Holy fucknuggets. It's really happening. The Big Bad Move to The Great White North.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

I am FREAKING out.

DH accepted a job today in our home country. We have told the kids. I have to tell work tomorrow.

He is starting in January. The DC and I will finish out the school year, sell the flat and follow.

Freaking out doesn't cover it actually. Fuck fuck fuck.

I reckon we'll be moving in July-ish (or maybe earlier as per BBB's excellent school year suggestion) so August-ish maybe? Or come for the fall colours in late September & October? Or a Toronto pub crawl for the Deccember meet up

Late September, fall colours sounds perfect.

DCs will be back at school.

We don't want to have to share you.
With your children.

For goodness sake

Could we do a Toronto Fall Colours Pub Crawl?

Best of all worlds.

What?

yeah a dry cold

-25 is -25 whether it's dry or damp !!

Hearts..how lovely! Dh's family is half American and half Canadian. We spent a happy few weeks in Toronto this past summer.

You can get a window seat and a reclining bed - the bed turns into a seat. The seat turns into a bed!

I once (sob, only once) had an upgrade to bizniss (sic) class on a flight to Australia. Singapore airlines. It was amazing & has ruined every flight I have ever taken since!

Much better to grovel around in cattle darling, not knowing what you've missed!

I want to try that Jennifer Aniston-endorsed SHOWER in First Class on Emirates.

BBB that sounds just about perfect. I won't be working yet so will be a proper lady of leisure.

Hearts I can't reply to your PM as I can't open ANY of my PMs. V annoying & am chasing it on site stuff.

No worries magi, it was just a huuuuuuge THANK YOU!!! You know what for

Hope your PM situation gets sorted.

Have managed to send you a pm with neighbours nexus & my email address.

Glad you got the you-know-whats!!

OP I'm in Qweebeck and it snowed on Monday.

Are you ready?!

Have a beaver paw from me

Hope you get your wish one day Hearts.

I can't get my head round getting naked and wet on a plane!

Draping the bar and testing the cocktails is more my style.

I will drape and test with you, darling.

Toffee my mum said they had snow in Toronto last week too. We definitely need a massive shopping trip to Mountain Equipment Co-op
At least we are moving in summer. Poor DH is going in January.

*Spellbook - where is the Canadian half from

I hope you're feeling calm and settled about it all now.

It's very exciting and I'm sure everything will slot into place.

Just wanted to pop in and say, "Take off, eh, to the Great White North, take off, it's a beauty way to go!"

Just breathe, it will all be fine.

ED Koo-roo-koo-koo!

If we get a dog it will definitely be getting Molson Export in its water bowl.

We have narrowed down our au pair search to a short list of 4, out of about 80 applications just since last Weds night That Au Pair World website is a godsend. I have been emailing with two of them, meeting another one tomorrow morning (she is currently with a host family not too far away from us) and I haven't heard back from the fourth one yet. I am amazed how smoothly this part is going so far. I shouldn't say so though, should I, in case I jinx it.

The one I am meeting tomorrow is looking for a new family because she does not feel like she is a good fit with her current host family. I am not sure how I feel about that - could be a big red flag. On the other hand, there are lots of different types of families and I can see how it could happen. A friend of mine who has had about half a dozen au pairs said that she had a couple of them whom they loved, but who had had problems with previous families. So I guess we will see...

MIL has offered to come over to help with the packing and organising. She might not have offered so easily if she knew how likely I am to say YES!

DH has been busy too, looking at things like furnishing the study to turn it into the au pair's bedroom (current debate - does she need her own TV??) and looking into moving companies.

God it is all so REAL.

No reason why it shouldn't all go smoothly, you have lots of time to get all the details right.

I've never had an au pair but I would have thought that it would be massively helpful to meet her before she comes to live with you, which presumably wouldn't happen if she had come straight from her country.

I can imagine lots of families could be difficult.
I've heard they can expect too much.

Is MIL OK about you going? Will she be able to visit?

Am sure I've read somewhere here that au pairs don't tend to watch TV so mush now as they download stuff onto their i pads or whatever.

It's a while since we moved but at one point did about 14 moves in 20 years (!).

Britannia were great - different branches used but always a very professional service.

www.britannia-movers.co.uk/?gclid=CLyW-rmWuskCFVQ_GwodRuAPhA

Pickfords did not have a brilliant reputation - at all!

How lovely, i am from Ontario. Exciting times, moving back.

much - not mush like a sledge team!!

So here's a spanner thrown into the works. Our old nanny phoned me and said that her mum wants the job.

We left our nanny - still do - and she was really part of our family. We've met her parents and in fact stayed with them in Bulgaria.

The man would take amazing care of us not to mention the fact that she is a trained chef.

Her English is pretty non-existent but she and I would be able to communicate in German. So it's the kids I worry about. And old nanny still lives in London and would be on hand for translation and other help.

Plus it would really help out their family. Mum has been out of work for a while and wants to come to London so this is practically an ideal solution from their point of view.

Aaaauugghh I just don't know how I feel about it !!!