Playing house

So the house is pretty much no more. The removers are in there packing and everything is shrouded in layers of cardboard. In a way though, I feel more settled now that things are actually happening. And I like living in a one bed cottage - it's kind of like playing house.....and it takes moments to tidy up and clean! And of course there is the added advantage of having my best friend next door.

I'm feeling much better about it all now - I've even had twinges of excitement. What a relief! And the removal guys are very nice and it's been fun chatting to them about the weird stuff they have packed in people's houses (I was very careful to conceal all the weird stuff we have!). How about packing up someone's S&M dungeon? Lol. Or being unexpectedly attacked by a blow up doll which fell off the top of a wardrobe? Hehehehehehe. Tomorrow the container will arrive and all our stuff will go off to be shipped, and all that will remain for us to do is to clean the house and enjoy various farewells with friends and family.

Of course, the bizarre weather we've had the last couple of days had made moving to the sun seem very attractive. After having a couple of weeks of lovely spring weather, during which I gave away most of my winter clothes, it has therefore been distressing to have had to deal with hail, wind and snow in togs that really are not up to it at all. This afternoon the children are doing a Bollywood dancing display in the playground at school, and I don't have anything to wear! Well I do - but I'm going to be bloody freezing....

We're leaving home....

So...yesterday we left our lovely house and moved into Nugs' cottage. It's very comfortable but I feel displaced - like a refugee.....we spent most of today at the house, clearing things up, washing all the bedlinen and making final preparations for the removal people on Monday.

It's actually happening. We are really and truly moving to the other side of the world where we don't know anyone. Hmmmm.....and.......it was largely my idea, so I don't feel I am entitled to be feeling a bit funny about it all. I think the thing is, that when you move house normally, you have kind of reached a point where you don't really want the house you've got and you are moving on to one you like more. But we don't know what our house will be...

Nevertheless, I am still very positive about the whole thing, but being in limbo is stressful.

And we've had good news - Andrew is now going to take some time off when we get there and we are going to have a little holiday. We are planning to spend 4 days on a motor cruiser going along the Hawkesbury River, which goes into Sydney Harbour. Should be fun, and will give us some relaxation for a while.

We also think we have identified a school for the children - St Luke's Grammar - so we have been making arrangements to take a tour the day after we arrive (before they break up for Easter). Hopefully everything will fall into place and I will soon be wondering what I was worrying about!

Last Supper....

So here we are - the last day in our house.....unfortunately I have the world's worst hangover as a result of a 'last supper' with our friends Ann Marie and Andrew, who forced me to quaff large quantities of white wine and have rendered me utterly useless on the day I should be at my busiest! Lol. No need to add that we had a great time and we are looking forward to spending some time with them and their three children when they are in Australia in early August.

So - this morning I managed to take the children to school (felt decidedly dodgy at the parking area and had to take a few deep breaths before I felt able to drive home) and I have spent the morning very carefully not moving at all on the sofa. As I explained to my best friend Nugs, there is a distinct possibility that I might die before the end of today, so there is not much point in finishing the packing. Hehehehehe.

And before you all think I am a terrible wino, I haven't been drunk for ages (not even at the ball last weekend where everyone else was three sheets to the wind, and frankly very badly behaved) - and if you can't get drunk with your friends just before you are going to live on the other side of the world, then I don't know when you can! I will admit that my timing is not good, and that it would have been far, far more convenient to feel this ill once the furniture had safely set off for Sydney, but there you go.....

I've managed to eat a cheese roll now, and am considering venturing upstairs to survey the ruins of my house. I can't tell you how complicated it is to pack for 2 weeks in England (with all the stuff that entails - school uniform, cubs uniform, scouts uniform, stuff for scout camp inconveniently being held next weekend, riding gear and a forecast for snow next week) plus 6 weeks in Australia. I was being quite organised at the beginning of the week, because I had packed all mine and Andrew's stuff - until I realised that I had packed every single pair of pants that I own, and not just at the bottom of the case, but in the lining in the bottom of the case.

However, all I have left to do is inventorising and valuing everything we own for insurance purposes, going around with black sacks throwing everything extraneous away, clearing all the food out of the kitchen and just generally surviving the rest of today. Help!!

Perhaps I'll just go back to watching daytime tv....

Chaos....

Not sure whether this post will qualify in the 'only updating with things you might want to know about' category, but it may be cathartic for me, so I'm going ahead....

We are in the fullest swing of getting ready to go - moving out of the house on Friday, to live in the holiday cottage my best friend has on her property, and the house is destroyed. Black sacks everywhere, some for the bin, others for the charity shops and others for friends. It's very sad to see my house in this state, as when we bought it the intention was to make it our last house. We've worked hard at getting it how we wanted it and although we all want to go to Sydney, it's with a heavy heart that we leave. I know we'll have a great house out there, and I'll enjoy getting it straight, but all the same.....There is still so much to do before the removals company arrive on Monday, and at times I'm not at all sure we will be ready.

Naturally then, this is when Andrew has chosen to start jet washing the extensive patio in the garden.....it's not that I don't want it done, but it would have been nice if it had been done when we were living in the house, and not when we are both just about to move out and there are more than a million other more important things to do! Lol. So far it has taken up two evenings, but today I gently (and I thought, with some considerable reserve) suggested that this was something that he could spend evenings doing once the furniture has set off to Sydney....

Friends keep asking me if I am excited....and I have to say that I really don't know. Even with this amount of activity related to emigrating, it all seems a bit surreal to me. I've had a bit of a panic over the weekend about it all, but I seem to have recovered from that........I've decided that I would be virtually psychotic if I wasn't at all worried about it (but on that basis I am very concerned that neither Andrew nor the children seem the least concerned about it all!), but I know it will all be fine, and if it's not - we'll come back. Course, quite what we'll do if some of us are happy and the others aren't, I don't know (and this is what I was panicking about...).

I think that is enough rambling for one evening. I've had a lovely couple of days - a spring ball with lots of our best friends, a day at a wonderful spa with Nugs, and a day sorting through all my clothes and make up etc with Amanda and I just want to enjoy spending time with everyone now.

Hmmm...

Ah - I think I know what the problem is....a missing, but clearly crucial, 's' in the weblink. All religious conversions must now be cancelled....

Bizarre

Something weird has happened with the links on my blog. It seems that when you click on the links you end up at some religious site.....or at least you do on my computer! I can't explain this, unless it is a message from the Big Man himself....and I don't seem to be able to put it right. So - if you are not of a religious bent yourself, I apologise. And if you are - enjoy....

Anna's leaving party, March 9th 2007

Anna had her leaving party this evening - 12 children and ringo-ing (the gentle art of being propelled down a ski slope in a rubber ring). A fabulous time was had by all, and they were all suitably exhausted when they had finished - this was as a result of the climb back up the hill with their ringos rather than the (v quick) descent!





Anna was rightly proud of the lovely photo frames which she had decorated and written on "The journey to a friend's house is never far.....". They took ages to make and were given to each guest in their party bags.





It wasn't too easy to take pictures of the girls actually on the slopes - my photography skills are pretty stretched when things are moving! - but what I did get I have added here.





And it seems like the party is not over - 2 of the girls are still here and staying the night. Anna is thrilled to get a sleepover with Rosalind and Gigi!





And just for the record, the children who came were - Iona, Gigi, Rosalind, Jessica, Emma, Abigail, Izzy, Lauren, Ellie and Nancy. Of course, Anna and George were also there, and Grandma and Grandad came too.