We leave in three weeks' time!! So exciting.
Did I mention that our car insurance policy, which was costing around £50 a month, expired yesterday? And that they wouldn't extend it by two weeks, we'd have to take out a whole year? And that for short-term insurance, to cover one driver (me) for the next three weeks is going to cost us £120?? Total rip-off! But I can't be stuck without a car for the next few weeks with the kids off school and no toys, TV or anything! Thankfully a very kind friend has lent us a small TV and Gamecube so that should help keep them occupied. But I had to be able to at least go places, and run all the errands necessary to tie up loose ends here. So £120 it is. Ouch.
We have opened our NZ bank account and registered the kids at their new school.
I can't believe how expensive school uniform is over there - about £14 for a polo shirt with the school badge on!! They are £8 here - but I don't even buy the school ones, they are allowed to wear plain white ones and they cost about £4 for a pack of three! The sweatshirts are about £17 each - the school ones here are £8.75 for small ones and £11.75 for bigger - but again, I buy the plain ones which start at £3 each since they don't have to have the badge.
The plain navy school trousers are £25 a pair there! They are £6 a pair here so I'll be buying enough to cover the boys for the rest of primary school and posting over whatever won't fit into our suitcases. Unfortunately I can't do that with the polos and sweatshirts as I'll have to buy them from the school with the logo on. The shorts are £13 a pair over there - Tesco has them here for £5 for two pairs!
We'll get used to the things that are priced higher, and I'm sure there are things that are priced lower, but we also have to consider that Grant is taking a cut in salary, our rent is going to be higher than we've paid since we lived in London and we have to start from scratch saving for a deposit to buy a house one day. I've been flat broke before and I'm not looking forward to living like that again, but there are more important things in life than money. And with all of my different business ideas and plans to get a part-time job I'm sure we'll be fine. This move is still worth it.
[Update: Have just ordered 28 pairs of shorts and trousers (various sizes) from Tesco, didn't realise they were having 25% off sale - the lot cost me £87.75, free shipping. Am bargain queen. In NZ that would have bought me 7 pairs.)
25 May 2011
Lorna's cupcake question
Another question to answer, this one from Lorna who wrote, "When I make cupcakes, they invariably come out looking like volcanoes. That is, the edges rise and spread spectacularly, and the middles don't. My big cakes sink too, but only so that the middles are a quarter inch lower than the edges, and if it matters, I just slice off the offending top, flip the cake over, and ice its bottom.
"So the question is... do you have any idea what I'm doing wrong? I follow the directions to the letter - creaming the butter and sugar like crazy, beating in the eggs lustily, then being very, very gentle with the flour. They're also more on the dry and firm side than the moist and spongy side, just in case that's important!"
I have to say I have had exactly that happen to me, and I have no idea why! I honestly have no idea why it happens so I decided to do a little investigating and came across this very helpful page. Perhaps the answer to your volcanoeing cupcakes lies in the oven temperature and / or mixing? I found another forum where this tip was passed: if your cupcakes are peaking too much, lower your temperature by ten degrees. If they are sinking, turn the temperature up by ten degrees or more. I hope you find some answers and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help!
"So the question is... do you have any idea what I'm doing wrong? I follow the directions to the letter - creaming the butter and sugar like crazy, beating in the eggs lustily, then being very, very gentle with the flour. They're also more on the dry and firm side than the moist and spongy side, just in case that's important!"
I have to say I have had exactly that happen to me, and I have no idea why! I honestly have no idea why it happens so I decided to do a little investigating and came across this very helpful page. Perhaps the answer to your volcanoeing cupcakes lies in the oven temperature and / or mixing? I found another forum where this tip was passed: if your cupcakes are peaking too much, lower your temperature by ten degrees. If they are sinking, turn the temperature up by ten degrees or more. I hope you find some answers and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help!
23 May 2011
Monday rambling
Sorry I've not been around. This journey has lots of ups and downs and the last few days have been part of the downs. I'm feeling a bit happier today so I thought I'd answer the questions I got.
Woodengirl had a few questions. She wrote, "I would love to read about your beginnings in South Africa, what it is like there. Also would love to know your impressions of England, and why you are drawn to New Zealand. I would love to know more about your photography. I love your photos. How did you learn your skills?"
It's so weird to think back to my life in South Africa; it feels not just like a different chapter but a completely different book. I honestly can barely remember what it's like to live there - but then again, I can barely remember Life Before Kids!
