The Exodus (Part 2)

“What have I got?” asked Mike in an excited weariness.

“A sausage roll,” replied Claire. “You can have one out of the pack of two. Dylan can have the other.”

 “Brilliant, so I eat the same as a four year old.”

 “Well, you can get something else in the shop if you want. I can’t remember everything.”

 “We’re trying to save money. I’m not paying these service station prices for a Ginsters slice that costs twice as much as normal.”

 “Well, there’s a bag of crisps in the car. Why don’t you have that as well.”

 “No, it’s alright,” he said in a resigned sort of way. “I’ll have them when we get back on the road. Let’s just get the kids fed and we’ll get back on it, as soon as we can.”

 “That’s what I was thinking as well. After all you can eat something more when you get to my mum and dad’s house if you want.”

 “Yeah, alright.”

 After another half an hour of feeding, weeing and changing, the family returned to their car to continue with the rest of their journey to Southampton. The traffic had been okay considering it was a Friday evening, but it always feels like a longer journey than it actually is. Over the last fifteen years, Mike had made this journey so many times that it really was beginning to feel monotonous now. The route had stayed the same throughout this time. M60, M56, M6, M42, M40, A34, M3, M27 and rest. It always surprised him why people would go any other way. He was an expert at this one route, and in his younger days he had set his record of three hours, but even now in his more responsible situation he could make the journey in three and a half hours. But now they had a new strategy of having dinner half way, at Warwick, this added another hour to the time, and so relatively it now felt a lot longer.

 It’s interesting how, on a long journey of any sort, the time goes much slower at the beginning and then you adjust to the nothingness between A and B and, almost as in meditation, your mind opens up and great ideas can drop in, and the time can race on as you are completely absorbed in your own reverie.

 It was an episode like this a couple of years ago when Mike first had the idea of how he could make this move really happen. He had been travelling back from Cambridge in the middle of the night, and he started to run through the sums on how much it would cost to live somewhere else, and more importantly do something different to his current day job as an accountant. The idea of moving to the Isle of Wight came later, during a family holiday there, but the initial idea of doing something different and breaking away from the norm had been planted in a similar driving trance. This time, however, the only thoughts running through his mind were the specifics of the itinerary that they would follow when they arrived in Cowes the following morning.

 “Ok, so what time are we getting there?” he asked Claire, even though he knew already.

 “I think it’s 10.30 in the morning, but you booked it,” replied Claire impatiently, as she had just begun to close her eyes.

 “Yeah, yeah, that’s right. 10.30. And what’s first on the list of things to do?”

 “We’ve got our first viewing at 1 o’clock, and we’ve then got to see another two with the same people.”

 “So, shall we have an early lunch, say 11.30ish?” Mike was obsessed with meal times since they had the kids, and Sophie was so difficult to feed. “We could go to the Yellow Submarine. You know the one in Cowes?”

 “Yeah, that sounds ok, and then we can go the house which is in Cowes anyway. So, perfect.”

 “Cool. Where are the other houses?”

 “I’ve told you all of this stuff already,” and she sighs, but then as Mike knew she would, she began to go through it all again. “All of these houses are in Cowes on the first day, and then we’re seeing some in Gurnard on Tuesday, and then we’re seeing the one on Rolls Hill on Wednesday.”

 “Blimey,” said Mike as he puffed his cheeks out. “We’ve also got to fit the schools in as well. When are they?”

 Claire gives him one of those looks, “There’s no point me telling these things to you,” and she pauses and takes a deep breath. “We’re going to see Gurnard Primary on Tuesday morning, we’re then going to see Hunny Hill on Wednesday, and Medina House for Sophie on Thursday. I don’t know why I bother.”

 Mike remained silent after this and his attention was briefly brought back to the road in front of him and more specifically an Electrical van moving across three lanes to come off at a junction.

 “I can’t wait for us to have sorted all of this stuff out,” said Mike as his mind came back to the conversation.

