I know I say this almost every week, but once again I simply can't believe that another weekend is upon us, or in this week's case already over. Not as busy a weekend as last, Friday night Phillip went to see Return to Africa with the Beavers and I ended up with two ladies popping in and staying for a cup of tea - it was lovely to have an impromptu visit and the house had a fantastic festive buzz in it all evening.
Saturday was the children's Christmas Fair at school and despite the pouring rain and icy weather it turned out to be a great success....I was in charge of the book stall which was right up my alley and Si kept me company for most of the afternoon while Phil hung with his mates and Meg manned her own stall in the Year 6 room. I was very very proud of my daughter, she had taken tremendous pride in her stall and decorated it with tinsel to make it look a bit more festive...by far the most "professional" booth in the hall and she managed to raise over 8 pounds which considering her game was 20 pence per go was no small feat.
Today we decorated our tree in the morning and Meg and I sat writing our Christmas cards together, things are starting to look up a little for the festive season and although we won't be home with family, our new friends have stepped up to the plate and invited us into their homes so it is Christmas Day with Kerry and Rob and New Year's Eve with Ligia and Rob....I am actually starting to look forward to it now and I am sure that once Si and I have wrapped all the presents and put them under the tree we will be right into the holiday spirit.
One more week until the children break up and Simon goes on leave which will be lovely - Si is on leave for the whole Christmas school holiday....only 2 weeks in this country (how weird is that) so we should get to spend some wonderful quality time together.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Thursday 11th December 2008
Today I decided to blow off clinic and head down to Brighton on my own on the train to fetch a couple of Christmas presents and to have a look around at a nice leisurely pace.
It was my first time on the train on my own and I have to confess to some butterflies in my stomach as I approached the platform, but before long I felt like a seasoned traveller and can honestly say I won't be driving again - the trip consists of 15 minutes of lovely scenery and Brighton Station is very clean and efficient so all in all a real pleasure and it reinforced my love of overland trains.
Taking a slow stroll through the lanes I was entranced by the tiny shops all beautifully decorated for Christmas, the air was filled with the scent of roasting garlic as there are literally hundreds of tiny restaurants scattered through the area. The air was icy and everyone was dressed up against the winter, but the air felt clean and crisp and I felt totally happy.
It was my first time on the train on my own and I have to confess to some butterflies in my stomach as I approached the platform, but before long I felt like a seasoned traveller and can honestly say I won't be driving again - the trip consists of 15 minutes of lovely scenery and Brighton Station is very clean and efficient so all in all a real pleasure and it reinforced my love of overland trains.
Taking a slow stroll through the lanes I was entranced by the tiny shops all beautifully decorated for Christmas, the air was filled with the scent of roasting garlic as there are literally hundreds of tiny restaurants scattered through the area. The air was icy and everyone was dressed up against the winter, but the air felt clean and crisp and I felt totally happy.
After finishing some shopping at Kath Kidson, such a stunning store, the draw of the sea became too strong and Nic and I headed down to the promenade for a stroll. As you can imagine on a week day morning in the middle of winter the beach was totally deserted and I soon found a bench to sit and enjoy the view while feeding Nicholas. It was a slightly surreal feeling I have to say, I am used to the power and passion of the Indian Ocean and I adore sitting for hours on the sand watching the surf and clearing my head....here I found myself sitting with my feet in pebbles watching water as flat as a millpond and it was strangely peaceful - it will of course NEVER replace my love of the sea as I have known it all my life, but I am able to see a unique beauty in this view of the ocean as well.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Santa Claus is in town....
I have taken to doing my weekly shopping on a Wednesday evenings now when Sainsburys is quieter and I can leave little Nicholas at home with his dad. Megs and I get to spend some quality girls time sourcing all the groceries for the family and the boys get some bonding time at home.
Well tonight we had just returned home, having driven past the FROZEN pond in the middle of the village, I am not joking, the ducks were all standing on the ice looking very confused...when as I turned into our lane there was the sound of loud Christmas music behind me and people running all over the estate....Santa had literally come to town.....and there he was in his "sleigh" collecting money for the Haywards Heath Lions - needless to say Megan was out of the car in a flash and it didn't take Phil long to realise that something was up and he was out to investigate....what a lovely moment, and it made me feel a little bit more like Christmas and I am now quite looking forward to dressing the Christmas tree this weekend.
