Where do I begin?? To tell the story of how great a move can be????

Can't believe its been 8 days since the last blog - soooooooooooo much to tell so darlings hope you are sitting comfortably.

Believe it or not but I actually managed to pack my camera away and anyone who knows me knows it is always beside me so this was a major flaw on my part lol! Did take some pictures on my mobile but am unable to load them onto laptop so will try when I see my gorgeous beautiful daughter (who I know is able to do it lol).

There are a few days missing unfortunately as everything has all happened in such a blur that if I went as far back as Tuesday I’d forget what I was doing on any of the days and well my memory isn’t what it was which is why writing on a daily basis works so well for me. Mild dementia setting in early methinks so this is a perfect way of trying to remember where I was last Thursday when the police come called over crimes yet committed (joke). I do remember using part of my friends garage to store daughters uni things (good thing too as her ‘summer box of essential items’ has filled her bedroom at her grand-parents’ house) where she has decided to reside as there are only 4 buses a day where we live and are sporadic. Not great for a girl that loves going to gigs and arriving back at all hours of the morning. Ps the bus stop was also a 25 minute walk away and down those dreaded country lanes (more about that later).

Friday – the day of the Big move and woke remarkably early considering we were still up at the crack of dawn packing frantically. Well gorgeous hubby was as I managed to crash whilst getting the little man off to sleep about 11. Major thanks to our friends MK & hubby for babysitting milk monster for a couple of hours so we could finally get a few things packed without the demon baby child un-packer!!!

So we woke at 5ish might I say very reluctantly though! The day had finally hit us and we so weren’t prepared for it, I blame my countless hours blogging (well so does hubby lol) as we might have got a few more things achieved if I hadn’t found myself drawn into the virtual sharing world of the blog!

Left hubby to it whilst I dashed over to my mums to get the two boys ready for school, final lunches prepared and off to say goodbye to their friends. Milk monster was with me so hubby at least got the chance to get a few final things done or go back to bed who knows???

Took the boys to their respective schools and then walked (yes I was walking) back to the shops (for the last time) to get some provisions for hubby and the removal people (basically biscuits and drinks then). Saw a few old friends on the way (I believe that’s fate, saying goodbye to those you haven’t had the chance to before time ran out).

Arrived at the house and one of the vans had already been packed up, most impressed. Removal man started talking to me but for the life of me I couldn’t understand what he was saying so politely smiled and nodded a lot. Dropped off the provisions and went back to await the call to say they had finished packing up and I could go back to the house to do the dreaded clean the house from top to bottom.

Spent the rest of the morning round at my dads with the usual “how will you cope without your friends they mean so much to you”(valid point 1) , “how will you cope without being able to just go to the shops” (valid point 2), “you’re really going to miss us and your daughter & son” (very valid point 3) top marks daddy. Have you sorted yourself out now in question to my fertility and stopping the production of little people. Crashed and burned!!!! Not something I’ve considered so close to just losing a very precious little person. Hmmmm tactful as ever L.

Got the call I’d been waiting for at 11am ish closer to half past and set off with all manner of cleaning products and a hoover. Then for the next 4 hours and I mean 4 hours to a tee!!! I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Carpet cleaner came at 12 and was paid the princely sum of £125 for less than an hours’ worth of cleaning all the carpets. Will speak to hubby about getting into that line of work!!! All we need is a van, a carpet cleaner the products and your water and electricity oh and a bit of elbow grease lol!!!

Check out man came round whilst in the middle of cleaning, he came back an hour later still cleaning and then just before school was finishing I finished too. Phew!!! Blooming shattered might I say. Should have paid the other £125 for 2 people to clean the house from top to bottom then I could have just gone to the new house too.

School run time and picked up the boys, both seem pleasantly happy was quite worried about tears for the journey but that didn’t happen. Oh and on that point I’d just like to say thank you for my friend HG for making me cry when leaving my young man school after presenting me with a rose quartz necklace (I would look up the meaning hun but nada internetL) so out of the gate I went, quivering lip, sunglasses (of the overlarge variety) on and out the door ready for the sad drive away.

