Friday 8 August 2014

Pets

Good Morning,

I woke up this morning knowing that I had to take Lily (my pet African Pygmy Hedgehog) to the vets. She has been poorly the last few days and I wanted to get her checked out. I have had to leave her there to have an anaesthetic, investigation and 2 x-rays. It will either be very good news or very bad news. Fingers crossed it is good.

That is the problem with pets. They bring so much joy to your life but when they are poorly or they pass away it is devestating. Last year I lost my other two hedgehogs and my alsation dog. All within 3 months of each other - it was a hard time. I don't think I will have any more pets after Lily has gone. It is far too upsetting. My mum and dad have the family dog living with them. We got her when I was 15 and she means everything to me. She has a good few years left on her though thankfully.

In other news, the house move is slowly but surely getting there. We have signed lots of paperwork and paid some money so we are just waiting now. Waiting for the mortgage offer to be accepted and offered by the bank and then the solicitors can get involved. *Phew*.

I don't know what to do with myself today. I think I will be in limbo until I know about Lily.

xxx

Friday 1 August 2014

Moving House

Three and a half years ago my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I decided to take that big leap and move in together. It was a fantastic and much needed decision and it not only strengthened our relationship, but it enabled us to find teaching jobs very quickly. After graduating from University the year before we had moved back in with our parents and struggled to find work. I am happy to say that we are both in work now.

It is currently the Summer holidays (phew!) and after a long slog of a year we now have time to rest. We have lived in our current flat for two years. We moved from our first flat partly to save money and partly to be closer to a main road to widen our search for jobs (we were both temporary at the time). Now renting does have its benefits - but I have always longed for a garden. I had a garden for two years when I was living at University but I don't really count that! 

So - this Summer has been dedicated to finding a new home. A family home to be exact. We figured that we could move into a small house and upgrade in the future. However that would cost a lot of money when it came to moving. Instead we have opted for getting a good sized family home which we can stay in for a long time. So that is the plan.

And the plan is coming together nicely! We have seen a lot of properties (around 10) and most of them we have seen this week. We have seen a range of properties in a range of areas and some we liked more than others. With some homes you know immediately if you like them or not. Some were generally too small or in a really bad state. Others had bedrooms which were too small and others were too overpriced or generally too small for a family home. 

On Tuesday we walked into a fantastic home. I had seen the pictures and it was suggested by the agents that we see it. I didn't have high hopes until I walked in. I was pleasantly surprised! It is a strange property. It has no proper front - the front door is through an archway. However the arch way gives it more space as some of the bedrooms are above it. It is a three bedroom property with en-suite to the master and a downstairs toilet. Two doors open onto the patio outside. It really is a beautiful property!

So we have seen a few more since then. None of them lived up to its standard - even ones that were a lot more expensive. We went along to a financial meeting today which all looked very positive and we decided to put in an offer! I knew the first wouldn't be accepted but the second offer was! I really don't want to get my hopes up too much but it is a very exciting experience!

Tomorrow we are heading to another meeting to start the ball rolling. Luckily the house is only round the corner from where we live now although I imagine moving in day is going to be VERY stressful! 

In other news. I haven't had much time to look after the flat as I have been away visiting family. I have finally got all my wedding photos and the DVD from my uncle too so we can start to think about what we want to do with them. We have a voucher for a canvas print so need to sort that out too!

On Sunday I am hosting a teddy bear event (more on that another time - my hobby/part time business. I am a VERY busy person!) and then next week I have a photoshoot and some beauty treatments before our first year anniversary. However, I hope that on Monday/Tuesday I can give the kitchen and bathroom a good cleaning and then I may start to go through things in the bedroom and throw bits away that we no longer need!