Celebrations

This week Alexandra turned 60, so with Becky the babysitter in place at Maria and Lol's, the 4 of us jumped in the car to Uckfield in West Sussex to surprise Alexandra at the country hotel she and Dad had checked into that afternoon. We were a poor second however to her grand-children, Callum and Cassie, who Dad had flown down from Scotland that day for the main surprise. We had a few drinks and canapes and a game of croquet on the lawn before a wonderful dinner. On Friday we drove to stunning Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk for the civil ceremony of Godfather Rick and Justin. We dropped the kids off with a friendly babysitter for the day and then raced to the registry office in the grounds of the amazing ruined abbey. It was a very moving ceremony with Rick and Justin exchanging heartfelt vows in front of a supportive crowd of close family and friends. We then all piled into a mini bus to be taken to Easter Wood, Justin's very own 50-acre wood. The boys had transformed a central area around the old folly into a beautiful dinner venue for 30. We were seated in a beautiful Indian tent decorated with wild flowers and fairy lights with views at sun set through the wood where deer were strolling. It was stunning. The food and wine were impeccable as were the speeches and great company. It was a magical night and one the boys were quite rightly proud of. It was fantastic to meet Rick's parents and brother for the first time, the latter who had flown in from NZ for the occasion. On Saturday, I awoke feeling much like Princess Margaret after a night on the cans with Boris Yeltsin. Luckily our gorgeous hotel, The Angel, serves up a brilliant breakfast featuring Suffolk bacon and ham that hit the spot. We then piled the kids into the car for a day out at Historic Lavenham, Britain's best kept medieval village. Like driving through the middle of an episode of Angelina Ballerina, each street is exquisite. National Trust membership at the ready, we spent a happy few hours looking around the Guildhall, with Scarlett eagerly clutching her questionnaire, clipboard and pen and following the kid's trail. Then it was back to The Angel for a big family sleep before the second part of the wedding, the evening disco and supper in the barn of Justin's sister Caroline. The kids were brilliant and were still on the dancefloor busting their moves to Beyonce and Lady Gaga at 11pm. It was a quiet carload that I drove back to the hotel, before we all fell into bed at midnight. Scarlett described it as 'the best night of my life'. As ever, I have taken photos of all of this but can't yet upload them until our container arrives with our imac in it. It is due 4 weeks early and we are hoping to be in the house by late August. Onwards.

Engerland!!

All feeling right at home now in Blightey almost 5 weeks into our adventure. Have massively loved being at Maggie's house and have had lots of fun down at the beach, at the funfair (bumper cars rule) and tripping about the countryside. Took the kids to the Scarecrow Festival (only in England) last week and to Rudyard Kipling's house where they behave appallingly with a little help from their cousin Jack. On Monday we piled them into the car and went to France for the day. The purpose of the trip was to finally get Rob's NZ passport stamped on re-entry to the UK, so he can look for work. It was boiling and we spent the day on the beach, eating French fries and wrestling the children into submission in the back seat. Yesterday Godfather Brett, who is on hols in Europe from Sydney, popped down from London for the day. We had a picnic on the West Hill before a session of bumper cars and a mini rollercoaster with the girls before putting them on the hopelessly over stated boat ride 'Venture Island'. This basically consisted of the girls sitting in a plastic log boat that travelled at the speed of a glacier along a muddy green channel of water. Even though no one else was waiting for the ride, or even using it, the bloke in charge wouldn't let them take a thrilling second go, something about it being against the rules. Just as we noticed the differences between life in the Uk and OZ when we got there, we are now spotting differences in reverse. The packaging on all food here - even fresh produce - is shocking, unncessary and quite unbelievable at times, and yet everyone seems to accept it. To make up for it however is the widespread use of reusable shopping bags, which come in a range of brilliant styles in every major supermarket. This is something people haven't embraced at all in OZ, mainly because the stores keep the bags up high on display walls instead of at the checkouts. Our Australian friends will be pleased to note that the Nanny state is just as alive and well here as in Australia. On this morning's news was a report from a consumer watchdog that had discovered that people found ticket machines at stations too difficult to navigate, 'forcing them' to join queues for tickets. Instead of punching people about the head for being universally stupid, £25 million is being spent on the machines to make them easier to use.
We have been getting used to the sheer numbers of people everywhere compared to in Australia. A supermarket here on a Tuesday morning is much much busier than any Coles on the Thursday before Easter.
The weather continues to be fab and hot in the south east, while the rest of the country is stocking up on sand bags, wellies and pairs of animals. The school holidays are about to begin, we're off to Suffolk this weekend for Rick and Justin's nuptials, then we're back to Surrey for a few weeks, punctuated by a trip to Scotland to see Moira and Fraser.
We've hardly spoken to or seen anyone yet apart from family as there's been so much going on and down time has been just that. Onwards.

Hastings rules!

