Sep 2007 a

Thu 30 Aug 2007
So Princess Di's been dead for 10 years, but they still manage to get her photo in the papers...

Fri 31 Aug 2007
Hurrah! We now own a house! Lawyer informs us we've 'exchanged contracts' now. Steve tells Jen this at about 6pm as he drives to Wales, and she's at the airport on her way to Finland. However, we can't move in until the bank hands over the cash to the seller, which means in a week's time if we're lucky.

Sat 01 Sep 2007
Steve: Ffair Rhaglan (Wales). Jen: Aarnimetsa's Baronial changeover (Finland).

Rhaglan photos:
http://www.betahelix.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=78
http://pics.livejournal.com/bend_gules/gallery/0002fa2b
http://flickr.com/photos/reabhecc/tags/raglanfaire07/

Thu 06 Sep 2007
After another week of work, staying with our dear friends Jenny and Nick, we do a final pack and load up the car the next morning....

Fri 07 Sep 2007
Steve picks up the keys to the new house. "The most expensive piece of metal I've ever bought" he says. Steve makes the first run to the storage place and start unpacking stuff. Steve sets up the two camp stretcher beds for the night.
The one thing Jen looks forward to is a nice hot shower. Unfortunately, the cold tap doesn't seem to work! Ggrrrr. Since plumbers are notoriously expensive on weekends, decide to deal with this later.

Sat 08 Sep 2007

Thanks to a small army of friends we manage to get everything into the house in only one run. It took 7 people to lift the sofabed over the back fence and in through the rear french doors. Hooray now we'll have somewhere to sleep!



Above: The first swinging of sticks in the new backyard. Feels like home already!
Elspeth/Kazzia/Gudrun whatever you want to call her, arrives as our first house guest!!!!

Sun 09 Sep 2007
After a bit more tidying of unpacked stuff, the three of us decide to check out the local historical attraction - a tudor house in Hackney, just a 10-15 minute drive away.

Unfortunately, during the move-in process, the clothes washing machine's outlet pipe comes away from the wall (wasn't properly secured to begin with). Oh well, something else for the plumbers to sort out....

Mon 10 Sep 2007
OK - time for a quick tour of the 2 bedroomed terraced house that we have bought....
Here's the new house...

OK just kidding, that's the shed.
So here's the front and back of the house:



Below: Now we look from the through-lounge, to the kitchen (toward the back yard).
The compass on the kitchen floor points north.



Tonight Steve installs two smoke/fire alarms and a CO gas detector. Decide to keep the fire extinguisher on top of the fridge rather than attached to the wall.

Tue 11 Sep 2007
We haven't even really settled in, when we have to set-up some lamps with timer switches, and depart to Australia (tomorrow) for a fortnight. Packing, packing, our lives are being lived from the suitcase!!!

Wed 12 Sep 2007
First day of holiday, and we take off from Heathrow, just after midday.

Thu 13 Sep 2007
Land in Sydney about 7pm. We had a short stop over in Singapore, so we were outside the aircraft for about half an hour all up! Picked up at Sydney airport by Paul (one of four squires) and Laj (Steve's best friend other than Jen). Lots of catching up, and neccessary showers!

Fri 14 Sep 2007
Arrive in Brisvegas (Brisbane) early afternoon. Here's a shot of the house Jen grew up in, which will be our home for the next week. Thanks to Jen's mum for the use of her car.

Go and have dinner with Steve's mum and 3 out of 4 of his sisters. Here he is with his mum and sister Colleen.



Sat 15 Sep 2007
Happy 40th birthday Steve!!!! Here's your present - lunch with your family.
For those who don't know, Steve is the youngest of 8 children, with 4 sisters and 3 brothers. And most of them were able to make it to lunch. Here we are with Mum Parsons.

Below: afterwards, we all decided to walk off lunch with a stroll across the new Green Bridge nearby.

From left: Mara (a niece) with husband Zolie and bub, Carmel (sister), Peter (nephew),
Cal (nephew), David (Nephew), Jodie and her new boyfriend, Steve the birthday boy, Clare (oldest niece), Mark (her husband), Mum Parsons, Barry (brother), Jane (wife), Julie (sister), Shane (brother) and Belinda (wife).

We discovered Steve's old workplace had been destroyed by fire only a week ago...

Dinner, was spent with old SCA friends of our old barony: St Florian.
Below: Steve chats with another squire, Arianwen, aka 'the girl'.



Above: For those in London who remember Melina/Serena, she's sporting a funky new 'do'.