, debts,drug problems.And shite estate life.Nothing wrong with bettering yourself,but don`t bring your shite life & ways in to Devon." Mr name has been removed to protect blah blah blah!!! Nice!!! Anyway we have decided finally on three areas (all miles away from each other of course and after Norfolk, will visit Somerset and then Devon to see Mr Ciderman) oh drat did I reveal your identity lol! Chosen areas are: Norfolk : focus on villages around the Norfolk Broads and South of Norwich to remain commutable to London. Somerset: all villages around and including Midsomer Norton. Devon: South Devon but no further south than Cornwall borders and 30 mins away from A30 or M5 for (again) London. See ladies I am coming back on a regular basis. Phew it'll be even easier once I decide on just the one area but best to view them all first before making the decision. I might even get all geeky and do pie charts for jobs, amenities, schools etc pro and cons. Sometimes I give myself a headache ;P Ta ta.

Royal Wedding!

Nothing to report today far too busy dealing with a poorly little boy to think too much about houses. Although my alerts every day by 5 (no less) property web sites does make me curiously peer round to see if there are ANY new houses of any interest.

Have added 2 more properties to see on Tuesday hmmmm dh is wondering if we can see them all, last appointment at 2pm and still get back for his night shift at 6pm.

Talking of night shifts blimey its hard going :(. I've done them myself but not as a permanent job and 4th week in the tiredness is beginning to show with both of us. Normally hubster gets in around 5am when milk monster is getting up so we are like to ships that pass in the night.

Love, love love Saturday afternoon through to Tuesday afternoon though when I have hubster all to myself.

Really keen to move away just so I can have a normal life again, one in which i'm not constantly telling the kids to be quiet until about 11/12 when hubster wakes. Hasn't helped having Easter and all these bank holidays not to mention half term only around the corner. At least the kids are getting out and about more with me now (and early starts) just to keep hubster from waking.

Didn't find my invite to RW today so settled for watching it on tv with the kids instead me and DD crying as per usual, we are sooooooo soppy lol. So so lovely to see everyone out in London and celebrating though, gave you that real sense of community that has been missing in London for so long. Reminds me of the days when we did have street parties to celebrate the wedding of Princess Di to Charles and even further back to celebrate the golden jubilee (or something like that lol) good times. Yes I am that old!!!!!

Anyway house search on hold for now as we have numerous properties to see on Tuesday but hubster has also pencilled in one for the week after in Devon, where his heart really lies but worried about lack of jobs more in that area. 4 possibles in Somerset too and even looking in the Gloucestershire area as the job market seems to be quite good there and they have schools and hospitals called Sexey's pmsl.

Head still hurts but tomorrow is after all another day.

Ta ta.

40 foot drain!!!!

Blimey what an eventful day. Me and Hubster have been attempting to make numerous viewings on properties, easy enough you might say but when you have 10 properties in 5 hours allowing 1/2 hour per property that leaves yep no travelling time to and from properties some being nearly 2 hrs away. What made us decide to move again????
So we have finally settled on viewing Acle, house in Marsham, and a farmhouse in Wissett. Loddon hopefully and venturing south a beautiful village in Sudbury.
What happened to 10???
A few had offers on them.
One apparently was in the middle of nowhere.
One could only be let for a max of 1 year in case the new pastor wanted to live at the rectory!! I kid you not!
One and the best : stunning barn conversion, 23 ft kitchen/ diner, 5 bedrooms, huge grounds and a very very nice estate agent that told it as it was ............ surrounded by a 40 ft drain which when filled with water you could find a barge going past and occasionally lorries use the land for overnight sleeps!!! LOVE it ... next????
So fingers crossed on Tuesday we might get to see a couple but we also have a few prospects in North Devon and a few Bridport/ Weston area. Starting to get intrigued by the Ross on Wye area too only from the views from the b&b on the Hotel Inspector last Monday ha ha.
Would still look at Wales if it wasn't for the kids freaking out that they can't talk Welsh.
#Anyway chosen houses in pictures
Wissett

Acle

Marham

ones still hoping to see -

Loddon

Laverham

Aslacton

I know bit of a theme with the houses we looked at on in Cornwall and hubster couldn't get through the door it was soooooo teeny. There was an absolutely gorgeous house in Darham, close to the sea and down the same road as the prettiest pub you've ever seen but the house looked as if it had been shrunk pmsl! Poor hubster and eldest son both 6ft and over lol, luckily it had already gone as it was sooooooo pretty I still would have gone down to see it.
Ok time to chill for the weekend now as i've planned routes, houses, google maps, google earth, i've checked school ofsted reports etc etc. Bloomin shattering work moving to a fresh area but determined not to do it blinkered.
Next to start looking for jobs :( oh if only we could live the good life !!!!!
Must say thanks to netmums for advising on nice areas for kids xxx
Ta ta xxx

Tears on my pillow!

