Returning to Normal
Boo!
Another long post to follow, although it’s not an exciting report (we haven’t been out and about in the tourist tracks), but I’ve plenty to say about life in general here in the UK :-)
Underground 'G' String... imagine checking these for directions in rush hour...
We found ourselves an apartment in Barnet and move in this Saturday. The apartment was the second one we viewed, and knew straight away it would be perfect for us. With 3 bedrooms, its nice and sunny, has views of the countryside from the kitchen window (yes really!!), a communal garden (no more topless sunbathing this summer! :-) ) and is 12 mins walk from the tube station. We’re apartment 12 in a block of 13. We managed to gate crash a garden party there last weekend and have a glass of wine with our new neighbours.
Can’t wait to move in and completely unpack, Mark has promised a shopping trip with new toys for the kids, and new linen and towels although the apartment is furnished. I’m planning to sneak a few pairs of shoes whilst Mark is in the shopping spirit (believe me a rare occasion).
We’ve been lucky enough to housesit for Mark’s family in Tewin whilst
waiting to move into the apartment. Alan and Dorothy are enjoying a holiday in France whilst I’m having fun trying to keep the house tidy for the housekeeper who comes in on Fridays :-)
School is still about our only outstanding issue. After numerous phone calls (unanswered) to various schools, and a visit to the local council we are no closer to knowing where the children will go to school, even though schools start back after the summer break tomorrow. I plan to sit on the phone in the morning until I find someone who’ll answer it… still we did manage to go shopping for school shoes today… ha any excuse for a trip to the mall!
Mark has been working for just over a week now, and seems to have settled into the routine of going off each morning. The children are still adjusting to the idea and every day Petra would ask where he had gone and why he wasn’t coming out with the rest of us. Mark was pleased today when some of his engineering spreadsheets he had Mum send out from NZ were well received at work. He was spooked by the way some of the engineering calcs were presented and filed - so is in his element modernising his new firm. I am delaying my return to work as long as possible… maybe I’m just in denial about the end of our ‘holiday’.
Now, I’ve never considered myself a sun worshipper, but a case of homesickness this last week coincided with several days of very wet chilly weather. We had to buy vests (ok singlets!) for everyone and made plans to shop for winter coats on the weekend. Luckily summer came back (and it was a 3 day weekend) so moods have generally improved after several days outside in the garden and visiting some parks in London.
Visiting the Princess Diana Memorial in Hyde Park
I split a tooth on the weekend (I really shouldn’t have been sneaking the children’s sweets)…and since it was the weekend, I rang the emergency dentist who advised that it wasn’t an emergency and that I should see my usual dentist. Easier said than done… I rang several dentists first thing after the long weekend only to find that the earliest I could get an appointment is next Tuesday (8 days later), and with one advising me there would be a 10 week wait for an appointment!! To be sure the tooth will be a goner by then, in 4 days the split has morhped into a tooth now completely split in half (and yet still imbedded in my gum) with a gap that I can easily fit my tongue into. Petra thinks its great that the tooth fairy may pay me a visit…I hope an adult molar is worth a lot in the UK...
About the only shopping I detest is going to the supermarket, but it is quite an interesting exercise here. For starters you need to pay a deposit on your trolley (£1 coin to get one out of the rack). And everything seems to be sold in tiny portions, in neat tiny packages. Are we just greedy kiwis who expect large helpings of everything, or does everyone in Britain live on their own, only want half a teaspoon of peas for their dinner, then shop every day? I once bought a twin pack of baby lettuces, by the time I discarded the wilted outer leaves, and the bitter leaves in the middle I was lucky to have six leaves left in total… why didn’t the farmer just leave them to grow in the ground a bit longer??
Also you’re expected to pack the groceries yourself, and I’m not talking Pak ‘n’ Save style either. In our first supermarket experience I happily watched the cashier and my growing pile of scanned groceries at the far end of the checkout. Once I’d paid the bill I stood there looking at her, she stood there looking at me and then we both just looked at the pile of groceries…I then noticed that all the other customers were busy doing their own packing. Now, I can cope with this idea but it can be quite a challenge… I believe the cashiers are on some sort of power trip - the faster you pack, the faster they scan and sometimes it takes me and the kids to keep up with groceries as they come hurtling down the checkout. I have new found respect for the checkout operators in Foodtown Chartwell, and will never again complain about a squashed loaf of bread!
However, we have discovered the ultimate checkout - a ‘self’ checkout. In this case you operate the scanner, pack your own shopping and pay cash or card into a type of vending machine, not a human in sight. As you can imagine though, the machines aren’t ’Mole-proof’. With Bran and Pet, trying to multi scan things at the same time, they gave one machine a coronary - don’t mention our name at Tescos in Bristol :-)
That’s about the end of my rantings for now. We are only 4 days away from being able to host guests, so if anyone is in need of a place to stay during a trip to London look us up (hint hint!!) We also appreciate all the phone calls, emails and texts so please don’t forget about us!