What I know for sure since living in England
- -1 degree (which it is outside as I sit typing) is very very very very very cold
- 20 degrees (which is what my central heating is set at) feels like a balmy South African spring day and is really warm in comparison to outside
- You can't defrost your car with water too far before you plan to leave as it will be frozen over again in 10 minutes
- you really can slip and slide on frozen puddles
- I LOVE the cold - bizaar that, as I also LOVE the heat, but we are apparently having one of the coldest winters experienced in the last 10 years here and we are doing well
- The English NEVER stop talking about the weather
- You have to LOVE the country you are living in to survive, so find the positives and focus your energy on them
- You can LOVE two countries at the same time and feel equally passionate about them both....before this move I always used to say (and Linnie you will remember this conversation) if you are going - go - renounce your citizenship and get it over with.....well I am not too proud to say I eat my words, the fact that I love England doesn't make me love South Africa any less and I am a very passionate ambassador for our country (the one of our birth that is).
- There are problems EVERYWHERE you just have to choose the ones you can live with
- Being away from family is very very very hard, but you can survive it
- The English rugby team is rubbish - go Boks!!!!!!
- Strangers really are just friends you haven't made yet, I have met the most awesome people since I have been here and am starting to make some real friendships, it is a slow but rewarding process
- I am a very STRONG woman, now some of my dear friends are always telling me this, but it is only through this move that I have realised it....well strong, or stupid.....I mean I made it, I move countries at 6 months pregnant, had a preterm baby and survived WITHOUT postnatal depression.....viva la mind over matter!
- Never underestimate a child's ability to adapt to a situation, and LEARN from them, I am even starting to look at situations and think "how would Megan or Phillip react to this" and let me tell you it makes life much easier if you can adopt their willingness and ability to just go with the flow
- I have an incredible husband....he supports me in everything and really does complete me
- Something as trivial as the weather doesn't have to determine whether or not you are happy
- I have INCREDIBLE friends, they are some of the wisest, strongest and funniest women on the planet
- Immigration is a very different experience for everyone, and NO two are the same
- Life is what you make it, you can dwell and be miserable or you can find that happy moment and I think for me, someone who has spent time down there in the black hole for depression, both here and in South Africa, that that is the most important lesson I have learned, and it has CHANGED my life
- Your parents are with you every minute of every day no matter how far apart you are...the umbilical cord just stretches
Wow, I could just go on and on and on.....I have learned so much through this journey and I said to Si the other day, even if we fail and find England is not ultimately the place for us, nobody can take away from us what we have learned and experienced and I can honestly say that without this major move from our comfort zone and everything we know and love we would have missed out on a very special part of our lives.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Tuesday 9th December 2008
I have decided that if you are going to immigrate, you should probably have a baby at the same time.....it is simply the BEST way to make friends (lol). Seriously though, I am very grateful for the girls that I have met through my NCT class, we are becoming a group of friends and offer support and encouragement to each other, which really does help when you are so far away from home.
Last night we decided to meet up for the first time without the babies, and it was lovely to sit in a cocktail bar (no pub for us lol) and drink chilled white wine and just relax, we talked for hours and hours and have decided that it is definitely something we are going to do on a monthly basis. This morning the same group was off to baby rhyme time at the library and hot chocolate afterwards at the Cafe' Rouge and on Friday we are all off for a walk at Wakehurst Place, so lots on to keep me busy.
One of the girls is leaving for Cape Town tomorrow on a holiday and it was whilst sitting at the cafe' talking about South Africa that a post made by Caroline on her blog a couple of days ago really rang true. Caroline was commenting on the tragedy that in South Africa the victim is now so often blamed for the crime, you know the drill, someone is attacked in their home and the immediate reaction by most people who hear the story is "oh well she didn't have security" or "why did she open her door to a stranger after dark" or "they should never have been driving with their windows open, what where they thinking."
