I’ve been putting off this post for a few days (a common theme with me, have you noticed?!)  We’re into single figure weeks before I go (Mr. British Maple is following a week later) and it’s starting to feel far too real.  As cathartic as this blog is, there are some things I just don’t want to face up to and this move is definitely one of them!

The most frequent question we get asked is why are you moving? For a while we had our answer down pat:

We want to buy a house and be closer to family and friends

It’s an answer that seems to satisfy most people, but ironically it doesn’t satisfy me anymore. For my own peace of mind, I need to break this down and get back to the true reasons we are moving.

Family – this is a huge driver for us. The boys ask about their grandparents all the time. Having them in their life will help define their growing personalities and who wouldn’t want the guidance and wisdom of four amazing people.

To top that off, there are two awesome uncles (and aunty Alena too!) just waiting to be scared shitless into never wanting kids by my mini terrorists!

Friends – I realise that saying I want to be nearer friends is a kick in the chuff for all my ‘new’ friends and I really don’t mean it like that! My beautiful Canadian crew have shaped an amazing chapter of my life and I will be forever grateful, but I have friends in the UK who have seen me at my worst and have made me the best I can be.

House – In Tdot we live in an amazing neighbourhood but unless you have $1m loose change down the back of your IKEA sofa, you can’t own your own home (not one big enough for our needs, anyway!) We talked about becoming ‘burbanites but my heart never really got there and I can’t stand the thought of renting indefinitely.

In the UK, we can buy a nice home in a nice area and still be able to walk out to a couple of local shops.  It won’t be the hive of activity we have now, but I won’t be car-bound with Walmart as my local. A happy compromise.

I won’t bore you with the piddly little factors that tip the balance one way or another (I’m sure there’ll be a pro/con list written during a dark time of missing my second land.)

So here we are, about to embark on yet another exciting instalment of the British Maple Adventures!  Next week, I’ll bore you with our packing chaos!