Saturday, January 31, 2004
Deb's been crying. I can hear the snuffles. I'm not that far from it either. We just said "bye" to Jim & Sarah, our best friends in the UK. Moving is great, but the price you pay is what you have to leave behind.
Tomorrow we have some more sorting and packing to do, and pricing everything for insurance. Then we're off for another meal out in the evening.
I'm starting to not enjoy this emigration thang at all. It's been great so far, all the fun stuff, and even the nail-biting things have been OK to some extent. But there's nothing as bad as saying goodbye when you know that it might be the last time. This isn't fun at all.
No pictures taken, nothing deep done, a simple meal out, some chat and drink, and a sad goodbye.
I fear there are more to be done before we board the plane to Toronto.
Tomorrow we have some more sorting and packing to do, and pricing everything for insurance. Then we're off for another meal out in the evening.
I'm starting to not enjoy this emigration thang at all. It's been great so far, all the fun stuff, and even the nail-biting things have been OK to some extent. But there's nothing as bad as saying goodbye when you know that it might be the last time. This isn't fun at all.
No pictures taken, nothing deep done, a simple meal out, some chat and drink, and a sad goodbye.
I fear there are more to be done before we board the plane to Toronto.
Friday, January 30, 2004
Well, pretty much all the paperwork is done now. I think the only thing left is to send the removal company a list of everything we intend to ship. This is so that they can instruct their insurers to send us a bill before we move. The insurance premium has to be paid before the removal company arrives. That's about it. I think ...
Jim & Sarah will be here tomorrow, and more than likely staying over. Deb & I are going out on Sunday evening, and on Monday morning we're off to Brussels for a few days. This means that we'll be pressed for time to get the list of items to move actually written. We'll manage somehow.
I stuck some items on eBay, and of the 12 I listed, three have already had bids. Okay, so only a quid each, but it's a start. I sold some stuff on eBay a while ago, and there were no bids until about the last hour. I admit it's quite exciting (in a weird sort of way) watching bidding wars break out on your stuff with minutes to go on the auction. Maybe I should get out more. Can you buy a life on eBay?
A wonderful rigmarole surrounding the company car. Logica sent me a tax disc for it today. That's nice, but I stopped working for them a month ago. I also still get email addressed to my old Logica email account, forwarded to my home account. Shame I don't get them still paying me money. That would be nice, but I got my P45 this week.
If you emailed me recently, and are waiting for a reply - I will get back to you, but it may take a while :-) I have quite a few emails to reply to, but they all deserve a decent reply, not just a "hi!". So yes, you'll get an email eventually. Honest!
Jim & Sarah will be here tomorrow, and more than likely staying over. Deb & I are going out on Sunday evening, and on Monday morning we're off to Brussels for a few days. This means that we'll be pressed for time to get the list of items to move actually written. We'll manage somehow.
I stuck some items on eBay, and of the 12 I listed, three have already had bids. Okay, so only a quid each, but it's a start. I sold some stuff on eBay a while ago, and there were no bids until about the last hour. I admit it's quite exciting (in a weird sort of way) watching bidding wars break out on your stuff with minutes to go on the auction. Maybe I should get out more. Can you buy a life on eBay?
A wonderful rigmarole surrounding the company car. Logica sent me a tax disc for it today. That's nice, but I stopped working for them a month ago. I also still get email addressed to my old Logica email account, forwarded to my home account. Shame I don't get them still paying me money. That would be nice, but I got my P45 this week.
If you emailed me recently, and are waiting for a reply - I will get back to you, but it may take a while :-) I have quite a few emails to reply to, but they all deserve a decent reply, not just a "hi!". So yes, you'll get an email eventually. Honest!
Thursday, January 29, 2004
I had a wander round the British Museum today. Some nice stuff, and I snapped a few photos along the way. Not sure that any photos will make it to the gallery, but I think there are a couple of good "wallpaper" shots. I might start a wallpaper section on my site, but that'll likely wait until I get to Canada.
A good meal with Logica people this evening, at a restaurant in Chinatown. Nice to say "bye" to the old crowd (some not so old!) and surprised to hear that some actually read this blog. Kewl :-)
I bought a guide to Brussels, which included the obligatory pop-out fold-away pocket map. They're quite useful I find. Though obviously the Brussels map is not so useful outside Brussels ... Hmm, the trip to Brussels is three days away (ish) and it'll be great to go through the Channel Tunnel. Yup, certainly looking forward to Eurostar.
