Thursday 27th January 2011

MOVING DAY....well the small stuff and boxes at least, bed and large furniture go tomorrow morning....it is actually happening, we are about to move into our very own home in England, a dream which 3 years ago seemed so so far out of reach.

Happy Birthday my Love

Not every one is fortunate enough to meet their life partner early in life (or at all for that matter) so I count myself to be one of the very lucky ones. Almost 20 years ago I met Si whilst we were at University together in Grahamstown (South Africa) and we have walked a long, sometimes hard, but mostly joyous path together.

Today my wonderful husband and father of my children turns 41, we have been together more than half my life and I am so grateful that he is a part of it. We have laughed together, fought together, stood together and cried together over the years and I can honestly not think of a single person I would rather have to walk though life with.

I love you Si, you are a kind, generous and incredibly strong man and I trust that we will celebrate many many more happy years together xxx

Tuesday 25th January 2011

The final countdown is now on and I seem to be ahead of schedule as far as packing is concerned....had a mini meltdown last night, but once Si had talked me through it and made me see sense I feel more in control again - horrible what nasty pregnancy hormones do to your state of mind.

Nothing to do for the house today apart from pick up the keys from the plumber at 5pm and check on my lovely new boiler system (amazing how fond of your radiators you become in this cold).

Midwife appointment at 10am to check how the bean is doing.

Monday 24th January 2011

Things are happening very fast now....met the plumber at the house before 8am as the new boiler system is going in over the next two days. Si is off from Wednesday and by Friday night we should be fully in our new home - words can't describe how I am feeling at the moment.

Sunday 23rd January 2011

Today was long and hard and seemed to be filled with little frustrations which sent both mine and Si's stress levels soaring. Sadly they also resulted in us not achieving nearly as much as we had planned for the day, but I guess these thing happen occasionally, and what we did achieve I am very very happy with.

Meg's came with us to the house this morning while Phill played in a rugby tournament and then all three children spent the afternoon there with us. In spite of all the little "hurdles" it was lovely to hear them laughing and playing upstairs and it really started to feel like home.

This time next week we will be all moved in and hopefully starting to settle - like a dream come true!

Saturday 22nd January 2011

After a little bit of a slow start, Si and I finally made it to the new house around 10.30am to begin the laying of the floors, unpacking of the new fridge and dishwasher and finish off a little bit of the painting work which we just ran out of time on last weekend.

Rob once again joined us and was BRILLIANT with his little hints and tips when it came to laying the floor. Having done it 3 times before in his own home he was well aware of all the little "traps" and expertly guided us through the process while Megs, Phil and Donay spent time at the swimming pool.

Kerry very kindly came to the rescue in the late afternoon and had all 3 of the children to play which really gave us the chance to get stuck in and finish a large portion of the floor (well ahead of schedule) before having us for a lovely fish and chip dinner, which is JUST what we needed.

Thursday 20th January 2011

I am not sure whether my previous post on friendship has inspired this one, or whether I am simply just feeling the love from all the amazing women in my life at the moment.

I have always been a firm believer that your friends are the family that you choose and at the moment I am feeling incredibly blessed to have such a huge and wonderful group of "sisters". I have met the most incredible girls since I have moved here and the more I allow them into my life the more grateful I become that I found them. There are also those from my past that I have grown even closer too and my experience with "cyber friendship" has been a uniquely rewarding one.

The support that we have received through this pregnancy and move has at times been overwhelming (in a good way) and I only hope that when the chips are down I am able to be the friend back that all these super people deserve.

Tuesday 18th January 2011

I have always been a firm believer that EVERYTHING in life happens for a reason and although we may not be able to see the design at the time, if we allow it God will guide our lives in the right direction and place people and situations in our path for a purpose.

Today was a reminder to me of just this....in our busy and hectic lives in South Africa, my friend Amanda and my paths never crossed, we lived in the same town and knew many of the same people and yet we never met. A few short months after she moved to England however we were introduced and I can't tell you the difference this amazing woman has made in my life.

We click and connect on so many levels and can literally spend hours chatting and debating. Amanda fires my entrepreneurial juices and reminds me of a side of myself which is dormant for the moment. A day spent with her really is food for my soul and I return home excited and enthusiastic, intellectually stimulated and restored.

A diamond of a day!

Sunday 16th January 2011

Si and I decided to leave the older two children at home today while we went back to the new house to wash carpets and get the painting finished. Nicholas was as good as gold and spent hours patiently playing with his train set, riding his black bike round the lounge and generally keeping himself busy.

Rob joined us mid morning and with the music blaring and the beer flowing it actually turned out to be such a stunning "work party". We managed to get lots done and by the time I left at 2.45pm for "Holiday on Ice - Energia" the boys where starting the second coat on the lounge/dining/family room.

Megs, Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed the show again this year and it is def a tradition that I think we will keep going. Only sad part of the day was that due to conflicting time constraints we were unable to have a good chat with my mom on her birthday.....love you mom, hope it was a special day, we were with you in spirit!!!!!

Saturday 15th January 2011

I collected the keys from the estate agent yesterday and words can't describe the feeling when I walked through the door for the first time in order to meet the plumber who was coming to service the boiler. Si and I had never rented before moving to England and there is something about owning your own home that gives you a real sense of security and belonging.

We were up early this morning and at the house to start painting before 9am....all three children got involved with the painting of boy's room and before long the dull beige walls where a lovely cheerful blue.

Unfortunately energy had started to flag by the time we reached Meg's room. She did give it her best for a while but ended up heading off to the local swimming pool (which is within walking distance) with her friend. Nick Nick had also had enough by this stage so after a quick trip to Crawley to collect more paint, I was forced to return home with him for the afternoon while Si returned to the house to finish painting our bedroom and the stairwell.

Meggie has the smallest room in the house and I was delighted when she chose the new Dulux Luminescent Paint which has light reflecting particles in it and really lifts and lightens the room. I am hoping to go back with Si in the morning to wash the upstairs carpets and get cracking finishing off the children's bedrooms.