South Africa is very down-to-earth and laid back. There is amazing culture. The weather is hot (I mean HOT) and sunny for 9 months of the year. In Cape Town we had wet winters and hot, dry summers, but that varies depending where you go in the country (up north has thunderstorms in the summer and dry winters; the east coast is very humid).
My favourite memories of South Africa are usually about the outdoor lifestyle we enjoyed. When I was a child we used to go camping in the mountains every single weekend. I loved it. It was completely uncivilised, we were literally in the middle of nowhere. I loved being totally surrounded by nature. My friend Leith and I (her family camped with us) would spend all day running around the mountain in nothing but our bathing costumes. We encountered snakes, spiders, baboons, mongeese, eels, crabs, fish, birds, frogs, insects, all sorts of creatures. We learned to respect nature and to appreciate it.
When I was around 16 my dad started doing rescue for Hobie regattas and of course my older sister, Leith and I soon tagged along considering there were tons of hot guys doing the sailing. I even did some sailing myself for a while. But besides the guys and the parties and the sailing was the camping. Even after Grant and I met and got married we would still go camping at the dam in the mountains.
We camped in a caravan and in tents and sometimes just under the stars. My dad had a boat and we had fun on the water-skis and kneeboard. We also had a paddle-ski and of course we swam.
The outdoor lifestyle is one of the main things we miss about SA and one of the things we are so looking forward to in NZ. We want that for our kids. They have no idea what they're missing because they've never had it, but we do.
Okay, moving onto our impressions of England ... wow, where to start. I have loved living in England. It's where I have properly "grown up" and (cheesy alert:) "found myself". It's where we started our family. I will be very homesick for England ... but it's definitely time to go.
It's hard to share my feelings about England without sounding negative because of the place our lives are in right now. Our reasons for leaving are at the front of our minds. They include the over-regulation of everything ("health-and-safety" trumps common sense), the gloomy, cold weather and loooong winters, yob culture and idolatrous nation (un-religious so they worship things like football (soccer), alcohol, celebrities, brand names, etc), the lack of respect, the bureaucracy Grant has to deal with at work, bullying, alcohol bingeing, general low standards, overcrowding, lack of parking, and I won't even go into political stuff.
But let me tell you, we have met some amazing people here and made some wonderful memories and seen some beautiful places. The softness of the English countryside, especially in spring and summer, is something special. I love the quality and variety of products and groceries available. The NHS has its faults but I had wonderful midwives and very satisfactory birth experiences and great support afterwards. The NHS has failed me miserably too at times, of course, but it's great to not have to pay for kids' prescriptions or glasses and have free hospital visits (having a baby doesn't cost a penny, for example). The public transport is generally reliable and you can get around without a car if you need to. I love seeing the seasons unfold; there is a real spring, and a real autumn. It's great having double-glazing and central heating. There is such history in this country and amazing things to see.
But what draws us to NZ is the outdoor lifestyle, the laid-back people, the fact that it's twice the size of the UK but has one-tenth of the population, old-fashioned values (compared to England), better weather, shorter winter, more light, more space, less bureaucracy for Grant. We'll never go back to SA so we're going looking elsewhere for the things we miss.
And lastly, with regards to photography, the way I learned was buying an SLR camera second-hand on eBay, reading Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", learning online and practising, practising, practising!
Woodengirl had a few questions. She wrote, "I would love to read about your beginnings in South Africa, what it is like there. Also would love to know your impressions of England, and why you are drawn to New Zealand. I would love to know more about your photography. I love your photos. How did you learn your skills?"
It's so weird to think back to my life in South Africa; it feels not just like a different chapter but a completely different book. I honestly can barely remember what it's like to live there - but then again, I can barely remember Life Before Kids!
South Africa is very down-to-earth and laid back. There is amazing culture. The weather is hot (I mean HOT) and sunny for 9 months of the year. In Cape Town we had wet winters and hot, dry summers, but that varies depending where you go in the country (up north has thunderstorms in the summer and dry winters; the east coast is very humid).
My favourite memories of South Africa are usually about the outdoor lifestyle we enjoyed. When I was a child we used to go camping in the mountains every single weekend. I loved it. It was completely uncivilised, we were literally in the middle of nowhere. I loved being totally surrounded by nature. My friend Leith and I (her family camped with us) would spend all day running around the mountain in nothing but our bathing costumes. We encountered snakes, spiders, baboons, mongeese, eels, crabs, fish, birds, frogs, insects, all sorts of creatures. We learned to respect nature and to appreciate it.
