We’ve had so much going on in our lives lately and so much to pre-occupy us that it didn’t even occur to me to blog before today about the fact that we had an offer accepted on a house a week and a half ago. While this is happy news, it means something quite different than having an offer accepted on a house in US. In England, an accepted offer is not legally binding, and it’s only the beginning of a long, drawn-out, complicated process. The house survey was done on Friday (another thing different from the US – this is primarily for the bank’s benefit, not the buyer’s) and we’re just waiting to find out dates for exchange (exchanging contracts and paying the downpayment – at which point the agreement to purchase becomes legally binding) and completion (taking possession). It could take two or three months to get to the point where we can actually move in.

The house is South Tottenham, and is about 3/4 mile northeast of where we’re currently living. It has a lounge, dining room and kitchen downstairs and two bedrooms and a large bathroom upstairs. The garden (i.e. backyard) is fantastic – it’s the feature I’m most excited about. It’s not huge, but it has a little patio, veg and flower beds on either side, and a shed and tree at the end. I hope we get in the house early enough to be able to enjoy most of the summer in the garden.

The other big news is that I am an aunt! My sister Dana gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl, Leah Marnae, on Saturday, May 3. About a week before she was born, my siblings and parents and I all gave our predictions for what day the baby would be born and whether it would be a boy or girl. I was the only one to predict May 3, but I said it would be a boy. So I was half right. (And I think picking the right day gets more credit than picking the right gender because with gender, you get a 50/50 chance!) I won’t get to meet Leah until our trip to the US at the beginning of August (for my brother’s wedding) and am counting on getting lots and lots of pictures in the meantime (hint, hint).