So far we are loving our time here and I said to Si on the beach yesterday “please, please don’t tell me you regret this move, as I don’t know if I could ever go back” and I really mean it – I miss my parents, friends and extended family terribly, and there are moments of real sadness when I think of what they are all doing back home, but I just know that this has been the right thing for our family, and I can feel the stresses of the hectic rat race dissolving every day as I sit in the park and watch my children play and not have anywhere else I HAVE to be or anything else I SHOULD be doing – even Phillip commented the other day that it is so nice not to have to rush anywhere.
On that thought a few more firsts for England
First time I have EVER been visited in my home for a check up by a health professional – my midwife actually came to call on me on Friday afternoon to see how I was doing and check all okay with the baby – Megs and Phil were delighted to be included and actually be able to hear the babies heartbeat.
First time I have had to let the government choose my children’s schools rather than have the control myself
First time I have seen a doctor and not had to pay a cent
Have decided that it is probably a good idea to try and get the kids into school now rather than later, as the term still has 7 weeks to go, and meeting Tash and Murray has made such a difference to the kids that I think getting to know some more children will probably go along way towards helping them settle – and if the truth be told, I am also desperate to meet some mums and start creating a little bit of a circle around me…it is great being able to talk to Linda and Tanya on the phone, but it is not the same as having them just up the street and I am really missing that girl chat. I know it will take a while to develop any real friendships, and I can NEVER replace the ones back home, but just to have someone to visit the park with or share a cup of tea with at this stage would be really great.
Anyway, with this in mind, contacted our local primary school this morning, only to be told that I need to contact the council for my admission forms and then the children will be allocated a school where there is space available to accommodate them – as I said before, a first for me – let a bureaucracy actually choose my children’s school, the only conciliation is that most of the schools around here seem to be of a very high standard, and we can always put names down at the schools we really like if there is no space available now. Looks like it can take up to two weeks for the wheels to turn, so it is going to be a long, but hopefully not too painful process.
Just back from my weekly shopping trip – not necessary to do monthly shopping here as have loads of time on my hands and Sainsburys is just around the corner. Thought you might be interested to see what you can get for about £55 - the average salary for people living in the Haywards Heath area is about 500 pounds net per week, so when you look at it as a percentage it isn’t actually too bad.
Shopping
· 1 x Kitkat
· 4 x Sweetcorn (sold individually here)
· 1 x 500g Kellogg’s Bran Flakes (basically the same as All Bran in SA)
· 6pts (3litres) Milk (the milk here is delicious and Phil loves a glass with dinner)
· 3 x Loaves White Bread (Makes Albany look like a beginner – divine)
· 1 x Flake
· 2 x small tins tomatoes (can’t get tomato and onion mix here sniff)
· 1 x tin Bisto
· 1 x Girls Mag for Megan
· 1 x punnet white mushrooms
· 1 x bag fresh broccoli (see mom, eating loads more fresh veg)
· 1 x bag onions
· 1 x punnet plums (and fresh fruit)
· 1kg mince
· 2 x 250g back bacon
· 1 x 250g streaky bacon
· 250g pork fillets
· 1 x bag pink lady apples
· 2kg potatoes
· Bananas
· Grapes
· Oranges
· 1 x box breadcrumbs
· 1 x jar peanut butter
· 1 x cauliflower
· 10 x fruit lollys (basically frozen fresh fruit juice)
· 1 x bag popcorn
· 1 x bottle oil
· 2 x bottles cordial
· 1 x crunchie
· 1 x huge bag of carrots
· 1 x bottle tomato sauce
· 1 x roll puff pastry
· 2 x packets biscuits
So as you can see not a bad list, and certainly not scrimping and saving – could probably get by on a lot less, but I recon at this stage on about 250 pounds per month for groceries, and considering we had budgeted on about 500 pounds, things are looking good.
Named my washing machine Mavis today and my dishwasher Milly, they are my number one girls (lol) simply couldn’t live in this country without them, especially Milly – mom I finally see what you mean about owing a dishwasher!!!!! Oh well must dash – Argos just delivered my bedside tables and as they are self assembly I need to get started.
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