Oh my God, where has the year gone?

Boy it's been a while since I updated this!

Congrats to Rob and Shona and I hope all things go well over the next few months. Can't believe he will be a dad.

Since I last wrote, Maike has finished her dissertation and got her results today which were very good! Hooray!!!!! She just has her practical exams to do in October and then should be a qualified teacher.

Then we can get on and move in together finally after some 6 years!!!!!! So that will be a big step for us.

We were seriously looking to get a place near here in Stade and even put an offer on a place. Boy is buying a house so much different in Germany especially the aspects of raising finance. Anyway, nearing the end of this process I got a call from a recruiting agency not long after registering on Linkedin. I was not really interested, though did speak to them and gave an off the cuff response with what I thought was a ridiculous salary.

However, they kept ringing me up and after some false starts got a meeting with the MD of their client. I was offered 3 different potential roles and invited back for interview. So at this stage I took the brave step of pulling out of the house purchase and finalised the deal after an interview end of July.

Well a couple of weeks ago I handed my notice in and will now start in November. I shall have to move to Nord-Rhein-Westfalen, the state where Maike's family live, and we have been so busy and have already found somewhere we will rent.

So there is so much to sort out, 2 house moves for the end of this year. I will go first in October, at the same time as Maike's exams, so I plan to take time off, go down there to help her (clean cook etc). And also decorate the new place before coming back up here for the move of our stuff out of here and then decorate here. German renting is such a pain in some respects with this decorating nonsense. Oh well.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I shall be in UK between 29th August and 4th September. I've got to be in Bristol to sort out parperwork, check the flat hasn't burnt down etc. Then go to my nephew's birthday (haven't told my sister yet), and see the folks. I've told my parents ans that I shall be back, they don't know 100% when as I only booked the flights this week.

So hopefully see you all soon!!!! The new place we are moving into has 4 rooms so plenty of space for visitors. The nearest airport is Munster/Osnabruck and Maike should move her things there in December, then she has to do slave labour until Feb 2008. She can apply for jobs this November once she has her results.

Will try to keep you posted, can't promise anything as I am already having to count my weekends to sort things out but in the new year things will be different, like always with me. Things don't ever seem to stop!

Kayee