White Elephant

We finally completed the sale of our flat in Bracknell today. It could well be the longest it has ever taken to progress a property sale this simple. No upward or downward chain and yet it has taken more than three months. We would love to sue the solicitor, but its doubtful we could find a solicitor willing to sue another solicitor and really, how can we prove it took the woman a week to make each phone call? Still, its all done with finally and we can get on with the business of emigrating now, knowing we do at least have enough money to survive into the new year.

This has been a rather trying week, with Dylan being sick for a few days and so we couldn't really get out of the house until yesterday as he wasn't much up to walking far and I didn't want to share the virus with other kids at playgroups. So we've just been rattling around at home, trying to minimise TV hours (and failing miserably) whilst I attempted to get a few things sorted, list a few things on ebay and freecycle and generally continue the battle to empty the house without shipping boxes or hiring a skip (I still hope we can pack everything we want to take with us in 7 large suitcases).

We made up for cabin fever with a lovely afternoon in the city park with the natural parenting club mums and kids, always a pleasure. I will certainly miss their company when we move and will always be wondering what they are up to.. if we weren't leaving, I could see us all hanging out together for a lot more years and many of us home(un)schooling our little ones. But Sudbury Valley is ultimately a better option for us in my mind, since the kids will actually get to spend their days away from their parents and really figuring out for themselves what makes them tick. I'm still wondering if I will ever really figure that out for myself! I do though, have some inspiring ideas for hobbies I'd like to pursue when we finally get settled in the states.. if I can just procure myself a little sewing space, I would love to make a quilt.. it might take a long time and I might only ever make the one, but I'd like to try and make something big enough to fit across the family bed. And secondly to learn to play the mandolin I have literally carried around the world!