Category Archives: Moving House
10 months in…
This week I was reminded why we made the right decision to move to Colchester. We’d done our time in St Albans and it was loosing its appeal. It’s full of 4×4/people carrier driving stay at home mums and wankers in Saabs and Jeeps who are more interested in material things than actual real life. St Albans is a very good advertisement about all that is wrong in this country at the moment.
Colchester is nearly as affluent in parts as St Albans but the residents have a much better outlook on life. There is an even balance of people and everyone seems genuinely willing to help one another.
Colchester is also much more beautiful than St Albans and even though I sometimes feel the commute is a little longer it’s more than worth it.
There is a huge wealth of parks and woodlands and most notably for us is the small protected wood to the rear of our house and the oak meadow and meadowland literally opposite our front door.
During my commute on Thursday evening I had time to notice it was particularly spring like. It was warm. Sunny. And there was a beautiful February sunset to accompany my journey.
Once you get past Chelmsford things get very rural and its lovely to see fields of green packed with rambling like stock, weirs, brooks and cute villages scattered around the landscape.
I have to pinch myself when I realise we have been residents of Colchester for nearly 10 months already and I love our new home more and more every day.
Richard, Brandy and I have settled in so well and it really does feel like home. Rather than someone’s house which we rented and occupied.
Of course we’re now past the initial move in phase and are considering how to upgrade the house to suit our tastes and requirements.
This starts with a visit from an Interior Designer on Saturday and includes plans for freshening up the hall and adding feature walls to the living room and our bedroom.
We have already made some changes as I have reported in the past and recent editions include our new security system. A system which caused us by some happy accident to discover our front door is made of steel and not of wood as we thought. Imagine our surprise when we tried to drill into it and the drill bit buckled!
We still have lots of friends to come and stay and some who have been many times already but it pleases me (us) that everyone is so taken-aback by what we have acquired.
Richard and I work damn hard and it’s nice to see the fruits of our labour baring ripe morsels.
Long may it continue and long may we have lots of pleasure in finding new and exciting (as well as familiar and routine) things to do in Colchester, Essex, Suffolk and beyond.
Anyone who criticises Essex and it’s people need to move away from the mindless media stereotypes and come in further from London. You will be pleasantly surprised.
2011 as recorded on Instagram (id:trunkguy)
Our new home 
Our new home Essex/Suffolk
Brandy "adjusting" to her new feeding times!
English Countryside
A year enjoyed with good friends
Saying goodbye to good friends (they moved to Australia)
Another year, another year older
Gorgeous seaside sunsets in Essex
My baby looking as handsome as ever on his birthday
Janet Jackson at the Royal Albert Hall
Experiencing new views of London
Sunny breaks in Spain (popular photo this one!)
A year of literature...
... and culture (The Most Incredible Thing, Ballet at Sadlers Wells)
Christmas as captured on Instagram!
Our Anniversary Weekend
It’s been a nice weekend and I would like to start by thanking those who remembered and sent congratulations and celebratory messages to Richard and I for our anniversary. It is madness to think that it has been five years since we tied the knot. I honestly don’t know where the time has gone!
Me with my iPhone 4s (and Siri)
I was toying with the idea and for a while agonised whether I would keep my iPhone 4 as I didn’t see there to be any problem with it. I decided in the end that I have worked so damn hard lately that I should and could treat myself – so I did.
I was originally intending on leaving Orange (crap signal at the new house and on the commute) and moving to 02. Sadly I have encountered a couple of surly 02 staff this week when asked if they had an iPhone 4S’s in stock. Richard suggested Vodafone (whom I originally dismissed as there handset price was slightly more) and I gave them a go.
The Vodafone store in Colchester could not have been more helpful and to top it off they had the 32Gb white model which I was coveting.
Now you may have seen some of Siri’s responses online but I wanted to share just this one with you as it made me chuckle. There are loads online to view though so I suggest you Google it. That or get an iPhone 4S – especially to ask Siri what to do when you need to dump a body!
Apple has come up trumps again and the Siri interface is as straightforward as you would expect from Apple, the memory bump really makes the phone and lot quicker, the signal is always on (and I don’t just think that’s cause I dumped Orange and the camera etc are brilliant.). Regardless of all the comments about me being an Apple fan boy this is one clever little device.
During Friday I managed to use some will power and not head home immediately. Instead I stuck with my plan and headed to Firstsite.
