The most important thing we had to do in the UK was to find someplace to call home. Not just finding a place to live... but a place where we could feel comfortable, a refuge, a place with some feeling of permanence, a proper "home". We're very happy with what we have here. We spent the last 6 or 7 years nesting, and it's paid off. It is a fine home in the fullest sense of the word. Finding somewhere over there I thought would be difficult. We had a tough list of requirements to match... in the Country but within walking distance to services. ...with a garage ...within a 15 minute commute to work ...with a private patio/deck/garden ...preferably furnished. Oh yeah, and a price per month within reason. Amazingly that's just what we found. We had been combing the rental listings for months via the internet. In the week before we left, I noticed a new one in Bourne End... promising, but maybe a bit too far out of the way. I bookmarked it, but mostly forgot about it. We got to the UK after our brief visit to Switzerland late Friday. This left us the weekend to explore before contacting the agents Monday morning. After seeing Marlow, Deb was as impressed as I was. It would be a nice place to call home, albeit a bit busy for our tastes. One letting agent was open on Saturday so we got an impromptu visit of a fantastic seeming flat overlooking the Thames. Sadly, while th view seemed worth the price, the flat left us... flat. It was dorm room quality at best, and certainly not deserving of the small fortune that was the asking price. The only other listing he had was the Bourne End terraced home. He didn't have time to show it, but could make an appointment Tuesday. We decided to check it out ourselves. Google Earth, helped us pinpoint it's location, and we drove over to visit. Google Earth is cool, but it failed to convey how pretty the surrounding countryside was. We also discovered the house was adjacent to a network of public hiking trails, some leading through the fields, some to the river, and one right into the village center. There we found a butcher, a grocer, a small supermarket, a hardware store, a bakery, and a few cafes and restaurants. Everything we needed in walking distance. There was even a public library and a train station. At this point we were practically sold. To impatient to wait until Tuesday to see the place, we found a competing agent and booked an early Monday visit. It did not disappoint, and later that day we committed. Mission Accomplished.