Not physically yet granted - but the decision has been made.

It's a major decision for us as we've been here now for just short of 20 years and that's a lot of history to leave behind, but the time is definitely right.

I suppose you know it's the right time to move on when you find that you're increasingly uncomfortable with what's going on around you.

When we first moved up here we moved into an area that was semi-Rural. Our property was flanked by nurseries on two sides (wholesale), a house we can't even see on the other side - and the road, and some quiet households over the other side of the road.

We now have houses on two sides of us - one side with kids who scream all day and a bloke that talks loudly on his deck most of the weekend - would you like to know his latest topics of conversation - we hear his opinions on most things.

The nursery behind us has permission to build a large shed right on the property line between us - they started a while ago, and the downturn in the nursery industry has the job slowing at the moment - but it's coming. So we'll lo0k out over a bloody great shed.

Over the road from us have built a big garage / shed on the lower part of their property and that appears to now be where their kids hold parties. Techno-music so loud it shook the windows in our house until way into the night a couple of weekends ago. At least the party on the other side of the valley a few weeks ago played good old fashioned rock and roll - music that we could at least appreciate (we're old but we're not bloody dead yet).

Burning off rules that mean that people can smoke out their neighbours and not give a damn.

A Council that won't enforce it's own by-laws and really - a Council that none of the local residents respects so even if they tried to enforce I suspect they'll just be ignored (after all we're Lords of the Manor and Controllers of All We Survey up here).

And attitude change. There's something insidious and increasingly uncomfortable going on up here. Suburban people are moving up in increasing numbers and there's a sense of the suburban ethos moving in. We've got to have more shops because local people want to shop (what for god only knows but SHOPPING is the new religion isn't it). Trees are a problem - they knock down power lines. When we first moved up here some fruitloop wrote into the local paper that they were heading back down to the suburbs as there were TOO MANY TREES in this neighbourhood and THEY SHOULD ALL BE CUT DOWN because they were "DANGEROUS". That person was truly regarded as a fruitloop. 20 years later you get the distinct feeling that the argument is actually seriously considered. After all, not being able to boil the electric kettle for a couple of days because we've got no power is THE END OF THE WORLD as we know it. Rather than stay and fight - explain patiently that you need a few sources of your bloody hot water when you live in an area that's a bit susceptible to weather / trees down / fires all those inconveniences of nature - we figure we've lost the will to argue with sheer and bloody minded stupidity. Next up - you can feel it coming - roosters are noisy creatures and will have to be banned (personally I'd pick a rooster over a screeching kid or a bloody ride on lawn mower any day - and leaf blowers! LEAF BLOWERS up here - give me strength).

I didn't notice when mindless stupidity became the new black but I want out. I want to live near people who still think ingenuity and innovation comes from within. People who understand that you work with nature - not against it because you'll never win trying to turn the whole damn place into a lawn cemetery. And I certainly don't want to live in a cemetery.

We're looking around all over the place - we've not decided where we want to end up, but we're talking to local real estate agents and sorting out what our options are likely to be.

Mind you - this isn't being taken lightly. Nearly 20 years of 2 dedicated hoarders in one house is going to take a while to clear. So far most agents have been kindly tactful - but this is a big house that looks like a very little house, mostly because it's stacked to the rafters with stuff. We might have to make the ultimate sacrifice but I tell you what - books are not on the sacrificial menu.