The countdown begins .

Two very happy boyz greeted me at six this morning. To say that they are delighted to be back from the kennels would be an understatement of monumental proportions. They have been running around on the grass like six month old puppies enjoying their newly earned freedom - all this activity after all of 30 hours of incarceration I dread to think what they would have been like if we'd been gone for two weeks.Something must have gone wrong at the kennels this time, they usually seem to enjoy going, or at least take it in their stride. Last night,Wilf, who is very aware of his exalted top dog position in the pack, threw propriety to the wind and lay sound asleep curled up at my feet until it was time to turn in for the night - this was his way of letting us know that he wanted tlc - now ! If you're a PON there is nothing like the reassuring touch of the family to remind you that all is well with the world.

Having seen the new house, and loved it, ( much to the 'font's' delight) the countdown is now on for the move. We're aiming to have the legal work done, the furniture packed, and the boyz pet passports in order by mid-next month. It's becoming clear why moving house is so stressful.

We thought long and hard about where to move to. Having once worked at Stanford,San Francisco with its great restaurants and wonderful location would have ranked high on the list but getting a visa to retire to the US is a task that even Sisyphus would have baulked at.Canada would have been up there, lovely people, stunning landscapes but ruled out by winters that match those in Scotland and in the case of Vancouver are probably wetter and for Halifax even foggier. South Africa is arguably the most beautiful country we've ever seen but like Australia and New Zealand difficult to get to with the boyz - we don't really feel like having them in an aircraft hold for hours and hours.

That really meant that the choice was limited to Europe.More about the new house and its fenced garden tomorrow.