Living in suburbia

A quick post about our move last month which got lost in the draft folder.

The move was an absolute nightmare, the three of us were ill and my plans to clear the flat in one weekend didn't bear fruit. So there is still a massive amount to move next weekend as well as a big clean up of the flat. The sofas wouldn't fit, the landlord is away on a family emergency, we had to saw through a padlock on the side gate and even with babygates up I'm in constant fear of C falling down the stairs. For the next two weeks it's a three hour trip to take C to his old nursery before going onto work and coming home with him in a jampacked commuter train is no fun.

However the little joys of moving out to the suburbs are a balm to my exhausted body and frazzled brain.

The garden is a major plus point. Mum bought us some plants and C a little red watering can. Mum-in-law bought me a pink watering can and a broom. C and I spend our evenings watering the plants and admiring the one strawberry which in just two days is turning from white to pink.

Chatting to neighbours is lovely, there's a friendly older couple nextdoor who have a grandson C's age in Singapore and the lady nextdoor but one welcomed me to the 'garden club', all three gardens have low walls so it's rude not to chat and all three of us have names beginning with M.

Walking to the station is pleasant, I love being nosy and looking at everyone's well tended gardens and the few people we see early in the morning will often say hello.

So we're pleased to be in but exhausted.

Commuting with the boy

Sorry for the lack of posts, the past month has been busy busy busy! We've finally got through it and I now have two(ish) weeks off work, first to settle the boy in his new nursery and then we're going to the seaside for a week.

But the last three weeks have been exhausting, mainly because at the start or end of each day we've been doing 3 hour commutes with the boy to go from our new house to London Bridge, from London Bridge to his nursery and then back into London Bridge to go to work. Leaving at 6am and getting home at 7pm was not fun, but that is over now and I am enjoying a Sunday evening with a cold beer and the patio door open.

The boy was an absolute star, he loved going on the trains and we could bribe him with 'wriggly worms' (fruit strings) to help keep him happy and to have a 'quiet voice' on the train. Most of the trains were so early that we got seats easily, but the 2nd evening train was a nightmare, full on commuter cattle trucks, with me often having to hold the boy, squashed by those around us. We would usually get given a seat, but only 3-4 stations along when people had started to get off and there was room to get anywhere near the seats.

Here's a montage of the boy being good on our commutes in (I hardly took any photos on the way home, it was just too busy and stressful!)

However, watering the garden in the evening during this current heat wave was a lovely way to relax, and C really enjoyed filling his little red can up and helping Mama.

His last day at 'old nursery' was sad, everyone got hugs and kisses, he got given toys by his favourite two carers and we've promised to visit soon. He understands that he's left and doesn't seem too worried, but we will see what happens when it sinks in that he won't be seeing his old friends every day.

Moving house

Next weekend we're moving house, we're saying goodbye to our 2 bed flat near Crystal Palace and moving to the 'burbs further east to be closer to T's family. After writing about the disappointment of losing our first house choice,  over the last couple of weeks our new house has grown on me. It's a detached, 3 bed with a GARDEN (so happy about that last part) and we reckon it's well over double the size of our current place.

We viewed it again yesterday and took C-bear along to see it. Whilst I measured up for curtains and washing machines with J, T took C for a house tour and the little man was so excited, happy to see his new room and the garden in particular. He's really happy about the move and has yet to see the possible down sides (leaving his best friend and the nursery he loves) so can't wait for next weekend.

So this weekend has been a flurry of signing papers, paying deposits, packing up boxes and making two (yes two) Ikea trips (Lakeside didn't have the curtain rod part we wanted so we went to Croydon too). My Pinterest house moving inspiration boards have grown with a flurry of pin ides. Now it is quiet time, the boy is having a quick nap before I take him down to soft play to meet his best friend and T continues packing boxes.

Boards for our new home:
New home (general bits and pieces we'll need once we move)
Rooms with red carpet (the house is all red red red carpet and cream walls)
Train themed bedroom ideas (for C's new big boy room)
Mint bathroom (the new place has a terrible retro mint bathroom suite)
Garden things (I can't wait to get some containers growing)
Toddler garden fun (we'll have space for the paddling pool this summer)

House hunting blues

Last week the realities of life delivered another blow to our future family happiness. We'd found that rare thing, an almost perfect house and were due to move in at the end of the month. It was within budget and like a TARDIS inside, with a beautiful large living space, newly decorated rooms throughout and a garden. It was two mins from the station, five mins from our dream nursery and twenty mins from the in laws. We had paid the holding deposit and waited two weeks for our credit check to come through, I chased last week and the estate agent said yes we'd passed, so the house was ours. Except it wasn't. An hour later I had a message to call the agent back. My heart sank, I already knew something would be wrong, the wording he used wasn't "I've sorted out that second viewing you wanted so you can come and measure up", it was "call me". I was on a packed bus on my way back from a meeting at the British Museum with a colleague and wham, my heart was broken a little bit more. The landlord had rented our house to a family member who could move in immediately. Even though we'd paid the holding deposit and passed the credit check there was nothing we could do. Sometimes life really sucks.

So last weekend was a whirlwind of Internet searches and house viewings and (fingers crossed) we've found another. I'm not in love with it yet, my heart is still with the little red and white house that slipped away, but this new house has all the ingredients to make a lovely family home. I paid the deposit yesterday and we're waiting to hear back, so we'll see.

To keep me sane I've been creating a mass of Pinterest boards to find some inspiration.

Boards include:
New home (general bits and pieces we'll need once we move)
Rooms with red carpet (the house is all red red red carpet and cream walls)
Train themed bedroom ideas (for C's new big boy room)
Mint bathroom (the new place has a terrible retro mint bathroom suite)
Garden things (I can't wait to get some containers growing)
Toddler garden fun (we'll have space for the paddling pool this summer)