Finally getting a sense of Hastings now, after days of feeling totally lost. The Old Town is the heart and soul with tiny laneways and passages and quiet backstreets full of great second hand furniture shops, full of all sorts of great pieces and odd curios - today we found an antique ladies douche set. There are also great shops selling vintage stuff that has been given a makeover and there is also a brilliant organic bakery, a cheese shop and several bars and restaurants plus a tiny cinema staffed by a transvestite usherette. Along the seafront, Europe's largest beach launched fishing fleet provides fresh fish to fish stalls and fish and chip shops, there's a fun fair, a closed down pier and a long pebbly beach that runs to cliffs. Up on the two hills (the West and East) are parks with fine English Channel views, picnic spots and miles of walks. In the main bit of town (where we have bought our house) there are all the usual high street shops (including M&S that I'll be able to walk to!), cinemas etc.
Yesterday we packed a picnic and headed north into the East Sussex countryside to Bodium castle. I hadn't been for years and it was lovely to be back. We joined the National Trust on the spot so we can rummage around castles all over Britain. The kids loved climbing up the castle towers and looking for ghosts.
We are now housesitting for Maggie in Hastings Old Town and loving having our own space. We have been moving between Dad's, Maria's and Helen's and although everyone has been very hospitable, having 4 extra people in your house obviously changes the dynamic. We have been able to have dinners at home and watch the brilliant British telly. Am besides myself with joy that tonight we can watch a documentary about tv legend Bruce Forsyth. Thank God for Channel Four.

...correction, we've bought this house

It's been a crazy 24 hours in Hastings. After the drive back from Suffolk with Rob strapped into the passenger seat, dosed up on painkillers, we spent a sleepless night worrying that we might have made a mistake with both Hastings and the house we had bought. In order to satisfy us that there's more to Hastings than the crappy seafront and multiple fat tattooed pikeys, Maria took us on a walk through the beautiful old town with its brilliant shops, restaurants and bars. How had we not seen this before? There's also a castle ruin on the hill, two stunning cliff-top parks and the whole town is surrounded by lovely countryside. In the afternoon our old friend Maggie took us around St Leonard's to show us where the cool bits are and where some gorgeous homes are. By now we were sold on hastings but still unsure about our house purchase. It's not in the best bit of hastings but it is a good house and it was what we could afford and can totally add value to. or should I say could have. At 5pm yesterday we decided to view another house that we had seen the details for a few times but dismissed it as it 's on a very busy road and was over our price range. However the details looked so lovely (the house is called Castle View House) we decided to take a look. From the front there's no denying it's pretty grim with lots of traffic and a set of lights. However once we stepped inside it was whisper quiet, packed with character and with massive rooms. It's set over 4 floor, with two huge reception rooms on the ground level and two further floors above each with two enormous bedrooms and a bathroom, the lower ground floor is a huge kitchen that leads out to a deck and small garden. But the best bit - apart from the massive open fireplace in the sitting room - is that each floor as a huge bay window that looks out across to hastings Old Town the castle and the sea - it's stunning. Anyway we made an offer well under the asking price and were amazed within 2 hours to have it accepted. Unlike the other house we don't need to do a thing to it, we can just move right in and start checking out the view.

This is the weblink and honestly the pictures don't do it justice..http://www.johnbrayea.co.uk/property-detail.php?id=1336

Champagne and cream buns all round.

Alright, so we knew it would be stressful...

...but it is taking it's toll. The girls are unruly, ill-mannered and don't know what bed they'll be sleeping in from one night to the next and Rob and I are like a pair of pressure cookers waiting to blow but keeping those lids firmly on. What's happened this week? We spent a couple of very happy days at Helen and George's in Surrey. They have moved from Clapham to a very large house in a private wooded and gated community in Walton on Thames. There are some amazing homes, with vast gardens all surrounded by woods with a lake and accompanying wildlife. Their garden is large enough for cousin William to indulge his love of football with a set of full size goalposts. We spent a very happy morning at William and Libby's school sports day, spotting a former pop star and professional footballer among the parents. On Friday we headed northeast to Suffolk to the lovely country home of Rick and Justin, they of the extraordinary kitchen garden and stunning surrounds. We are always made so welcome there, and great food and wine are in abundance. We chose this weekend because it was the date of the Hargrave village bbq, initiated by Justin 4 years ago and whole-heartedly embraced by the village of 200. Rob and Scarlett (who has become quite the country girl - is absorbing books of trees and loves feeding Justin's pigs in the woods) went along to help set up hay bales and tents while Flo and I ferried Rick between butchers and brewery in the beautiful country town of Bury St Edmunds. We all arrived home at about the same time, except that in the interim - it was the hay bale your honour - Rob slipped a disc and was in agony and totally immobile for 24 hours in the bed upstairs. The next day his pain was so bad he was shaking and in shock and I had to call 999. An excellent NHS paramedic was dispatched quicksticks with powerful drugs that sorted Rob until Rick's local GP was able to administer stronger drugs and valium the following day. We have our boy back on his feet at least and though he is moving slowly he is mobile again. Scarlett had a taster day at a local school this week and loved it. They assessed her and have offered her a place for September. The school has amazing grounds, as well as a sister school in France they go to for trips. In other news - we won the lottery - a massive 10 pounds. Things are looking up. We are in Hastings for a few more days until we head back to Helen's and then have 2 weeks back at the seaside, house-sitting for Maggie and Popi while they are in Corsica.

we've bought a house...

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30379820.html?premiumA=true

This is the web link to our new home. It's in St Leonard's (really Hastings), is in a lovely street full of other Victorian semis and is just down the road from an amazing set of woods that leads into the very lovely Alexandra Park. The seaside is a very short drive away as is Hastings Old Town with its Tudor buildings and around Hastings are hundreds of beautiful villages with stunning countryside and great little pubs. The house needs some work, but we already have plans in mind including 'doing an Aussie ' to the back that involves knocking out the kitchen back wall, extending the kitchen and opening it all out to the garden. Fingers crossed we'll be in by late August to repaint, remove some hideous cupboards in the master bedroom and then wait for that container to arrive. Wish us luck.