As is so often the case when discussing South Africa with "outsiders", the subject of the crime rate is inevitable and while I continue to be an ambassador for a beautiful country it was after relating the very sad story of the two deaths in Hillcrest recently and watching the reaction of the English people I was sitting with that I truly understood Caroline's comments - these women were not desensitised to the horrors of the crime and it never crossed their minds that in some way the victims could have been responsible for their attacks. At the same time I understand why many South Africans (and myself included) have taken the other attitude, because if we think that the victim was in some way responsible, then it means that we have some kind of control over whether or not we fall victim to the crime ourselves, and that makes day to day life bearable.
Such a conundrum, and not something I have any answer for, but at the risk of offending readers, I have to say that I am grateful to be living in a country where a murderer is caught and prosecuted and the horror of the story is spread over every newspaper and the family of the victim are supported and nurtured by their community. As many of you know we left South Africa not because of the crime, but for Simon's job opportunities and for future opportunities for the children, but it is since being here that I can look back and realise the stress that we were living under and I can honestly say that we may not have left due to crime, but it is probably the reason that we would never return.....and that makes me immeasurable sad.
Last night we decided to meet up for the first time without the babies, and it was lovely to sit in a cocktail bar (no pub for us lol) and drink chilled white wine and just relax, we talked for hours and hours and have decided that it is definitely something we are going to do on a monthly basis. This morning the same group was off to baby rhyme time at the library and hot chocolate afterwards at the Cafe' Rouge and on Friday we are all off for a walk at Wakehurst Place, so lots on to keep me busy.
One of the girls is leaving for Cape Town tomorrow on a holiday and it was whilst sitting at the cafe' talking about South Africa that a post made by Caroline on her blog a couple of days ago really rang true. Caroline was commenting on the tragedy that in South Africa the victim is now so often blamed for the crime, you know the drill, someone is attacked in their home and the immediate reaction by most people who hear the story is "oh well she didn't have security" or "why did she open her door to a stranger after dark" or "they should never have been driving with their windows open, what where they thinking."
As is so often the case when discussing South Africa with "outsiders", the subject of the crime rate is inevitable and while I continue to be an ambassador for a beautiful country it was after relating the very sad story of the two deaths in Hillcrest recently and watching the reaction of the English people I was sitting with that I truly understood Caroline's comments - these women were not desensitised to the horrors of the crime and it never crossed their minds that in some way the victims could have been responsible for their attacks. At the same time I understand why many South Africans (and myself included) have taken the other attitude, because if we think that the victim was in some way responsible, then it means that we have some kind of control over whether or not we fall victim to the crime ourselves, and that makes day to day life bearable.
Such a conundrum, and not something I have any answer for, but at the risk of offending readers, I have to say that I am grateful to be living in a country where a murderer is caught and prosecuted and the horror of the story is spread over every newspaper and the family of the victim are supported and nurtured by their community. As many of you know we left South Africa not because of the crime, but for Simon's job opportunities and for future opportunities for the children, but it is since being here that I can look back and realise the stress that we were living under and I can honestly say that we may not have left due to crime, but it is probably the reason that we would never return.....and that makes me immeasurable sad.
Monday, 8 December 2008
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th December 2008
Friday night carol singing was an absolute blast....unfortunately, as with all schools I have been involved in, it was the "usual few" that showed up, but we gave it our best and managed to raise about £100 for the school in a little over an hour, not bad for 5 kids and 5 moms......let me tell you it was an experience which I am glad I didn't have to do in Hillcrest where I actually know people.
Saturday Phil had a birthday party which Megs stayed at to keep the birthday boy's sister company and it gave Si and I the much needed opportunity to go shopping for Phil's christmas presents....fortunately he was far more inspired than I and we returned home fully laden and finished with regards to present buying yippppeeeeeeeee and it is not even the 10th of December, some sort of record in this family I am sure. The birthday party was followed by a quick stop at the Garden Center in Ditchling to show the family the decorations and lights and then home for early bed in preparation for our trip to London on Sunday.
