Moving on. The selling of 42 Amy St Erskineville.

The times are a changing. This week saw us sell our house, nay, it is our home.

For the last 7 years we have nurtured a once haven for hippies into an open light domain of laughter and leisure. But we were obviously getting bored and needed to go off and sharpen our teeth, so just before we put the finishing touches to it, someone made us an offer to good to refuse and thus have been cast into no mans land.

Gabi, my wife, and I do have strong ideas though and a definate direction, the fact that we don't agree on the finer points though is neither here or there. Or is it.

We both agree on the basics, we need a City pad, albeit down near the beach and a country pad. Acreage in the Byron hinterland. What more could a couple with two young boys want or need. A foot in both camps. The idea is so exhilarating I can't wait to embark on the next chapter of our lives. Anyway now the papers are signed we have decided to take the easy option first. The city pad.

Easy, did I say easy. Firstly the two camps. There's me in one corner and I want to to invest more time and less money by building, or should I say rebuilding a flat near the beach. In the other corner is darling wife and she would like one finished with a ribbon on it. Nothing to do but move in.

Me, I like the idea of putting our touches on something as well as being the ones that will reap the gains of the value adding. Essentially Gabi is over the whole renovation gig, especially after 42 Amy St, so I can't blame her but I want to make something, even though I hardly have the time to do so.

We shall see what happens on that front. Stay turned.

The most exciting and harder aspect of all this I feel is the move north. Every year we bundle our boys in into the car and embark on the drive to Mullum, Byron, Bangalow etc. We drive the area, surf the beaches, drink at the pub and basically have the best time. Each year the drive around involves looking at properties that are ont he market, each time we see more of what we like and it gets us that bit closer to taking our boys, and ourselves out of the rat race and into an area that has the most amazing mix or rural and urban. A place where you can get a soya latte and 5 minutes later be riding horses or surfing in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.

The temrate climate is neither to hot nor to cold. Tis the stuff of dreams and what a childhood it would give the two devils we call our sons. Motorbikes, horses, surfing, skating, nearly every possible distraction. Why wouldn't you.

Me, I get to have a second childhood. What better way to stave off mid life crisis.

Speaking of crisis, Heckle and Jeckle have returned. To work. Peace.