I'm about to pop off to bed, after drinking a pint of juice just in case I get a headache in the morning, but I also ate a banana. I've been told bananas help you sleep. No "getting up" deadlines in the morning, so I'll check out how well I sleep.
Note to self: Try to find clothes that don't soak up cigarette smoke when I go to pubs. I smell like an ashtray :-(
A good meal with Logica people this evening, at a restaurant in Chinatown. Nice to say "bye" to the old crowd (some not so old!) and surprised to hear that some actually read this blog. Kewl :-)
I bought a guide to Brussels, which included the obligatory pop-out fold-away pocket map. They're quite useful I find. Though obviously the Brussels map is not so useful outside Brussels ... Hmm, the trip to Brussels is three days away (ish) and it'll be great to go through the Channel Tunnel. Yup, certainly looking forward to Eurostar.
I'm about to pop off to bed, after drinking a pint of juice just in case I get a headache in the morning, but I also ate a banana. I've been told bananas help you sleep. No "getting up" deadlines in the morning, so I'll check out how well I sleep.
Note to self: Try to find clothes that don't soak up cigarette smoke when I go to pubs. I smell like an ashtray :-(
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Another step closer to getting on that plane. I discovered that once the funds from the house sale are in the bank account, I can walk into any branch of my bank and ask them to transfer £25,000 to Deb's (our) Canadian bank account, and it'll cost £35 to have it leave the UK the following day. So assuming the funds are there on the Thursday, I can get them transferred out on the Friday. As long as the Canadian bank is as up to speed as the one here, the money will be ready in Canada on the Monday. Deb says banking here is slower than in Canada, so this'll be a small test :-)
It snowed here. One minute it was breezy and cold, and the next it had started snowing. Within a couple of minutes there were flurries, and inch of snow, and I suspect that the UK is trying to tell me "Look, we can give you snow here too, y'know". Anyway, here's a snap I made from the front door:
I cancelled the TV licence, and council tax too today, and counted/valued the CDs, videos and DVDs. On Friday I'll have to do the books and so on, so that on Sunday/Monday we can post the item list to the movers for insurance costings.
Can't do the books tomorrow, as first thing I have a dentist appointment, in the afternoon I will be looking round the British Museum and general Oxford Street shopping, and in the evening a meal out with ex-work mates.
Stuff moves out a week on Monday!
It snowed here. One minute it was breezy and cold, and the next it had started snowing. Within a couple of minutes there were flurries, and inch of snow, and I suspect that the UK is trying to tell me "Look, we can give you snow here too, y'know". Anyway, here's a snap I made from the front door:
I cancelled the TV licence, and council tax too today, and counted/valued the CDs, videos and DVDs. On Friday I'll have to do the books and so on, so that on Sunday/Monday we can post the item list to the movers for insurance costings.
Can't do the books tomorrow, as first thing I have a dentist appointment, in the afternoon I will be looking round the British Museum and general Oxford Street shopping, and in the evening a meal out with ex-work mates.
Stuff moves out a week on Monday!
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Yay! A new season of CSI on channel five! Boo! Just in time to miss it as we leave! What on earth has Grissom done with his face? It's all hairy.
Not particularly in a mood to write a blog entry, but today I checked on what I need to do at Toronto airport when I arrive. Only two things really - take evidence that I have money from the sale of the house, and make sure that the list of items I'm bringing into the country gets stamped by the customs officer at the airport.
I had what was probably my last fish and chips here. Thought I'd pop into Mary's fish bar and get my last fix. I'm sure there's F&C in Canada, but like pubs, they're not the same. It's far too healthy in the True North Strong and Free.
More tomorrow.
Not particularly in a mood to write a blog entry, but today I checked on what I need to do at Toronto airport when I arrive. Only two things really - take evidence that I have money from the sale of the house, and make sure that the list of items I'm bringing into the country gets stamped by the customs officer at the airport.
I had what was probably my last fish and chips here. Thought I'd pop into Mary's fish bar and get my last fix. I'm sure there's F&C in Canada, but like pubs, they're not the same. It's far too healthy in the True North Strong and Free.
More tomorrow.
Monday, January 26, 2004
I'm moving to Canada. It's beginning to sink in.
I appreciate that Canada is not perfect. I am well aware that Canada has its share of "gits". I've also seen Canada and the UK in action, grass-roots level, and I'm quite happy that Brits beat Canadians in the git stakes.
Two weeks today the removal team will turn up, pack a load of stuff into boxes, and disappear with instructions to float the entire lot across the Atlantic and up the St Lawrence. This means our bed will have travelled through Quebec, but you can't have everything.
