New House! New House!

We finally got the keys to our new rental yesterday which was a big relief as it was touch and go at one point.

All we have to do now is empty the contents of our current house into this new one which, as those of you who have moved home will know, is quite a stressful endeavour. Wifey has been an absolute star doing most of the planning and organising of the operation. She has been in her element drawing up lists, notifying people of our change of address and getting hold of a billion boxes to store our junk.

Frankly, if it was me organising it all we'd probably end up moving to Krakow by mistake, so I'm happy to be just told where to lug stuff.

I'm so grateful to God for such an amazing wife and the fact that, while we are complete opposites most of the time, we tend to work pretty well as a team.

I'm also grateful for our new home (obviously) - but one thing tickled me when we popped round to introduce ourselves to the neighbours. The guy mentioned that everyone on the street pretty much knows each other (it's a cul-de-sac) and that he tries to send out a newsletter every once in a while.

I don't think many street communities have their own newsletter - but our new one does! How brilliant is that?

Movin' on up

My parents finally did it, and moved out of the family Homestead two weeks ago (I've finally managed to find some time to write about it, such is the level of hectic-ness at the moment).

It was weird to think that after that day, I'll probably never set foot in that house ever again. A new family (a couple of medical professionals with loads of animals but no children) have taken up residency and they will probably spend the next thirty or so years there. They will create a new family home with new memories and my family's influence on the building will slowly but surely fade away as they redecorate and move things around.

These things happen all the time, of course, but it's still strange, especially given the length of time that the 'stead was home to my family. When I think about these things, I wonder about all the other families and individuals that lived there since it was built over a hundred years ago. The structure of the house must be saturated with human presence - all emotions have probably been experienced there at one time or another: love, hate, greed, anger, sorrow, suffering, elation, pity... the list is endless. Not that I believe in such things per se - but you have to wonder what several generations of life do to a building or place.

So now my parents have moved into a swanky new build near Monmouth. The house is lovely, and most importantly doesn't require any work to be done on it. It's actually warm - which couldn't be said for the old house - and as yet it's still new to having anyone living in it. Over time, I guess, the new occupiers will make their mark.

As for me and my family, we are on the move too. We're moving into rental for six months while we try and find a home to buy. This is good because we get to move to the area we want to live in - but it does mean throwing money away to the landlords. This is the first time I've rented for over ten years, and I've been made acutely aware of the challenge to young people trying to find somewhere to live. I'd forgotten about bonds, agency fees, references and all that.

Frankly, I think the amount people have to pay is ridiculous. Inflated house prices and rental fees make me angry - although I really don't know what the solution is, and we're probably perpetuating the problem ourselves by selling and moving on. A tricky one.

Hopefully, by this time next month, we'll be in our new home. All I've got to do now is sort through all my crap and try and box it up. Wish me luck!