It’s all blooming go

First the good news. Actually it’s all pretty good … in that we’ve spent the last five days working relentlessly together in a small space and we’ve only almost got divorced once. Two chiefs, I’m afraid. And I’m rubbish at taking orders, which is not a good trait. (C reads this so I wouldn’t dare comment on her ability to do the same.)

Task one … sort garage

The Focus passed her MoT. Some work was required on the front suspension (£250 + VAT) and we got two nearly new winter tyres fitted on her front on top of that. That was as good as I could have expected and she seems set fair for another trip to Chatel in January and, hopefully, beyond. But it was better than that. First, as she was due her MoT at the beginning of October when we were at a wedding in Ibiza, delaying her beyond her due date means that next year we get to MoT her at about now, which is a much better time for us. Second, Sam’s garage in central Bristol is proving to be fabulous. They are efficient and knowledgeable. The girl at the front desk (actually it’s just a table at the entrance to the garage) knows as much about cars as anyone I know, and they are polite and efficient. They also fit nearly new tyres, which is perfect for a car which might not make it through another year. We put on winter tyres because of Chatel … and they come in at £35 a pop with plenty of tread. I think that’s good news. Finally, it meant we weren’t without a car (and scrambling around to get a new one, inevitably making poor decisions under pressure) when we really needed the time to …

just the start of the stuff from the attic

… start packing. Our new place is a three-bed cottage on friends’ of ours (Peter and Karen)’s estate. I choose my words carefully: it is definitely an estate. The place is lovely, nestled on the edge of the Cotswolds overlooking the Severn estuary. It’s a bungalow – sort of – definitely not in the traditional Privet Drive sense. And the floorplan is at least twice what we have now, which is what we need. And there’s 90 acres to roam in. We are letting and renting, which obviously comes at a cost to us (bigger and better place means more cash), but it’s all workable in the Roland Ladley spreadsheet sense. Why not sell and buy, you ask? Many reasons. First P&K’s place is not for sale! But seriously, it gives us huge flexibility, should we need it (which we may not). And, frankly, buying and selling probably costs in the region of £30k … and, we couldn’t be completely sure that we would be happy in the chosen area (unless we moved up a bedroom in Bradley Stoke, but even then we couldn’t legislate for our new neighbours). 

snow in Chatel already

And the beauty is, the cottage was offered when we were in dithering mode. As such it has sharpened our desire and we have got on with it. Otherwise C reckons we wouldn’t be doing anything before next summer. It would just drag. 

Which brings me onto moving as a short term occupation. Goodness it’s a pain in the neck, isn’t it? Our attic was jam packed … in an orderly, but still very full way. It has taken us three days, some sore backs, many trips to the dump, the charity shop and a full re-sort of our garage (which we are keeping), and we are just about there. Just. Did I mention frayed tempers? If not, should have done. Anyhow, the attic is empty, less Chrimbo decorations, and we are much closer to being ready to move. There is still, however, a lot to do. 

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The garden has some work needed (relaying paving slabs etc). The fuse boxes need upgrading (there are new rules for rented properties, and we need an electrical test which, thankfully, lasts 5 years). The curtains need replacing. The place needs touching up. We are taking out our new and v expensive oven and replacing it with a simpler, cheaper version. We need three new heaters upstairs. And I need to seal the kitchen floor. But, looking to my wallet, it’s not as bad as all that. We bought most of what we needed today (B&Q, Currys, Dunelm Mill and Amazon) for £550. Which we can place against tax. (Hurrah.)

We intend to take the cottage from 30 December, which may seem like an odd time to move, but it means that Bex, Steven and Henry can have their last few days in the UK – before they fly back to Saudi – in a bigger house, rather than squatting in Doris. I’ve booked three Poles with a van for 5 Jan (£250, that’s good, isn’t it?), and the man from the estate agents came around this morning and thinks he’ll have tenants just after that. (Which would be nice.)

Anyhow. That’s us. We are off to supper with Al and Annie tomorrow night to compare French/Spanish motorhome trip notes, and either side of that it’s heads down on packing and sorting. We will look back on this time with fondness, assuming that we haven’t moved into separate properties at either end of the country at that point.

Stay safe and keep warm; the temperatures are dropping.