Back to Reality

Well finally after all these weeks, I’m back home.  Thanks to Emma next door, we came back to a very warm, clean home, with milk for a nice English cup of tea and some fresh bread for toast.  Actually, big thanks to Emma (and Jason) because we couldn’t have done this house swap without them.  Emma has brilliantly project managed our house, not just cleaning but sorting and collecting post, paying bills, paying fines and keeping everything generally in order.  So thanks Emma, we owe you big time!!!

Phil managed to slob out on the reclining sofa when we arrived home without any problems but jet lagged as I was, I decided on keeping going.   Not sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing but I over-rode the tiredness and nauseous and kept on going.  So much so, that come night time I was running on overtime.  Just wish I had some of Lynn Ling’s magic valium 5mg pills because cum evening I would have swallowed them. 

The night after landing, I woke up at 8.15am because I had to take my car into the garage.   Phil was still dopey from sleep but I needed him to pick me up and then take me to Tesco’s for some supplies so he had no choice.  I went over for a cup of tea to Emma’s to catch up with cul-de-sac stuff and before I knew it, time had passed and it was nearly lunchtime.  Phil cooked steak and kidney pie with veggies and some mash potatoes and boy, how lovely it was.

I can’t quite remember the afternoon; washing, ironing, paperwork, phone calls and general catching up stuff.  After being away for nearly 4 months, we (or I) are just touching the surface.  There is much more serious stuff to sort, like end of year accounts (times 4) and loads, load more.

My car failed its MOT big time. In fact, so big time, that the guy at the garage suggested that I actually scrap it and buy into the government scrap age scheme and trade for a new one. Unfortunately this is not an option. A) I can’t afford 5 grand to buy a new car, even bearing in mind the scrappage discount and B) Phil wants to teach Georgina in the Ford KA because it’s a great car to learn to drive in and it won’t matter if she crashes it.  And lastly, which I guess is Option C) that even if I could afford a new car then I’d go for an automatic which wouldn’t help Georgina learn to drive.   Luckily the MOT doesn’t run out until the 15^th April which gives me time to find a garage which does body work and welding and pay the 500 quid that it will cost to put it through the MOT and make it road worthy.

As you can tell, it all hasn’t gone smoothly since arriving home yesterday. While Phil slept almost continuously, I got to work on the many jobs to do.   Emma (and I can’t thank you enough Emma) had opened and sorted all of our mail so bar the action stuff, all I had to do, was file the ‘nothing to do’ stuff.   In order to do this, meant I had to lift down the big filing cabinet front the spare room, which I did with caution, but unfortunately I hurt my back.   Do not feel sorry for me though, because I do not deserve any sympathy; when we flew out way back in November I hurt my back in the same place lifting the same cabinet up on top of the cabinet and my back hurt for weeks after.  When will I ever learn that I am not as young or as strong as I used to be????  Boy, it hurts like crazy, but I can’t afford the Chiropractioner and if I don’t do anything stupid, it will heal in time.

This will probably be the last posting from me on this particular blog, which has actually really been Phils' blog and not mine.  Phil, no doubt, will want to do a closure blog on down under giving a summary of our long trip so I will leave the last words to him.  It is his due; god only knows he has spent at least 2 hours a day downloading photo’s and drafting some kind of posting and we have been away for 110 days, so that’s a load of hours,  Well done my boy, you have more perseverance (or is that patience) than me! I think it’s been worth it, but not so sure about our followers?  For us, our blog is a personal journey and something to reflect back on in many years to come and something to show the grand kids (if we have any that is).

And so to the big trip and my final sum up.  Was it worth it? Yeah.  Would I do another house-swap?  Yes, definitely.  Although I say this with some trepidation.  The first house swap in Victoria wasn’t entirely successful.  I didn’t like Berwick particularly and it was too far from Melbourne; also, a 6 week stay was way too long and well, as charming as Jeremy the dreadlock drummer boy was (aka the lodger) I felt that we were intruding on his space and we indeed, felt like the lodgers. Or is that intruders?  There’s loads of other stuff and I don’t think it worked out with Arlene in our house, our first house swapper.  I say that because I don’t want to give a one sided version but I will leave it to Phil to expand on this.

As for our second house swap in Townsville.  Well, yes, for us this worked like magic.  The white house was luxurious, Phil had a great car to drive and we particularly enjoyed the company of Jean and Graham.  Okay, the cyclone happened, the pool overflowed and in general, the weather didn’t work with us but all in all, we had a great stay.  We will definitely stay in touch J&G and the Jordans and if they ever come back to the UK, then they will have a base to stay. Mental note to oneself when (and if) I ever get over this jetlag, I must send some information to Jean about Paris, which I promised I would do. And I will do guys, maybe not this week but soon!

And so, am I glad I’ve done this trip I hear you ask??? Well, the answer to that is both YES and a bit NO.  I’ve learnt with Phil over the years, it’s best not to raise objections when he first has an idea.  I said nothing when he first talked about house swapping across laptops in the NH house and before I knew it, he’d made contact with Arlene and Geoff and had booked fairly cheapish, all-around-the-world tickets.  I wasn’t too worried about the house-swap deal because, after all, over the years, living with Phil, we have house flipped so often, we don’t have anything of value and a home is just a place to lay your hat.  My main concerns with the house-swap, was that our house wouldn’t be good enough for our Australian guests.  It didn’t matter so much with Arlene & co (the first house swap guests) because they only stayed 2 nights but G&D’s house was so luxurious and spacious, I am not so sure that they got the best deal.   Phil did all the negotiations and didn’t lie, but even so, I’m not so sure they were comfortable even though Geoff said they were.

We had some great times.  I particularly enjoyed Byron Bay and meeting back up with Lynn and Mick, Fraser Island was fab as was the Whitsunday’s and I loved Queensland.  Las Vegas took a bit to get used to but three visits and I just about got it, just wished I had a shed load of money to gamble because by the time I left, I was well and truly into it.  It was good seeing Jane & Ian in Melbourne and I personally thought Sydney was spectacular.  If I had one regret it would be that we didn’t do USA at the beginning of trip instead of the last leg and left Bali until the end so we could top up our tans and relax for a week in the sun.  Hey ho.  From talking to the neighbours, the UK winter has been severe and we have got off very lightly.

I felt guilty about leaving the kids and the parents (even they are all grown up) and lots of friends are struggling in the recession that it felt a bit indulgent to go away for so long.  As all my closest girlfriends know, I was anxious about this trip before I went and wasn’t really looking forward to it.  It really wasn’t so bad, and all in all it was a great experience.  As my good friend Lynn Ling said, you only live once and you must enjoy what you’re doing because you never know when your time is up.  And she is so right. 

So what now?  I will let Phil have the last word, because after all this is his blog.  When and IF, I ever recover from this jet leg I suppose I will create a new blog detailing the day to day life of a weary middle aged woman getting to grips with reality, sorting her life out and trying to find someone to employ her and getting back into the grips of a 9-5 routine.  It will, of course, be a private blog and not open to the public, don’t want any future employer to Google me and put them off!  So, I shall email an invitation to my usual followers, but if I don’t include you (apologies for any exclusion) then please email me for access.

My last word: thanks to Emma for all your help; thanks to everyone (especially Geoff) for all your comments. And thanks to everyone that followed us, not just to friends and family in the UK but also to all the new friends in Australia that we have met.  We’ll do our best to keep in touch.  For now, I must go to bed, it’s nearly quarter to 6 and I’ve been up all night.  So goodnight and all quiet from me until my new blog next time next week.

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