Not a hysterical start on Sunday morning (which made a nice change) but by around 10.30 we were ready to leave for the station to go up to London for the day to visit the Science Museum and take the children skating on one of the many outdoor ice rinks around London.....I must say that is one of the things I love about where we live, we are totally out in the country, and yet only 45 minutes and 4 stops from Victoria Station (central London) by overland train so we really have the best of both worlds.
Now after our last tube experience when we took my mom up to the airport, I confess to some trepidation at another day in London "tube hopping", but I have to say that with our new (and very lightweight) stroller and two very seasoned train catching Robertson children the whole experience was a pleasure and I could once again sit back and enjoy the benefits of first world public transport. We started the trip at Buckingham Palace with a very civilised picnic in St James Park and then it was back in the tube and off to the Science Museum.
The Science museum was everything Si had hoped and he spent 4 very happy hours explaining the exhibits to the children....we only managed to cover 2 of the 5 floors so we will definitely be heading back up in the new year to see the rest and try and get to the Natural History Museum as well. For a country that has only just introduced Saturday banking and is very "olde worlde" in so many ways these museums are a sight to behold and it was wonderful to have our children "play" at science for so many hours, I really do believe they learned a lot from this adventure.
While I sat enjoying hot chocolate and bonding with my lovely cousin Andrew, Si, Meg and Phil loved the freedom of outdoor skating - I must say there was something magical about a ice rink outside under the Christmas lights and although they were almost frozen by the time they were finished I think it is a memory they will all carry with them for a long time. Skating finished it was back on the tube and then overland train home where we finally arrived at a very cold Haywards Heath station a little after 22h30.
Another very successful Robertson family outing!
Friday, 5 December 2008
Friday 5th December 2008
Another week over, I just don't know where the time goes. I had the final appointment to correct the gaps in my teeth today and I am pleased to say I now have a I full smile courtesy of her majesty's government......I am so relieved, I can't believe how my confidence was affected by the gap, now I feel like I can really laugh again without feeling self conscious.
Spent a couple of hours Christmas shopping for Phillip after the dentist, I am finding his gifts the hardest this year, Megs and Nic are finished, but somehow I just can't find the perfect gift for my perfect boy and it is stressing me out big time.....only 20 days to go and I am not finished.
Also met with the head mistress of the children's school with regards to Megan , and finally we have resolution, she is moderately dyslexic (yes FINALLY a diagnosis, those of you who have known me a long time know how long I have been fighting for this)....what does that mean, well the dyslexia is more severe then we first thought and the fact that she has done so well is testimony to her attitude and hard work, so I am very very proud of her, she is not however severe enough to be statemented which is also a good thing as it means she won't go on the "special needs" register.
She does however qualify for a "reader" to be with her through all future exams and she will be allowed extra time to complete the tests and assessments etc. All in all a good outcome and I think Megs will really fly from this point forward....it was also so lovely to chat with someone who really understands where I am coming from, the head mistress has a son with dyslexia and he has just obtained 7 GCSE's so there is hope and she is convinced that with the right support Megs is finally going to be able to reach her full potential. Viva la England!!!!!
Off to sing Christmas Carols at the station tonight to raise funds for the school, should be quite a laugh.....as I said to Linda today, quite a novelty to be able to stand on a station platform at night on my own with 12 children and a camera round my neck shaking money buckets and singing and.....wait for it.....not have to be worried about being robbed.
Children off to a party on Saturday afternoon and then hopefully up to London on Sunday for the day, so a happy weekend planned which is great.
Spent a couple of hours Christmas shopping for Phillip after the dentist, I am finding his gifts the hardest this year, Megs and Nic are finished, but somehow I just can't find the perfect gift for my perfect boy and it is stressing me out big time.....only 20 days to go and I am not finished.
Also met with the head mistress of the children's school with regards to Megan , and finally we have resolution, she is moderately dyslexic (yes FINALLY a diagnosis, those of you who have known me a long time know how long I have been fighting for this)....what does that mean, well the dyslexia is more severe then we first thought and the fact that she has done so well is testimony to her attitude and hard work, so I am very very proud of her, she is not however severe enough to be statemented which is also a good thing as it means she won't go on the "special needs" register.
