Arrived in the UK - Part 2

Dear friends

So after finally touching down at Heathrow we were tired and somewhat ill.  I still had a terrible cough from the cold/flu I had contracted the previous Thursday.  I also found myself carrying quite heavy bags and it was the first time that I had arrived with the family at Terminal 5.  There was the obligatory long walk from the aircraft to the immigration queues and although our flight was one of the first arriving in the morning, there was a queue - quite a long queue.  I took my bags and dutifully joined the queue.

Kim had her letter from her doctor stating that she had ME and that she should avoid standing as much as possible and using this letter she approached an immigration official and asked if she would be allowed to sit down until such time as I reached the front of the queue. There was a seating enclosure nearby where people who had to have their documentation reviewed were asked to wait.  The official studied Kim's letter and asked her where her husband was in the queue (I had moved on a little, with people behind me at this stage).  She pointed me out and the official asked me to join them.  We were then shown to the front of the queue and asked to wait for the next available immigration officer!  We were so thankful and the immigration officer made sure that our biometric data was confirmed and  passports were stamped within a few short minutes.  We had passed the UK border.  This was a much more painless experience than the last time we arrived in the UK!

The rest of the airport experience was painless - even though I was sweating profusely from the fever of the flu.  I managed to get our bags and load them up on a trolley.  Kyra needed water, which I got for her very quickly. After passing the customs gates we were land side.  All the familiar stores were there; M&S, WH Smith, COSTA.  I left the family with the trolley full of bags while I went off to find the Enterprise Car Rental counter and get us some sim cards for our phones.  Luckily Heathrow T5 had wifi so Kim and Kyra had let everyone back home know that we had arrived and what our movements were.

The young chap at Enterprise was very friendly and most helpful.  I had pre-booked and paid the car, but they did of course have to take a credit card impression as a deposit.  Then it was a short bus ride to the actual car rental area.  Once we arrived there we were again greeted by a friendly lady who indicated that there was problem with the credit card which I had presented and would I mind them trying again?  Of course I agreed and they sorted out the problem without any fuss. They did however apologise for this extra delay and said that in view of this, they were going to offer us an upgrade in the vehicle.  I myself was quite worried about the size of the car which I had reserved and was very grateful of an upgrade - especially to a larger car!  They gave us the choice of two cars, an Ensignia and a Toyota RAV4.  Kim had no hesitation in selecting the RAV4!  It took all our kit and was comfortable too to boot.

We bundled in, I fiddled about trying to find our GPS, and eventually we were off. We left Heathrow while the sky above was cloudy and grey and a soft rain started our automatic windscreen wipers moving across the windshield.

More in the next installment....

Arrived in the UK!

We spent much of last weekend running around, trying to cram everything in.  The biggest issue it would seem was our luggage.  We had way too much stuff to go with us to the UK.  I had thought that we had sent all our non essentials on the boat, but as it turns out - a lot of stuff had been crammed into our three suitcases. This included BOOKS which were meant for a book signing and pots and kettles!

So, being liberal with the interpretation of British Airways hand luggage and oversize luggage rules, we bought a new bag on Friday to house the excess items. Upon getting it home we realised that it too was too small and that we would have to get another (bigger) bag if we are to get this all into place. So we returned the pink bag and bought a large black duffel bag instead.  It continued to be a constant of weighing and  repacking and eventually some things were even discarded.  Our relaxing time in the guest house for our last few days in the UK had quickly become stressful and not very relaxing at all. The illness was terrible and certainly detracted from what should have been a special experience.

Sunday morning dawned cold but bright and we awoke knowing that our next awakening would be in the UK - or somewhere over the Mediterranean at least.

Not surprisingly there was even more running around and we went and said goodbye to some people and the dogs.  There were many tears shed by Kyra but I was too ill to feel anything except physical misery. Kim was also ill but managed to keep it together very well.

Finally after a final lunch we packed everything into the rental car and headed off to Blouberg. This was our final goodbye to friends there before heading off to the airport. Mila had made some lovely pancakes which we partook of. We also dropped off some bags and boxes at Mila for safekeeping. Mykel-Trent will be picking these up and taking them with to Australia when they return from their African Adventure.

Finally we left Mila and headed off to the airport.  I was supposed to return the car filled up with petrol but alas it was not to be.  I completely forgot and only once I handed the keys over did I realise that I had forgotten to fill up the car! No big deal, I would pay for it later.

