The Gun

Rob and I got to enjoy our first day out together yesterday since, er, about 6 years actually. With both the girls in school and us both unemployed (though as yet not dole bludgers), we took advantage of my recent travel commission for The Australian newspaper, writing about a pub in East Sussex, the Gun, that is the start and finish for 4 country walks nearby. Florence was slightly easier to shoehorn off yesterday than last week and eventually allowed herself a hug from Miss Elphick as she waved us off. We drove for about half an hour to Gun Hill, a tiny hamlet tucked away down a tiny lane. Thank God for satnav.  Leaflets, including maps and directions for each walk, are available for free from the pub (and to download as pdfs from the pub website). The Gun is a top pub, dating from the 17^th century, sitting all on its tod on a remote country lane on the Wealden Way, one of the area’s most famous and scenic walking routes. The pub garden has a kid’s obstacle course and a place to tie up your horse. Seriously. At 9.30am we set off to do The Fields Walk, a four kilometre route that should take 90 minutes to an hour. The timing is perfect to have us back in time for the lunch service. We had a look online at French head chef Christophe Ferenc’s menu, a hybrid of classic European and British dishes, where possible using locally sourced produce. And a peer through the pub window at the specials board, got our juices flowing - homemade ham hock terrine, pan-roasted rump of lamb, wild mushroom and ricotta risotto, scallops and breaded sardines. 

Map in hand, we head off as directed, left from the pub down the lane. Straight away we realise the directions need more detail. We are asked to proceed down the lane to the track marked ‘Pekes Farm’. It would have helped to know this was a good 20 minute walk. Instead we keep thinking we’ve missed the turn off, although the scenery and peace is lovely. We pass thatched cottages with perfectly groomed gardens and dogs asleep in doorways, and enjoy the always amusing English road sign advertising the location of bizarrely-named villages – Lower Dicker and Coggers Cross. The lane is a minor road but the traffic, when it comes, whips along at speed and we’re not surprised to pass the startled corpse of a large badger on the grass verge.We are pleased to finally take the farm track and get into the country proper, passing bucolic cottages, fields of green, edged with wild blackberries and huge mushrooms, fine oaks and a shed, housing a vintage car restorer. Onwards past sheep (that rather put me in mind of the rump of lamb waiting at The Gun) and curious horses. We walk over stiles, through gates, along the edge of a field being ploughed, and across wooden walkways over streams. And then we get lost.

The woods are thick and we can’t see the stile we’re supposed to be heading for. We stumble about a bit before finding our way back to the ploughed field. We use our sense of direction to make it up from here and get to the field on the other side of the wood that we have to walk over to a laneway that houses two beautiful farmhouses. Despite losing our way, we loved it and worked up a sweat as well as an appetite.

back at The Gun we fall on the menu. I go for the fish board, a selection of king prawns, salmon crostini, superb potted mackerel and smoked trout with fresh bread and washed down with a pint of cider. Rob’s choice of the special pan-fried beef fillet doesn’t disappoint. We have sufficient bramble cuts to prove we’ve been walking and despite taking us closer to two and half hours, we’ve enjoyed the walk and the food so much we’re already planning to return to do the other three walks.

Scarlett and Flo start school

Scarlett was brilliant at school drop off yesterday and had  a great day. Flo surprised us by being very clingy and tearful and it was really very distressing leaving her at her new nursery school. Unsurprisingly, we received a call two hours later describing her joy at being there. When we picked them up they reported their days were 'fantastic' ( Scarlett)  and 'beautiful' (Flo). This morning Flo added "it isn't fair" that Scarlett got to go back again today whereas she has to wait until Monday!

Too cool for school

And so it begins

The first official Duthie Sunday lunch took place at the weekend with old friends and new. David and Andrew and Ruth and Pete came down from London and Laura, our lovely friend from Alfred Street, Sydney, here on holiday, was the surprise guest for the girls. The weather held long enough for us to eat out on the deck and it was brilliant to see old faces at our table I have dreamt about having there for many years. We ate trout followed by an incredibly moreish and highly calorific banana and Baileys bread and butter pudding washed down with Champagne. In other news, I gave in and finally limped off to the new medical centre around the corner. Diagnosis of soft tissue damage to my left leg, a course of anti-inflammatories and painkillers, a prediction of a 6-8 week full recovery and a total ban on running until then. So while I start researching yoga and pilates classes instead, I have to pull out of the 10k run in Brighton next month. Thanks to those who sponsored me, I'm finding out how to get the money back to you.

