Tuesday 9 February 2016

Hello from the Other Side!
Mind the Gap!! I'm Busy Relocating from South Africa to England!!!



Hello Everyone!  After 7 years of blogging I am writing my first post from my mobile!! No idea how this will work!!!  I haven't posted in a few weeks so here's an update of what I'm up to. Very soon I will be boarding a plane to England, which is to be my new home.

I can't believe the time has finally come - it has been a long time in the making with a huuuuuuge amount of planning & administration.  Living in the UK without a British passport (or an EU passport) is no easy feat to accomplish. The amount of red tape involved is phenomenal. Certainly not the simple process it was in the past.

I will be there for several weeks with just my 2 younger children & we will be looking for a home, schools & of course a source of income.  We are hoping to settle in the South West.  Really, it was like playing 'Pin the tail on the Donkey' figuring out what area best suited our requirements!

For the past few weeks I have been making plans for the other side as well as sorting through our possessions, which will be arriving in a container in a couple of months.  Yet again I have been faced with the task of thinning out our possessions to fit into a smaller home, something I have done 3 times in the last 10 years. While it's an arduous task I am grateful for the opportunity to reassess our priorities & bless others with our excess. I feel lighter already!  

Currently I am aboard a coach from the Eastern Cape to Durban. I have spent the last few days settling my son into his very first apartment, close to the university he attends. It has been lovely to be together cleaning, purchasing & styling his place into a cosy home. I'm confident & happy that he will have all he needs for the next couple of years, to complete his education in South Africa. 

Of course we would love to have him with us in the UK but he is midway through his degree & if he studies in England it would be as an International Student at over 3 times the price of what we are paying :/. My husband & older daughter will be joining us in several weeks, once the transfer of our house is complete, as we need to take the proceeds :).  All in all an exciting time for all!

I have been travelling like a pop star for the las month.  We spent Christmas & New Year in Cape Town, fondly known here as 'The Mother Ciry' as it is all round awesome.  A week after returning we travelled into the Drakensberg Mountains here to say goodbye to some old friends then the day after returning we flew BACK to Cape Town for the funeral of my Step Mother-in-Law who passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

The day after we returned I hopped in the car with my son & embarked on a 2 day road trip! Now I am on my way home again :-D. I haven't switched my laptop on since December!!  Creatively speaking I still have a few projects to share but that will have to be from my laptop once in the UK, when I have a moment & have caught up on a fair bit of sleep!!!  I am not going to be creating whilst I am waiting for our container to arrive as my luggage allowance is going to be full of winter clothing for the nrxt couple of months.

I am so excited to experience Winter! I know all about air-conditioning but nothing about heating!!  I am thinking about starting a new blog to document my journey from Southern Hemisphere living to Northern & my experiences as an African abroad.  If I manage to do that I will add the link to that to my sidebar of course.  I have resigned from all my Design Teams except for Prima, who have been very understanding of my current situation as I am forced to take a Leave of Absence until my supplies arrive.

I have no idea what the future holds for me from an artistic perspective.  I would love to have the time & space to create but at this point I can't place it high on my list of must-haves.  Hopefully the next few months will be nothing more of a creative hiatus & perhaps I will find my groove again sooner than I imagine!  So for now I'll say Goodbye & talk to you on the flip-side!!

28 comments:

Maria Lillepruun said...

Good luck Helen!

Adriana B said...

oh how exciting for you and your family, you are feeling excited and yet a little nervous, but I know you will be all good, when you arrived at your final destination…. looking forward to hearing more about your travels and settlements , take care and enjoy your adventure :)

Di Garling said...

Oh HELEN I cannot imagine in a million years what it must be like. You sound totally organised, but then again that is your nature, you always are. :) Hope the transition all goes smooth for you and your family. Good luck with it all and I look forward to hearing what you say on the flip side. xoxo

Tusia Lech said...

I can't wait to see you Helen and I do hope you will settle down very quickly and you all guys will be happier than ever :) <3

Rhonda Van Ginkel said...

Wishing you and your family the very best as you go through this journey together. I can't imagine all of the work you have gone through to put it all together. Hoping things go smoothly for you all! (((Hugs))) from across the pond.

Lady E said...

Great idea with new blog Helen, I'm sure lots of people would like to read it :) I wish you all the best! Weather is not best thing in UK for sure but people are fantastic :) Take care!!!! <3

Ella Swan said...