When I was around 16 my dad started doing rescue for Hobie regattas and of course my older sister, Leith and I soon tagged along considering there were tons of hot guys doing the sailing. I even did some sailing myself for a while. But besides the guys and the parties and the sailing was the camping. Even after Grant and I met and got married we would still go camping at the dam in the mountains.
We camped in a caravan and in tents and sometimes just under the stars. My dad had a boat and we had fun on the water-skis and kneeboard. We also had a paddle-ski and of course we swam.
The outdoor lifestyle is one of the main things we miss about SA and one of the things we are so looking forward to in NZ. We want that for our kids. They have no idea what they're missing because they've never had it, but we do.
Okay, moving onto our impressions of England ... wow, where to start. I have loved living in England. It's where I have properly "grown up" and (cheesy alert:) "found myself". It's where we started our family. I will be very homesick for England ... but it's definitely time to go.
It's hard to share my feelings about England without sounding negative because of the place our lives are in right now. Our reasons for leaving are at the front of our minds. They include the over-regulation of everything ("health-and-safety" trumps common sense), the gloomy, cold weather and loooong winters, yob culture and idolatrous nation (un-religious so they worship things like football (soccer), alcohol, celebrities, brand names, etc), the lack of respect, the bureaucracy Grant has to deal with at work, bullying, alcohol bingeing, general low standards, overcrowding, lack of parking, and I won't even go into political stuff.
But let me tell you, we have met some amazing people here and made some wonderful memories and seen some beautiful places. The softness of the English countryside, especially in spring and summer, is something special. I love the quality and variety of products and groceries available. The NHS has its faults but I had wonderful midwives and very satisfactory birth experiences and great support afterwards. The NHS has failed me miserably too at times, of course, but it's great to not have to pay for kids' prescriptions or glasses and have free hospital visits (having a baby doesn't cost a penny, for example). The public transport is generally reliable and you can get around without a car if you need to. I love seeing the seasons unfold; there is a real spring, and a real autumn. It's great having double-glazing and central heating. There is such history in this country and amazing things to see.
But what draws us to NZ is the outdoor lifestyle, the laid-back people, the fact that it's twice the size of the UK but has one-tenth of the population, old-fashioned values (compared to England), better weather, shorter winter, more light, more space, less bureaucracy for Grant. We'll never go back to SA so we're going looking elsewhere for the things we miss.
And lastly, with regards to photography, the way I learned was buying an SLR camera second-hand on eBay, reading Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", learning online and practising, practising, practising!
18 May 2011
NZ update - we have a house to go to
Today we signed the lease for a house in Pukekohe! This is the description from the realtor's site: "3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms. This near new home is within a short walk to [the kids'] School. It has three bedrooms; the master with an en suite. The spacious living area is open plan with the modern kitchen and dining room. Garaging consists of a double garage with internal access."
My very kind friend Nic went to view it for us to check that it was all right and she said it was lovely. We then had to apply and the landlord went through the applications and made the decision.
I feel so relieved that we have that sorted out! Here are the pictures I saved off the listing before it was taken down:
My very kind friend Nic went to view it for us to check that it was all right and she said it was lovely. We then had to apply and the landlord went through the applications and made the decision.
I feel so relieved that we have that sorted out! Here are the pictures I saved off the listing before it was taken down:
16 May 2011
Reframing
Let's say you have inherited a painting from your grandmother. Although it has sentimental value, it's kind of old-fashioned and not to your taste. Chances are, if you had it reframed in a modern frame that you like it would be much more appealing and you'd be happy to hang it in your home.
The exercise of reframing works the same with experiences and situations.
The word "waiting" immediately makes me feel frustrated, stressed, impatient and fed-up. As you know, we've been doing a lot of waiting in the last 20 months and it's pretty much all we're doing for the next 5 weeks. I have really been struggling the past few days, feeling very down and frustrated and dreading the empty weeks stretching out ahead of us in our empty home as we wait to leave.
However, the word "resting" makes me feel nurtured, relaxed and calm. So I've made an effort to think of this time as a time of resting before the busy weeks ahead of us when we will be building our new life in NZ, rather than as a time of waiting.
