Bye Bye Sydney!

Yesterday we celebrated Summer Solstice. We don't do the Christmas thing, but we do celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes as the earth moves around the Sun. These are natural occurrences, explainable by science, and such important events in the life of our planet. Without them, and the turn of the seasons, life as it is would have found it extremely difficult (most probably impossibly difficult) to have reached the stage it has on this planet. We see it as a great way to celebrate the wonder that is nature without resorting to any religious explanation - my wife and I don't think it ever necessary to resort to religious explanations. The kids just think it is great they get four celebration a year instead of just one.

Anyway, yesterday morning, after the boys had opened their presents, we received the best Solstice present ever! Our solicitor called to say the house we'd put a bid on was all ours and that contracts had been exchanged. This is our first house purchase - we've been renting for 20yrs - and it is a step we've been meaning to take for years but never did. Now we have!

We've bought a house at Narara on the Central Coast - an hour and a bit away from the stinky, crowded, noisy, over-priced and violent city that is Sydney. The house is 10 minutes to waterways, 10 minutes to the beach and our parents on both sides, a 5 minute walk from National Part rainforest (or 5 mins to the station, or 5 mins to the Primary and High Schools) and the house has a separate, air-conditioned home-office in the back that is going to be my library and writing room... and that's not to mention the in-ground salt-water pool and heated spa!

We'll be moving (all things going to plan) in early February.

I'm a bit happy! Can you tell?