Finally both children went back to school today and by all accounts it was a good day for both of them. Megs worked exceptionally hard last year and it seems to have paid off as she has been streamed in the upper streams for all her subjects and as a result benefits from sensible children with the same work ethos in her class. She has been selected to study Spanish this year and is continuing with French so by this time next year I am going to have a trilingual little girl - how cool is that.
After dropping both children at school I was off to the laundromat to do my weekly washing and whilst sitting there I found myself thinking that life in England is not easy.....it is wonderful, challenging, safe, satisfying yes, but easy, most definitely not.
The English women work incredibly hard and much of it is physical labour, hunking washing around, carrying groceries up stairs and spending literally hours ironing clothing and that is without pumping your own petrol and putting air in your car tyres. I simply don't know how these super women also go out and do a hard day at the office as well, most of my friends are high powered career woman who commute to London during the day.
I can honestly say that I have NEVER worked as hard in my life as I have since I have been here and at night I literally flop onto the couch exhausted at 9.00pm after finishing all the daily chores. The upside is a tremendous sense of satisfaction at what I achieve EVERY SINGLE day and nicely toned bicep muscles and a tight ass without ever setting foot in the gym ;0)
For posterity thought I would record my day today:
07.15: Si woke me up as he left for work (definite advantages to the 08:45 school start)
07.30: Dragged myself out of bed and into the shower after morning cuddles with Nicholas
07.40: Sit Nick down for his breakfast in front of Peppa Pig
07.45: School lunches ready for packing, fortunately the kids completely see to themselves in the morning so all I have to do is make lunches
07.55: Kitchen counters all wiped and disinfected - floor swept
08.00: Sort laundry into "whites and lights" and "colours and darks"
08:15: Hunk two black rubbish bags of washing down two flights of stairs to the car
08:20: Change nappie (roll on potty training) and get Nick dressed for the day
08:30: Left to drop Megs and Phil at school
08.50: Arrive at laundromat and hunk aforementioned bags inside (after picking up clothing from the pavement in front of the laundromat when one bag broke)
09.20: Laundry all finished, hunk two even heavier bags (laundry now wet) back to the car and go back to collect Nicholas who is waiting patiently in front of the washing machines
09.30: Arrive at the library to change books and take Nicholas for story time at 10:00am
10.30: Left Library to drive out to the local garden center to buy huge plastic buckets to carry washing in future (tired of picking clothes up off the floor in front of laundromat)
11.15: Arrived home and carried now sleeping Nicholas up 2 flights of stairs. Returned to car for first heavy bag of laundry....returned to car for second heavy bag of laundry (remember the tight ass lol)
11.40: Finally finish hanging smalls on the clothes airers and take big stuff back downstairs to hang on the washing line
12.00 - 13.00: Lunch hour ;0)
13.00: Clean and disinfect bathroom while Nick sleeps
13.30: Nick wakes up and needs lunch - play for an hour
14.45: Leave to collect Megan and Phillip from school
15.30 - 17.00: Homework and preparation for school the next day while processing a photo shoot from Saturday
17.00: Start making dinner
17.30: Clean and disinfect kitchen counters
17.30 - 18.30: Catherine and her kiddies round for tea
19.00: Shoot to Sainsburys for some essentials
20.00: Leave with a mate for a MUCH needed night out
So so different from my life in SA, I simply do not know how the working ladies do it, especially those like Kerry who have multiple jobs to worry about - I stand in awe, but I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!
5 comments:
wow my friend - i can SOOOOOOOOOOOOo relate to your post - i have also never worked so hard - physically i mean - the english woman are a tougher breed for sure - the things we all accomplish in a day - is amazing - as you know we also live up a flight of staires and carrying the weeks groceries up is a gym workout for sure - the laundromat is also great for the arms and thighs - golly gosh i remember i used to tire shopping at the spar then drive home and hoot while RITA ran out and carried un-packed and put it all away while i flopped and chilled - then she continued the house work while i called a friend to exclaim - oh i am exhausted been shopping all morning - tee hee hee -not forgetting she still had to walk home and do all her chores at home - now i do it all - clean cook shop wash carry rubbish bags out cart groceries etc etc etc pump fuel the list as you know is endless - but like you I WOULDNT CHANGE A THING FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA - i love love love love love the new me and what the uk has helped me become.
Couldn't agree with you ladies more! Somedays I am not a happy person when I walk in after my commute from Cardiff and have to face my next shift but wouldn't change it for the world. My children took a long time to get out of old habits - considering Katie was not there to protect them from me, by picking up the dirty clothes off the floor! Tidying up their cupboards and seeing to their every whim! I now, almost three years later have lovely young women that can make a bed, do their own washing and packing away, cooking beautiful dinners, dusting and vacuuming themselves and being proud of their achievements. I think we have all done ourselves proud, life here is not EASY but I too would not change it for anything! I work compressed hours to enable me to go to college one full day a week (9 to 9) in order to get my degree. I also support my husband with his advertising business and do all the admin, books and bank recons and even a little advert photography and design as well. I have to work 10 hours a day as a PA at WAG (Welsh Assembly Government) and have a 50min commute either way which is almost a 12 hour day so I had no choice but to rope the kids in and also have to be a little lax when it comes to the house sometimes as we are all just too tired! But I have learnt it is ok - the main thing we have all learnt it to keep it tidy all the time so when we do a weekly whizz it is quick and painless! I have also learnt that its better to have a slightly dusty house when the weather is good because it is more important to go and play while you can! I love the season, the energy we burn off in summer that readies us for the long winter nights to do other types of things, my knitting is already piling up next to my chair so that I can take up new relaxing hobbies. Why would I change this stressfree way of life? I look 10 years younger than I did when a left my so called amazing lifestyle in SA the benefits of routine, discipline and a little hard work are so worth it! PS I still have time for my reflexology sessions, plenty of socials, reiki lessons and sessions, my photography, long cliff and beach walks, quiet times with my girls, scrapbooking, reading, crochet and knitting, cuddles with my dog and the occassional lie ins . . .
PS, In case you are wondering I seldom set foot in a store, I have almost perfected internet shopping, I know the Sainsbury's delivery guys personally already and just love how my husbands business can tick over with supplies as our OKI inks are ordered today (the day they run out) and delivered tomorrow (the day we need them) his paper supplies are delivered by friendly delivery men who are meticulous with timing and my book supply is topped up thank to Amazon! I have the beauty of city life where I work but CHOOSE to live in a tranquil little remote village by the sea! And I am sure if there was a laundromat nearby I would learn from these two wonderful ladies that a trip there would be good too!
Hey Gals...seriously...sigh....I must have it all wrong then...giggle...I have always done housework, and carry my own groceries, AND potter in the garden....and pack washing away...AND WORK!!...ish....the size of the houses here requires many hands!!!...so LOVING that my GF's are such domestic godesses....you have both BLOSSOMED in your new lives.....And's gf...you've hit the sweet spot for you my friend....so happy you're happy...life is too short my friend, not to be....counting the sleeps
XXX
Sjoe...great admiration coming your way. Thank heavens there is the added benefit of a tight ass;-D
Seriously your list had me exhausted. So glad that you are HAPPY!
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