The Decision...

has been made. Well, Ken has a plan anyway!

Over the last couple of months the strain of making a decision, coupled with a various family events has been interesting! But you don't want to hear that, you want to know what Ken has decided. It really was a difficult decision as the comparisons weren't exact - each of the three offers had different strengths and different weaknesses and different issues attached. Finally the only criteria that allowed the three to be separated was this:

Which one would I regret?

Which of the three would Ken regret not taking in six or seven years' time? Obviously there are events that can't be predicted which could alter the answer to that in hindsight, but as far as can be forseen there was only one choice that Ken would regret not pursuing:

Germany.

So that is the decision. The offer from Gateshead is still open and they still want him but Germany would not be so easy in a few years' time as it would be too disruptive on the children's education. And Ken and I did have a wonderful time there last time. Obviously it won't be the same as we won't be living in the same village near the same town with the same friends, both German and American. We can't replicate, but we both loved the lifestyle and want to offer the children the chance to speak a foreign language and experience a different culture.

So, I said that we have a plan. This might not come about. They have laid off 400 folks in Erlangen where Ken would be working and the unions are so strong in Germany that he might not be allowed. They also have to allow for Ken's inability to speak German having said that he must work in German. In reality that won't happen. Then there is the package they are offering to make it worth our while to move over there. If all that does not tie up then we pull out of the plan and take Pete up on his Gateshead offer. If that doesn't come about for whatever reason then Ken stays in Congleton and we look at buying a larger house on the local council estate and support the Church in its work there.

Plan? Sorted - I hope.

You were right weren't you? We followed as the poll predicted. Holidays in Bavaria anyone?

Interesting... because

... nobody is leaving any comments or reasons for their decisions. Are (most of) you after cheap holidays to Bavaria?! Bavaria does sound much better than Newcastle - and Ken would say a heck of a lot better than Macclesfield!

Interesting...

Decisions

Ken has been working as Siemens for about ten years now. He was taken on as a design engineer, however, due to internal politics, the design work has been taken over to Germany, and Ken is currently spending most of his days doing testing on other products. Frankly, he is somewhat bored and frustrated.

Two months ago he was headhunted by a much smaller and rival company. They don't do exactly the same products as Siemens but are more innovative and Ken would be working on a broader range of products than he currently does. Siemens heard about this approach and asked Ken what they would need to do to keep him in Congleton. He told them. They offered it to him. Then an even bigger boss heard that Ken was bored and offered him ten years in Germany, to start on October 1st. We said five years. They said they would take whatever we offered them. Siemens want to keep Ken.

This is all very flattering, but now what do we do? Ken has three groups of people after him and all have their upsides and their downsides: breadth of product and closer to Ken's parents versus smaller and less secure (and a part of the country I am not keen on but Ken is); no move and a new product to design if we stay here versus less security as what happens when this product is completed; excitement of Germany in the same area as previously versus no m-i-l support for childcare, learning German for Ken.

Help!

Please log your suggestions on the poll. We need all the advice we can get!

Steam, steam and more steam...

Angus probably didn't stand much chance of NOT being interested in steam engines. Anyone who has paid even a little attention to the development of Angus, will be aware by now that his current phase (one that has been going on for quite a long time now), is steam. He doesn't really mind what form his steam fix comes in - locomotives, traction engines, lorries, Old Glory magazine, books about steam, completely imaginary - but he does seem to require a regular supply. In fact, his interest has really morphed somewhat into obsession: he now spends a large part of his life being a steam engine. This does has its benefits as it can be a really useful tool for making Angus walk anywhere, an activity which he appears to find relentlessly dull. Permeated with steam fantasies, even a walk to the shops can become tolerable for him.

A couple of weeks ago, the extended family celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday, his brother's 65th birthday, and it would have been their Dad's 101st, all within a few weeks of each other. For various reasons we all (about 35 of us) descended on York. We had a wonderful weekend and York is a beautiful city, well worth a visit. Sadly I saw very little of York. I saw the hotel, the walk from the hotel to the National Railway Museum and from there to the railway station to go home. I saw very little else! Okay, I did see the inside of the NRM, in fact I got to spend two whole days there with Angus completely entranced by the place. You see, the NRM holds not only steam engines, but one in particular: Mallard. Mallard is no ordinary steam engine, it holds the record for the being the fastest one ever. Angus can direct you to several You Tube clips about Mallard which he has memorised. He quotes from them, acts them out, and from a few months ago, began imagining meeting Mallard in the NRM, driving it, turning its dials and leavers, checking its steam pressure and putting coal in its firebox. Seriously!

4.20 on Sunday evening and Mallard's footplate was opened to the public; Angus got to stand there, play, pretend and live out his dream with lots of phooshing noises and woops of whistles. He looked at me through the driver's window and said, "Mum, I'm happy." Fantastic.

York was all the more fun as Angus's cousin Frazer was there too - also somewhat steam saturated!

Is Isla smiling because Angus is with her, the pages are being turned and the movement is fascinating, or because she is being initiated into the family interest? Or all of the above?

In preparation for the trip, Angus decided he had to educate Isla. A few weeks ago while I was cooking dinner I heard the following conversation and snapped the above picture.  The conversation went something along the lines of, "This one's a road loco - look, it has a solid fly wheel. This one is a showman's - it has lots of lights. This one is red..."

Isla doesn't stand a chance, does she?