I like this...It will be all right in the end, and if it is not all right, then it is not the end.
Courtesy of the film Hotel Marigold

This is the last full week before the big off. So long list of jobs (mainly for Paul I have to say, but as our dear John would say that is because I am 'management' and he is the assistant). We need to put up a small strip of tiles in the kitchen and make sure we leave all the paint work lovely for the new tenant. Amanda has gone home after spending a week with us, and I have to say I will not miss pounding the streets of St-Ives with her yelling 'come on mother keep running'!! Paul has given her and Rich the big wide screen telly and the XBOX, so you guessed it we are watching the Tesco value portable on the upturned black packing box. Dear Paul so far he has sold his beloved mini and now has given the children his XBOX, all in the cause of our new lifestyle...what a bloke.
We have still to spring clean our old gentleman before we leave him with a network of cleaners, so felt quite sad as today was the last trip to the laundrette with his washing and my weekly chat to the Vietnamese gentleman who owns said laundrette. You may be asking at this point why i take the washing to the laundrette....best not to ask.
We are also starting to plan our Australia and New Zealand trip which is very exciting and our dear friends Ray and Barbara have given us lots of very helpful hints and advice so armed with our lists and the bank balance carefully written down we are off to Trail finders this week as well.

Off to the motor-home show in London tomorrow,and the shopping list goes something like this:- two bike covers and some tent pegs for the awning. How i remember shopping for new clothes shoes and handbags! Paul's pleased though as there is only a limited amount of stuff we can take in the motor-home so girly shopping has to be only the essentials sadly, and thanks to my Christmas job in Boots i have enough face cream and shower gel to last all year.
Only another three weeks to go before we set sail. Well at least there is not a lot to pack especially after i complete my final car boot sale. Anyone fancy a glass top kitchen table and two chairs for a fiver?

Well today we have found a tenant for the 'pension house'. I have been trying to download a picture of the said house from my ever so smart...smart phone and as yet no joy. So it is back outside tomorrow with the trusty old camera to take a picture of the house to put on the blog. Anyway so far so good, every thing appears to be going in the right direction. Next job is to sort out stuff for the final car boot sale. I have also got quite a bit of interest on my ebay selling this week (2 posh frocks from Annie Furbank). Paul's brother and Tess came for tea last night and he was quite surprised to find the telly sitting on a black packing crate, well i thought doesn't every-one do this with their telly or is it just us?

Here is our new home for the next few months/years. That is unless we can con our nearest and dearest to put us up in their large houses!! We used to call our last motor home Elvis but really have not come up with a name quite as good for this motor home even though this will be our 2nd year with this van. Plan moving very fast now. Paul has sold his much loved mini so we are down to one car and the motor-home.......getting there.

Here we go... house ready for renting and some-one already coming to have a look around. One of the better decisions we made was to move into this house with only the items we will be taking with us in the motor home, so there is very little to pack up when we leave....in 4 weeks time. In the mean time our Mand is coming home for a week, which is a bit of a tradition as she and i always spend our birthday week together, which is such a special time.
Anyway lets hope we get a nice tenant who will love this house as much as i do. Fingers crossed.

Well what was i saying about the plan is slowly developing! Received a phone call from the Caravan Club yesterday offering us a different site in Devon with full time hours and a longer contract. Wow, so with much discussion and Paul entering the financial implications into his 'forward planning financial spreadsheet' we rang them back and said yes. So we are now leaving St-Ives during the first week of March, and starting at the site down in Devon by the 14th. The down side (and it is a big downside) is that we have had to cancel our holiday with our Liz and John, but they have been fab about it. So everything has now cranked up a gear, and i am busy with a very long list of 'to do's'. Rent the house, do a car boot sale, give Richard our wide screen telly!!! try and keep on the diet etc etc.