Ten top tips for a successful house move

Having moved house just a couple of weeks ago, I have finally found the time (and an Internet connection) to, ahem, impart my 'wisdom' on the matter in the form of my top ten tips. I would like to credit my lovely friend, Stella, for some of the advice. Here goes...

1. Attempt to have as much of a clear out as possible before the big day. The husband virtually took up residence at our local tip for several weekends before the big move, getting rid of all manner of unwanted gubbins. Having loft space the whole length of a large Victorian house that houses five properties was more than enough room to store all manner of pointless crap, mainly the boxes of seemingly every appliance ever purchased. Despite such ruthless sorting and binning, we still managed to move a large Weetabix box containing a solitary, stale portion. Listen and learn, people.

2. Budget to pay for a company to move you and pack all of your stuff. Our team of three guys from Britannia was just BRILLIANT: jolly, efficient, professional, I actually felt sad when they left us as they'd felt like part of the moving process and had really looked after us. Sadly, we didn't pay for them to unpack our belongings...

3. Assuming you have followed tip 2 above, these guys are fuelled by a constant supply of tea and coffee - and biscuits. Jaffa Cakes were particularly motivational.

4. Again, if you've followed the advice in number 2, get out of their way! Once you've briefly outlined what's what, leave the house. The husband and I enjoyed a sushi lunch and shopping in Brighton.

5. If you have children, arrange childcare. My parents swept in from Manchester a couple of days before the move and we basically didn't see Dexter until we were in the new house. My lovely, generous friend loaned her flat up the road for them to use as their base. He had a lovely time; we didn't get stressed trying to keep things 'normal' for him.

6. Put your work shoes in your own car. I have only just found my favourite grey, ever-so-comfortable, Clarks brogues, and have been wearing my  beaten-up bronze, low heeled Clarks numbers for days.

7. Phone your new district council a number of weeks before you move to arrange for your new bins/recycling crates to be delivered. The kitchen is being taken over by rubbish and we have already had to acquaint ourselves with our new local tip.

8. Always remember that Ikea is never going to be the fun experience you think it will be. Even without a toddler, being in possession of a clear list and the promise of cheap horse, I mean 'hot' dogs, it's a miserable way to spend a day.

9. Accept that you won't be sorted straight away. We still have many many unpacked boxes to contend with and two rooms that are currently unusable, despite it being a brand new house.

10. Buy and move into what will be your 'forever home' and, no matter how straightforward it was, vow to never ever do it again.

Happy home-moving!

Little Learners

In the chaos of moving last week - more of that in another post - I was delighted to receive a lovely parcel (to our new address) from Parragon Books. It contained a sample of their 'Little Learners' range of books for Dexter to have a look at.

 

According to the marketing spiel:

 

"Designed in partnership with educational consultants and tested by mums and babies, each book in the range focuses on a different level of child development during children’s most crucial learning stages. From young baby through to toddler, the bright, bold and colourful books encourage education and interactive play between parent and baby, and can be used anytime and anywhere.Education and engagement remain at the heart of every book in the Little Learners series, stimulating a child’s curiosity about life and language – always with a primary focus on fun."

 

And our verdict? They're lovely! Dexter and I shared 'Incy Wincy Spider', 'This Little Piggy' and 'Hickory Dickory'. The books are a lovely size: perfect for little hands and pleasingly portable for car journeys and taking out and about in cafes and restaurants. I was super-impressed by the quality of the books, especially given the very reasonable retail price of £2.99 - £6.99 - which of course, also makes them ideal as birthday gifts or stocking fillers. Visually, they have a certain Lauren Child-esque charm in the collage effect of the pictures.

 

Dexter loved the little finger puppet which is attached to the centre of the book and was particularly fond of 'kissing' the piggy and the spider! The books draw on well-known nursery rhyme and fairy story favourites, so the boy also loved the familiarity of the contents.

 

The slightly larger 'Peek-a-Boo friends' features all of Dexter's favourite animals and a cleverly shaped 'handle', allowing him to carry it to his brand new 'big boy bed' for a bedtime story.

 

They also look beautiful on the shelf in Dexter's new bedroom; I shall certainly be buying more to add to the collection.