 “I just hope we do get it sorted this week,” said Claire doubtfully. “Because if we don’t get anything this week, then I don’t want to have to rely on Rightmove to choose a house. That would be rubbish. But we have to get it soon because we then need to tell the schools our address. If we can’t find a house when we’re there then it’s going to be a nightmare.”

 “Don’t worry, we’ll find something,” assured Mike. “The island’s full of houses and we just need one for six months. It’s a piece of cake. If it’s not ideal then so what. As long as it’s there, then everything else can begin to happen. It’ll be good, trust me.”

 Claire looked out of the window watching the cars moving in front of her, with an unconvinced look etched on her face, and then closed her eyes for a second attempt at a quick snooze.

 It had been a long morning already when the ferry finally arrived at the dock in East Cowes at ten thirty the next day. Mike and Claire had left the New Forest suburbs of Marchwood at 8:30am expecting there to be a lot of traffic on the roads, given that it was rush hour and that there were some road works near the ferry terminal. Instead it was a completely clear run and they had been waiting for 45 minutes before being waved in to the car hold in the bowels of Red Osprey.

 The sun was enjoying a rare outing that summer, so the family had sat outside on the deck for the one hour crossing, and although a bit of a wind, they had found it very pleasant. This had led to them being in a holiday mood as the car bounced off the ramp of the ferry, and instead of crossing into West Cowes via the small chain bridge, they decided to drive the long way.

 They then spent another hour in the car driving first to Newport and then the long way back round to Cowes, taking in Porchfield and Gurnard, scouting for houses as they went. Dylan was beginning to get tired of sitting in the car and had started getting irritated, which then manifest itself in irritating Mike and Claire.

 The Co-Op car park in Cowes could not come soon enough, as they all clambered out of the car and walked through West Cowes to the cafe. It was called Octopus’ Garden, which felt strange to Mike given that it was painted yellow and had the cartoon characters of the Yellow Submarine on the outside.

 “Well, it should be called Yellow Submarine, shouldn’t it?” questioned Mike to himself, knowing that Claire couldn’t care less if it was called Octopus’ Garden, Yellow Submarine or Back in the USSR.

 After lunch, in which most of Dylan’s meal was put in a box for later that day, they all walked back down West Cowes high street and drove up to where they were meeting the Estate Agent, outside a house at the top of Mill Hill Rd.

 “Oh, it’s a bit like our house at home,” mentioned Claire kindly, although in their minds they were thinking there’s no way that we’re going to stay here. It was very small and they were asking a lot for it, and the fittings were old and there was no real garden to speak of. The Estate Agent could tell that there was no match here, and after a few kind reasons, “we really need a downstairs toilet”, and “we’re looking for more garden”, and “we won’t get all of our furniture in here,” they drew a line under it and moved on.

 The next place was just down the road so they agreed to meet the agent outside it.

 “There’s no way we’re living there,” Claire began, when they returned to the car. “It was horrible.”

 “I know,” agreed Mike. “I hope the next one’s better than that. Did you see the kitchen?”

 “Hmmm. The next one looks quite good in the photos, fingers crossed it’s alright.”

 “It just doesn’t fit the image I’ve got in my head of living on the island,” said Mike. “I don’t know, it’s just that it looks pretty normal, really. Do you know what I mean?”

 “Yeah, but remember it’s only for six months.”

 “True, but we’ve got to be able to get better than that. Where did he say this place was?”

 “Turn left here, there he is.”

 This time the car pulled up around the back of a house where there was room for off-road parking. They then walked around the front to meet up with the Agent. It looked nice from the outside, a Victorian Semi, the type that, ironically, fills the Manchester streets. The first thing that Mike noticed was the great view of the sea as the road rolled down the hill and ended in the water. This was more like the vision in his head.

 As they walked first around the ground floor, then the middle floor, it became clear that this house was very similar to the one that they had been used to living in, with its high ceilings, good dimensions and character features. The two loft rooms held a nice surprise, due to their elevated position they both had fantastic views, and the one to the rear looked over the sea.

 “What’s that muck hanging from the curtain rail?” Mike turned and asked Claire smiling to himself. Claire noticed a Portsmouth scarf hanging on the curtains and so did the Estate Agent.