She does however qualify for a "reader" to be with her through all future exams and she will be allowed extra time to complete the tests and assessments etc. All in all a good outcome and I think Megs will really fly from this point forward....it was also so lovely to chat with someone who really understands where I am coming from, the head mistress has a son with dyslexia and he has just obtained 7 GCSE's so there is hope and she is convinced that with the right support Megs is finally going to be able to reach her full potential. Viva la England!!!!!
Off to sing Christmas Carols at the station tonight to raise funds for the school, should be quite a laugh.....as I said to Linda today, quite a novelty to be able to stand on a station platform at night on my own with 12 children and a camera round my neck shaking money buckets and singing and.....wait for it.....not have to be worried about being robbed.
Children off to a party on Saturday afternoon and then hopefully up to London on Sunday for the day, so a happy weekend planned which is great.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Wednesday 3rd December 2008
Oh my word, as I sit typing this entry my hands are shivering and my nose is running.....and I am not convinced that I will ever be warm again.
As I mentioned in a previous post, tonight was Lindfield Village Night and we were roped into helping the Scaynes Hill Beavers and Cubs with their hamburger stand.....it sounded like a good idea at the time of the offer, but tonight it was freezing - and I don't mean that in a South African 1o degrees rainy kind of freezing....I mean the temperature was literally -1 degrees and I was out cooking burger patties while my children ran ecstatically round the streets and my littlest dressed in a vest and two baby grows huddled under 4 blankets in his pram - if you had even suggested it a year ago I would have laughed at you.
Despite the temperature and the fact that we had to de-ice the car in order to get home it was a lovely evening and very festive, I am beginning to understand the meaning of a village community and it was such fun to be out with friendly faces enjoying a new and novel experience.
As I mentioned in a previous post, tonight was Lindfield Village Night and we were roped into helping the Scaynes Hill Beavers and Cubs with their hamburger stand.....it sounded like a good idea at the time of the offer, but tonight it was freezing - and I don't mean that in a South African 1o degrees rainy kind of freezing....I mean the temperature was literally -1 degrees and I was out cooking burger patties while my children ran ecstatically round the streets and my littlest dressed in a vest and two baby grows huddled under 4 blankets in his pram - if you had even suggested it a year ago I would have laughed at you.
Despite the temperature and the fact that we had to de-ice the car in order to get home it was a lovely evening and very festive, I am beginning to understand the meaning of a village community and it was such fun to be out with friendly faces enjoying a new and novel experience.
The greatest challenge of all.....
If there is one thing that I have personally discovered over the last 6 months and through talking to many immigrants all over the world, the greatest challenge of this experience seems to be remaining positive.....when we fall prey to negativity we sink....everything becomes harder, the weather, the lack of support, the whole boat begins to rock as it where and this way disaster lies.
Remaining positive is in itself a 24 hour job, it is not easy when faced with bills you don't understand or are battling to pay, roads you have never seen before, language that is meaningless, faces with no names and the other mired of experiences thrown our way daily....I have fallen to the negativity, as have many I know, but we have to find the strength to crawl back out and once again embrace the wonders we are also surrounded by if we are to make this work, and by this I don't mean simply survive, I mean work with all the happiness and joy that that includes.
This however seems to be easier said then done and I think the negative mindset has been the downfall of many an otherwise successful immigration. Do I have all the answers, absolutely not, like with having children there is no handbook to the perfect immigration or life for that matter, but I think the same principle applies where ever you are, start small, find the one happy moment in every day, and if one doesn't exist create it by turning on a happy song (mine is Punk Rocker), if you act happy long enough your mind begins to believe you....dwelling creates more negativity.
In the principle of The Secret, what we put out into the universe is what we receive, so for today I plan to hang onto those happy moments - my baby's smile, a hug from the children, Simon's kiss at the end of the day, hearing my mom's voice on the phone and sharing a skype with the bratz, these are the moments that create the bliss which in turn feeds the positivity and it is this way that I will survive today and make it a diamond.
