Out of touch

It's been quite a while since I posted anything here (again). We've been very busy over the last few months finding a new dragon cave to live in. Our old one had got a little cramped and the location wasn't very safe any more. Frankly, we also got a bit sick of people bitching about our location. So we decided to pack up and leave. This year seemed the best time as my eldest Dragonet starts primary school in September so moving now means least disruption for her. Dragon Dada no longer worked in the same area so he was free to live anywhere with a good commuter route (yes, even dragons have to file flight plans these days). We wanted somewhere with good schools and easier access to both our families. Circling London, we cast our eye westwards and, with some encouragement from my cousins who used to live here, we finally settled on Woking.

The town seemed to have everything we were looking for: a good shopping centre (with cinema/theatre etc); very good Catholic schools; low crime-rate; less pollution; easier to reach my dam and sire (a one-hour journey, instead of one and three-quarters) without adding more than ten minutes onto the trip to see my dam and sire-in-law. Oh, and a fast commuter route into London - 23 minutes on the fast train for you bipeds.

So we begged the school to let us apply late, got a place for my eldest Dragonet, packed up our videos, books and DVDs and put them into storage, redecorated our cave, repaired those bits we'd been meaning to repair for the last five years, and put our cave on the market. We screamed at estate agents, hassled solicitors, travelled backwards and forwards from Woking and finally found a cave we liked and a buyer for our cave. No move goes smoothly and we had plenty of last minute hiccups but finally moved in on the day we had planned (although we didn't actually complete until the following morning!) and, within a month (!) had broadband up and running again. Phew!

So here we are now, in a lovely new cave, larger than the old one with a huge garden at the back full of fruit (apple tree, pear tree, redcurrants, rhubarb, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, to which we've added blackberries and grapes, hopefully). We've drained the pond (too much of a liability for the Dragonets, however lovely it was), reordered the garden (partially), planted a herb garden (finally! essential for cooking!), bought a barbecue, unpacked (mostly), and found our feet. My Dragonet has visited her school several times and is looking forward to starting in September. I have just about got an idea of where the shops are, and we're starting to explore the surrounding areas as well. Dragon Dada is actually enjoying the commute (as much as one can) and finding the journey time reduced slightly. And we're loving the new house. If you've not had a housewarming invite it could just be that we don't love you but on the off-chance that it got lost in the post, you can drop me an e-mail (or leave a comment) and I'll send you the details.

Oh and for those who know their H. G. Wells, I've only seen one Martian so far, although we haven't visited Horsell Common yet... I believe the sandpit is still there.