Firstsite is a fantastic new arts centre which is part of the regeneration of Colchester and is a world class gallery. It partners with the Tate galleries which means it’s full of works from Al Wei Wei, Andy Warhol etc that wouldn’t normally make it to provincial exhibitions.
I was lucky enough to obtain a Golden Ticket to the launch but couldn’t attend as we were in Plymouth at the time.
The light and airy interior of Firstsite
Of course there has been some local noise about such a thing and the typical over budget costs but this was born of a time when the country had money and if the likes of Liverpool, Hull and St Ives can have world class art venues then why not Essex or Colchester?
Of course I am a tiny bit biased as I now have two world class art galleries on my door step – Tate Modern across the road from the office and Firstsite at home
After a browse around Firstsite and a shopping trip to Sainsburys I headed home, sorted the house and cooked an anniversary meal for Richard and I. I cooked what has become an anniversary staple for us and we both throughly enjoyed the meal. In fact we turned in early as we were both absolutely stuffed!
Saturday actually followed a very similar routine to Friday. Principally (I believe), because Richard knew I didn’t feel that rested on Friday!
We went into town early and after some further deliberation Richard bit the bullet and went to Vodafone and signed up for an iPhone 4S – Saturday afternoon was spent with multiple conversations with Siri!
As I had recommended Firstsite we took a stroll over to the gallery in the morning where we enjoyed a coffee and a cake in Musa, the restaurant/cafe at Firstsite. It is as airy and as bright as the rest of the gallery and an excellent spot to take a load off and enjoy the panoramic view of Colchester.
On the walk back through town I took a number of snaps for Colchester24 – a public experiment to capture the town over a period of 24 hours. This is a document that already exists with the last one taking place in 1986 – it’d be great to know that one of my photographs may be included in their historical archive.
We chilled for a while in the afternoon with the help of Love Film before heading out our front door and on a country walk from the Meadow opposite the house. I switched on my GPS tracker and in 50 minutes we had managed approximately 3 miles of open countryside and public footpaths before ending up back at the house. It really is lovely to have this on our doorstep and with the October weather being so nice it’s great to be able to take advantage of it while we can.
Charter Wood opposite our house
So I think you will agree it’s been a nice relaxing weekend so far and as I write we still have the rest of Sunday to go
Another quick peek
As we have completed some work on the house and had a few changes such as our new sofa, the tiling we have put up in the kitchen etc., I thought I would record another video so that you can take an additional tour around our new home.
I hope you enjoy the walk through.
If you missed the original tour you can watch it here.
Time for an update
Topiary Bush I have planted at the front of the house
Yes we’ve had a few new home problems but as per the agreement with our builders everything has sorted itself out.
If you had asked us about moving to Essex/Colchester a year ago I would have thought you were mad but now I see we have made the right decision.
Essex was a county I knew little about and Colchester a town even less. We have soon become accustomed to life on the Suffolk Borders and are very happy here.
Considering everything else that is going on in the world at present I am very pleased and honoured to be able to come home to such a beautiful home in such a nice place and spend my time here enjoying life with Richard and Brandy.
I didn’t realise home much of an impact the old house and location was having on us and our way of life. St Albans may have been an easy commute into London but the cons certainly do not weigh up that one pro.
We lived in a house we didn’t own, which need work and was looking tired. Looking at the state of the house when we cleaned it to leave (not that we are messy!), I realised how much soot and crap had accumulated in that old cottage and am sure that it was detrimental to our health.
It’s also a huge benefit being able to park on our own drive – this gives us a ridiculous amount of freedom. Prior to this we lived in a residential parking area on a road which was a bit of a rat run. If the other residents weren’t competing for the parking spaces then the town centre shoppers were. Over time this meant we got more and more agitated about going out or being away for long period of time as after a certain time we wouldn’t have any where to park and would be victims for the traffic warden.
Our tiling effort in the kitchen
It’s nice to sit here and type this in the relative peace of Colchester, enjoying what is now our second weekend where we haven’t done anything to the house (save for a minor bit of tiling and painting).
When I say we are complete we are just that. There is minimal waste in the garage, the occasional stuff is in the loft and the house is furnished and decorated as we want it. It has already become our home and I am confident to say that we are both pleased and amazed at how quickly this has all fallen into place.
There may be a blog entry stating something contrary to this as our new sofa is being delivered on Wednesday but how often does that happen eh?
We have made good ground in getting acquainted with the local area, most notably when we took Richard to Colchester Zoo for his birthday. The town centre is not too far away from us and we have been out exploring the delights of Essex. This includes a couple of nice country meals in country pubs and an evening stroll in High Woods Park which is literally 5 minutes away from us.
I have to give points to Colchester Council as they are very swish in their organisation and they are great at providing lots of interesting and lovely local areas and parkland. High Woods is a lovely park literally 5 minutes from the house which (on our first visit) gave us a 3 mile walk around wood and meadow land – the park is much bigger but it’s nice to know we have all of this literally on our door step.
Our new sofa - "Oslo" from Dwell
That said Becky and Noel were very lucky that after a morning of torrential rain it eased off and we got to enjoy the house and garden. Noel cooked up a feast without getting wet.
They have moved into a lovely house in the Woolwich area of London and seem very happy with their new home.
Becky and Noel were excellent hosts and it looked like all their guests had lots of fun.
I am always unsure about taking Richard to a party which includes people from the office but that group that were invited were quite mixed and lots of fun.
Of course it helped that one of my friends was also invited so we had a chance to catch up and have some fun before he went on holiday.
As you can see from the following photographs we had a fun day.
I cannot remember what we were laughing at but it must have been funny!
Paul getting into the party spirit ahead of his holiday
No they're not playing musical chairs!
Richard and I lounging about on the sofa with Em
186. Details.
I am a fan of design and interior blogs and magazines (especially since starting to buy a house) and it dawned on me that I could achieve the close shot, arty photography that graces all those sites, especially since we now have a smart new house to show off.
So here, in a collection of simple, focussed photographs I present 186.
Our House… A virtual tour.
I have put together a brief video tour of our new house. It’s not quite the same as being here but we are so proud of our new home that I wanted to share it with you…
It’s our house and it is actually in the middle of our street (sort of!)
We had quite a hectic period moving and as you can imagine we are nearly finished, there are a few things left to do. Obviously want to blog throughly about the move as it’s such a major event in both our lives but for the moment you will have to make do with the video as I don’t have much free time.
Suffice to say we love our new home and all three of us seem to have settled in very quickly.
I hope you enjoy my little tour…
We’ve moved!
Parked outside our new house
We have been searching on or off for the last 2 and a half years and it’s been an emotional slog. We had a very near miss 6 weeks ago and have managed to bounce back in a very small amount of time to view, consider, purchase, complete and own a house in a part of the UK which was not on our original radar.
I haven’t mentioned the house or the move that much as it has been very stressful and to be honest we have been to tired to not want to go on and on about it. I also feel that some things should remain private and have been of a view not to announce anything until now when we have the keys and are confirmed home owners.
I say “have the keys” as we took ownership yesterday, upon doing so we set up a few bits and loaded the car. It’s not the easier of moves as it’s 70 miles from where we are now.
We’ve also exchanged and completed on the same day as the house we have bought is brand new and was ready to move into.
So after 9 years in St Albans, we say goodbye to Hertfordshire and hello to Colchester in Essex. Yes I am a little apprehensive about the move because I know little about the town or the country, but to be honest that is the same situation I was in when I moved up here from Devon 11 and a half years ago!
We tried various places in the UK with a varying degree of success with viewings etc. Ultimately we have to be commutable for London and can get to Liverpool Street in approx. 55 minutes so it’s not too bad. The railway station is a short walk from the house so that is a huge bonus.
We’ve purchased a 3 bed, 3 story town house and it is giving us much more than we could ever wish for. An equivalently priced property in St Albans would get us a studio flat.
I have enjoyed St Albans but the place has lost it’s shine. It’s too expensive and the people think they are more important than any one else. St Albans has the highest tax rate in the UK and probably one of the worst rail lines.
There is a big disconnect between those who have money and those who do not and I will not miss the void in attitudes that this place brings.
Colchester is a Garrison town and reminds me a lot of Plymouth which is where I grew up. Although it’s a town it is bigger than St Albans and the people seem much friendlier. We may not have the high street on our door step any more but we do have the ability to park our car in our garage or on our own drive. (Believe me I am not looking forward to parking the van in St Albans over the weekend!).
We “officially” move in tomorrow – what I mean is that we are moving a lot of bulky stuff up to Colchester tomorrow and Brandy is coming with us. Tomorrow night will be the first night we spend in the new house and I am really looking forward to it.
