As you all know, we have been searching for a house for several years now, but it has been quite difficult to find something suitable - either on a steep slope, or no garden, or not enough bedrooms, or too many floors, or needing too much doing to it, or too overlooked by neighbours, or garden too open for Daniel to just wander off, or too far away etc etc....
Well, at last we have found our future home! There is quite a bit that needs doing to it, but the basic house is suitable for what we need and specifically Daniel. We signed the contract yesterday, and hope to move in just before Christmas. It actually becomes ours on the 31st October, but they have given us the key already! It's quite a bit more countrified with a view of the mountains, but yet only about 15 minutes drive from Bern. I'm going to try and put a photo on the photo page especially for family and friends who live far away. Anna will have to change schools, but I think she'll make friends quickly and I know she will love the countryside. Sam will stay at the same school in Bern and have to catch a bus in (at 7.08 am!!)
We are going to see two possible institutions for Daniel soon, where he could go for the day. I think he could find the change quite hard. We do hope his girfriend will be able to go to the same place. There is a tremendous amount of bureaucracy connected with Daniel turning 18 in a few months!
Lately though the school have been making a lot of effort to ensure that Daniel gets enough exercise as they noticed he benefitted from this on his camp. He's even been cycling on the tandem with a teacher for over an hour! What an amazing team they are.
Speaking of cycling, Sam has just got home from a week away with his class where they cycled from Romanshorn in the East of Switzerland to Basel following the northern border along the Rhine. They carried all their pack on the bikes including tents. 3 of the days they had to cycle 50 kilometers and he tells us it was already night when they arrived!! Many of the kids found it a bit tough, but I think it will be one of those things you remember for the rest of your life!
Daniel is on the whole quite a bit calmer and relaxed. He still has the odd day when he has these tense moments - sort of inhales and scrunches his face and body up and bites his finger a lot, but they are less.
We are very grateful for all your thoughts and prayers and love to read your messages.
Thanks so much,
Elizabeth, Peter, Daniel, Sam and Anna xxxxx
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