It has made a huge difference to how I feel!! Rather than having the constant feeling of impatience and frustration that I felt while I thought of it as waiting, I now feel much calmer and relaxed as I think of it as resting. I feel like I'm doing something positive rather than something negative. Of course I am still scheduling some things to look forward to and things that need doing and winding up loose ends, but in between activities I'm enjoying relaxing and resting - rather than trying to fill waiting time.
What a difference reframing makes.
By the way, one of the ways I'm amusing myself while resting is Pinterest - check out my boards here.
The exercise of reframing works the same with experiences and situations.
The word "waiting" immediately makes me feel frustrated, stressed, impatient and fed-up. As you know, we've been doing a lot of waiting in the last 20 months and it's pretty much all we're doing for the next 5 weeks. I have really been struggling the past few days, feeling very down and frustrated and dreading the empty weeks stretching out ahead of us in our empty home as we wait to leave.
However, the word "resting" makes me feel nurtured, relaxed and calm. So I've made an effort to think of this time as a time of resting before the busy weeks ahead of us when we will be building our new life in NZ, rather than as a time of waiting.
It has made a huge difference to how I feel!! Rather than having the constant feeling of impatience and frustration that I felt while I thought of it as waiting, I now feel much calmer and relaxed as I think of it as resting. I feel like I'm doing something positive rather than something negative. Of course I am still scheduling some things to look forward to and things that need doing and winding up loose ends, but in between activities I'm enjoying relaxing and resting - rather than trying to fill waiting time.
What a difference reframing makes.
By the way, one of the ways I'm amusing myself while resting is Pinterest - check out my boards here.
15 May 2011
Q&A
Miss M asked: "So, does that mean you're leaving the mattresses? Also, what about your clothes and personal items? Are you living out of suitcases for the next few weeks?"
We aren't taking the two mattresses we have here. They are very old and pretty much shot. (It's only been a few days but my back is hurting every day!) We knew this time would come so we hung onto them when we replaced them. We'll Freecycle them right before we leave.
We have very limited clothing and shoes, pretty much what will fit into suitcases. Ditto personal items. I packed and sent everything that we could live without for 3 months. For instance, I have a shoebox full of nail polish but I only kept 3 back and sent the rest. Gotta have pretty toes in sandal weather!
Not a question, but Leith remarked, "Nice to see you didn't ship the computer. You need something to keep you connected to the 21st century."
Heck yes!! We specially bought our Samsung Netbook for just this occasion. My cousin's husband also very kindly gave us a laptop. It's pretty much our only entertainment right now, not to mention contact with the outside world and tool for booking things like car hire.
Jamey asked, "Does the move seem more 'real' now??"
Yes it does! I can't believe it's only 36 more sleeps away! This is really happening - wheeeee! Aslo, eeeeek!!
She also remarked, "It must be a exciting time for you, but also quite sad in a lot of ways."
Indeed I have been very moody, up one minute and down the next. But I think I have already processed most of the sad parts, and will have them hit me in NZ once the honeymoon period is over. Right now I'm just mainly stressed - stressed with our living situation, with all the loose ends to wrap up (that, bless him, Grant is mainly dealing with), stressed at the prospect of the kids being off school for the last three weeks before we fly (they have a school break for 2 weeks and then were supposed to go back the week we leave) with no toys, Wii, Xbox, etc, and stressed about spending 25 hours on aeroplanes when we go! Not to mention having to borrow goodies to keep us afloat on the other side until our container is delivered.
But yes, we're excited too! We just want to get a move on, but can't. Pretty much the story of our last 19 months!!
We aren't taking the two mattresses we have here. They are very old and pretty much shot. (It's only been a few days but my back is hurting every day!) We knew this time would come so we hung onto them when we replaced them. We'll Freecycle them right before we leave.
We have very limited clothing and shoes, pretty much what will fit into suitcases. Ditto personal items. I packed and sent everything that we could live without for 3 months. For instance, I have a shoebox full of nail polish but I only kept 3 back and sent the rest. Gotta have pretty toes in sandal weather!
Not a question, but Leith remarked, "Nice to see you didn't ship the computer. You need something to keep you connected to the 21st century."
Heck yes!! We specially bought our Samsung Netbook for just this occasion. My cousin's husband also very kindly gave us a laptop. It's pretty much our only entertainment right now, not to mention contact with the outside world and tool for booking things like car hire.
