Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Well that's it.  All our things have gone and will get to Mallorca before we do.  

To re-wind slightly.  We have found the last week or so to be exhausting literally and emotionally, tearful, happy, terrifying, exciting, stressful and amazing - take your pick.  We have each gone through all of them and sometimes all in one day!  However much you want to make a move like this and however long it has been a dream, trust us - it ain't easy.  It's weird because you'd think we'd be skipping along as happy and as carefree as can be given that we have both wanted to do this for so long.  But the reality is that it isn't quite as simple as you think it will be.  And despite our determination, motivation and excitement to make this move it has, in the run-up to our final departure, been a lot harder than we thought it would be. You kind of expect to be rushing around frantically busy but excitedly happy, and end up tearful and tired.  Go figure!  We both find ourselves waking up in the wee small hours with over-active brains and getting little sleep from then on.  This means you are tired only for it all to happen again the following night....and the next....and the next...... and.... you get the drift.  So TOP TIP: be prepared for a pretty emotional time and accept that it is normal to grieve for what you are leaving despite the excitement of what you are gaining.

On Saturday we spent the day at a wonderful family wedding which we very much enjoyed and we have had a lovely time seeing family members and friends.  This sort of event makes it all too easy to focus on what you are leaving.  Change can be very scary as we have discovered but staying static is scarier still so sometimes you have to press on despite your insides doing a passable impersonation of a washing machine!

On Sunday we took our two little dogs for our final walk on the lovely South Downs that we have been lucky enough to have on our doorstep.  It was a beautiful day and if I'm honest, I was quite emotional to think that this was our last such walk there.  I took this panoramic photo during our walk and think you will see what I mean :-D

On a practical level about moving - buy lots of boxes.  Anyone who has moved home reasonably often will know, however many boxes you think you will need - add quite a few onto that!  Our belongings seemed to multiply before our eyes, where does it all come from??! :-o  It's hard work and today it all peaked as we helped move our stuff out and into the van/trailer for the journey to Mallorca.  And it will actually get there before we do; we will next see it again in a week's time.  I certainly hope so as my clothes/accessories and much loved iPad are amongst them and Ian is feeling strange without access to his laptop.  It seems it's not just teenagers who find a removal of technology somewhat disconcerting!

This is a picture of our belongings heading off on their journey:

So, at close of play today the die is cast and our possessions are on their way.  Tomorrow I am seeing my granddaughter off on her first day at 'big school'.  And then just two small cabin baggage sized cases to pack and we are good to go on Wednesday on the first leg of our journey - next stop, Portsmouth ferry terminal.