Thank you everyone! I am so grateful for all the love and support!!

topkatnz said...

I would love to here about your transition to a new life in England:) all the best:)

Lizzy Hill said...

Sounds a very very busy time....hope the shift all goes well and you like where you have chosen to live....& Hope it's not tooo long before you can get up and creative again :):)

Lynette Jacobs said...

Wishing you the Lord's protection and knowing His will in this time. I know He goes before you to prepare the way. I trust that it will be all you have hoped for xx

Sabrina Scrapbook said...

Hi Helen, I hope that everything goes swimmingly! You'll be on another side of the world soon and I wish you and your family all the good luck in the world!

Margaret Mifsud said...

Such an exciting adventure Helen and, obviously, a little scary too. You've obviously put in a lot of hard work and I hope it all goes exactly to plan and that this move is everything you wish it to be. I think the idea of a new blog to document your journey is a wonderful idea. I, for one, would love to hear all about your experiences. Wishing you and your family all the very best and looking forward to the day when you can get creative again. hugs xx

Jean said...

BEst wishes for safe travel and look forward to hearing more about the move.

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

Good luck with your new and exciting move!! Can't wait to see photos of your new home once you are settled!!!!!

Asmah Zainal Abidin said...

Salutations Helen! This is your amazing experience that money can't buy. I hope one day soon your family will be together again. Thank you for sharing your beautiful write up of your present life and looking forward to read the next chapter. Good luck Helen and you are always on my mind. Hugs xx

Jinny Newlin said...

What an exciting adventure! Good luck! Can't wait to see where it lands you and how it inspires your creativity!

Tsaima Eirini said...

Good luck in your new life Helen!!! I believe everything is going to be perfect as soon as you settle down!! Be strong and smile...A new era is about to come...

dstandard said...

Best of luck with your new adventure and hope you will find a cozy home and be able to get settled without too much fuss!

langeatheart said...

You have faced this challenge with such courage Helen I am inspired! I would love to read about your journey, the adventure of relocating to another country, I am sure you are quite excited at the same time I know there must be a great deal of anxiety in leaving your son behind and starting over from the ground up! You are my hero! Will say many prayers for a smooth transition to the UK! Your friend always! <3
Pam

Kathy Bradley said...

I am so happy things are moving along as they should - but you seem quite the organized lady - and in a move this size - that's such a plus. Your platter has been quite full, in fact, it's probably more the size of a table - with things to check off in the "to do/get done" column. How exciting to have this new adventure and I have been keeping you and your family in my prayers - that all things fall into place. Please keep us all posted as you can. Sending hugs. Kathy

Mitralee said...

It's snowing big mondo snowflakes here...the pretty kind that are around the size of a dime, but probably they are that size because they are all clumbed together...I do enjoy most watching them from in here! Winter will have it's way of making you create more I do believe as you want to get all cozy and sit tight to make stuff vs. heading out into it! Do enjoy your big adventure! I haven't had one quite as large as yours (yet) but it's a time of great growth I believe! Hugs!

Ava Gavloski said...

All the best... what an adventure

Cassandra aka Scrap Savvy said...

What an adventure! Hope all goes smoothly and timely. Best of luck with the house and job hunt. Will be thinking of you. Hugs.

yyam said...

You will love it in England my friend. There will be a period of adjustment for sure but all will work out well. Take care and all the best. Once you've settled in, send me your new mailing address.

Paula Calvanico said...

Helen you are most certainly a braver woman than I! We moved from the east coast (New York) to the west (California) and that was quite an adjustment. To move to a whole new country would be a daunting and scray experience. Best of luck to you on your new adventure. I'll tell you this, after leaving freezing temps to milder climate, I don't miss it at all, stay warm!

Paula

Unknown said...

You are still high at the top of my prayer list Helen. Sending hugs and believing for ALL THE BEST. XX j.

Lisa aka Raining said...

Wishing you the very best of luck with this huge life change Helen. What a brave and bold move! I can not even imagine relocating to another country and culture. I've lived in the north my entire life so I'll be curious to see how you adapt to the chill with that South African blood of yours. ;) LOL

Svjetlana said...

I was looking for inspiration to scrapbook after many many moons, and your blog was the first stop for me :).I hope you arrived and settled in UK and you will find UK inspiring for your art work as much as it was South Africa. I know I haven't been around for while, but never left the world of scrapbooking, just put in on hold while I am sorting some other stuff in my life. Wishing you all the best in your new contry :).