Remaining positive is in itself a 24 hour job, it is not easy when faced with bills you don't understand or are battling to pay, roads you have never seen before, language that is meaningless, faces with no names and the other mired of experiences thrown our way daily....I have fallen to the negativity, as have many I know, but we have to find the strength to crawl back out and once again embrace the wonders we are also surrounded by if we are to make this work, and by this I don't mean simply survive, I mean work with all the happiness and joy that that includes.
This however seems to be easier said then done and I think the negative mindset has been the downfall of many an otherwise successful immigration. Do I have all the answers, absolutely not, like with having children there is no handbook to the perfect immigration or life for that matter, but I think the same principle applies where ever you are, start small, find the one happy moment in every day, and if one doesn't exist create it by turning on a happy song (mine is Punk Rocker), if you act happy long enough your mind begins to believe you....dwelling creates more negativity.
In the principle of The Secret, what we put out into the universe is what we receive, so for today I plan to hang onto those happy moments - my baby's smile, a hug from the children, Simon's kiss at the end of the day, hearing my mom's voice on the phone and sharing a skype with the bratz, these are the moments that create the bliss which in turn feeds the positivity and it is this way that I will survive today and make it a diamond.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Tuesday 2nd December 2008
Today I learned two new things about the English....(1) They adapt to the cold INCREDIBLY well and ....(2) they are very very fit. These two revelations came to me during another wonderful shopping trip to Brighton with my friend Josie.
The morning started off in a rushed stressful manner....picture it.....children off to school......outside to de-ice car with warm water......back inside to make an important phone call.....oh hell running late, supposed to have collected Josie by 9.30, now 9.25.....phone Josie to tell her I am running late.....rush outside with Nick in car seat to see that aforementioned warm water has refrozen to the windscreen.......aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....back inside for another bucket of warm water......right off....oh hell, no petrol...............arrive at Josie's at 9.45 (and those of you who know me well know how I LOATH being late).....Josie brings Oscar to the car, and wait for it, the back door is FROZEN shut......so looking a little sheepish I ask my new friend if she would mind climbing into my car through the BOOT, all the while assuring her that the door will be defrosted by the time we get to Brighton!!!!!!
Well I am thrilled to announce that by the time we did get to Brighton the door had defrosted and I had de-stressed somewhat and the hair was once again lying flat and we proceeded to enjoy a leisurely long downhill stroll to the lanes where we intended doing some Christmas shopping....again no photos, still trying the local look with no camera (it is KILLING me lol).
This is where my first discovery - the English adapt to the cold INCREDIBLY well - comes from. Just before leaving the house I noticed our thermometer read 3.2 degrees (and thank heavens I did as it meant Nic and I dressed appropriately in thermal underwear, lots of layers and my new best friend, my cream coat) anyhoo, it was while wandering the lanes with my nose streaming and my hands literally frozen to the handle of Nicholas's pram that I noticed that everyone around me was as casual as I would have been strolling down Durban beachfront on a mid December afternoon...they really don't seem to feel the cold anymore, and it gives me hope, maybe by the end of winter my blood will have thinned or thickened (whichever is applicable) enough to allow me to look oh so nonchalant in weather just marginally above freezing point....all that said however, I am enjoying the icy crispness, not mad about it when it rains, but when the sky is bright blue as it was this morning it is very invigorating.
After a very successful morning shopping we decided to head back to the car so that we had time to stop by the garden center in Ditchling for me to have a look at the Christmas decorations, but before I go into that.....remember the stroll downhill into the lanes......well this is discovery number two - the English are very very fit - I am talking a solid 2km walk straight up hill, no breaks, just up up up, well to say I was puffing is the understatement of the century, of course I blamed it on the thin cold air and not enough oxygen and Nicholas's heavy pram, but I know the truth, I am simply not walking fit, not in the way the English are, there were people of over 60 passing me left and right and Josie had to keep stopping to let me catch up (she says with a blush on her cheeks).....so I am now committed to getting fit and am going to try and up my 1 hour walk a week to at least 2 or 3 1 hour walks and I have to stop avoiding the hills (lol).