 

 

 

 

The books were a gift from Parragon for the purpose of this review, but the views are 100% our own: we loved them!

 

 

Bye bye Brighton

We exchanged contracts on our flat and new house in the middle of last week. I'm still not massively comfortable about sharing too much about the move; I won't truly believe it has happened until I have a new set of keys in my hand. Nevertheless, we are having to be practical: clearing out the loft, arranging new utilities, booking removals and saying goodbyes.

I'm massively excited about the move as I really think it will change our lives for the better - more on how, when (if?) it actually happens. However, it is with a heavy heart that I will be bidding farewell to my beloved Brighton (albeit to move somewhere literally a thirty minute drive away).

I first moved to Brighton as a very unworldly eighteen year old to study at Sussex University. I turn thirty five in May, so Brighton is the place I have lived the longest in my life and definitely somewhere I see as my home.

Today, despite the Arctic temperatures, we went for a stroll. The husband was under strict instructions to capture our town on film. It's testament to the freezing conditions, that we didn't get anywhere near the beach and the sea, so they aren't documented in the nostalgia-fest above. Instead, we cut our tour short in favour of a warming drink in a large and very 'un-Brighton' chain bar/restaurant.

To accompany the photos, I thought I'd write a list of things that I will miss about 'Sussex-by-the-Sea', and those things I'll be more than glad to leave behind...

I'll miss:

- Brighton's unique spirit, youthful vibe, bohemian atmosphere and sense of fun. In this town: anything goes!

- Being by the sea. Even though we don't go down to the beach that often at all really, it's nice just having it there; there's a real sense of freedom.

- There is always something to do in Brighton and it's very family friendly.

- Brighton friends, because it's never just a place you leave behind when you move.

- My own personal history here: I've laughed, loved, played, cried, learnt and lived here. And of course, I met my husband and gave birth to my boy here.



Before I short-circuit the computer keyboard with my tears, a reminder to myself of what I won't miss:

- Not being able to park a car anywhere, least of all, outside my own home.

- The constant noise: sirens, seagulls, revellers: there's always someone shouting in this town.

- Shoddy service. Brighton has  got a lot better on this front in the time I've lived here, but still, in a town where slackers reign supreme, the customer isn't always right/served/noticed/spoken to.

- The scuzziness. I am aware I am sounding increasingly like a middle-aged snob, but come on, there's bits of this town that could do with a good old clean.

- The beach in summer. Millions of people packing out the pebbles on the only scorching day we ever have in August, usually makes it in photographic form to the front of The Guardian. It may look jolly, but it's generally hideous and stinky!

Perhaps my lists say more about me changing as I get older. It's true indeed that I was a very different person when I arrived in Brighton back in 1996. Brighton itself isn't going to change - and I don't want it to - but at this moment in time, change is what my little family and I need. Besides, I'll always have my memories...

Ten reasons why I love Pinterest

1. I'm a total addict when it comes to interiors: most of my pins feature rooms I like.

2. I'm a very visual person; the aesthetic is important to me - there are gazillions of pictures on there.

3. I used to spend a fortune on glossy fashion and interiors magazines to only really look at the pictures. Pinterest equals no need for actual paper.

4. It's quite a 'happy' place - the lighter side of social networking. Fellow 'pinners' are similarly dreamy and aspirational: there's a lack of cynicism and seriousness. 

5. Once you get the hang of it, it's really uncomplicated and quite low-tech.

6. There are seemingly no limitations to what goes up on there. I have no desire to research a potentially darker side to this, but I do appreciate the pictures of animals in clothes and toddlers dressed as old ladies.

7. As I've mentioned before, I was a Blue Peter kind of girl when I was growing up; it's a scrapbook for grown-ups!

8. Like Twitter, Pinterest changes constantly, particularly if you follow lots of boards, so it's perfect for those with the attention span of a gnat - err, that will be me then.

9. There are loads of professional design people on there, so if you follow their boards, you can 'borrow' lots of their ideas. Paying for their design service and experience would actually cost heaps.

10. An evening spent pinning is as relaxing as reading a good book/watching a great film. In this crazy world we live in, relaxation is key.

To see what I'm wittering about, follow me on Pinterest.

