Anyway, to tell you the story. Lee got made redundant in January and his payout was good, so he said we should use it to move. So we put a bunch of things in storage to get ready to put ours on the market, and started looking around. We saw a few houses we liked, but not really enough. Then we saw this house and we LOVED it. But they wouldn't accept our offer until we had sold ours. Ours went on the market in te middle of February and sold immediately, which was brilliant. We had our offer accepted on this house, and everything was unfolding fine. The vendors of our house were buying a new build, and it wasn't yet built, so we knew it would be the summer before we could move. That was all fine, good things are worth waiting for, et cetera. It was all happening, just slowly. But then in May our buyer pulled out. It was incredibly annoying.
Our old house went back on the market and there was interest but not enough, so we were just stuck. We thought we might lose out on our new house, which we were upset about, but then things happened and it turned out we could make it happen. So we forged ahead. In July we were told that our vendors' new house would be ready mid August. There were a few weeks of uncertainty but then we had a date of the 21st of August. Which just happens to be Lee's birthday! My mum wondered if it was sensible to move then, and we could have put it off, but we had been waiting so long that we decided to just go for it. Lee didn't mind spending his birthday moving, so it was good timing. I did tell him it was a very extravagant present and he won't be getting a new house next year!
In the week of moving itself, we hadn't quite done all of the packing, so on Tuesday afternoon my mum and Norman came to help. We got a lot done, which was good. On Wednesday my uncle came to help as well as my mum and stepdad. Lee had to work in the morning so the rest of us got stuff in the attic done. He had the afternoon off so he and my uncle went to the tip and did some other stuff, and the rest of us got loads done. My mum really helped, it was great of her.
We had finished at about 5.30, ready to move. Exciting! My mum and Norman and Neil went home for a bit to get changed, and then we met them at one of the curry houses in our old village for food and to celebrate Lee's birthday. The food was lovely and we enjoyed it, I'm glad we went. Lee liked his birthday presents - records and some second hand Converse and some chocolate from me. We went to bed very excited for the next day!
Thursday dawned. We had arranged to take the cats to our friends' house. They have a sun room that can be separated off from the rest of the house, so it was ideal for our cats for the day. We loaded them all into the car and then there was a bit of a nightmare to get to their house thanks to roadworks, but we eventually got all three cats dropped off and we got back to the house. My mum and Norman and Neil were already there, sorting things out. The removal men arrived not long after that. They were three of the nicest, most hard working, unflappable lads I've ever met. They were so good all day, we would recommend them wholeheartedly. My mum went out to the deli to pick up toasted teacakes for us all.
Time moved on, as it does. We were waiting on phone calls from the estate agents and solicitors. We sat in the living room about 12.30 eating sandwiches that my mother had made, right before the removal men put the sofa on the truck. As we had a lock up too, we needed the removals to go there too, so Lee went off with them and the rest of us left the old house. I came to Penistone to pick up our new keys. We've moved to Penistone and if you don't know it, it's a lovely little market town, we are so happy to live here! Just as I was picking up the keys we were told the vendor had left, so I could come straight here! My mum and Norman and Neil turned up too, so I got to let them in and show them around.
My mum would have come to see the house on our second viewing, but it was just after her mastectomy and she wasn't able to travel, so she hadn't seen it. It is a spacious house, it is all painted cream with some green, so it's a bit boring, but it's fine. All the carpets are cream too. But it's liveable. My mum loves it, so that's good!
Lee and the removal trucks arrived not long after us so we started unloading. There was stuff everywhere. We all had a few things in our cars too - things too precious to go on the trucks, like Lee's guitars and my dolls house. It had been so long since we saw the house that I was worried we wouldn't like it, but fortunately we both did still! We love it.
We got a lot done; the removal men left about 5.30pm. We ordered pizza for the five of us, and ate that in the kitchen diner, which was piled high with boxes. My mum and Norman and Neil left about 7.30 I'm guessing, and Lee and I went to pick the cats up. We got them home and brought them up to our bedroom and shut them in. They all started exploring, climbing up all the boxes, and were fine. After about an hour Poppy and Kiki got bored and wanted to see the rest of the house, so we let them out. And they've been fine! They all seem to really like it and are getting on really well, which is great.
This is already a realllly long post, so let me just share my first lot of photos:
All our stuff loaded on the truck at our old house
Keys in my hand at the estate agents'! It would have been nice for Lee and I to go together but the timing just didn't work, and in the scheme of things he didn't care. I felt a bit bad though!
The estate agent gave us this gift basket, which was lovely
About halfway through unloading
Here we are outside our new front door - which we had forgotten had stained glass! The garage is on the right, at the front of the house. It's three storey - at the back of the ground floor is the kitchen diner. On the middle floor are the living room, a bathroom, and a room that will be a spare bedroom and is Lee's office too. Him needing an office is one of the main reasons to move! Then on the top floor are two bedrooms, and our bedroom with an ensuite. We love the layout but I get it wouldn't work for everyone
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