 “What’s wrong with that?” asked the Estate Agent.

 “Oh, know, you’re not a Portsmouth fan, are you?”

 “Yeah, why, I take it you’re a ...”

 “Yeah, a Saints fan...”

 “You’ll find that the island’s pretty much half and half. The east side’s Portsmouth and the West side’s Southampton, Cowes is pretty much split down the middle.”

 “Yeah, I suppose it is. I’ll have to remember to be careful with these comments. I’m used to people not even knowing where the two clubs are, let alone bothered by what you say about them.” Mike made a mental note to himself for when he moves there for good and then moved on.

 They then took in the garden, which had a large concrete seating area and then vegetable patch and turf beyond. Not the largest of gardens but enough outdoor space to enjoy.

 “This place rules out the first one, for definite,” said Mike as they sat back in the car.

 “Yeah, I really liked it too,” said Claire. “What did you like about it, Dylan?”

 “I liked the swing. Does a little boy live there?” asked Dylan.

 “I think there probably is,” answered Mike.

 “Can I have the swing?”

 “We’ll definitely get you a swing wherever we go, but we need to go round a few more houses before we can decide on which one we’ll live in. Is that ok?”

 “Yeah, I’m OK Daddy.”

 “Good boy.”

 It was then a short drive to the next house which was very similar but a bit smaller than the last one. It had recently been renovated though and the finish really was first class. It also had the additional benefit of a toilet downstairs, which the last one didn’t have. But the one factor that ruled this house off their list was the lack of parking outside the house. Like many Victorian terrace houses, the front door was directly on the pavement, and because of their need to have the car close to access with Sophie, the house was scratched from the list.

 Sophie fell asleep whilst being carried by Mike in this house, and by the time they had arrived back at the car, the weather had become really hot and muggy, Mike’s back was killing him from carrying Sophie for twenty minutes, and to top it off, they had received a parking ticket from parking in a Disabled bay but not paying for a ticket as well. It was their fault for not looking at the sign, and this made it feel even worse.

 A mystery house was offered up by the Estate Agent as a potential that he was just on his way round to take photos of, it was a converted church in St Marks Corner, which is a bit off the beaten track. So they decided to drive the three miles to try and find it.

 It certainly provided a large amount to think about. It had half an acre of garden and there was a balcony overlooking a great Solent view, with uninterrupted fields between. But in the end they decided that it just wouldn’t work for them, and although it was a difficult decision to make because there were some real wow factors about it, in the end they had to be practical.

 By the time they checked in to their holiday accommodation it was 3:30pm and they had been on the go since 7:30 in the morning. The children had spent most of this in the back seat of their MPV, and everyone was hot, tired and bored, and to make it worse they then had to unpack the carload of bags that they had brought with them.

 Mike could be found wandering away from the car with another collection of boxes and bags in his hands muttering something under his breath. Claire was in the kitchen unloading the food in between shouting at Dylan for jumping all over the new exciting furniture, and whinging about the absence of any towels provided. All in all it was not a scene of family bliss.

 They then had to go shopping to get the bulk of the food and finally the errands were over. They cooked dinner, and tried to make it up to the kids with a journey to the park but by then the time was past seven o’clock in the evening, and the kids were beyond tired. So, they came home and eventually Mike and Claire were able to talk through their thoughts on the day at 9 o’clock in the evening.

 As they sat outside in the dusky dark they decided that house number two, the Victorian Semi, was number one on their list and without the energy to sort out the next day’s plan, they drew a close to an incredibly hectic day.

The Exodus (Part 1)

The time has finally come to make all of these plans a reality. I have been discussing, and convincing, and pushing, and waiting, and doubting, and dreaming, of this move for so long that now it’s finally come it just feels natural, and no drama at all.

But it is, really.