When the car rental agent had taken our keys there were two people standing around offering to help with our trolleys.  I told them that I would be OK and that there would be no need for their help, but still they loitered.

Eventually I saw that I was not getting much assistance from elsewhere, so I called them closer to help.  Just then the police arrived in a van and warned me that these two men were known criminals and that they would run away with our items at the first chance they were given.  The police immediately made the two men do pushups and other physical exercises near their van while we piled all our articles on a trolley and got the hell out of dodge.

Once in the airport we had our duffel bag wrapped and then headed to the BA counter to find out how much extra we would have to pay on the heavy and additional bags. We had a very helpful check-in agent who only charged us for two of the overweight bags and was very kind in letting the one additional heavy bag go through without us having to pay for it.

IT still cost us R2400 for excess luggage though!  We also had way too much in the way of hand luggage.  It was all within our allowance, but it certainly did take a lot of carrying.  By this stage I was sopping wet from sweat.  The flight had not even begun!

We passed through security without any hassles and when asked at immigration "when are you coming back?" - Kim piped up "never!" The immigration officer was very friendly and looked quite shocked and he kept up a conversation for quite some time trying to convince us to return. Kyra was quite adamant that she would return, even if it was just for a holiday. This seemed to put him at ease.

We queued and we waited and eventually were shepherded onto the plane.  Eventually we settled down for the evening and our flight. The aircraft was exceptionally hot. It would seem the air conditioning was not working properly and things were most uncomfortable for much of the flight.
Just as breakfast was being served in the morning we hit an incredible pocket of turbulence.  The entire plane lurched from side to side and my entire breakfast was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor.  I was too busy trying to keep my coffee from spilling to stop it. As it turns out the coffee did spill, all over my hand.  As for the rest it was a pulpy mess in the aisle.

After holding for 20 minutes over Heathrow, we finally touched down in London! We had arrived.

More on Heathrow and car rental adventures in the next post....

Last days in South Africa

Dear friends

Finally - we have arrived in the UK.  Here a short summary of how the past few days have gone.

By the start of last week I had not yet sold my car. There was some interest over the weekend - two people in fact who came and saw the car at the local mall.  The one prospective buyer was more serious than the other.  By Monday evening he had informed me that he would be taking the car.  I was so relieved!

On Tuesday poor Kim had to put up with the moving company who was there the entire day, packing and wrapping and shoving things in little gaps.  By Tuesday night when I got home, everything that was going on the boat as well as everything that was going into temporary storage was gone.  There was still way too much stuff in the house. What did not go with us, would have to be discarded.

Wednesday was my last day at the office.  It was an emotional experience saying farewell to the people who I had spent more time with than my own family over the past four and a half years.  Some wonderful compliments were paid and I thank them all for that.

Thursday was another tiring and equally emotional day.  In the morning we took the dogs to their new temporary home and it was close to a disaster.  We decided to meet our foster mom with her two dogs at a neutral area - a park down the road from their house.  The idea was to introduce the two sets of dogs to each other so that they can get to know each other before being expected to spend time together.  As it turns out, the dogs took one look at each other and ATTACK!  I fear it was our big dog who was first off the mark - also the one with the most menace.  This scared our foster mom so much that she declared she would not be able to do this.  We separated the dogs and managed to get them into separate vehicles. Fortunately she calmed down and suggested we still bring the dogs to her house and she would make a plan to keep them separated. While emotional and draining, I breathed a sigh of relief that she was able to do this. We are SOOOO grateful for her help with this.

That evening I had to give the car over to the new owner and also get the rental car which we would use for the rest of the time while in South Africa.  Thursday was unusually warm and somewhere during the day I had discarded my jumper and was only wearing a T-shirt.  By the time I found myself in Green Point on Thursday evening to collect the rental car, the temperature had dropped dramatically and I was shivering.  This was a mistake. This is where I got ill.

On Thursday we also moved into the guest house in Kommetjie. Our final waypoint before leaving for the UK.  It was a beautiful beach house - perfect for relaxation and taking stock before the big move. The sea was right there and the decor was lovely.  We should have spent more time relaxing there, and less time running around with final arrangements. It was a lovely time there.

Friday morning dawned and I was sick as a dog.  I had flu - fully blown and intense.  This made the next couple of days very uncomfortable indeed. More about that later....

