We've moved! (again…) 


I am writing this while sitting in my new flat, surrounded by half-unpacked boxes and random bits of furniture, so I guess it's safe to say that Heike and I have now officially moved to York. The new place is great—very hi-tech—and the move itself actually went quite smoothly, despite the fact that it took three days and involved driving over 250 miles across the country in a large van. Seeing as this is our fourth move in as many years, I think that we're finally getting the hang of it, although I'll be happy if we don't have to do it again in for at least another couple of years. 

Not only did we move stuff from my old place in York and then drive over to Lancaster to collect Heike's things from Lancaster (we split the furniture and bulky stuff between us when I moved to York last year), but we ended up helping two other friends move—one in York and the other in Lancaster—making a total of four moves in all! It all worked out rather well because our friends were also able to help us load and unload our stuff, meaning that we finished much quicker than expected and were able to recoup some money from the hire company for returning it one day early. This went some way towards covering the cost of the diesel used in driving to Lancaster and back, which came to an astonishing £52—ouch! However, it was still a hell of a lot cheaper than hiring a professional removal company, and was actually quite fun, even though we are both now totally exhausted and don't have much energy left to do the unpacking! I guess we'll just have to put up with boxes all over the place for a few more weeks…

Moving house is never a terribly enjoyable experience, and this one has been particularly long and drawn out. Heike started packing several months ago, and to be honest I still can't really believe that it's all over (except for the aforementioned boxes). It's great to be in the new place though, especially as we now live right in the city centre. My previous house (and also Heike's in Lancaster) was quite a distance away, and although was reasonably close to the university, it felt like I was living in a completely different city as I hardly had time to make it into York proper. I love the fact that all the shops, cinemas, cafés—not to mention bars, of which there is a particularly nice one just across the river—are now practically on our doorstep, meaning that it only takes a couple of minutes, rather than a major expedition, to get there.

For me, this is the end of a long process that started nearly three years ago with Heike's move to Lancaster to study there while I was still based in Bath. We've both come a long way since then and the experience of going to university has been a very positive one for each of us—even though Heike would have been quite happy if it hadn't have lasted quite as long! For her, this is just the first step in relocating to a new home, and she is now concentrating on finding a job and start her new career here in York. Although it will probably take a few years before she is able to move into the sort of thing that she wants to be doing (art therapy, creative nursery education and/or teaching parenting skills), she aims to develop her skills and experience with a view to working in these areas in the future.

Above all, it's great to be finally living together under the same roof again. York is an excellent place to live and we're looking forward to exploring the city and surrounding area over the next few years. I think we'd both be quite happy to stay here for a long time, but somehow I think that we may be on the move again after I finish my studies… but please don't tell Heike I said that!

Updated contact details can be found on my main contact page. 

Posted on Saturday - July 30, 2005 at 05:46 PM            

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