Jamey asked, "Does the move seem more 'real' now??"
Yes it does! I can't believe it's only 36 more sleeps away! This is really happening - wheeeee! Aslo, eeeeek!!
She also remarked, "It must be a exciting time for you, but also quite sad in a lot of ways."
Indeed I have been very moody, up one minute and down the next. But I think I have already processed most of the sad parts, and will have them hit me in NZ once the honeymoon period is over. Right now I'm just mainly stressed - stressed with our living situation, with all the loose ends to wrap up (that, bless him, Grant is mainly dealing with), stressed at the prospect of the kids being off school for the last three weeks before we fly (they have a school break for 2 weeks and then were supposed to go back the week we leave) with no toys, Wii, Xbox, etc, and stressed about spending 25 hours on aeroplanes when we go! Not to mention having to borrow goodies to keep us afloat on the other side until our container is delivered.
But yes, we're excited too! We just want to get a move on, but can't. Pretty much the story of our last 19 months!!
14 May 2011
Question time and a video
I've had a few questions lately that I do intend to answer in a post. I don't have much else to blog about right now, in my drastically pared-back life where all we can do is sit and wait. So any other questions you throw my way (any subject at all) will be welcome and give me something to blog about!! Please, ask me anything.
In the meantime, here's an adorable video of Noah reading to his Nana a couple of weeks ago. (For those who don't know, he's just turned 6 years old.)
In the meantime, here's an adorable video of Noah reading to his Nana a couple of weeks ago. (For those who don't know, he's just turned 6 years old.)
12 May 2011
NZ update - our stuff has been shipped
On Monday and Tuesday the shippers (we used PSS) arrived and started packing up all of our belongings. They were very polite, friendly, professional and thorough. I spent the day occasionally making tea for them, and hiding out in Noah's room the rest of the time.
This is the TV all crated up:
Every single item and piece of furniture was either packed into a box or individually wrapped in thick brown paper - here's the sofa:
Every box or wrapped piece is individually numbered:
On Tuesday afernoon the 20-foot container arrived and was loaded:
Once everything was in the container was closed and sealed with two seals:
Then it was driven away to Liverpool docks where it will be loaded onto the Nairobi and will leave port on the 14th.
Here are a couple of shots of the house now - we're sleeping on a mattress, Daniel has another mattress and Noah has a bed made up of a bunch of old duvets! We'll be selling these chairs - we bought six new ones from Ikea and shipped them with the rest of our stuff.
Note the klassy garden chairs so we can sit and ... um ... stare at the fireplace?
This is the TV all crated up:
Every single item and piece of furniture was either packed into a box or individually wrapped in thick brown paper - here's the sofa:
Every box or wrapped piece is individually numbered:
On Tuesday afernoon the 20-foot container arrived and was loaded:
Once everything was in the container was closed and sealed with two seals:
Then it was driven away to Liverpool docks where it will be loaded onto the Nairobi and will leave port on the 14th.
Here are a couple of shots of the house now - we're sleeping on a mattress, Daniel has another mattress and Noah has a bed made up of a bunch of old duvets! We'll be selling these chairs - we bought six new ones from Ikea and shipped them with the rest of our stuff.
Note the klassy garden chairs so we can sit and ... um ... stare at the fireplace?
7 May 2011
House of chaos
A little video showing what our house looks like right now, with the shippers arriving on Monday to pack up and ship all our stuff.
5 May 2011
Day out at The Forbidden Corner
Yesterday I mentioned we'd had a day out at The Forbidden Corner. We had a lovely time and could not have asked for better weather! Here are some pics and video clips of our day.
First, for those who didn't want to watch yesterday's video, here are some photos of the Yorkshire countryside that we saw on the way there:
At The Forbidden Corner:
Take a look at what happens when you walk inside the above building:
I should have taken more photos, there were some fun things to see and do. However, I did take two photos inside the ladie's loos! The sinks reminded me of something out of Harry Potter, and so did the cubicle handles:
First, for those who didn't want to watch yesterday's video, here are some photos of the Yorkshire countryside that we saw on the way there:
At The Forbidden Corner:
Take a look at what happens when you walk inside the above building:
I should have taken more photos, there were some fun things to see and do. However, I did take two photos inside the ladie's loos! The sinks reminded me of something out of Harry Potter, and so did the cubicle handles:
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