Well, the moment has finally arrived where I am writing my last blog entry here in the UK.

I am surrounded by boxes, bags and mayhem. I have a permanent knot in my stomach and can’t quite decide if it is exhileration and excitement or just plain fear! I think it is a mixture of all three….plus some others too!

So, until I get my computer rigged up in France, I shall be concentrating my efforts on last minute packing, tip trips and saying my goodbyes.

Time to switch off and I’ll return once we have embarked on our new French life!!

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I had wobbly moment number 2 today….handing in aforementioned letter to the school secretary!

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I knew it had to happen eventually, but I had my first wobbly moment last week.

With a firm date in mind now, I thought it would be a good idea to start some draft letters. I began with Mr Filby, the flute teacher, moved onto Gwendoline from French club, next onto Brown Owl and was doing really well. But not long into the letter for school, I could feel prickles in my eyes and a lump in my throat. I had to walk away from it for a few hours!

Just putting into words the definate date of departure was bad enough…it’s been a long time coming; but then writing my thanks and appreciation was just too much! I realised what a great little school we have been part of for 3 years. I found it a really difficult letter to write in fact.

I shall really miss the teachers, I shall miss the mums, I shall miss the children that I have seen grow up over the years, I shall miss the social events, such as the Christmas Fayre, the Summer Fete etc and the little extras that come with a lovely pro-active school.

But, all in all, I can’t/mustn’t dwell…..decisions have been made and life moves on. I am moving onto another chapter that will be our future memories. But I am grateful for the memories that we will have from this school.

I’ll be off again in a minute if I keep this up!

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Ok, I’m back now, ready to roll! Lots has happened, so bear with me as I update you all!

We had a great time in the Lakes. Diddy and The Boy spent a few days with Daddy in Cheshire, which meant I managed to grab a few lie-ins! Yep, in bed until 9:30 one morning! Elsie Marley…eat your heart out!

There has been dissapointment however with the house sale. Our buyer, who is a cash buyer, has had her buyer drop out, which means the house of cards has collapsed. So after surveys and searches we are back to square one. The agent has suggested we just re-market the property and not hang around for her. So I have spent today clearing up again. We will all have to start being clean and tidy again….never easy with two kids…not mine anyway!

But the good news is that we are going anyway. We figured that even though a buyer wouldn’t be difficult to find, the paraphernalia that goes with it will maybe put completion back until September. Not ideal when there are children to start at school and settle in.

Billy Jenkins has been booked for the 4th July, 4 weeks tomorrow and we will more than likely fly out, either the Thursday or a few days later….yikes!! Better get my act together!

Plum and Peter go on Friday but had a shock when the gearbox went on the car…..£1,600 worth of gearbox! Must have been all the rip-snorting I’ve been doing in it around Barnet!

Good thing is that I am now over my rabbit-in-the-head- lights blip and have started on my lists again. Hoorah!

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Please do not abandon hope! I am not ignoring you, I have not given up totally on Beauregard The Blog…I’m just, well, away!

Yep, we are away for a week  in the Lake District for half-term. Lots of fresh air and sheep and so far, no rain! What more could we want?!

See you soon…..I shall leave you with the view from my bedroom.

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 I managed to get a box of boxes from the Yellow Storage place yesterday….Whoopee! Does that mean my lapse is lapsing?

It does mean that I can get in to the loft and start going through whatever is up there. Not a job I am particularly looking forward to but essential nontheless.

I forgot to tell you the other day that, my sister and her boyfriend have taken the plunge and are moving over to their property next month/early June. After much soul searching, agonising and debate, they made up their minds, well,….. overnight (as well as a good few months of the ‘Why are we doing this day in, day out?’ sort of feelings.) 

I am still in a state of shock…it has taken me 2 years to get this far, they make up their minds overnight and will be there to greet us from the airport when we arrive..too bizarre!

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In a matter of weeks, myself and my children are moving to France. Am I in a mad panic? In a rage of activity and list-making? In floods of tears and sleepless nights?