I logged into workopolis.com today, and checked the open jobs in the GTA. I found a LAN/Support job at the Bank of Montreal. I clicked on the "apply for this job" button and was taken to their own employment agency. I had to fill in pages of info, and the entire process took over an hour. (If you're reading this and you're part of the Bank of Montreal hiring department, then it was the most interesting and enlightening hour I have spent in my life. Have my babies.)
Check marks are great things. Today I managed to draw a load of them against the list of things to do. We now have a small piece of paper with the to-do list on it, much reduced from the long list of yesterday. Many utilities are now cancelled as of the day we complete, loose ends are beginning to be tied up, and I suppose you could say that the jigsaw of emigration now has all the straight edges in the right place and we've sorted the grass pieces from the sky ones. Knowing my luck, there's a piece missing, but I bet it's down the back of the sofa.
Thought for the day: If Earth is a rental, we've lost the deposit for sure.
I appreciate that Canada is not perfect. I am well aware that Canada has its share of "gits". I've also seen Canada and the UK in action, grass-roots level, and I'm quite happy that Brits beat Canadians in the git stakes.
Two weeks today the removal team will turn up, pack a load of stuff into boxes, and disappear with instructions to float the entire lot across the Atlantic and up the St Lawrence. This means our bed will have travelled through Quebec, but you can't have everything.
I logged into workopolis.com today, and checked the open jobs in the GTA. I found a LAN/Support job at the Bank of Montreal. I clicked on the "apply for this job" button and was taken to their own employment agency. I had to fill in pages of info, and the entire process took over an hour. (If you're reading this and you're part of the Bank of Montreal hiring department, then it was the most interesting and enlightening hour I have spent in my life. Have my babies.)
Check marks are great things. Today I managed to draw a load of them against the list of things to do. We now have a small piece of paper with the to-do list on it, much reduced from the long list of yesterday. Many utilities are now cancelled as of the day we complete, loose ends are beginning to be tied up, and I suppose you could say that the jigsaw of emigration now has all the straight edges in the right place and we've sorted the grass pieces from the sky ones. Knowing my luck, there's a piece missing, but I bet it's down the back of the sofa.
Thought for the day: If Earth is a rental, we've lost the deposit for sure.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
I've not had such a great weekend for a long time. I'm sure that Deb feels the same, and to sit down to a 7 hour meal and have it feel like half an hour, well - where did the time go? Jerry put on a great spread, some excellent wines, and superb company. Truly one of the highlights of our leaving month.
If you're travelling by InterCity train, then don't bother going into one of the "quiet" coaches where you're not supposed to use a mobile phone, operate walkmans that annoy other passengers (chssssk, chssssk, chssssk....) or parade crying infants up and down the carriage - honestly, it really doesn't work like that. The stickers saying "No mobile phones" actually seem to read "Please, only use this carriage if you promise to use a mobile phone every five minutes (making sure it's an annoying ring tone), engage in loud conversations, and generally be a git". At least that's how the signs must read to the ignorant public that passes for British thesedays. I blame the parents, because there's no respect anymore.
Maybe it's because I can now see the future I have in Canada, but the average Brit sucks. More so that than the stereotypical Yank who can't see further than their own shores, the Brit can't see further than their own sofa. I know plenty of Brits for whom this does not apply, but I meet a gazillion(*) more each day for whom it does. Toss your rubbish out of the car window, walk three abreast on the pavement forcing me to step into the street as you pass, smoke in non-smoking carriages, don't make eye contact as you serve me - I don't care anymore, because in less than 20 days I will be in Canada, and I will be among people who are proud of their life and their surroundings, people who stop to think about others. In short, people who are actually decent people.
If you think I'm speaking out of line, think I'm bang out of order, or don't like to taste the truth about streetlife in the UK today, then tough - but you do have the potential to make a difference. Smile a bit more, ask that blind person on the underground if they need assistance, don't drop litter, say "Thank you", and don't squeeze your 15 foot car into a 20 foot gap whilst driving round the North Circular just because it'll save you 2 seconds journey time.
There's a big Karma wheel, and if you piss someone off just because you can , it's likely to whirl right around and smack you in the face. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow ...
Rant over, as I'm off to bed before a complicated first day of pre-moving prep.