In order to make this happen, we needed to:

1. Sell the house
2. Get made redundant
3. Find schools on the IOW
4. Initiate Sophie’s statement process early
5. Review and assess the facilities available on the island (and neighbouring mainland)
6. Keep in constant contact with the schools, as we could not follow the usual application process
7. Apply for schools in the North, just in case
8. Begin plans on how we are exactly going to make money when we get there
9. Find a house to rent on the island
10. Lots more little things

So, it has been kind of a big deal. The hardest part though is always getting your head round it at the beginning, once you’ve done that the rest just falls into place.

Up until now, pretty much everyone I have told has looked at me sceptically. They either doubt that I will actually do it (because that is what most people do), or they doubt that our plans of making money are based on any sense of reality, or that we left it so late that it would be impossible to achieve. Aside from a couple of fellow dreamers, we have been lone voices in this adventure, trying to convince people that we are in fact not mental, but inspired, visionaries instead.

Negative comments that we have heard, are; “You’re going to be stir crazy on that island without the nightlife”, “You’re going to miss your friends”, “You’ll need to get a job when you get there”, “It’s not going to be a holiday”, “People can’t do that in real life”, “Good Luck (said patronisingly), “Money?”, “Loneliness?”, “Money?”, “Loneliness?”, “Money?”, “Loneliness?”, “You’re Crackers!!!!”

Enough of that though because if you listen to that all of the time then you’ll never do anything brave, or different. What’s the alternative to be? Wind the clock on thirty years, we’re in a place that we’ve ended up rather than chose, in jobs that were just a means to an end once upon a time that we ended up too scared to leave, with good friends around us that we will have known for fifty years with the same conversations and the same way of doing things. Just typing that down scares me more than anything else I’ve ever heard. I can’t imagine anything worse than not progressing, not changing who you are, not being free to recreate yourself and grow a new skin. That excites me a lot, especially when I think of all of that opportunity out there.

After the journey so far, and in spite of some of the comments, we have finally reached the part where we actually travelled there to pick a house that, at least for a short while, will become our new home. Once we have the house we can then confirm the schools, which we have also visited to ensure that they are aware of us.

The next few posts are a dramatisation of the fateful four day adventure in which at the end we managed to tick all of the boxes that needed to be ticked.

You Can Always Get What You Want

Another year older and another year wiser... or so they say. It was my birthday yesterday when I reached the forever young figure of 34.

Now, at this point of the year I like to look back at what I was doing a year ago, to see if things have moved in the right direction, or not. This isn't something that I tend to do too much, as I don't believe that there is ever much to be gained from picking over the remains of what has happened. But, once a year it is useful to calibrate where I am.

A year ago, I was desperately trying to leave my job. I had just been moved from one position on the project to another hopeless role, and I was under a huge amount of stress, working late most nights. There didn't seem to be any end in sight, and I was beginning to consider resigning.

Obviously, in the mean time the project had stalled so much that it actually was able to de-scope half of its remit, by the world around it changing at a quicker pace. This then provided me with the opportunity to get out of dodge. I've now received the redundancy that I craved and engineered over the last two years, and this has really set up our new life.

The house was on the market a year ago, and we were just beginning to consider putting it in the auction. It's funny how things happen for a reason. If we'd sold it last year then we would certainly have had to rent for a year up north, and this would have eaten into the bunce. We also would have been very uncertain about how I was going to leave work, and this would have led to a very bumpy ride.

So, it all turns out right again. Don't you find that it always does.

I'm on a roll at the moment, and the events that I've been working towards have all arrived in the timeframe they needed to.

I have no doubt that this is down to knowing what it is that you want and concentrating on them regularly. I never used to know what I wanted. That was the biggest problem that I ever had. They don't give that advice enough when you're growing up. You're allowed to breeze through qualifications aimlessly hoping that something will turn up. There's too much wasted effort going on.

For years I wanted to be in a band, but I wanted money. For years I wanted money, but I didn't want to be an accountant. I followed the Beige Army who would advise you to get your head down and stay in a good company because they'll look after you.

That good company then started making people redundant that didn't want to go. They started changing peoples pension agreements. They started changing things everywhere. This is their right, this is what they must do to exist in the marketplace. But don't tell me that a good company will look after you.

