Thursday 22nd Jan - 28th Jan

Thursday 22nd January

Apparently our container might be delivered tomorrow.  It’s full of things we haven’t seen since the 8^th December.  We are quite beside ourselves with excitement.

Friday 23^rd January

Schools

Both children start school on Monday.  Something they are viewing with a little trepidation.  They are both really keen to meet other children their own age.  When they start school it will feel less like we are on a prolonged holiday, reality will kick in.  It’s a really difficult time, both children were very happy in their schools and were thriving.  Taking them away from that has been a tough choice and one that we hope will be positive for both of them.

We visited both schools today.  The primary school is similar in size to the one Anna attended in the UK.  The general vibe we got was lovely and the staff we met were very welcoming.   The senior school is bright and modern.  We were shown around by the music teacher who was full of really useful information.  The total number of students at the senior school is around the same as a single year intake at Maya’s previous school.  We are really hoping that the smaller class sizes will mean more focussed teaching rather than an easier gig for the teachers.

Container

It’s here!!!!  We got back from the school visits to see a big blue box being lifted onto our front lawn.  Oh, the excitement.   We dropped everything and ran to see it.  The man in charge of delivery lives opposite, his name’s Mark, what a lovely way to meet the neighbours. 

There was much nervous anticipation about opening the doors.  Would our possessions have been smashed to sticks on the high seas?  To Matt’s eternal delight, we opened the doors to find that nothing had moved!  Absolutely nothing.  Memories of Paul and Matt scratching their chins while finding the best thing to fit in each spot flooded back. 

Saturday 24th Jan

Pottery Class

I went to a pottery class during the afternoon.  A visiting potter was putting on a free workshop on pinch pots and hand building pots.  The chat before the class began was brilliant.  We were in the Geography room at the senior school and one of the school displays asked which headstone to choose.  It started a very funny discussion about memorials and what would last best (granite apparently.  Don’t choose limestone, it weathers too quickly). 

Most of the attendees were Falklanders and had tales to tell.  The best one which led on from the talk about gravestones was about an unburied corpse in West Falkland.  Forgive me for any inaccuracies in this story.  Many years ago a sick man rode out to see the Doctor in Fox bay but never arrived, several days later his horse arrived back home without him.  It was years before he was discovered.  His skeleton remains unburied on the hillside where he fell.  He is often visited by passing walkers, sat next to and talked to while walkers rest and have a cuppa. 

The pottery class was fun but it was another of those ‘How difficult can it be?’ situations.  Answer: very difficult.  My creations looked like they had been made by a dysfunctional toddler.  Apparently they will be fired and glazed.  Once this is done we will be able to bring them home (or smuggle them in through the front door, out through the back and into the darkest recesses of the garage).

Sunday 25^th Jan

Today I have been mostly putting together Ikea furniture. 

No missing bits, everything went together well and we are starting to turn the house into a home.  The house is very messy with packing paper and bubble wrap everywhere.  Nothing broken so far.  I have decided that I am officially awesome at packing.  It’s such a shame that I hate packing so much.

There have been waves of differing emotions as things have been moved into the house.  Some things brought back memories of our home in the UK and all we have left behind.  There is still a keen sense of loss lurking about in my head which surfaces from time to time, often without warning, catching me broadside. 

Mainly though, as we fill the house with our things, the prevailing emotion is joy.  It’s lovely to have our things at last.  I have clothes!!!  We have a cheese grater!  We have decent sized pans and a toaster.  Weird things to be joyous about I know but there we are.  The main thing for the children was that the container meant Christmas. 

Santa had made a cursory visit at Christmas but he’d put most of the presents into the container, as had Granny and Grandad.  Anna’s birthday presents had also been packed.   We had a great afternoon tearing off birthday and Christmas wrapping.  We skyped both sets of grandparents to share how we were feeling.  It was a lovely day.

Monday 26^th January

School part 2

Last night it hit the children that they were going to a school where they didn’t know many people. For Anna, to go to a new school after being at a school where she’d been so happy and known (some of the staff had been with her class since reception, she’d been at playgroup with most of her class) was really daunting.  However, she had been assigned as a guide, a girl we had met and that Anna had really liked. 

Maya saw it was a chance to get to meet other girls her own age but was nervous about her reception as a new girl.  She’s found it hard as there are so few girls here her age, and she really misses her lovely friends in the UK.

School Run

I’m not used to doing a school run.  In the UK we had school buses which stopped on the drive.  All I had to do was make sure I was there to see them onto the bus and be around when the bus dropped them back at the end of the day.  The school run here is a shocker.

We have one car.  Matt starts work at 8am, Maya starts school at 8.25, Anna at 9ish.  Lots of 

loitering.  Both school and work finish at 12pm.  Matt goes back at 1pm, the girls at 1.25pm.  Anna finishes at 3.30pm and Maya at 4pm so, more loitering.  That’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.  Matt finishes at about 5pm.  We need a system or I will go insane quite quickly.  It’s all walking or cycling distance when it’s not pelting with rain or blowing a spectacular gale.

Both girls had a good first day.  I hope it continues.

Tuesday 27^th

Waterfront Café

I met a friend for coffee for the first time since we arrived.  What a breath of fresh air, what a lovely break from moving furniture!  We had a really good talk and at one point one of the staff came over to see if we were ok.  We were enjoying our conversation so much we hadn’t realised how loud and animated we had become.  A funny start to what I hope will be a great friendship.

The Waterfront is a lovely café/wine bar/restaurant with views over the harbour.  I can imagine going there quite regularly.

Wednesday 28^th Jan

We had heard rumours of a king penguin on one of the local beaches so after school we bundled into the car to Yorke Bay.  We had a quick walk about but there were only Megellanic ones to be seen.