(* Standard SI unit for "a huge fecking lot")
If you're travelling by InterCity train, then don't bother going into one of the "quiet" coaches where you're not supposed to use a mobile phone, operate walkmans that annoy other passengers (chssssk, chssssk, chssssk....) or parade crying infants up and down the carriage - honestly, it really doesn't work like that. The stickers saying "No mobile phones" actually seem to read "Please, only use this carriage if you promise to use a mobile phone every five minutes (making sure it's an annoying ring tone), engage in loud conversations, and generally be a git". At least that's how the signs must read to the ignorant public that passes for British thesedays. I blame the parents, because there's no respect anymore.
Maybe it's because I can now see the future I have in Canada, but the average Brit sucks. More so that than the stereotypical Yank who can't see further than their own shores, the Brit can't see further than their own sofa. I know plenty of Brits for whom this does not apply, but I meet a gazillion(*) more each day for whom it does. Toss your rubbish out of the car window, walk three abreast on the pavement forcing me to step into the street as you pass, smoke in non-smoking carriages, don't make eye contact as you serve me - I don't care anymore, because in less than 20 days I will be in Canada, and I will be among people who are proud of their life and their surroundings, people who stop to think about others. In short, people who are actually decent people.
If you think I'm speaking out of line, think I'm bang out of order, or don't like to taste the truth about streetlife in the UK today, then tough - but you do have the potential to make a difference. Smile a bit more, ask that blind person on the underground if they need assistance, don't drop litter, say "Thank you", and don't squeeze your 15 foot car into a 20 foot gap whilst driving round the North Circular just because it'll save you 2 seconds journey time.
There's a big Karma wheel, and if you piss someone off just because you can , it's likely to whirl right around and smack you in the face. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow ...
Rant over, as I'm off to bed before a complicated first day of pre-moving prep.
(* Standard SI unit for "a huge fecking lot")
Friday, January 23, 2004
No blog yesterday, as we had company. Bruce had a good time here - Deb made a chilli and we cracked open a couple bottles of wine. A nice time and Bruce scored a couple of extra items from the house...
... which is now sold! We exchanged today, after lots of to-ing and fro-ing. The buyers decided to play silly buggers, after telling us when they looked around the house that they were tired of being mucked about by agents and so on. Well, they've made no friends here, so bad luck on them I say.
We complete on Wednesday 11th Feb, move our stuff out the Monday before, and fly out to Canada on Valentines Day - Saturday 14th Feb. Now all we need to do is cancel a load of stuff (electricity, gas, phone) and arrange for mail to be forwarded, financial stuff to sort out, bags to pack ... egad! It's all too much!!
Still, it's a great day, which means that after Valentines Day 2007, I can become a Canadian citizen. Niiiiice.
We're off to Jerry's in the morning, staying over and coming back on Sunday. We also booked a short stay in Brussels - our final goodbye to Europe.
An early night tonight, I think. It's been a bit emotionally draining.
... which is now sold! We exchanged today, after lots of to-ing and fro-ing. The buyers decided to play silly buggers, after telling us when they looked around the house that they were tired of being mucked about by agents and so on. Well, they've made no friends here, so bad luck on them I say.
We complete on Wednesday 11th Feb, move our stuff out the Monday before, and fly out to Canada on Valentines Day - Saturday 14th Feb. Now all we need to do is cancel a load of stuff (electricity, gas, phone) and arrange for mail to be forwarded, financial stuff to sort out, bags to pack ... egad! It's all too much!!
Still, it's a great day, which means that after Valentines Day 2007, I can become a Canadian citizen. Niiiiice.
We're off to Jerry's in the morning, staying over and coming back on Sunday. We also booked a short stay in Brussels - our final goodbye to Europe.
An early night tonight, I think. It's been a bit emotionally draining.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
No news from the estate agent, but where's the surprise in that? The buyers should have seen their solicitor today, so we may be ready to exchange on Friday. I'll have to talk to the agent tomorrow.
If we exchange this week, then we'll move out on the Thursday two weeks from now, complete on the Friday (or Monday) and fly out the day after we complete. I'm checking to see if we can squeeze in a week in Egypt or in Rome. Dunno, still checking that one out.
I submitted my taxes for the year ended Apr 2003. Did it online, all quite painless. I'll have to do it online for the year ended Apr 2004. One less thing to worry about for another few months.
Deb made a cheesecake for our weekend trip to Jerry's, and we bought some champagne ready for when we complete. I collated some videos and audio cassettes before I stick them on eBay, but apart from that, not a lot happened today. Tomorrow will be different as Bruce (BB) is coming over for a meal and some drinks. Not too many as he has to drive to work in the morning.