Phew! - what a scorcher

The secret steps with graffiti artist Ben Eine's work

The weather has been beautiful all week and we've been loving eating out on our deck and doing a bit of gardening. We've also managed to get a few jobs done around the house but the glazier who is supposed to be fixing the window remains elusive still. Flo had two 'settling-in' visits at her new nursery school this week and will spend the whole morning there on Monday before starting 3 days from next week. She was surprisingly nervous and quite tearful every time she thought I'd gone (I hadn't) but we're hoping she'll be fine for her first whole day on Thursday. Our lovely new couch arrived on Thursday and the armchair is on its way. We are continuing to feel so settled and happy here, particularly since discovering some new bits of Hastings. We met Maria on Tuesday for walk up on the hills of Hastings Country Park, overlooking the sea. There are walking trails for miles through woods and along the cliff and stopping in at the Ranger's Hut I picked up maps of several other lovely woodlands and wild parks with nature walks. On Thursday I took the girls down to the White Rock Theatre to see a live show of Peppa Pig, one of their favourite TV shows. Huge puppets of the characters were operated by black-clad puppeteers and we had a good laugh and a singalong. Couldn't help noticing the leaflet for this year's panto - Cinderella starring Little Jummy Osmond - just try and keep us away. I was thrilled to discover that, via a hidden flight of steps and a laneway, we can walk to the seafront in only 10 minutes, cutting 5-10 minutes off  the other route we used to take. In doing so we stumbled upon the Trinity Triangle, three intersecting streets in Hastings with great little cafes, galleries, a knitting shop, music shop, the library and a designer dog shop, selling everything from high-end dog collars to dog beds and bowls, the latter being the sort of place we could imagine in Double Bay, but not Hastings. Also nearby, along the seafront, is a shop devoted to raising money to save the derelict, condemned pier. It was originally a gentlemen's clothes shop and is still fitted out with glass-fronted drawers and counters and sells fantastic 1930s' tourism posters for Hastings.

Hastings pier

Beachcombing

We had dinner at the Lary Spudkins last night, with Maria cooking the most fantastic cidered pork. Even though their house is walking distance from us, Rob drove as my leg is still very painful. I'm very disappointed that I might have to withdraw from the 10K run in Brighton in 4 weeks as I haven't been able to walk very far all week, never mind run. This morning, after Rob had called an old family friend in Christchurch, New Zealand, to check it was still there after yesterday's earthquake, we strolled, slowly, down to Trinity Triangle for breakfast. We stopped in a nice cafe for breakfast with passable coffee and good food (but terrible service and loos) before walking down to the beach to search for interesting stones. It was really lovely splitting up and heading off along the beach poking about for things. Someone was even swimming, which to us pansy antipodeans seemed very bold. Tomorrow we're having the first of what I hope will be weekly Sunday lunches, entertaining friends from London we haven't seen since last Summer.

Saturday, what a day

Saturday began as many of our days have recently: the girls asleep upstairs and Rob and I in bed reading the paper, listening to Radio 4 and looking up occasionally to check out the view I can't imagine being bored with for quite a while yet. We did some food shopping in the morning and then came home for an afternoon nap to prepare for our night - dinner at home with Maggie, Popi and Peggy followed by an open-air screening of Hairspray in our local park. With dinner all prepared, I set about transforming my hair into a beehive and the girls's hair into anything requiring a lot of hairspray. The Popovics arrived and we sat out on the deck and ate dinner in full sun. (Our deck  is quite the sun trap, free from the wind that hits many of the homes here.) The kids finished eating first and raced off to play leaving the grown ups to chat. For about 5 minutes. The next thing we knew the 3 girls ran screaming down to the stairs to the kitchen, crying in panic, blood running down Peggy's arm and Scarlett screaming "Peggy's broken the window!"  While Rob (a trained first aider) administer pressure and bandages to Peggy, Popi and I raced upstairs to the 4th floor to find one whole pane of glass smashed in Scarlett's window. Shards littered the floor, the windowsill and, far below, the bonnet of our car. We shuddered to think of what could have happened if Peggy had fallen out the window too. Maggie quickly decided Peggy's cut was too deep for a homemade bandage and the Popovics left for the hospital. Our girls were very upset by all the panic and received praise for finding the grown ups so quickly and stern words regarding playing with windows. nonetheless it's a lesson I think all three learnt the hard way.  By the time I'd hoovered up the glass and Rob had cleaned up the MASH unit in the kitchen, it was almost time for the film and we decided to still go after all, to take the kids' minds off what had happened. Carrying a picnic of cupcakes and popcorn, a picnic rug and 2 beanbags we set off on the short walk to the park. Deciding to take a shortcut which involved running down a steep grassy bank, we headed fast downhill, Von-Trapp style, hand in hand. Within seconds Flo was down and I was falling after her, twisting my knee so badly, I screamed in pain and thought at first I had broken  something. Tears followed as I rubbed my leg and tried to work out why it was hurting so much. Having quickly decided it wasn't broken but was some sort of ligament tear or strain, Rob helped me up and I hobbled to where the film was just beginning and collapsed against a beanbag. All the time I kept my leg still I was ok, and we enjoyed the film enormously, joining in with lots of the songs and enjoying a glass or two of medicinal red wine. The journey home was painful and difficult and I had a shocking night trying to get comfortable while mentally mourning the end of my running career before it had really begun. I had only signed up for a 10k run this week and now I couldn't even walk.  What a day! I spent all day in Sunday either in bed, with Dr Lucy (Flo) in attendance with her dr's kit, or on the couch watching Moonraker (that's why we came back to England - the ubiquitous Bond movie). My leg feels much better today but I still can't put any weight on it without wincing in pain. Peggy waited 5 hours in emergency before having 5 strips put on her cut. Not even a stitch for her trouble.

