My childhood holiday memories consist of camping all over the UK. As an adult and a mum myself, we go camping every year. No electric and no luxuries. I am passionate about camping and struggle to get the same satisfaction from a holiday if staying in a cottage. I love the connection it gives to the outdoors and how we are almost forced to spend time outdoors taking in the surroundings. Having to get up during the cold, fresh night to go to the toilets but get an overwhelming feeling when you look up into the sky to see millions of stars dancing in the night. Sitting round a campfire toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate. Watching the sunrise and sunsets (yes and sometimes the rain and wind!) None of this when we stay in a cottage where we are sat round a TV or on our phones!
There was always a risk, a fear of it not working, so we never took the chance. Then in July 2016, a change! With billboards going up advertising yet more housing developments in the surrounding towns and villages, hours lost sat in traffic, stressful jobs that take over our family time and constantly feeling tired, it was a time for a change or at least to try to make a change. We'd planned to start looking into moving to North Wales, an area I have always been drawn to and always sad to leave, a place that felt like home. The plan was to spend a year doing up our house ready to sell (13 years as a family home!!), investigate potential jobs, look at housing possibilities in Wales and generally to find out whether it could work. Mark's Dad, Dave also fancied joining us on our new quest. Less than a week later a job transfer is available for Mark. We waited in anticipation to find out in what area. We started worrying about the children's school. In Gwynedd, the welsh language is very prominent in lessons, how will they cope, how will they learn?? A few days later we find that the job is available in Conwy, a great relief with majority of schools being bilingual. Our next worry - the job cannot be held open, changes were being made in the company, there is no guarantee the job would still be there in 3 months, 6 months or even a couple of months time. We had to make a decision and quick! So within a week, we raised the possibility of moving, applied for a job transfer and accepted the job to start in 8 weeks time. Reality hit - this was happening and in 8 weeks time!! What a whirlwind - emotions all over the place, some of excitement, others of panic! I was to give up my job, friends and leave family behind. And breathe!
Focus! Now the planning, work and stress took other - no time for panic or excitement. We had 8 weeks to get the house sorted and sold, find a house to move to, a school for the kids and with a 2 week camping holiday (already booked and paid for, could be the last for a few years!) within a few days of making the decision.
Well your living my dream too, wish you all the luck with this Claire, can't wait to come up and see you. XX
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