The Countdown Is On

I'm back!

Did you even notice I was away?

My laptop died so I took the drastic action of disabling my Blog until I could get a replacement computer. For reasons I don't want to bore you with, this took 2 weeks. I know it wasn't entirely necessary to disable the whole thing, as there was a very high chance that my absence wasn't even noticed (was it?). I just panicked and didn't like the idea that there was activity in the blogging world that I couldn't be part of while my laptop was off getting repaired. I'm strange like that.

I have missed you all. To add frustration to an already frustrating situation, I commented on many of my favourite blogs from my iphone, only to realise that these comments didn't go through while my Blog was disabled. I have now discovered that these comments were posted as soon as my Blog was enabled again which means you may be confused as to why you are receiving comments from me way after you published your posts. Sorry!

Enough waffle.

I have huge news! Let me get you up to speed.

We are leaving Sydney in 2 weeks and 4 days.

We were originally going to be leaving in February, arriving in Tassie in time for the beginning of the school year. The lease on our home in Tassie also comes to an end at the end of February so I've been working on the assumption that I have a few months to get organised.

However, things have changed at this end and we have made the decision to buy a caravan and pack the kids and the Whippet in the car and travel around Australia. Quite simply, we need a break. A decent one. It's been a good year but also a tough year. We have lost some loved ones, work has been stressful for The Pianoman and there has been some ill health earlier on in the piece. We need some time to close off this chapter before embarking on the new one.

I am beyond excited about this new adventure. Although we have always wanted to do such a trip, we just didn't know it was going to be in 2 weeks and 4 days. In a couple of years perhaps. But this decision was just made last Friday. It is an ambitious plan but these are the decisions that excite me.

But while some may think we are mad and maybe we are, this is what I love so much about life. How plans can change. New opportunities arise. One can either be stubborn and insist they adhere strictly to their original plan OR one can be flexible and go through life with their eyes open and embrace opportunities that present themselves. I choose the latter. Always. In fact, my new motto is Just Go With It!

Of course, this philosophy can be a little more stressful. Sometimes opportunities arise when it is inconvenient and hard decisions have to be made (see point 12 below). To that end, the following is a snippet of what needs to be done in 2 weeks and 4 days:

1) Buy Caravan
2) Get Car serviced
3) Get Tow ball put onto car and hydraulic brakes installed
4) Declutter and Pack up our ENTIRE house and put everything in storage
5) Organise a removalist
6) Clean house, carry out repairs, tidy garden ready to rent out
7) Rent house out
8) Have a Moving/Garage sale this Saturday
9) Finalise Tax
10) Notify and Say Goodbye to friends, family and school and let them know we are leaving in 2 weeks and 4 days. Prepare for any shocked reactions and being bombarded with questions that we don't know the answers to yet.
11) Continue to attend all the end of year concerts, activities, parties etc
12)  Postpone Paris flights - that's right, we had actual tickets booked to Paris for our 10 year Wedding Anniversary just after Christmas. We have literally waited 10 years for this trip, just the two of us, no kids.....But we have indeed decided to forgo 10 days in Paris for 100 days with the kids traipsing around the country. I thought I would be more sad about missing this little trip. But I'm not. Paris will always be there. No regrets.

Now, excuse me please while I fix myself a stiff drink and ponder how I am going to tackle these tasks.