Not a good day :(, very weepy I realise that I might have upset a few people with my announcement that we might be moving away but its seriously the best choice for us.
We need a new start, away from an area that now causes us a lot of upset on an almost daily basis :(. That and the fact that the area has truly gone downhill now (alone wouldn't have been a factor but as an addition becomes a major one).
Been quite tearful all day, sorry to my long suffering hubster.
I feel like my emotions are being ripped to shreds, trying to please absolutely everyone with this move. Only the 8 year old has truly taken to the idea and wants to sell lemonade from his stall outside the house bless him ;).
I have yahoo (ed) a question to a forum again and hopefully will get some more ideas about where is best for the lifestyle we want (affordably).
Will try and be focused again tomorrow, need to get a shortlist of houses together to view very very soon.
Ta Ta xx

East or South West!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

We appear to be back to square one with our planned move :(.

Hubster has stated he isn't too sure about Norfolk and so the quest begins again with Devon, Dorset and Cornwall. He even threw in Manchester and Yorkshire because he might just, might want to live there. I think he's joking!!!
Had to increase our budget as South for what we need is much more expensive but found a stunning 5 bed detached cottage in Dorset in Yellow, dreamy and a Detached house in Torquay with sea views for the same price we pay per month for our teeny tiny house here.
Not taken Norfolk off the list as obviously we get so much and will be paying between £300-£400 less per month, nice weather, nice area and hopefully nice people.
Apart from my Norfolk forum, must learn the Norfolk lingo if we head that way(lol) I haven't really achieved much today.
Walked round to see my folks and don't laugh we ended up playing the EGG Olympics, must stress I got nowhere close to getting in the top 3 in fact I came last with my dad. Will miss them loads when we go but if they don't decide to live closer to my sister then I'll encourage them to head our way, fingers crossed.
Criteria for us now with areas are prettiness (for me) jobs (for hubster) Schools (for the boys) oh and space for little man to run his lemonade stall lol, Price, community and amenities, nice walks close by would be a real bonus too.
Starting to feel a little daunted by the enormity of what we're doing, there seems so much to research, our area has an average crime stat of 17.8 so I look for less than 10 in an area on Police.uk fab site and most of the areas I've looked into are between 2 and 4. It might be more like Stepford if there was no trouble at all, must take off rose tinted glasses lol.
Back to the search tomorrow a glass of red awaits me yum!
Ta ta. xx

Forum life!

Yes I know, I know I said I'd have a day off and Hubster is soooo not impressed with me but when you get a bee in your bonnet you have to get rid of it?? Correct?
Me and hubster have come to the decision that although we are both desperately in love with Cornwall and Devon, being able to see his kids and my family on a regular basis just won't really be a viable option so we are focusing all of our attention on Norfolk in particular the Norfolk Broads area.
I have joined a few forums and hopefully we will collect enough information about the areas to decide where we'd like to base ourselves and then perhaps when we're old enough (sooner than we think) and we retire we're head back to Cornwall in our little cottage :).
Over the past few weeks we have explored Lincolnshire, hubster's mum and sis live there but although in our price bracket and then some we just couldn't fall in love with the area. Maybe we should have headed a little bit more inland than just Skegness lol.

Last weekend we headed to Cornwall and stayed at Tintagel, truly breathtaking but quite small, people were so lovely though and even walking to the shops we were smiled at or spoken to, truly gorgeous when we come from a town where unless you know someone you don't look at them at ALL. So a few snaps from Tintagel, me and bubs with a chicken at our b&b, they had the lifestyle we want so much, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats and horses and all they have to do is tidy rooms and make some breakfast.

We then visited Padstow and Rock both by ferry beautiful but on researching the area there are no houses to rent as most lets are holiday lets and they can command up to £1600 per week, flippin heck.