I have been a resident in Hillingdon since I was 2 years old so there are loads of fond memories there and some not so great, but I feel ready for the future now, new beginnings, new start, knowing us lots more issues lol!!

Driving out I look around at the familiar sites and smile. Yes I do love the place but I’m ready for the next chapter in my life.

4.30pm driving on the M25 and gridlock (well we got far didn’t we) and then we stayed there for the next hour and a half until we finally had the freedom of the M11. Little milk monster got stressed on several occasions; older son did a good job trying to entertain him moist of the way. Following the directions from my Google’s map app on my phone (it’s all I have lol) I took the turn they suggested and then spent the next 2 hours driving around country lanes (some rather pretty I noticed in my manic state of driving) milk monster now screaming (great) pulled over a million times (not helpful when my map reading abilities aren’t great) called hubby (his phone kept cutting out, discovered why later) and then after the drive that seemed never ending we found the A140 and were back on the road to Long Stratton and then onto Great Moulton.

A long drive, 3 seriously miserable boys by now and me wanting a bed to lie in.

Arrived puzzled as to why after hubby being at the hoiuse for the past 5 hours nothing seems to be unpacked and in fact nothing is in the right room.

Very quick shuffle around of rooms and furniture and the unpacking can start in the morning.

Hmmmmmm found hubby asleep on the sofa L not a great start to our new life (possibly drained all his energy by his carrying of me over the threshold earlier). After a manic argument about is this how our new life will be (hour at least of wasted energy) we both curled up in each other’s arms and fell asleep in a completely unadulterated shattered sleep.

Saturday – woke to the sounds of an owl and some birds. Sweet!! Finally felt motivated to enjoying and creating this wonderful new life of ours.

The next few hours consisted of finding boxes, finding places to put the things in boxes, taking empty boxes outside, walking back inside and discovering it looked like you’d unpacked nothing L. Flippin heck starting to think we either need a fairy godmother for the job or a full service crane to just get rid of everything and we’d win the lottery and be able to start again.

Finding the lack of communication from the outside world hard, no phone line, no internet and NO signal on our mobile phone (apparently our network is the worse one we could have out where we live now, a kind local told us hmmm cheers).

Then a bit of music started up …………………………………………………..sounded briefly like the boy that used to practice his drums across the road from us in Hillingdon every day and yet somehow after 8 months still never got any better.  Music is getting loader now, crikey come to the countryside for some peace and quiet and end up in the middle of a rave in the field opposite us. Looking forward to a weekend of this as its only midday now. Head hurting a little, combination of tiredness, loud music and the need to dance every now and again in a trance like state to the said music.

Hubby has been out to the car on several occasions to unload items still in there. Met both sets of neighbours. Said hello to both, been ignored by both.

And so the story starts ……………………………. Lol.

Boys are outside on the front lawn playing football and rugby tacking each other on occasions and as for making a good first impressions it won’t happen. I need two pretty little girls, wearing pretty dresses and playing sweetly outside with their dolls (ok fabrication that’s not how I remember my sisters playing either) .

Aaaargh music still playing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On into the night. Remarkably fell asleep to the beat but put that down to utter exhaustion.

Sunday – woke and hurray its quiet. Doing a little bootie dance to myself. Thinking of tackling the rest of the boxes (maybe) bacon rolls (yum) and some sunshine (fab).  Apparently at school I was always a bit of a dreamer, apparently i still am????  Barely got a few boxes done L ; no bacon rolls can’t get the hob to work L; and sunshine tried to break through but it mostly rained. 9am and the music gets cranked up again, SERIOUSLY some choice words going around in my head but I won’t repeat for the sake of losing my blog forever lol. Boys have discovered a new way to combat the rain this thought they just go out in the rain pretend it’s not happening and continue playing football. Hubby has turned all Victor Meldrew and telling the boys they can’t play football in the garden as it will ruin the plants (WTF). I want my family back.

