Despite our best laid plans, set in motion over a year ago, everything has taken a sudden turn.... children, even grown up ones, are so unpredictable!
The upshot of this is that, after some intense 'discussion' and lots of rationalising, we have decided to put Leamington on the market immediately. The advert went live on Rightmove on 18th August and and we are both excited and anxious to see what happens next. It is fascinating to see the biggest financial transaction we will ever make, and the centre of our family life for the last 20 years, reduced to a fancy 3D interactive computerised model and (hopefully) a bidding war. Every extra penny we can raise will be extra funds we can use to help the kids relocate. Check out the listing HERE.
John has been planning for retirement for about 10 years, calculating to almost pay off our mortgage by the time he was 55, allowing us to live on his early pension. He has been counting down to it for the last two years. I (Liz) always joked that he would change his mind as the date got closer because he wouldn't know what on earth to do with himself once he got there. He has always strenuously protested against that idea.
Although we have talked to the children throughout the house hunting, giving them plenty of notice about our approaching departure, when we told them that November was the planned month and the house in Leamington would be an encumbrance and thus needed to be sold, they made their feelings known. I admit that it is a shock for them, and it means major adjustments to their lives - after all, this is the only home they have ever known.
So, we (or John - he is the soft one) agreed to keep the Leamington house until Charlotte graduated in summer '24. I won't go into the opposing arguments presented to the court, but based on the fact that Charlotte was suppose to go to uni in Wales until 2024 and then find an excellent job there until 2026 in order to have her university debt cancelled off, we didn't expect her to be at home that much over the next 3 years. But this decision pacified the girls and also gave John a very convenient excuse to get another year of work under his belt. And I have the right to say 'I told you so'!
We were also hoping and praying that once Will had finished uni, he would secure full time, well remunerated employment, and he and Amber would sail off into the sunset voluntarily. And, the plan for Dasha was that she move to London under her own steam to join her love interest full-time.
None of this has happened. In fact, Amber has opted for a career change, and is now job hunting, Charlotte has decided radiography is not for her and cashed in her uni chips for a diploma and moved back home. She will be job hunting shortly. And Dasha has decided she is content at her job in Leamington, journeying to London in between shifts. To his credit Will is getting paid very well to do conservation work, albeit on a temporary basis, whilst taking acting roles along side that - soon to appear on BBC!
The sale, of course, will leave the kids homeless and therein lies the challenge. They can always come with us to Scotland, but this is not at the top of any of their ambitions, or ours. It is stressful for all of us, and we are trying to see it as another step in the journey to be overcome - another challenge to solve. Time is short now, and the reality has really hit home. I try not to stop too long to think about it...to keep moving forward towards that North Star - our goal and dream of tranquility under a dark sky, listening to the soulful sheep nearby, snuggled up together on the doorstep, shoulder to shoulder, whiskey in hand, looking out over the peaceful glen. Not long now...
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