A bit of dreaming

I'm trying hard not to let myself get too carried away with set-in-stone planning, but I also feel like I need to have an aim for the move to England. A dream of what it will look like to keep in mind when things are chaotic and difficult. Something I'll be working towards, but something achievable too.

So here we go.

I'd like to have a little two bedroom home. A maisonette or house if possible, but a flat will be fine if it's nice and has access to communal gardens. Rented for the first couple of years, but then I'll buy something. Or if it's been six months since moving, my credit is good, and I'm failing to find rentals due to the cats, then I'll buy earlier. The two years is really just about rebuilding my credit history and having a bit more savings cushion before buying - if I end up living with my parents for six months, the saving thing will be easy and I can figure out the credit thing.

I'll be living without a car, so I'll need to live somewhere within walking distance of some shops and a bus route. If possible, within walking distance of the train station, too, but I'd be willing to take a short bus ride if that's not possible. Most of my shopping can be ordered online and delivered, but I've spent the last ten years not even able to get a pint of milk without a bus or car, and I refuse to live like that again. So a couple of little shops within walking distance are a must.

When I own a little house, assuming there aren't any major things that immediately need doing to it, the first thing I plan to do is install one of those gas fires that looks like a real fire. I have visions of curling up on the sofa on a winter's afternoon, warm fire in the hearth and a book and a cup of hot chocolate in my hands. Or watching a good movie, but the fire, sofa, and hot chocolate are the key parts.

This is the sofa: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/sofas-armchairs/fabric-sofas/ektorp-three-seat-sofa-nordvalla-red-spr-99133529/

I'll be living close enough to my parents to visit regularly - once or twice a week - but not next door. I need a bit of space, after all! But we'll have Sunday lunches together regularly and I might go over on Friday nights sometimes to keep Mum company when Dad's out at my uncle's. Or go with Dad for Friday night books/music/culture/politics discussion group at my uncle's :-) When the Six Nations are on, I'll be over at my parent's place for all the matches, so we don't have to text commentary to each other all the time. We'll be celebrating tries in person!

I'll host my parents and my sister and BIL for meals sometimes and if I'm living within reasonable distance of the train station, popping into London to visit sis and BIL will be easy.

My job won't be perfect, no job ever is, but I won't feel restless the way I do here because it will be something new and challenging. I'm still working out the exact shape of that job, but it will be a data engineer or senior/lead data warehouse engineer or maybe even data architect. Those are the areas/titles I'll be looking at, anyway. The job will be in London, which means I'll be able to meet up with my sister after work a couple of times a month and I can go to some of the tech meetups I've been seeing around.

I'll travel. I'll take off for weekends to see friends around the country and I'll make sure to take short breaks in Europe to see the places I've always dreamed about and never gone to. Paris, Innsbruck, Prague, Christmas markets in Bruges. Mum has already said she'll cat-sit so I can do that.

And there will be several sci-fi cons a year, either full weekends or day trips, so I can meet up with friends and talk about all the fun geeky stuff I've been missing out on.

I'll go to the family celebrations for birthdays and big holidays and all the smaller meet-ups for lunches and suppers. When my sister's opera company puts on a production, I'll go and see it.

So, that's the picture in my head of the life I want in England. It sounds fairly reasonable, right? Something to work towards, anyway.