Housemove... of Hemispherical Proportions!

Covid!!! How we have all come to hate and despise this word and anything remotely related to it.... 2020 was most definately the year that will stand out for all of us as a maker or breaker..... For me, it was a maker. It fast tracked a plan I'd had for a few years on relocating to the UK with my little family.

I don't recall the exact date, but I know it involved wine, a family discussion around the kitchen counter and actually a relatively quick decision that leaving beautiful SA was inevitable. Time to head for "a better life for all" sound familiar?

A future for the kids and hopefully a more prospective retirement down the line for me.... yes, when one hits their 50's, one needs to ponder these boring adult facts in closer detail.

So fast track through almost 3 months of selling a house and most of my furniture, packing up my memorables and sentimentals into a total of 18 boxes, we bid our life in a cube goodbye as it disappeared down the drive to begin its 12 week journey across the seas to England.

The day of 21st November dawned, and I must admit, it was a very tearful day for me.... the realisation I was leaving behind all I'd known for the past 30 years, friends, family, memories, a home and a job I absolutely love.... basically I was bursting my bubble, my secure little haven that I'd been in for so long and taking a massive leap of faith into the sort of unknown....... it was a very sad, daunting day. But at the same time so very exciting...

This just resonates with me...... The point on our flight that I shed a tear or 2.....

I vividly recall watching the flight path on the crappy TV screen on our BA flight around 2am and watching the plane leave the northern coastline of the African continent somewhere over Libya I think, and fly over the Mediterranean.... and I cried silent tears, thinking of my beloved African bush I was leaving behind..... that truly was the hardest part of the whole move. As they say, once Africa gets into your blood, it will never leave!

And here we are now, in another full lockdown in England..... talk about a full 360!! Back where I was last March... except lockdown in England is nothing like SA.... most shops are still open, everyone walks around without masks... except us well trained Saffa's who were good citizen's from the get go and listened to Uncle Cyril.

But the experiences we've had here, before lockdown kicked in, have been amazing..... the fact the weather changes 14 times a day is actually quite refreshing. Going for walkies with the Lovely Dudley with our proper winter gear means "toasty warm".... no cold feet happening here! The English countryside is just beautiful... even in the thick of cold, hard winter, there is still beauty to be seen and thankfully my camera helps me capture these moments. I can't wait to get back to some sort of normal again!

Some shots from a few of the amazing walks we got to do before lockdown....

And everything works here!!! Yes, I usually hold for an average of 30 mins to an hour for any service provider, retailer

or bank, but not once have I had a dropped call

( F U VC!!). The happy, friendly voice that eventually answers is efficient, helpful and issues are resolved in 5 mins. I've had to learn how to operate Pay as You Go Gas and Electricity.... Matthew is now Master of the Meter.... and it's all so simple!! I managed to open a bank account without actually leaving the house.... all done online with some really bizarre security methods.... but hey, it works!! Bank fees are zilch here, zip, nada, nothing! And believe me, I use my card for everything..... I came over with £390 in cash back in November,

I still have £40 in my purse.... haven't even used an ATM.

Virgin Media installed my internet and TV box.... from scratch....! A very friendly chap rewired everything, while informing me he'd packed in smoking 3 weeks prior... which was probably a good thing as he huffed and puffed his way through the job, drilling into the tiniest of corners.... breathing heavily and trying to stay alive. But he did a great job, neat, quick and thorough.... oh and I pay £30 a month for 100mb line and a myriad of TV channels that I haven't even looked at half of them yet.... SA you need to up your game!

Amazing how once your home comforts are around, a house becomes a home!

The lovely, ambient temperature within our home that keeps Matt in a t-shirt most days, me not so......

The start of a little succulent garden that will hopefully grow in abundance.....

I now appreciate the sun streaming through my south facing windows and know that someone in SA is waving back to me from their north facing window.... 9000km away. I appreciate being able to go for walks and not fear for my life if I'm alone.... no body guards and safety in numbers required. I appreciate my warm, toasty home that we've created over the past 3 weeks. I appreciate the self checkout at Tesco, actually I flippen love it.... being able to scan as you shop and pack while you trundle round the aisles is amazing, no cashier required. I appreciate filling up the car myself with petrol although checking tyre pressure, oil etc will fall to Matthew, hooray for #kidlet2. I appreciate the fact the kids can pop to the shop for me if I'm busy with work and I don't need to worry for their safety. I appreciate the simplicity of IKEA (wardrobe building for dummies). I appreciate the ice cold water out my taps that actually tastes really good in my area, no fancy fridge water dispensers required here......

There really is so much to appreciate here..... yes it has it's faults, but they pale when compared to all the positives!

So all in all, the UK has been good to us so far, and long may it continue..... the lockdown, once over, will not be missed.... we need a social life FFS!! There's a whole country waiting to show itself off to the Rosses and hopefully my next post will be full of images of freedom and new discoveries and maybe even some sign of Spring.....