That may sound bitter and unfair given where I am at the moment after just being looked after, but I don't believe that they would have looked after me if I'd not played the system. You have to play the game to get what you can from these people. If I'd have been honest about my intentions two years ago, then they wouldn't have looked after me then.

It's so important to clarify in your own mind what it is that you want. If you don't know where you're going, how on earth are you going to get there. This is the thing that I've learnt this year more than anything else. It affects all aspects of my life, and has made me happier than I've been for years.

I am now so happy that I'm in a position where I can back myself to achieving what I want to achieve. I'm 34 and I'm retiring. I'm now in control of my own ship, and I know exactly where we're heading.

Location:The Ave,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Holes

It feels at the moment like everything is getting very real. The redundancy is sorted now, and I'll be leaving at the end of July. Such a massive focus in my life for the past two years, and now a kind of emptiness before I fill the gap with the next thing.

The survey on the house happened yesterday so we now have to wait for this hurdle to clear out of the way. I guess we'll find out at the beginning of next week about this.

So, now I have to concentrate on what we are moving towards, given that the things that we are moving away from are wrapping up.

We are going down to the Isle of Wight in three weeks time to sort out a rental place to live, and the schools that we are going to enroll the kids in. We already have appointments with the two potential schools for Dylan and Sophie's school, as well. I think we'll end up putting Dylan in Gurnard Primary School, as this will be the area we will live in initially. It's a good school, and it has a swimming pool, which sounds brilliant to me. He'd hate to be out done by Sophie's pool.

We then have to put feelers out to the letting agents in the area, to give us an early indication if any properties are going to come on the market in our time frame. Something will turn up, but I said to Claire the other night that I don't want to live in any old house. The big move would be a big anti-climax if we move in to some hovel. It's got to be semi-decent, at least.

There's a fair bit to think about and arrange over the next month, but the good thing is at work I'm doing next to nothing now. I want to use this time to start writing another book. It's called The Grind, and is going to be a kind of memoir about my eleven years of working in the corporate world. A lot of funny things have happened in my time there and I want to get them down so I don't forget.

Location:Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Watch This

We've finally cracked it. Last week saw the coming of the two biggest milestones that we had to meet, if we wanted to move in August. The confirmation of the pending redundancy was explained last week, and on Friday we agreed a price to sell the house to a keen young couple.

I have a meeting next Monday to finalize the redundancy and agree the package that I'll receive, but that should be relatively academic now that the green light's been shown.

We are obviously restraining the excitement for the house until we have exchanged, which should be quick, as we expressed the desired expedience in the acceptance of the offer. We also pushed to complete in August when we leave, which will mean that we don't have to find somewhere to stay in the interim, to which they have agreed. I'm glad that we suggested this, and doubly glad that they agreed to it.

Now that we've succeeded in getting these two big clinchers out of the way, we can now look forward to the next big ones.

Firstly, we have the small issue of accommodation when we get there in August. We are going to the Isle of Wight at the end of June, to look for a rental property that we can have for three months, starting in August.

But until we know which school Dylan's going to go to, it will be hard to know where to live, as ideally we would live near to the school. So in the same week we will arrange appointments with the four schools that are on the short list. Pick one, and then go get a house.

That should be some week.

I've decided that when we get there I'll take a couple of months off work, so that we can settle in and get the lie of the land. I hope to write quite a bit as well.

I also had an email at the weekend from my first client giving feedback on the big session that we had. She is delighted at how it has changed the way that she thinks, acts, feels about every situation. She feels positive about everything now, and this is a big change, and she has really changed some of her old habits. This really makes me feel good, and spurs me on to generating the same impact in others.

To celebrate the beginning of our new life, and to reward ourselves for the effort that we've put in to get this far, we have bought a lovely watch for me and an eternity ring for Claire. 'An investment' as I said to myself to justify the expense, but I actually think now that it's more than that. It's a convincer to myself that I'm on the right track, and that the future is whatever I want it to be.

I feel so positive now about the journey that I've been on, and the way that it now makes me feel. I am so much happier than before and really excited about the next bit. It really is an adventure, and one that I'm relishing.