Going inland we viewed 2 properties in Launceston, good schools and hospital for work but houses not really big enough and South Molton, definitely not for us but the house was a stunning old mill conversion.
Would look at St Ives and surrounding area when we retire I think, but for now we'll look forward to a wonderful new life (hopefully) in Norfolk and 2 weeks holiday every year in Cornwall. Seems a done deal, now just to find the right area and house and we can go.
Waiting for the forums to get back to me but Acle as I listed in blog 2, are doing various street parties next Friday for the wedding, now I'm not particularly patriotic BUT I love this whole sense of community. One party is for the elderly by invitation only, then the next party is for ALL the residents in Acle. Wonder if I can gatecrash?? My biggest fear is making this huge step and then not being accepted by the villagers (you do here things about outsiders not being accepted for 5, 10 sometimes 20 years). Have to do a lot of smiling, methinks lol.
Hope you all had a wonderful easter? We have a fab roast dinner and then have had a blissfully lovely chilled day (me on the laptop obviously ).
Ps was tres excited about having 2 followers even though one being your sister is quite biased, lol. I love you  honey xxxxxxxxx
Ta ta xx

Facebook friends can't live with them, can't live without them!!

Would like to thank my friends Andrea and Garfield on facebook for their useful advice following the publication of my first blog yesterday. Search isn't going too well, saved about 55 houses on right move today but by the time you look into the location and the actual size of rooms etc I was left with 6. Two in Wales wasn't even looking there but 5 bed houses are much cheaper, nicer and free uni for the boys perhaps in the future. Light bulb going off in my head. Have phoned up about viewing a property in Acle, Norwich seems to have good schools, nice area, below average crime statistics courtesy of police.uk. Although the haunted bridge might be a bit of an issue lol! Next issue how to do viewing in between school runs and hubby getting to work for his nightshifts???? Especially when we are so far away from most. Luckily we have friends in Cornwall and friends in Norfolk, now just need some connections in Somerset and Devon.
Hubster thought 3 hours of being on the computer probably a tad excessive so before he threw the lap top (he just brought me pmsl) in the bin we went for a walk.
Great for making you decide that you don't want to live in an area anymore although seeing lots of England flags flying on peoples windows today was quite sweet. Two in the street full on arguments that would make even Jeremy Kyle scared, oh how i'll probably miss this place when we're gone ................ not lol!
Having a day off from the search tomorrow, being Easter Sunday after all, Chickens to cook and no the ones that we'll raise will just be used for eggs. Easter eggs to hide in the garden although might need to get the kids out at 5am or they just might melt in this heat, isn't the weather fab?
Really starting to enjoy my blog, so much so might even do a little excited wee if I get a follower.
Ta ta folks, be back Monday xxx

Should I stay or should I go???

Every January 1st I decide to write a novel of my life, how many books have I wrote so far 0!!! What to write? Can I make it witty? or maybe just maybe I can start instead on April 22nd 2011 and write a blog. If anyone is interested they'll follow if not it'll be my therapy, truly truly needed.
I live in a very modest 3/4 bedroomed terraced house the /4 being that actually you can't fit a bed in it but it does have a door. Apparently I also live in the 2nd largest borough in London one which is in dire overpopulation and its rising on an over national average.
Now for the average person that wouldn't be too bad but we're no average family. Its a second marriage for myself and the hubster which gives us en masse 7 kids between us and we had our little milk monster last November. One living room, let me state that again one living room for all ten of us when we all happen to want to watch a movie together, fun normally for all of 15 minutes then someone gets too close to someone else and you've guessed it mass warfare.
So we've decided to live in the country and bake cakes, raise chickens, I might even join the WI :)
Criteria, cheap we have enough money to just cover 6 months rent while we find jobs.
Area: top spots right now, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Herefordshire, Kent, Suffolk and East Anglia. Dorset was down until I found my dream barn conversion but .......... it had already gone and that it had a red flag for lack of affordable housing . Its amazing what you can find on the web now.
Need: 5 bedrooms for the 4 boys living with us. One space for storage for uni girl. A den for hubby to escape all the madness. A spare area for a sofa-bed for step-kids, parent, mother in law, family et all.
A nice sized living room to accommodate film viewing with just the one showing.
A largggggggggggggge kitchen / diner for all the cakes i'm going to be baking might also turn into the hubsters den as we are running out of space lol ;)
2+ bathrooms.
A really nice sized garden for all the toys that i'm sure milk monster will need.
Village location, need to be part of a community rather than a person that walks in their door shuts it and and has no idea who their neighbours are.
An ex wife who doesn't live round the corner would be a huge plus to the move source of many a row and you can't really blame the hubster for who he meets round at the shops when its me who sent he out to get my creme egg.
Phew I think that'll do for a first blog, tomorrow surfing the net.
Just previewed blog (luckily) as instead of writing hubster i'd wrote humpster possibly appropriate in his case but seriously unnecessary as his head is already slightly enlarged.
Tomorrow is another day.
Ta ta xx