High time I reported on our news.

Warning: entry with family news/personal stuff follows!

The biggest news is that I have started a permanent job with a company in Gloucester, as an Infrastructre Technician in their IT department. The role is similar to the one I had in Barbados: second line desktop support, Lotus Notes administration and projects such as broadband installation and hopefully involvement in an Active Directory rollout. For those of you for whom the last sentence made no sense, I’m still in computers. Early indications are that my manager and team (seven of us) are a nice bunch and the culture of the company is employee-friendly. I had actually been working there as a self-employed contractor since mid November, so my “first day” (yesterday) was completely unremarkable: same desk, same computer, same job, same colleagues, but now paid holidays, pension etc. The trip to work is an hour in total, but the drive is largely through beautiful countryside on fast roads, so it’s not stressful.

Other big news is a forthcoming house move. Mum has bought a four/five bedroom house in the Osbaston suburb of Monmouth (if a small town the size of Monmouth can have a “suburb”) which we will rent from her. It gives us plenty of room and Mum will convert the garage into an annexe for her. In the medium term we want to buy a flat or small house which will get us back on the property ladder – tricky after five years off it, during which house prices in the UK quadrupled.

The view from the “Bell House” as it is known is lovely, as it it is set on a steep hillside overlooking Monmouth and on to the Brecon Beacons further into Wales.

Big A. has just returned from a (self-funded!) trip to Barbados, which she enjoyed as she was missing her friends there. Unfortunately, she appears to have brought back a case of viral tonsilitis!

Little A. is her usual perky self, becoming more verbal. Still calls Big A. “Daddy” for some reason and says “mup” when she wants you to pick her up or put her down.

K. is fine and getting quite excited about moving into the new house: buying furniture and decorating etc.

That’s all for now.