Why are we doing this?

Yesterday the council failed to collect the sofa, as arranged, on Monday the nursery is closed and only told me on Friday at 5.30 so now I have one less day to sort the house and a large sofa to get rid of. Each time a hurdle in our move occurs I think to myself, why are we doing this?

Selling and buying houses is stressful. Fact. When the idea began we hadn’t quite realised how much hassle it would involve. Or expense. But we went ahead anyway, even with the obstacles, because we know why we are doing this really.

It’s not a simple reason, it is a combination of many factors.

Firstly there is the family. My parents moved to Folkestone a few years ago and we love visiting them and know that we will all enjoy living closer to each other. We are selfishly looking forward to the babysitting too! We will still be able to visit London family too. As I will not be teaching anymore I will have more time to spend with my son with gorgeous parks, beaches and hills within 15 minutes walk of my front door.

Then there’s Folkestone itself. The air feels fresher than London air, there is more opportunity for outdoor play for my son and it’s pretty. Oh and 35 minutes to France! Folkestone has a thriving arts scene which suits me, and is still in easy access to London so we won’t lose the cultural opportunities of London either. Folkestone is just great! Yes, it’s a bit shabby in places, but we are moving from East London so hardly going to be shocked by anything Folkestone can challenge us with.

Then there’s the financial incentive. We are swapping a three-bed London 1970’s ex-council townhouse for a three-bed detached cottage. The cottage is 112K cheaper than our London house. Not bad.

Lastly there is my health. I struggle with aches and pains unfortunately and the rheumatologist says that exercise is vital to keep me moving. But a day out in London is an exhausting challenge some days so I hope having everything on my doorstep will help keep me fit without me over doing it. Time will tell.

So we are doing this because it makes sense for us and because we can live in beautiful Folkestone with London at the other end of the high speed rail link anytime we want to visit.

My son with his Gran in Folkestone.