Update: A very nice house...

It looks like our proposed house rental in Brussels is going to happen. We had friends in Brussels take a look at it on the weekend, and in their words it is "un bijoux" (a jewel). I spoke with the owner this morning, and we've agreed on a mutually satisfactory price.

We are still trying to secure a job for Maggie at an international school, primarily so that Malcolm can attend school in English without incurring a huge tuition cost.

I enclose a photograph of the house. It is really lovely and has four bedrooms, as well as two additional bedroom sized rooms that are currently being used as offices. There is a piano, a large enclosed garden, a farm style kitchen with a large fridge and a big gas stove. We are really very excited, and expect lots of guests from Canada and other places... I'm going to try to figure out how to post a guest calendar, so you can block off your reservations online.

A nice house in Brussels...

Happy Tuesday,

We've had contact from a resident of Brussels who owns a beautiful house that he is looking to rent or exchange for the next year, and it looks like it would be solidly in our price range. Quite a relief to find out that the rental costs are not as astronomically high as we thought they might be. Now it's a matter of looking around for comparable houses.

We are still working away at finding a teaching job for Maggie. Following up with the schools that were interested initially but are perhaps not familiar with the work permit application process (which only they can initiate) is our present priority.

In other news, it looks like the only utility we won't have to cancel is our telephone number, which has stayed the same since we came to Toronto. Fortunately, recent changes in Canadian legislation allow us to take our number with us and move to a VOIP, or "internet" telephone, which works pretty much independently of where one is located. It's good to know that our friends and family will continue to be able to reach us during our stay in Europe.

Speaking of friends and family, we are already scratching our heads trying to fit in shared dinners and visits with all of our loved ones in advance of our departure... not an easy task, given that our calendar is already filling up quickly.

Cheers,
Matthew