Overall, I think I speak for all of us when I say we genuinely love it here. Having said that, we have certainly faced some challenges, it has by no means been plain-sailing.
So let me start with the things that have been difficult:
1. No. 1 is, without a doubt, our little granddaughter Isabella and school. Issy is 4 years old, in South Africa she was in a fantastic little playschool - the sort of place where she could climb up onto the teacher's lap at story-time if the mood took her. Here, she is in Reception year. The school couldn't be more far-removed from what she experienced in South Africa. There are strict regulations about everything, Issy gets reading homework every day, she wears a uniform, there are no hugs from the teachers, it's just been a MONUMENTAL leap for her and she's struggled to adjust - in fact we all have. More on this later...
2. Grant finding work. Before we moved it pretty much looked like Grant had found a job (I went into some detail about this in previous posts) unfortunately that job fell through at the last minute and since then he has been looking for work. Reading on groups we belong to, it seems like most people don't struggle to find work on arrival in the UK, but for Grant it has been a huge struggle. He has honestly done all the right things, he has his CV in the UK format, he even had it professionally re-written, he's more than happy to take a job below his skill level, he's submitted his CV to all the recruitment agencies, he's made finding work his full-time job since we arrived... he's done his level best, but ... no job! Part of the reason is without a doubt the fact that his particular line of work is a very niche position. Anyway, finally, FINALLY, he has a job and starts work on 4 Feb!
3. Living on rands. Ja, I won't lie, we have been haemorrhaging our ronts hey! Flip, it's quite scary. We'll be very, very glad to see some pounds rolling in.
4. Being without our stuff. So, our shipping left on the 26th of October and barring an unforeseen calamity, it will finally arrive at our door on Monday. We cannot wait! On the other hand, it's also rather a scary prospect as quite where we are going to put all that stuff is a flipping good question! We've gone from a 3 bedroom home with an office, a granny flat and two outdoor areas to a teeny-tiny little 2 bedroom, one bathroom flat and did I mention that the UK in general doesn't believe in built-in cupboards... so there's that. So far we have been living with one sharp knife, one casserole dish and 3 pots... you get the picture.... so I am going to dive on my kitchenware like a woman possessed!
5. Feeling part of the community. This is a strange concept and rather difficult to explain. Anyone who knows me knows that I am the least social person you are ever likely to meet. I like my own company and I love my friends but "being social" is not my scene AT ALL. I really detest any sort of social gathering and am painfully shy and socially awkward. So it strikes me as really weird that I hate not feeling part of the local community... but there you have it. Where we lived before the waiters at our favourite restaurants knew us, my hairstylist knew all about me, my gardener was my BFF and I sometimes smiled shyly at the lady who walked in the park - I felt like I belonged. Here, not so much! Grant and I go to the pub once or twice a week and I hate it that we don't know one single person there... we arrive and leave, generally without saying a single word to anyone except the bar-person (and I can't bring myself to smile shyly at anyone). I honestly don't need, or particularly want, to strike up a conversation with anyone, but it would be nice just to see a familiar face to say "hello" to. We are trying to greet people we see regularly, so perhaps it will come with time. It's funny because, on the whole, I find people (till-operators in the shops, the postman etc) friendly, so it's not that people are unfriendly as such, it's rather that people don't seem to welcome you into the community easily. To be honest I think I also give off a bit of an unfriendly vibe.... LOL!
Now for the good stuff!
Things that have gone well:
1. Issy's school. Confused? Let me explain. When Issy was having a hard time settling in at school here Rox and Jon went and met with her teacher and she spent well over an hour with them. She explained the plans she had set up to help Issy going forward - among other things, Issy will attend a weekly group that is there to support the pupils who have any sort of struggle, she has been assigned an individual facilitator for several hours a week and one of the teaching assistants will spend extra time with Issy and be there to guide her whenever necessary. They are going above and beyond to help and support her. We're very impressed!
2. The countryside. We are absolutely LOVING getting out into the countryside. We are spoilt for choice with gorgeous places like Hughenden, Waddesdon Manor, Coombe Hill, Hell-fire Caves and Cliveden (my favourite!) and many more on our doorstep. We bought National Trust annual membership for ourselves and the rest of the family for Christmas this year and are putting it to extremely good use already. Something I love about this area is the number of public footpaths criss-crossing the hills around us, it is wonderful how accessible the countryside is.
Hughenden Estate
Waddesdon Manor
Coombe Hill
View from Hell-fire caves
Hell-fire Caves (yes the sky sometimes gets THAT blue in Winter!)
Cliveden Estate
3. Our flat. Guys, I'll be honest, when we signed the lease for this flat I wondered how on earth I was going to deal with living in such a very tiny, very humble, rather grim-looking place. (Yeah, I'm aware that makes me sound like a spoilt brat!) How much I am enjoying it has come as a huge surprise to me! Our flat is in the High Street going through the heart of our little village, we are on the ground floor and there are only 4 flats in our block, with a small communal garden. The first thing I did when we moved in was buy a couple of bird feeders and hang them in the tree outside my kitchen window - washing dishes has become a pleasure as I get acquainted with the local avian community - that small thing has gone a ridiculously long way to making me feel comfortable here. (It's also led to some seriously weird conversations: "Grant come quickly, there's a Great Tit in the tree!"...words I never thought I'd hear myself say...) We've furnished our flat simply, but nicely (Hello Ikea, nice to know you!) and done our best to make it feel homely and are really feeling settled and comfortable here and no doubt when our shipping arrives and we have more of our personal knick-knacks around us we'll feel even more so.
If you shut one eye and squint you will see my bird feeders in the tree! Isn't the snow PRETTY?!
4. The weather. Say again? It's Winter! I thought we would absolutely hate the weather. It was something that literally scared me and gave me cold sweats when I thought about it before we left South Africa. I can say in complete honesty that I am enjoying the weather. We have got a handle on the central heating - 15 degrees C is our happy temp and it comes on twice a day for a few hours - and my sinuses are now sorted. We love going for walks in the brisk cold temps. So far the grey days don't really get us down (although I suppose if we had too many of them on a trot we might get over it!) and the ice cold blue-skied days are an absolute delight. We bundle up and get outside no matter the weather and thoroughly enjoy it. This week we had snow and we LOVED it. Such fun. The melt is a bit messy and mushy, but so, so worth it!
5. Proximity to London. We don't go to London all that often (there's that awkward thing about spending ronts...) but man it's nice being able to hop on a train and be there an hour later when we do want to go.
6. Doing this with family. It's no secret that Grant and I moved here because
So that about sums it up for now. My overall feeling is ... peace. I am at peace with our decision to move here, I'm at peace with where we are. I'm at peace with how we are living. I love England in general and the area we have settled in in particular. I don't really miss South Africa, although I do miss my family and friends who are still there. I miss my Paula-girl fiercely when she's not here (she's here at the moment, yay!) and I miss my Impi dreadfully. But ultimately, two months in and I'm happy!
