Information about my UK job

Just found out yesterday that I will be working in Colchester. This is the British city with the oldest recorded history, dating back to 6 A.D. and written about by Pliny the Elder in 77 A.D. Colchester Castle was built by the Normans in 1076 and was sited over the remains of a Roman temple. The city has a population of 156,000, currently enjoys low unemployment (About 1%), and is about 50 minutes from London's Liverpool station via train. (About 63 miles away). I'll be getting more information shortly about recommended places to live and about school enrollment for Sarah. She may have some catching up to do when she begins school, as British children start at a younger age; in the UK she would have begun school last year rather than having to wait until after her 5th birthday.

Here are some links:

Historical Timeline: http://www.visitcolchester.co.uk/about/history.htm
News and Information: http://www.colchesterwhatson.co.uk/
Cycling Organisation: http://www.colchester-cycling.org.uk/
Website: http://www.colchesteruk.com/
Map of area: http://www.visitcolchester.co.uk/visit/surroundingarea.htm

Offer on the house!

This evening we accepted an offer to purchase the house. We expect escrow to close June 28th and we will rent back for a couple of weeks until it's time to leave town.

Also finalized Glasgow hotel, here is the link: http://www.belhavenhotel.com/index.html

I am in my final weeks of school and trying to stay focused enough to get everything finished. My mind is racing ahead to the summer though, so it is a bit of a challenge!

UK Plans becoming finalized

Some more news from the Nelsons: It looks like we are expecting two bids on the house tomorrow, so there should be news soon about a pending sale. It would be nice to not have to list it on the Multiple Listing Service.

The more exciting news: We have purchased our tickets and set a travel itinerary for the few weeks before I begin working in the UK. We look forward to a long tour of Great Britain this summer. Here's the scoop:

July 19 - July 26 Visit in New York with Margo's family and explore New York City

July 26 fly to Edinburgh via Dublin, arrive on the morning of the 27th

27 July - 3 August: Explore Edinburgh. We are staying at the Turret Guest House http://www.turretguesthouse.co.uk/index.php

3 August - 6 August: Orkney Islands. These are on the far northern tip of Scotland and have been the beneficiaries of Scandinavian as well as Celtic cultural influences. My Australian family originated here and and I may even have opportunities to meet some distant cousins!
Here is our hotel info: http://www.royalhotel.biz/index.htm

For info on the Orkney Islands: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/outerislands/
Some of the more interesting neolithic archeological sites in Europe are on the Orkney Islands; one of them has some interesting Viking graffiti carved into it.

6 August - 10 August: Glasgow. Still working out plans for lodging, but looking forward to spending time in this busy city. (Mike is looking forward to touring the many pubs.) The Edinburgh festival and Fringe Festival take place during this period also, so we may take the train back to Edinburgh (about 40 minutes) to enjoy the festival for a day.

10 August - 13 August: Northern Wales, specifically Snowdonia, a beautiful natural area about 30 miles from the coast. Accomodation at: http://aberconwy-house.co.uk/home.htm There a number of historical sites throughout Wales, many castles, and a beautiful coastline.

13 August - 20 August: London. We are staying at the Alhambra Hotel, a low-cost lodging option located near King's Cross Station. http://www.alhambrahotel.com/
I am looking forward to seeing the many London sights on the tourist trail, as well as taking a day trip or two to the countryside, possibly Bath or Glastonbury Tor. During this week I will also likely be preoccupied with getting more permanent lodging set up in Essex.

21 August: BACK TO WORK. This is my first day of orientation at Essex County Council, so I'll be heading back to work today, while Mike will likely be busy with Sarah exploring our new home and getting the house organized.

More info to follow, as we finalize plans and hear about the status of the house sale.

Cheers,
Margo