See y'all tomorrow, same place etc.
If we exchange this week, then we'll move out on the Thursday two weeks from now, complete on the Friday (or Monday) and fly out the day after we complete. I'm checking to see if we can squeeze in a week in Egypt or in Rome. Dunno, still checking that one out.
I submitted my taxes for the year ended Apr 2003. Did it online, all quite painless. I'll have to do it online for the year ended Apr 2004. One less thing to worry about for another few months.
Deb made a cheesecake for our weekend trip to Jerry's, and we bought some champagne ready for when we complete. I collated some videos and audio cassettes before I stick them on eBay, but apart from that, not a lot happened today. Tomorrow will be different as Bruce (BB) is coming over for a meal and some drinks. Not too many as he has to drive to work in the morning.
See y'all tomorrow, same place etc.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Well that was an interesting day. The Hotpoint engineer arrived in the afternoon, took the washer apart, said there was nothing wrong with it, and put it back together again. Deb ran a load through it and all was fine. Very odd. Anyway, we got to talk to the engineer, who was South African. Which was nice ...
I started to file my tax return, online. I also sifted through a pile of old paperwork and did some filing. Tomorrow I'll be posting some more items to eBay. Speaking of which, the buyers of the first three items should be getting their stuff about now, and hopefully they'll give some positive feedback. Always helps to bump the number up.
BB will be here on Thursday for a meal. I'd call him Bruce, but there are a number of Bruce's around thesedays (though none of them Australian ...) He picks up the Sony music system and some other sundry kitcheny stuff he bought from us. He also gets to taste Deb's chilli, and while sipping some wine I think there'll be Queer Eye on TV for a laugh.
I spoke to the estate agent today, and she said that the buyers should be meeting with their solicitor tomorrow (Wednesday) and if all goes well, we're set to exchange on Friday. She promised to phone me in the morning. It's getting closer, and as there's no chain, I can't see why there'd be a hiccup.
As an aside, one of the things I do everyday on the web is check how my fantasy hockey team is doing on Senior League Hockey. (I play on the gopher server). My team is Guelph Form, the name of which which is a corruption of a real team, Guelph Storm.
With that, I bid you goodnight - more tomorrow.
I started to file my tax return, online. I also sifted through a pile of old paperwork and did some filing. Tomorrow I'll be posting some more items to eBay. Speaking of which, the buyers of the first three items should be getting their stuff about now, and hopefully they'll give some positive feedback. Always helps to bump the number up.
BB will be here on Thursday for a meal. I'd call him Bruce, but there are a number of Bruce's around thesedays (though none of them Australian ...) He picks up the Sony music system and some other sundry kitcheny stuff he bought from us. He also gets to taste Deb's chilli, and while sipping some wine I think there'll be Queer Eye on TV for a laugh.
I spoke to the estate agent today, and she said that the buyers should be meeting with their solicitor tomorrow (Wednesday) and if all goes well, we're set to exchange on Friday. She promised to phone me in the morning. It's getting closer, and as there's no chain, I can't see why there'd be a hiccup.
As an aside, one of the things I do everyday on the web is check how my fantasy hockey team is doing on Senior League Hockey. (I play on the gopher server). My team is Guelph Form, the name of which which is a corruption of a real team, Guelph Storm.
With that, I bid you goodnight - more tomorrow.
Monday, January 19, 2004
Checklist pretty much done for today. Posted the eBay items (£23!), put my coat in for repair (£12!), and checked in with the estate agent. Still not a lot of movement, so will call them again tomorrow. Must make more of a nuisance of myself to get things moving.
Discovered a company in Ontario that's hiring big-time. Research In Motion (RIM) based in Waterloo. Looks like a wireless communications company. Interesting stuff. I've earmarked a few open positions to chase, and I'll tailor the old CV to fit them. It would help if I had a move date, so I'll apply to them once I have that date so they know when I'll be available for interview.
I caught up with some old colleagues from my CIX days at the party, and a couple of them have set up Novacaster.com - a place for interconnected online discussion communities. I'll dip in and out of there to see what's what.
Disaster! We're out of beer. I know how that happened - we're just not buying in as much stuff as we used to, and if we run out of anything, we don't bother to replace it. As we can't take food with us, there's no point. Although we're assured that we can take chocolate as long as it's still boxed, so there's a hundred quid's worth of Cadbury's best waiting to be packed away. That's not all we have to take in bulk, there's soap and other bathroomy stuff that we've grown used to that you can't get in Canada, and as M&S closed their Canada outfit we'll make sure we wonder through the Enfield branch one last time.