Luckily we received our local magazine and it said there was a South Norfolk fun day in Long Stratton between 11-4 so off we trot ready for the joys of the country fair.

Hmmmm maybe should have left the teenager at home then. ‘That’s not very good is it?’ ‘It’s better at Hillingdon’ (still biased at the moment). But aside from grumpy we really enjoyed the fair; little man went around all the areas collecting stamps so that he could get a prize when he left. There was a fab design a wheelbarrow competition made by local primary schools ah bless (actual picture)

Hubby loved the beer tent. I had Norfolk strawberry ice-cream yum as did milk monster and we found out how to successfully recycle our rubbish and people were sitting around on hay bales fab!!!   Just missed a bit of some country music and a little hoe down but otherwise it was pretty good. They even had a snail olympics theatre show, didn’t get to see much of that as decided to have  a mini coughing fit in the middle of the show (the kind that no matter what you do you can’t stop coughing and actually feel you may die) again great first impression madam!!!! Lol.Discovered a lady that makes cupcakes in the area, damn and blast her but no party suppliers so fingers crossed. Next week we’ll have to get back into the mood of advertising our business and hopefully taking some bookings but I need to book myself a table there (at the fair) for next year. Great marketing, loads of people.

Went home rather chilled and happy until it took us over an hour to find our way back home again and LS is only 2 miles away. Ended up driving to Diss (don’t ask) to get some petrol before the car completely died and we’d have to find our way home on foot (truly don’t fancy that).

Another night where we couldn’t get the hob to work. Something about they pans needs to be magnetic as it is a special hob blah blah blah. Tried searching for these special pans and only found them in John Lewis at over £200 each. Rather buy a replacement hob lol. Also noticed that our living room is in the conservatory but there are NO heaters anywhere???? Will need to get some methinks, but how much ??? Not such a problem at the moment but come winter and you may well be hearing about a family that froze to death in their conservatory whilst watching the telly on a cold winters night. Talking about heating we have NO central heating and instead need to buy our oil fired heating. We’re looking at £500-£600 to fill up the tank for winter L.

Did I tell you hubby has lost his job ??? L As they say it never rains but it pours but it makes the job search just that little bit more desperate now.

Internet is needed to get our job search back up and running.

Monday – broadband and phone line day. Sanity will be resumed. Due between 8-1, normally the latter then!! Not around here 7.50 and hubby and me ran around like mad throwing some clothes on (get your minds out of the gutter, nothing like that). 9am phone line all fixed and up and running, wow fantastic service. Broadband??? Haven’t been sent out our wireless device, maybe today, maybe tomorrow???? So relaxed arrrrgh when it is killing me and grumpy without our contact with the outside world. Hubby I believe is actually enjoying it and loving the sense that I am watching telly with him again and we’re talking again.

Great news kids have got into the schools of their choice (well my choice as they didn’t really decide) but all the same one less thing to worry about.

Spoke to my older son on the phone today and he is missing us so much he is again thinking about relocating to Norfolk (bless we’ve only been gone 2 days so far lol). Think that’ll it’ll take a little bit more than just deciding but will need to start researching possible places he can move to. Sorry for those of you without a previous history. My oldest son is autistic and lives in his own flat with carers and has done since he was 18. Studies at the local college and enjoys his independence. He is very intelligent but just lacks in social areas and situations. He would hate to move back to live with us as he finds the two boys well too boyish (if you get my drift) but wants to still stay close and so it was always our intention to move him alongside us but recently he’d changed his mind and wanted to stay as he is 20 next week (as he keeps reminding me) he is an adult now and can make his own choices. However he is really close to me and I knew that being away from him would be hard because even if you don’t see someone every day it’s always good to know they are close if you need them. So he has changed his mind again, so I will update on getting him into a home that would suit him.

Today cooked spaghetti bolognaises (so sick of chips now :() without the spaghetti as aaaargh that flaming hob will be the death of me. Heats up then cools down.

Needs to do research but need internet!!!

Hopefully tomorrow J

TTFN!!!!!