Strangely and, increasingly worryingly,no, I am not!

It’s as if I am untouched by the whole experience and as if it’s happening to someone else. I’m not sure if I have just gone on shut-down but I seem unable to even think about what I need to be thinking about!  After 2 years of planning and research, I am stunned into inactivity.

Is this normal, I wonder? I have managed to start the ball rolling with renewing The Boys passport, but as far as organising anything else I am, well, apparantly unable.

I am waiting for the bolt of lightning that will jolt me into action….please, let it be soon!

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The house went on the market last Wednesday, at last. And by Saturday we’d had hundreds of viewers and, yes, an offer! It took 3 days for it to come in. So I am now eating my own cynical words of a few weeks ago and lots of humble pie!

It would appear that the agent does know what he’s talking about and so, we can only assume that when he says that we will be out in 6 to 8 weeks time, he is in fact correct! Let’s hope so!

Diddy is now planning the trip down and has taken a fancy to the Bilbao mini-cruise, but at that price, it won’t be happening. Neither will a leisurely drive, if Ryanair are doing special prices. It may be better to fly anyway, as no doubt we will be quite emotional and in need of a quick arrival.

Hello again, by the way! I really don’t know what happened to April. Diddy has been off school for a total of 4 weeks, The Boy for 3; what with poorliness and Easter holidays. (Not sure if that sentence makes sense!) I think I must have been doing my hardest to entertain and stay sane, which leaves little time or energy for feeding the blog! But I am back now, having dropped them off at school this morning and look, I am already blogging!

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 Today has been the first time in probably a week, that I have had the slightest inclination to write, read, edit, think about, or do just about anything with my poor blog. It is feeling very neglected!

For, the whole household has been struck down, in biblical proportions, by goodness knows what. Well, The Boy, we know, has Chicken Pox. That’s quite straight forward and almost minor. He seems to be coping very well with the whole experience and, although not looking very pleasant, he isn’t scratching, or oozing too badly!

However, myself and Diddy and sister Debs,have been smitten with a nasty and vicious virus from the Essex Marshes, brought back by Class 3 from their jolly field trip. So far, it has taken out three of us. I have been unable to move very far for the last five days and have really had no energy for anything. I have thrown a bit of toast at the children on occasions and just crawled back to my bed, to sweat it out! Not very pleasant at all! For five days, I have felt worse each day and gone to bed telling myself…’you’ll feel better in the morning’. But it’s just not happened! Diddy has had temperatures of 40 degrees, although, I’m glad to say that she is now almost completely recovered, apart from the hacking cough and head cold.

I am relieved to report that, today, I do feel a bit better. But I think it’s going to be a while before I’m back to speed. Plus, I now have the school holidays to contend with, so if the fever doesn’t get me, the insanity will! Plus, the doctors tell me that Diddy is likely to get Chicken Pox over the next ten days…we shall look forward to that!

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Happy Mothers Day to all you Mums out there…I hope you were treated and pampered all day!

I was awoken at 7:30 this morning, with giggling and smirking, a lovely cup of tea (my first Diddy made cup of tea!), 2 giant slabs of toast and a banana covered in butter. And very nice it was too! I was then left to have a lovely lie-in…perfect.

We have had a busy Sunday; so far we have been to Asda to finish off the shopping for Diddys school trip, (cost of trip £95, cost of essentials and bits, at least £195!), B&Q for 2 storage boxes, jet blasted patio, made soup, to the park for football and cycling, made cakes and flapjacks…..and it’s still only 5:30!

We are hoping to get the house on the market next weekend…it seems to be dragging now and quite honestly, I can’t think why it has taken so long! We wanted to get it on the market by the end of January but it didn’t happen.

So, the new carpet arrives on Thursday, the fence is done in the front garden, patios jet blasted. I need to de-clutter, de-personalise, have a good clean and tidy in time for the agent and his digital camera!

And then all we do is sit back and wait! Apparantly, for every house on the market in the UK, there are 8 separate customers searching to buy it. Yeah, well, we’ll see!

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