More things sold and Visa application this week

Dear friends

We have sold our Kyra's piano and lots of pieces of furniture. I guess we will have to buy a new piano when we get settled in the UK.

Our house sale transferred on Wednesday. We are now currently living in a house owned by someone else and because we have not had to move - it does not feel so strange.

I have also sold my car. Luckily it does not have to go yet, but we have to do the paperwork this week.

On Thursday we are going for our visa application interview.  I am feeling quite nervous about this, maybe because of our experience last time.

We have not yet found a place to stay. Our move is planned for the last week in July and we have yet to find somewhere to stay in the UK.  I think it is because it is the wrong time of the year for short term rentals - being the middle of summer vacation.  The places that we have seen are so expensive and us travelling in Rands makes it very difficult to find a place that is within our budget.

Also, I have not yet sorted out a job on that side.  I am continuing in discussions with various companies but most of them would rather I be there before engaging further in discussions with me.  Also, the places I would most like to work at do not have vacancies at the moment. So this is another uncertainty that is still causing a bit of stress.

Our son and his girlfriend left for their African adventure earlier today so it was very sad saying goodbye to them - we have no idea when we will see them again. I wish them all the best in adventure and health.

Also Missy - the boerboel. 

We are not sure where she is going to end up. We have done all the microchipping and tagging for Poppy (the mini Schnauzer) and Missy - but only Poppy will be able to join us in the UK in a few months time once we are settled.  We have to find someone to give Missy a loving home. The idea was that she was going to go with our son once he got back from his African adventure, but for the moment we do not know when that will be or where they will end up.  It is quite sad and stressful.

Please continue to think of us friends - and if you have any ideas or hear anything which might help as far as accomodation, jobs or Missy is concerned - please do not hesitate to drop us a line.

De Clutter

Dear Friends
On Monday I took our documents, passports and application forms to the immigration lawyer.  We had a brief chat and spoke about the best options in terms of submission of our application.

The thing about making any move, but especially a big one like this - is trying to cover all the bases. Normally a move is big enough on its own, but now you couple it with:

• Changing jobs
• Changing house
• Changing car
• Changing schools
• Changing telephone/internet provider (and subsequently email address!)
• Changing banks
• Changing insurance
• Changing power provider
• Changing seasons
• Changing times
• Changing speech
• Changing what you eat, drink, live out of. (our familiar items will be on the sea for at least 6 weeks - so we will have to make do with a furnished place, and all the differences that it brings.)

There are so many changes. So it is not unexpected to try and hold on to the familiar as far as possible. On the other hand, you want to make the move as painless as possible and not drag things across the ocean that are not necessary.

This weekend I looked at our bookshelf.  It was filled with books which I had bought on a wim and had not read. There were also books that I had read and enjoyed, which I would probably not read again.  There were books that I got as Christmas and birthday presents - to toss or to keep?

For books I had not yet read, I evaluated how difficult it would be to find them at the library or on the Kindle - and tossed a whole lot.
For books I had read, I honestly asked myself whether I would read them again. Those that I could not see myself re-reading, got tossed.  Interestingly enough, the only fiction books that passed this test were "Lord of the Rings" and "The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

There are moving companies coming today to quote on the move.

Trading sunshine for Rain - again

I previously had a blog on here which was called "Trading Sunshine for Rain" - the aim of which was to chronicle our move from South Africa to the UK.  This is did - with varying success and with irregular updates. The last post in that blog mentioned our return to South Africa in 2010. It was a very sad post. For me at least.

We have lived in Cape Town since December 2010 and all the reasons for our return have changed or have not come to fruition.

1. Kim's ME/CFS - We had hoped that a change of climate would positively influence Kim's health and that she would be better in South Africa. This did not happen.
2. We had hoped that family would assist and help and be more present with Kim's illness. Of course what we didn't factor in is that they have their own lives and things going on which have made this impossible.  Nothing much has changed as far as family support is concerned from living in the UK and living in South Africa.  At least in the UK there is more access to help and less reliance on transport and distance for the day to day elements of living.
3. Our daughter is due to start studying in 2017/2018. She wants to study astrophysics.  The courses are much better in the UK for this and access to quality tertiary education is a problem in South Africa.

All the above, coupled with the fact that I quite enjoyed and preferred living in the UK has led to this decision.

I will try and give a more detailed and more regular report on this blog of where we are in this entire process.