Dear New Landlord,

I’m bloody glad you’ve told us you’re after long-term tenants for your property, as you are going to have to physically turf me out if you ever want your house back.

Moving was, as expected, an utter bitch. We filled two skips full of unwanted bits and pieces and culled our things down to just one van-load, yet still it’s taken me an entire half-week to finish unpacking the last box. I’m now looking forward to a clutter-free home and a lounge accented by scented candles and fresh flowers, rather than the sea of plastic toys that took over our last home.

Their ‘downstairs’ toy chest used to perpetually overflow into the kitchen, dining room and hallway. It was an absolute mission to close and toys would have to be carefully slotted into every spare inch or Buzz Lightyear’s arm or Spiderman’s leg would protrude out of the side. When the kids would go to bed, Craig and I would spend a good half hour putting wooden puzzles together, searching for Woody’s hat or separating Lego from Micro Machines. This ritual happened every single night.

The kids have now had 3 whole days in their new home and appear to love the space, fluffy carpets and child-friendly garden. They haven’t noticed that mummy and daddy filled 3 bin bags full of toys that were past their best, too cumbersome or just irritating the hell out of us. It’s now a cinch to tidy things away at night and Dexter is even beginning to help me do it.

The best bit? Well in the words of Phil and Kirstie, Location Location Location. This house is a 1 minute walk away from the house I grew up in, has Dexter’s new preschool (and primary school) a 2 minute walk away, and a bus stop right outside that will get me into town in 15 minutes. There are no more hills to contend with and we appear to have really nice neighbours.

There’s still lots to do. We gave some of our furniture away to charity so we need to replace our dining table, sofas and two chest of drawers. We also need a new freezer for the garage, a fireguard, and various other bits to really make this new house a home. I’m absolutely LOVING it though and we’re eternally grateful for all the hard work our new landlords put into making it so homely.

So no more moves for us. The Mills family are staying put!