15 Wamil Way, Mildenhall

So, we finally settled on a house to live in...and this is it! 15 Wamil Way, Mildenhall.

As with all European houses, it's tiny...but oh, it's so charming. Even it's quirks (things that would NOT be good in the United States, but are perfectly normal in Europe) enhance the charm of the house. The house has a rock exterior and a timber interior covered in plaster. This means that over the hundred or more years since it's been built (and it's had it's remodellings over time to make it more modern, don't worry), it's settled...which means that the upstairs floors have twisted a bit and have left the floor a little uneven in places. We'll have to build up our bed with cinderblocks and other things to level it out. The entire property is surrounded by a rock wall (which makes it nice for Weslee and the cat...they'll both be safe). It has a wood burning stove that is both functional and decorative. We'll have to get a grate for that to protect Weslee from getting too curious.

The garden is my favorite part. It's surrounded by perennial flowers and herbs. The woman doesn't mind if we plant veggies. It's just beautiful. It's also nice that it's only minutes from base, minutes from the doctor's office, right in the heart of an English village with a beautiful abbey and tons of cute shops and pubs. It's just a short drive to Lakenheath where the commissary and BX are. Probably the farthest we'll have to travel for necessary things is to church in Thetford, 20 minutes away. (Really, the roads are known for being dangerous around here...so you don't want to take public transport...the bus station is within walking distance too...as much as possible.)

It has 3 bedrooms (one of them is little more than a box), plenty of storage, believe it or not (there's an attic, a shed, and all sorts of cubbies throughout the house), and a cute kitchen. Any of you who come to visit will be shocked by how teensy all of the British appliances are. The fridge looks like a dorm fridge. The washer looks like you can only fit one pair of pants in it at a time. So...this should be interesting. Definitely a new way of life, and we're excited to experience it.

We were so happy to get this house. There were alot of other people looking at it...and several seriously considering renting it. Period houses (or remodelled historic homes) generally don't come for rent often. People, once they settle in them, generally stay put. So, we're so happy that we get to live in one for our stay here. We won't get to move in for another 2 weeks as the landlords need to paint, clean up the garden a bit, and move the rest of their stuff out. The pictures above are from the agent's listing online and you can see all of the owner's furnishings. When we went to look at the house, they were all gone, but there were a few odds and ends left in the cubbies and storage areas. The base also has to conduct a safety inspection to make sure it meets certain safety requirements (like smoke detectors, fire alarms, no lead pipes, etc.)

Anyway, we hope to invite many of you into this home and that we'll have many good memories here as a family and with all of you!