Cheers
Hayls
x
Another long post to follow, although it’s not an exciting report (we haven’t been out and about in the tourist tracks), but I’ve plenty to say about life in general here in the UK :-)
Underground 'G' String... imagine checking these for directions in rush hour...We found ourselves an apartment in Barnet and move in this Saturday. The apartment was the second one we viewed, and knew straight away it would be perfect for us. With 3 bedrooms, its nice and sunny, has views of the countryside from the kitchen window (yes really!!), a communal garden (no more topless sunbathing this summer! :-) ) and is 12 mins walk from the tube station. We’re apartment 12 in a block of 13. We managed to gate crash a garden party there last weekend and have a glass of wine with our new neighbours.
Can’t wait to move in and completely unpack, Mark has promised a shopping trip with new toys for the kids, and new linen and towels although the apartment is furnished. I’m planning to sneak a few pairs of shoes whilst Mark is in the shopping spirit (believe me a rare occasion).
We’ve been lucky enough to housesit for Mark’s family in Tewin whilst
waiting to move into the apartment. Alan and Dorothy are enjoying a holiday in France whilst I’m having fun trying to keep the house tidy for the housekeeper who comes in on Fridays :-)School is still about our only outstanding issue. After numerous phone calls (unanswered) to various schools, and a visit to the local council we are no closer to knowing where the children will go to school, even though schools start back after the summer break tomorrow. I plan to sit on the phone in the morning until I find someone who’ll answer it… still we did manage to go shopping for school shoes today… ha any excuse for a trip to the mall!
Mark has been working for just over a week now, and seems to have settled into the routine of going off each morning. The children are still adjusting to the idea and every day Petra would ask where he had gone and why he wasn’t coming out with the rest of us. Mark was pleased today when some of his engineering spreadsheets he had Mum send out from NZ were well received at work. He was spooked by the way some of the engineering calcs were presented and filed - so is in his element modernising his new firm. I am delaying my return to work as long as possible… maybe I’m just in denial about the end of our ‘holiday’.
Now, I’ve never considered myself a sun worshipper, but a case of homesickness this last week coincided with several days of very wet chilly weather. We had to buy vests (ok singlets!) for everyone and made plans to shop for winter coats on the weekend. Luckily summer came back (and it was a 3 day weekend) so moods have generally improved after several days outside in the garden and visiting some parks in London.
Visiting the Princess Diana Memorial in Hyde ParkI split a tooth on the weekend (I really shouldn’t have been sneaking the children’s sweets)…and since it was the weekend, I rang the emergency dentist who advised that it wasn’t an emergency and that I should see my usual dentist. Easier said than done… I rang several dentists first thing after the long weekend only to find that the earliest I could get an appointment is next Tuesday (8 days later), and with one advising me there would be a 10 week wait for an appointment!! To be sure the tooth will be a goner by then, in 4 days the split has morhped into a tooth now completely split in half (and yet still imbedded in my gum) with a gap that I can easily fit my tongue into. Petra thinks its great that the tooth fairy may pay me a visit…I hope an adult molar is worth a lot in the UK...
About the only shopping I detest is going to the supermarket, but it is quite an interesting exercise here. For starters you need to pay a deposit on your trolley (£1 coin to get one out of the rack). And everything seems to be sold in tiny portions, in neat tiny packages. Are we just greedy kiwis who expect large helpings of everything, or does everyone in Britain live on their own, only want half a teaspoon of peas for their dinner, then shop every day? I once bought a twin pack of baby lettuces, by the time I discarded the wilted outer leaves, and the bitter leaves in the middle I was lucky to have six leaves left in total… why didn’t the farmer just leave them to grow in the ground a bit longer??
Also you’re expected to pack the groceries yourself, and I’m not talking Pak ‘n’ Save style either. In our first supermarket experience I happily watched the cashier and my growing pile of scanned groceries at the far end of the checkout. Once I’d paid the bill I stood there looking at her, she stood there looking at me and then we both just looked at the pile of groceries…I then noticed that all the other customers were busy doing their own packing. Now, I can cope with this idea but it can be quite a challenge… I believe the cashiers are on some sort of power trip - the faster you pack, the faster they scan and sometimes it takes me and the kids to keep up with groceries as they come hurtling down the checkout. I have new found respect for the checkout operators in Foodtown Chartwell, and will never again complain about a squashed loaf of bread!
However, we have discovered the ultimate checkout - a ‘self’ checkout. In this case you operate the scanner, pack your own shopping and pay cash or card into a type of vending machine, not a human in sight. As you can imagine though, the machines aren’t ’Mole-proof’. With Bran and Pet, trying to multi scan things at the same time, they gave one machine a coronary - don’t mention our name at Tescos in Bristol :-)
That’s about the end of my rantings for now. We are only 4 days away from being able to host guests, so if anyone is in need of a place to stay during a trip to London look us up (hint hint!!) We also appreciate all the phone calls, emails and texts so please don’t forget about us!
Cheers
Hayls
x
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