We've found a new house to move to which is only about 10 miles away as the crow flies but feels like it is in a totally new area as it is over The Other Side (western) of The (Malvern) Hills.
It is on the border of Herefordshire which is much more classic English countryside (much more rural and rolling hills, woodlands and valleys) than the flat landscape of this side of the hills.
The house is amazing - very unusual in that it looks like a small shack from the road but is actually a whopping great 5 bedroomed place with an upstairs sitting room, a lovely big conservatory, his n hers studys, a bedroom for each of the children and still a dedicated guest room.
On paper the house sits on a large plot but in actual fact most of it is inaccessible due to it being built into a very steep hill but it does have an orchard, a little pond, a safe lawn and a very unsafe near vertical woodland. It is down an incredibly quiet lane which itself is off a very quiet lane. When we viewed it last week we saw about 20 pheasants meandering through the roads, buzzards overhead, sheep, horses and cows munching in the distance. It also has a cat called Sooty who was left behind with the next door neighbour when the owners moved to Australia but who has been coming over for a chat each time we've been to see the house.
The kiddies are due to change schools to attend the new village school which at the moment has just 47 pupils (six of whom are in Year 1). We are bribing Eden with a bright pink walled/carpets/curtains bedroom of Her Own and we are reassuring Morris that he is still near enough to his friend Henderson to have him over to play whenever he wants.
As the move is to a vacant rental house we think we'll be saying goodbye to Upton-upon-Severn and hello to Suckley in just 3 weeks. Better find some boxes and get cracking with the packing!
The teeny village school (next to a fairly small church for perspective)
The front garden
Is it a static caravan or is it a spacious family home?