Location:Redesmere Dr,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

Back of the Net

A fanfare of trumpets are played by angels, who hover over their ethereal thrones, whilst protecting the common man from his fates. The sound that is generated is triumphant and jubilant, and washes over the listener. Never sharpening the listeners attention, but somehow consuming them in an aura of light.

Can you all feel it?

The decision has finally been made by the powers that be, and I've been consigned to a life of freedom. My good behaviour has been rewarded and my sentence has been cut by thirty years.

I received notice of this milestone moment yesterday afternoon, but the details of it are still in question. I have a meeting on 6th June where it will be formally presented, and from there my notice period will begin.

As described previously, the six month notice period that I'm entitled to will be wavered by me in order to receive immediate departure. But my manager yesterday explained that the final end date would be more of my choosing, which will suit perfectly, and I hope to string it out until the end of July.

It is a great feeling to finally have that weight removed from my shoulders, and now the only remaining paving stone to place at the corner of our new life is the house sale. We had an offer yesterday, which we dutifully rejected, and then instead of a counter offer on their part, we had nothing back. So we left it with them over night, and are waiting for their sleepless limbs to pick up the phone this morning and beg for us to take more money. If this does not come, then I think we will capitulate and accept their lower offer for the sake of the big picture, and at least then all certainty will be lined up.

I shall endeavor to let you know as this unravels. It is finally turning up a gear and the nearer it is getting the more exciting it becomes.

Location:The Ave,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom

The crowd are on the pitch...

Great progress has been made in the last week, and we are now on the cusp of a great breakthrough. It is imminent and the anticipation is very exciting.

We obviously have nothing in place yet for the big move in August, and although we are remarkably calm regarding this, a little tension has crept in on my part. But I've assured myself with the knowledge that I've done all that I can do.

The last week has seen great movement towards the goal. Things have started to happen on three fronts, and another confidence boost on the fourth.

The Job

Finally the big man has come back from his golf tour of The Conga, and sat down and given his attention to my project. He has now agreed with the principle of canning the second phase of the project, which means that it will not progress any further than this summer. Happy Days.

A great bit of influencing on my part for the last year to try and orchestrate this turn around, and definitely one that I should owe to the power of positive thinking and holding a goal in your mind.

This immediately prompted my manager to write an email to HR explaining my situation, and enquiring what the process should be and asking for advice on what to do.

I await the reply this week, and I have a meeting with him on Thursday to hopefully confirm things.

Splendid. Innnnnnnn... 1. As they would say on Bullseye.

The House

After the odd couple visited last week and went back on their offer, we have now had three viewings from the same couple in four days. They either clearly like the place, or they're slowly robbing us. We are still hoping it is the former.

Yesterday, the last visit, was with their parents and we are assuming that they are contributing in some way to the deposit and wanted to have a quick look themselves. The couple themselves are very much like Claire and I when we bought the place, and I have a good feeling about them.

We are expecting an offer today to come in, and I just hope that it is reasonable. More to follow on this later.

The Change Institute

I saw a client twice last week to carry out a time line therapy session, which concluded on Friday night after a two and a half hour session. This was for money and should lead towards some referrals as well.

I've had some really good results with my first client, and this has spurred me on to get more and more business.

My website is nearly finished now. It is online at the moment but I still want to make additional text and formatting changes before I'm happy to leave it.

The Book

I have had a reply from Martina Cole's agent who has read the first three chapters of the book. Bearing in mind that Martina Cole is the bestselling author in the UK at the moment, this guy should know his onions.

He hand wrote a reply that included, "although I'm not accepting new work at the moment, I very much enjoyed your book. It was like PG Wodehouse. Please persevere in getting an agent. You have talent."

I'll take that. I feel like I'm getting close to landing something soon. It's just a case of getting myself into the right time and the right place. It will happen.


So, all in all, a good week. As well as this stuff, Sophie learnt to stand all by herself and I was backstage at The Charlatans, meeting them and chatting with them. What a week.

The job and the house both await big decisions this week, so I'll let you know here when they do.

Location:Redesmere Dr,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom