Matt has started gathering things in the living room we’re intending to take! But he has only ticked about half of the things from our 2-page-list!! Don’t know how we’ll fit the rest into our car! Ok, many things are quite small - but there is one large item still on the list “all clothes”!
Also our whisky bottle is nearly empty - maybe half a glass left each - how will we get through the last 12 days? Who would have thought we'd get to like Whisky so much? What better way to end a day than a dram of Whisky and wondering if we'll manage to get it all done??

I woke up this morning, worrying about some books, wondering where to store them - there would be so many more important things to worry about! The children are at our neighbours and we’re really getting on with loads of work! Just written the last Christmas Cards and have gone through all the rooms, deciding what we want to take to Orkney, store in the attic or “just leave where they are”. Luckily, we’re leaving most things, hoping that will be ok for M&J. But still much sorting and carrying to do! I’ve gone through all our pinboards (you wouldn’t believe how many we have!!) sorting through old vouchers (expired 2011, 2012, ...) newspaper articles (good books for three-year-olds, ...) and photos (Nanouk, aged 2, with his new suitcase :o) Although it’s all hard work, it’s also rewarding - and good when it’s done! We will come back to a very uncluttered house (hopefully...)
That’s all for today! I’m off to the Christmas Market with my Mum, for some mulled wine, girl chat and some together-time, which we will both miss!

So far all the blog entries were written by Natalie. In the future I (Matt) will also be writing the odd contribution. So if you think an entry is odd, it’s probably from me ... You can actually see who wrote the post above the entry where it says ‘Posted by’.

As you might (or might not) know, I will be working from ‘home’ in Orkney, for the same firm I worked for the past five years. Thankfully they were all very understanding when I first mentioned that I would like to take a timeout (about 3 years ago). Now that it’s not even a timeout but rather a ‘relocation’ it’s even better for my bosses. I will work three days a week and have the other four days for my family and some of my own projects, whatever they will be. Next Thursday I will for the first time take our car to work, to pick up my desktop computer and the computer screen. It will be plugged in again towards the end of December in Orkney and I hope the connection will be fast enough to allow for some hard work. I’ve tested it in April and it should be fine, but you can never know unless you sit down and do the things you need to do for a whole day. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

We’ve had some fabulously sunny days here in Wil, very unusual for December. It will allow us to arrive in Orkney saturated with sunlight and that should last us through the usually rather bleak January there.

I assume these blog entries will be coming in more frequently as we actually reach Orkney. If not, we either hate everything and don’t dare to write about it, or we are so busy with all the exciting new experiences that we don’t have time to start up the computer...

Maleah has just received an envelope full of letters from her future classmates! How exciting! We’re still reading through all of them, but they are very sweet! Most of them tell her about different activities she could do at school! Brilliant!
We also got an email from Nanouk’s future teacher, telling us, how welcoming and friendly her class is, so that’s good news, too!
Also been tidying up the garden (soo many leaves everywhere) and still writing Christmas Cards, which is always a treat after hard work: Writing a card, a cup of tea and a biscuit - that’s my time to calm down and enjoy the Christmas feeling!

Every Sunday on Cbeebies we watch Katie Morag. What a wonderful life! And all she wears are wellies and a skirt (and a think jumper). Although, funnily, it’s always sunny in Struay :o)
Life here is getting more and more hectic. So many things to do still and so many people we’d still like to see, but we’re slowly realising, that we won’t be able to see them all, before we leave - although: six months is not that long a time! We will probably be back before most have noticed we’re gone!
Slowly starting to realise all the things we still should do! “Small things” which will take a long time anyway like sorting out all the pin boards we have, with loads of small scraps of paper on them, which once were put there because they are important... so they can’t be chucked without looking at them...
We had a wonderful birthday party for Nanouk and eight of his friends with a treasure hunt through the neighbourhood and making our own pancakes with loads of different delicious fillings, which was also a little bit like a goodbye party!
We also had good friends here for the weekend, who will come and see us in Orkney and it was exciting to talk about our plans there together!

Both our children say the thing that worries them most is missing their friends here - and Maleah added that she’s a little scared about her first day at school, which I can very much understand!
But we know they’ll be alright as soon as they’ve got to know their new class mates!

That’s all for today, I've been at the computer since six and I have to get the children up and to school, then head for the gym and hand in my membership for the next six months, then I have a friend coming over in the afternoon, then a school meeting, then taking the children to chess - and it’s probably going to be one of the more relaxed days in the next two weeks, just too much going on - AND I want to start on the cleaning/sorting.... AND then there are the Christmas cards which won’t write themselves and the presents... But, I’m not complaining! We’re enjoying most of it (not the cleaning and the sorting) and we are so much looking forward to starting our big adventure at last!

Got our new TV yesterday and Matt managed to install it straight away, moving shelves and rearranging cables! Now it’ll be much easier for M&J to watch some good old BBC!

Also phoned my new friend “Lady L” from immigrations and received the wonderful news that the permit for M&J will go through! Very happy!

Trying to sort out my accident-insurance, which is normally paid by my employer, but not for the 6 months when I’m on unpaid leave. There are different options for different grades of accidents and I need to decide what I want ... But I guess that’s always the case! Luckily my health insurance will cover everything concerning illnesses no matter where I am, so that’s one worry less...


Now off to buy some chocolates for Lady L & Lady B from immigrations, never know if we’ll need their help again! And to have my blood checked to make sure I’ve got enough iron for our adventure!

Slowly getting more and more excited - but also wake up very early most mornings, remembering all sorts of things we still need to do! Hope that’s just a phase and will not continue till we leave! 5am is just too early for me!