Last weekend in our home!

It's Sunday, we are awaiting friends to collect electrical items and other furniture we are not taking with us. It is indeed a strange feeling; sadness at leaving a house, a home, we have lived in for 17 years and a garden we have created and nurtured over that time. But on the other hand there is an urgency, a need to move and get there - to Calgary.

We have 15 working days left at our schools and 10 of those evenings are catered for with outings and farewell meals - how will we get through them? Our smiles are getting bigger by the day as we have new adventures to look forward to.

Bill has spent a great deal of time pulling my leg about sending clothing ahead with Parcelforce - what a dream of a service. All you ladies out there know clothing weighs, especially mens shoes. I have spent two evenings working out what 60 kgs is like - our limit on the flight. We booked with Thomas Cook and upgraded to premium hence the additional weight. It's the work clothes that are the issue - we need to look smart but we also need to be cool in this heatwave we are experiencing at present. What do people do with hangers? Do they take them with them or just throw them away? I'm thinking of taking a few.

We have had numerous visits to the tip - we are not only on first name terms but we get help with emptying the car! I wonder how many more trips there will be before the end of the week and completion.

Things are Moving faster and faster

At last we have exchanged contracts and will have completed by the beginning of July. Now the action starts I suppose? We have found somewhere to live for a few weeks while we fulfil our contracts here, holiday lodge not far away, mind you it's expensive. There was nothing cheaper and try getting a short term let-no way six months is about the shortest they have, sorry sir will not entertain anything less even if it is empty and not earning, where is the logic, it fails me. Started letting some of our possession go now, all the electric stuff that will not convert and some furniture we think we will not need. This is a real thought provoking process, discussing do we; will we; have we and is there a better alternative over furniture and other belongings.

At the same time we are slowly working through all the bits of your everyday life and cancelling so many things that are important, or you thought were important. TV, phone, broadband the list seems endless.

However to end this on a high, there are only a few weeks left to the start of our new life in Canada, that really is something to look forwards to. We posted some clothes to Andrew in Calgary and we have now paid for the removers and insurance. Soon we will be looking at houses in reality and not just on MLS

Last time I said time seemed to be flying by, well it is and it isn't if you know what I mean.

We had expected to have exchanged on the house by now, but their solicitor only seems to work in dribs and drabs. They have, this week, just discovered that there is a covenant on the house by the developers that any building has to be approved by them. The developers are a company which is dormant. We have had a conservatory added to the house a long time ago which we should have applied for permission, didn't of course like so many others so now we have to indemnify the buyers against I don't know what. The point of this rant is that this came just prior to a proposed exchange of contracts not earlier when enquires were being done. So a delay, still one less week in holiday accommodation.

We have decided to post some clothes in advance to our nephew in Calgary, just to make sure we have enough says Zof. Well the weather is somewhat changeable. Also we have started being brutal with what we are taking with us, a change from our earlier approach, so the kitchen sink stays.

We went to London for a few days in half term, really to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary. Met up with Nick my Best Man and had a really great afternoon, lunch in a London club and a leisurely drink in the bar afterwards. It was a great way on catching up on news and meeting really good friends. We did the tourist things, took in a show, A Little Night Music by Sondheim at the Garrick; a really good performance. Even felt the Piccadilly line trains rumbling under our feet during the performance! Guess the earth moved (?!) Went round the Tower of London, you know I (Bill) lived in London for 19 years and never went to the Tower, but it was very good, Crown Jewels, guided tour and visited the Henry VIII exhibition.

We were staying right by Tower Bridge so we were spoilt by the Bridge opening on cue for us I have put some photos in so folks can get nostalgic for London