So tomorrow there's the Hotpoint engineer coming (yeah, right). He's due to repair the washer/dryer which died a noisy death, and save us from the trek to the local launderette. Still on the appliance front, we bought a new kettle yesterday. The old one went BANG and started to issue smoke. I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that, so to be safe, we went and splashed out on a new one. This one is better than the old one, but I'm not sure that's why I've had more tea today than in the past month.
More tomorrow, when if I get the chance I'll call the removal company to make sure they can fit us in for the first week in February. Do you think I'm chancing my luck?
Discovered a company in Ontario that's hiring big-time. Research In Motion (RIM) based in Waterloo. Looks like a wireless communications company. Interesting stuff. I've earmarked a few open positions to chase, and I'll tailor the old CV to fit them. It would help if I had a move date, so I'll apply to them once I have that date so they know when I'll be available for interview.
I caught up with some old colleagues from my CIX days at the party, and a couple of them have set up Novacaster.com - a place for interconnected online discussion communities. I'll dip in and out of there to see what's what.
Disaster! We're out of beer. I know how that happened - we're just not buying in as much stuff as we used to, and if we run out of anything, we don't bother to replace it. As we can't take food with us, there's no point. Although we're assured that we can take chocolate as long as it's still boxed, so there's a hundred quid's worth of Cadbury's best waiting to be packed away. That's not all we have to take in bulk, there's soap and other bathroomy stuff that we've grown used to that you can't get in Canada, and as M&S closed their Canada outfit we'll make sure we wonder through the Enfield branch one last time.
So tomorrow there's the Hotpoint engineer coming (yeah, right). He's due to repair the washer/dryer which died a noisy death, and save us from the trek to the local launderette. Still on the appliance front, we bought a new kettle yesterday. The old one went BANG and started to issue smoke. I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that, so to be safe, we went and splashed out on a new one. This one is better than the old one, but I'm not sure that's why I've had more tea today than in the past month.
More tomorrow, when if I get the chance I'll call the removal company to make sure they can fit us in for the first week in February. Do you think I'm chancing my luck?
Sunday, January 18, 2004
There's nothing so revitalising as one of Deb's sandwiches. They have super-powers outside the realm of normal science. I feel more human now.
Now that I have my thinking head on, I realise that if we exchange contracts this Friday (as our solicitor and estate agent say we probably will) then we only have two more weekends here. Plan was to see Jim & Sarah for one weekend, and get some packing done the other weekend. But last night Jerry asked if we'd like to spend the coming weekend tasting some of the contents of his extensive wine cellar. Silly question, heh heh. So that's both weekends sorted now. Jerry's, then Jim & Sarah's.
Things to do tomorrow - post the three items I sold on eBay, call the estate agent about whether the buyers want the kitchen appliances for £500, repair my coat that was torn in the club last night, and do a spot of shopping to make sure we have all the ingredients for the meal being cooked for Bruce coming over this week. Oh, I also have to keep my fingers crossed that the Hotpoint engineer turns up on Tuesday as promised. Odds of that are slim, on past experience.
Now that I have my thinking head on, I realise that if we exchange contracts this Friday (as our solicitor and estate agent say we probably will) then we only have two more weekends here. Plan was to see Jim & Sarah for one weekend, and get some packing done the other weekend. But last night Jerry asked if we'd like to spend the coming weekend tasting some of the contents of his extensive wine cellar. Silly question, heh heh. So that's both weekends sorted now. Jerry's, then Jim & Sarah's.
Things to do tomorrow - post the three items I sold on eBay, call the estate agent about whether the buyers want the kitchen appliances for £500, repair my coat that was torn in the club last night, and do a spot of shopping to make sure we have all the ingredients for the meal being cooked for Bruce coming over this week. Oh, I also have to keep my fingers crossed that the Hotpoint engineer turns up on Tuesday as promised. Odds of that are slim, on past experience.
Well, this is the first post in my blog, and it's mainly to say I have a headache after holding our emigration party last night.
I was a bit disappointed that certain people were no-shows, but it was an excellent party nonetheless. You can see photos at http://gfreeman.com and look in the gallery.
More later when my headache has calmed down and I can only see one of everything.
I was a bit disappointed that certain people were no-shows, but it was an excellent party nonetheless. You can see photos at http://gfreeman.com and look in the gallery.
More later when my headache has calmed down and I can only see one of everything.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]