I have busily spent the day packing up the house in St Albans whilst Richard sorted out all the tech in Colchester and waited around for the gas man (we had the gas turned off last night as we had a leak – oh the joys of owning a new home 
)
The house has been a major focus for the pair of us for a long time and I really have kept fairly quiet about it online so you must excuse me if I start going on and on about the move for a while.
Ultimately this is a new chapter in our lives and I am very much looking forward to getting settled in Colchester and seeing what Essex brings…
Wish us luck!
I don’t believe it!
In the midst of packing the house up today Richard and I have both discovered some lost treasure!
Richard thought he lost his birth certificate but following the clear out of a little used cupboard we found it in an old briefcase!
Lost for 8 years
Richard went to the supermarket this morning and I suggested he take all the loose change we had in the house as it had been accumulating for years in various tins and jars.
Imagine Richards surprise when he put the coins in the machine (£26 worth!) and along with a handful of Euros it spat out the ring! I could not believe it when Richard pulled it out of his pocket.
Isn’t it amazing that you could give up on something when it’s there all along – you just have to get to the right moment to find it and it’ll show itself.
I am now wearing the signet ring and will ensure it does not go missing again!
Chickens, Cocktails and Sunny Tales
It’s been another crazy week but as you may have seen by my earlier blog entry it’s been a week that started really well. In amongst a very crazy day I received final confirmation from HR that my promotion had been completed and I was to check my new contract and authorise it to confirm the change in the system… After careful reading of the contract with Richard I happily ticked the box and am now the Digital Design Manager for Central Marketing
This could not have come at a better time as we are just about to go on holiday and Richard and I are in the process of buying a house.
As this was a four day week (and one which led most people into an eleven day bank holiday), it has been very very busy at the office. Everyone has been scrambling around to tie up loose ends so that as much is achieved for the 3rd May as possible. You wouldn’t have believed it was 26 degrees and sunny in London last week as I only managed to have one lunch break (Monday) and the rest of the week I was constantly trapped in meetings (and sadly in some of the darkest rooms in a very bright building!).
Still my book of the week led me to sunnier climbs and put me in the mood for my holiday… Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools is an account from Victoria Twead of her ambition to move to Spain. Victoria and her husband decide to give it a go and buy a run down house in Almeria with a view to make a decision to stay after 5 years.
I think if I were to write a book it would be in a very similar style to Victorias as it’s more diary led and full of anecdotes which makes Chickens… a pleasure to read. I must say though that the end of the book seemed to be a lot more focussed on events rather than telling a story but that aside I did thoroughly enjoy the book.
As a Brit who travels to Spain a lot, staying in a pseudo Spanish community I find it very witty that Victoria has such views of the Spanish and them of her… All the stereotypes are there but I guess that’s what makes the book fun as it feels like a true account.
There is a whole cast of characters in the book and some moving stories – if you’re heading to Spain this is a great holiday read. I did intend on only starting it but managed to finish it by Thursday!
I cannot complain though as the Kindle is full of new books to read whilst on the beach or by the pool next week.
Victoria was very kind to send me a tweet and a mail following my I have finished comment from my Kindle. This seems to be an interesting emerging trend as I have since befriended Gruff Davies, author of The Looking Glass Club.
Richard and I in the Duke of Wellington
So far on this long break we have been to Essex, Suffolk and London – tomorrow Spain then who knows where next weekend!
As I have already recorded we had dinner and drinks in the Gem Bar in London with friends yesterday and although I gave the venue a poor review (possibly one of the worst I have written), we did have a fun time. We started our escapades in B@1 Bar where we took advantage of the happy hour cocktails. Mind you before I had even had a chance to sup my Thom Collins I was nearly taken advantage of by the very cute barman (Richard) *blush*.
Paul and Chris trying to have a conversation in Gem
I was surprised to see Russell Tovey in the bar and it looked like he was having fun. We tried to convince Richard to have his photo taken with him but he chickened out. To be honest I am not sure whether Russell liked the attention or not (but then again he was dancing like a fool in a crowded bar so I guess he was lapping up any attention he had).
Peter and Wayne in the Duke of Wellington
So far it’s been a lovely weekend/week/holiday/whatever and long may it continue. Easter Sunday is going to be a quiet day for us. I shall cook some lunch and we can chill out today – well once we have got around to packing for tomorrow!
Whatever you are up to and however long you have off – make the most of the time off and have a great time. See you all on the other side!