But enough of Brighton and on to the Garden Centre at Ditchling....it was the most AMAZING place I have ever ever ever been into in my life....I am talking life size polar bears made out of lights and every kind of Father Christmas imaginable, the decorations are put into colour ways and I have never seen anything like it, there must have been 30 different snow globes to choose from.....I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open and have decided to take Megs back for a couple of hours on Saturday so that we can have a proper look around ....that is another thing about the English, they certainly know how to do Christmas!
Finally home to Josie's for a quick cup of tea and then on to fetch the children from school and home to a chilly evening in. Tomorrow night is Lindfield night in the village where they close off the High street for a night market and I am helping at the Beaver/Cubs table, weather forecast is 1 degree.
The morning started off in a rushed stressful manner....picture it.....children off to school......outside to de-ice car with warm water......back inside to make an important phone call.....oh hell running late, supposed to have collected Josie by 9.30, now 9.25.....phone Josie to tell her I am running late.....rush outside with Nick in car seat to see that aforementioned warm water has refrozen to the windscreen.......aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....back inside for another bucket of warm water......right off....oh hell, no petrol...............arrive at Josie's at 9.45 (and those of you who know me well know how I LOATH being late).....Josie brings Oscar to the car, and wait for it, the back door is FROZEN shut......so looking a little sheepish I ask my new friend if she would mind climbing into my car through the BOOT, all the while assuring her that the door will be defrosted by the time we get to Brighton!!!!!!
Well I am thrilled to announce that by the time we did get to Brighton the door had defrosted and I had de-stressed somewhat and the hair was once again lying flat and we proceeded to enjoy a leisurely long downhill stroll to the lanes where we intended doing some Christmas shopping....again no photos, still trying the local look with no camera (it is KILLING me lol).
This is where my first discovery - the English adapt to the cold INCREDIBLY well - comes from. Just before leaving the house I noticed our thermometer read 3.2 degrees (and thank heavens I did as it meant Nic and I dressed appropriately in thermal underwear, lots of layers and my new best friend, my cream coat) anyhoo, it was while wandering the lanes with my nose streaming and my hands literally frozen to the handle of Nicholas's pram that I noticed that everyone around me was as casual as I would have been strolling down Durban beachfront on a mid December afternoon...they really don't seem to feel the cold anymore, and it gives me hope, maybe by the end of winter my blood will have thinned or thickened (whichever is applicable) enough to allow me to look oh so nonchalant in weather just marginally above freezing point....all that said however, I am enjoying the icy crispness, not mad about it when it rains, but when the sky is bright blue as it was this morning it is very invigorating.
After a very successful morning shopping we decided to head back to the car so that we had time to stop by the garden center in Ditchling for me to have a look at the Christmas decorations, but before I go into that.....remember the stroll downhill into the lanes......well this is discovery number two - the English are very very fit - I am talking a solid 2km walk straight up hill, no breaks, just up up up, well to say I was puffing is the understatement of the century, of course I blamed it on the thin cold air and not enough oxygen and Nicholas's heavy pram, but I know the truth, I am simply not walking fit, not in the way the English are, there were people of over 60 passing me left and right and Josie had to keep stopping to let me catch up (she says with a blush on her cheeks).....so I am now committed to getting fit and am going to try and up my 1 hour walk a week to at least 2 or 3 1 hour walks and I have to stop avoiding the hills (lol).
But enough of Brighton and on to the Garden Centre at Ditchling....it was the most AMAZING place I have ever ever ever been into in my life....I am talking life size polar bears made out of lights and every kind of Father Christmas imaginable, the decorations are put into colour ways and I have never seen anything like it, there must have been 30 different snow globes to choose from.....I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open and have decided to take Megs back for a couple of hours on Saturday so that we can have a proper look around ....that is another thing about the English, they certainly know how to do Christmas!
Finally home to Josie's for a quick cup of tea and then on to fetch the children from school and home to a chilly evening in. Tomorrow night is Lindfield night in the village where they close off the High street for a night market and I am helping at the Beaver/Cubs table, weather forecast is 1 degree.
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