Liebster Award

 

My blog addiction means I make regular use of the 'Bloglovin' app on my phone. It enables you to follow blogs and get automatic updates of new posts.

 

The last week of term has been characteristically bonkers. Combine that with an imminent house move, and my self-indulgent blog-reading (and writing) habit has been in a state of neglect recently.

 

However, I was thrilled to be notified of a new post by Alexis at 'Something I Made': thrilled because I like her blog, and even more thrilled because she's bestowed upon me a 'Liebster Award'.

 

I've seen a few of these on the many blogs I follow, and from what I understand, it's a sort of virtual (and non-weirdy) chain letter whereby bloggers get asked a series of questions and have to pass their own set of questions on to some other fellow bloggers. Usually, I delete those annoying chain emails/text messages and am always particularly bothered by those with a vaguely threatening tone. This is different though, and it made my day to be invited in further to the blogging community by someone whose blog I love reading - check it out; she's a talented lady!

 

So, here goes...

 

1. Which is your favourite post on your own blog?

 

This is a tricky one as 'Five on the Door' is certainly work in progress and I'm barely managing to stick to my minimum of five posts per month. I guess I like my 'Mulling over mothering' post as it was a heartfelt post that I needed to write at that particular time. My favourite post from my first blog 'Brighton Ramblings', has to be 'A Letter to Dexter'; it received a lot of love and really summed up my reasons for starting blogging. It also marked the successful completion of my 366 blog posts in one year challenge.

 

2. Do your 'real' friends know about/care about/read your blog?

 

Yes! I always post links on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and usually receive some sort of feedback from friends. Some of my colleagues comment on posts they've read and my parents and in-laws particularly like posts about Dexter.

 

3. Is there anything you regret NOT doing in your life (so far)?

 

Nope, I'm a looking forward kinda' girl. Life's too short to dwell on the what might have beens... Okay, if I had to pick something, I sort of wish I'd got in the birthing pool when it was offered to me during labour. I would have loved for Dexter to have been born in the water, but I was pretty insistent at the time that I was going to stay put on all fours on the bed. Perhaps that's something I'll be able to rectify one day...

 

4. Camping or boutique hotel?

 

Easy: the latter EVERY TIME! I hate camping; I love luxury. We honeymooned at Babington House (arguably, the original boutique hotel) in one of their walled garden rooms: I was in heaven.

 

5. Best way to get from A to B?

 

Horse, hands (hooves) down!

 

6. It's 8pm on a Friday night: what are you doing (in your ideal world)?

 

Tricky. On a summer's evening, riding through the countryside. In less clement weather, I'm in a robe at Brighton's Treatment Rooms experiencing some luxury spa treatments.

 

What I'm actually doing is inevitably falling asleep in a pool of my own drool on the sofa after half a glass of wine and an episode of Corrie. I can but dream...

 

7. Done any good projects recently?

 

Err, as much as I would love to give the Allsop a run for her money on the whole crafty front, I have no time and no skills. The closest I've come is filling my Pinterest boards with stuff I like, particularly with ideas for our new house.

 

8. Best thing to do within a few minutes of your home?

 

There are a couple of really nice parks, some great pubs and a train station to get you to the centre of Brighton in seconds!

 

9. If you could learn a new skill, what would you choose?

 

I would really love to be able to play the piano.

 

10. ...and your superpower, if you had one?

 

To be able to condense a huge number of hours of sleep into about three.

 

11. Finally, why did you decide to start a blog?

 

I like to write and I like to share!

 

 

 

Now I get to come up with my own questions!

 

And I'm asking them to:

 

Just Pirouette and Carry On

 

Ar-Blog

 

Chloe Witters

 

Little E and Bean

 

 

1. What would your dream gig be?

 

2. Who is your favourite literary character and why?

 

3. What has been the best year of your life so far?

 

4. Who is your secret crush?

 

5. Guilty pleasure?

 

6. Tastiest snack?

 

7. Who would play you in the film of your life?

 

8.Which one of your senses could you least live without?

 

9. Favourite cocktail?

 

10. Who would be your dream prime minister?

 

11. Finally, if you were a vegetable, what would you be?