Thursday 1st July

And so the month started on a steady note for us all with the mandatory let's get a few things sorted before checking on the house again.

While we made the most of the breakfast, we received e-mail notification that the kids had been accepted to St. Wilfred's in Ripon. A shock to us all seen as we had gone to appeal, but a very welcome one nonetheless, and a great way to start the day.

Running around the shops both buying and returning went well enough considering before making it to the house for one final hurrah. Checking on each room and giving the empty spaces one last look over was much easier than it had been on all the previous occasions when we had been cleaning them and so once checked out we drove on in the trusty Camry with one final sneak look and wave out the side windows.

For me personally, the sad man that I am, I was almost as gutted returning our books to Smoky Hill library and giving that the last once over. How I've used that place to death and will definitely miss the quality and range of stuff available from there - as will the kids. Rather than pay their final respects both Molly and Amelia chose to stay in the car with the air conditioning on rather than walk the couple of yards into the place, although the temperature was around the mid-nineties at that point. In great anticipation of our hol's we then made a quick stop over at the barbers so I could shed a few pounds from the barnet before heading back to our now comfortable hotel suite.

When we arrived at our hotel the fire brigade were there attempting to kill the ear-piercing alarms after a plumber on a welding job had set the whole place off. It didn't take too long before all was sorted and we grabbed a bit to eat.

The kids hit the pool for the now daily swim session while Leigh headed off to meet up with her book club chums (old, but good picture) for the last time. The kids loved the TV drama of

some painful quiz show where the contestant managed to blow 140,000 dollars with her avarice while they chomped down the remains of a Cadbury's Flake easter egg. Spot on.

Leigh made it back from her evening sad to once again say goodbye, but with a couple of welcome gifts that will keep us all happy on our trip. No wonder you ladies are full of smiles - or is that just the range of steady alcohol.

Wednesday 30th June

Another day towards departure and the kids managed to have some fun today. While Leigh cracked on as has become the norm with the never ending range of dusty spots I finally managed to check out at work - ultimately joining the cleaning crew later on - and Molly and Amelia hit the pool with Adrian and Angelica.

While the final range of hoovering and mopping was completed we also packaged up a few odd bits in a box that we pushed through the post office. A small matter of forty six dollars later and the shoebox size package was on its way. Nothing quite like a nice cheap service !!

Leaving work was quite the anti-climax. After weeks of handshakes and laughing goodbyes it was a short and sweet see yer followed by a brief stroll in the sun to the car. Out processing has never been so impersonal, but it's done now and so the time off begins.

We finished the evening off with a cracking meal at Maggiano's Little Italy with Sid, Steff and Co. Tomorrow we will see the last of the house and in next to no time the keys to 5135 will soon be theirs. At least the cleaning will be over and done with and the countdown to the beach will never feel more significant.

Tuesday 29th June

Bit of a long and tiring day for all with the bulk of the house getting cleaned from top to bottom and the last of the work stuff sorted. How much paperwork a household ever acquires I don't know and this in the electronic age. After all the goodbye drinks and send off's it is almost down to the wire. Fortunately help was at hand from next door with some assistance in getting the house spick and span, so many thanks Jennifer.

Finished the evening with a great bit of company and a good munch. Mexican fayre will be a thing of the dim and distant past in a month or so - luckily it was particularly good - and such a shame that the kids are getting upset at saying another goodbye. Still a few more to go yet, so I'll keep a box of Kleenex handy for the two little 'uns.

No snaps today - it really was that much fun - but there will be plenty to throw around once the long series of goodbyes is finally done and dusted come Sunday.

Monday 28th June

Happy Anniversary !!

As we all got our bags packed and move out of the house it didn't feel like much of a happy day.
After the panic of getting our household goods boxed up and ready to go last week and seeing them disappear on the back of a not-so dodgy wagon we slowly got our stuff together and made our way to the Homewood Suites.

Kids getting a bit bored and overly excited in the house without anything to truly occupy themselves with and us getting wound up at trying to stuff as much stuff as possible into our range of bags without exceeding the weight limit.
Piece of cake in the end, but it certainly had its moments.
Cancelling the last of our accounts and the finality of it all is dawning on us like a purple haze.

The hotel is lovely and thankfully the family suite we've got is quality.

Plenty still to do with work and the house to sort.

Another two days before work is done and dusted
and the house is looking a lot larger and emptier
than it seemed when we arrived - enough cleaning to do for a couple of days yet.

Kids settled after something to eat and a swim in the hotel pool before making the most of their huge beds leaving me to decipher the local wireless requirements and crack on with the start of this lot. Tomorrow should hopefully be a little less frustrating, even if it is because of other distractions.