A beautiful bank holiday Monday today. We've just had breakfast on the deck and are off to Dad and Alexandra's for lunch. Absolutely loving that I now talk to my Dad 3 or 4 times a week about not much, and that we have seen them twice this week. Maria and Lol and the boys (aka the Lary Spudkins) come back from a week in Menorca tonight and so we'll be catching up with them this week too. We met one of our lovely neighbours this week when Claudette from no. 100 arrived on the doorstep with a huge pot of lavender and a tin of shortbread. She lives next door with her husband Derek, 19 year old university student twin son and daughter and the 3 young children they foster. Lovely.

Cannot believe how happy we all are. The girls seem so settled in the house, with their things around them and it's hard to explain why Rob and I are happier than we've been for a long time. We are smiling a lot.

Raising girls

When you have girls, all sorts of ultra-feminine delights await. This week, we took the girls to Bodium castle where they attended the Princess Academy. While Rob and I legged it to the cafe for a cream tea, the girls were put through their paces, dressing up in 'Medieval' costumes, decorating conicle princess hats, learning traditional dancing and, very important, how to curtsey to a knight. When we returned, we found them beaming ear to ear and being presented with a certificate and special seal of Bodium Castle, made of chocolate. I'm incredibly annoyed I forgot my camera as they both looked gorgeous. We also spent a few happy hours queing and then finally being allowed in to the school uniform shop on Tuesday. The uniform is quite strict so we had to buy the right pinafore dresses (even for Flo who will be in nursery school), blazer and games kit. Here are the girls modelling their new looks, post M&S shoe shopping adventure.

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Our new house

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day so took a view shots of our new house, including  my new favourite thing - a Union Jack duck doorstop.

patriotic duck

View of the castle from the back of the house

sitting room window

totally fab, though tiring, stairs

 sitting room

Photos at last

Here are some of my favourite photos taken this Summer at my Dad's, Maria's, Helen's, Rick and Justin's, in Scotland, France and Hastings

One of the brazen foxes spotted in Helen and George's garden in darkest Surrey

Spot the family resemblance when our 3rd cousin Zahra visited from South Africa.

Scarlett loves Scotland

With Moira, Fraser and Lily in the middle of Loch Lomond

The girls getting on like a dream with Lily in Scotland

Moira adding some bounce to proceedings with the girls in Scotland

The girls in Lavenham, Suffolk

Rick and Justin moments after saying 'I do'.

Dad and Alexandra at her 60th birthday dinner

The beach in Pas de Calais where we spent a few hours waiting to get Rob's passport stamped for  entry into the UK

A slippery customer at Jack's 8th birthday party

Rob punishing the children for bad behaviour at Bodium Castle

The girls on the East Hill of Hastings with the Old Town behind them and the collapsing pier in the distance 

Hastings is home to Europe's largest beach-landed fishing fleet

Scarlett with the crop of strawberries she picked at Smart Fox Cottage with Uncle Rick

Hastings beach

The girls in the field behind Dad's house and in front of the church where Rob and I were married and
Scarlett was christened

We're home!

We finally moved into our new home on Tuesday and it was quite a day. Our container and five men arrived at 9.30am and the unloading began. It took several hours to get everything in the house and we realised the full responsibility of a 4-storey house - those poor guys struggling with wardrobes and chests of drawers to the top floor somehow continued to smile through their sweat. Then the tedious unwrapping began. By 5pm it was clear that the job would not be finished in a day with bikes still to be assembled and another 50 boxes to be emptied, so two of the guys ended up pitching up again the next day for a few hours to finish up. We are now 75% organised, I would say, with our guest room/study the dumping place for all items of unknown destination. Our lovely new sofa is still some weeks away so the sofa shop are lending us another one until ours arrives. We also don't have a fridge freezer until Tuesday so can't start stocking up the larder for long lunches just yet. We are currently buying the smallest milk bottles possible and buying food day to day. We have re-discovered Britain's brilliant supermarket sandwich collections and can be happily found most days in a park, garden or on the beach eating sarnies with a punnet of strawbs. Our telly has been delivered but doesn't yet work in the living room, which is just as well as we have no sofa. It is currently residing in the kids' playroom where we watch it sitting on beanbags. Not that there has been much time for idling. On the day of the move I literally didn't sit down, or eat come to think of it, until 8.30 that night, by which time I could barely walk my feet hurt so much from going up and down the stairs. While they will take some getting used to, and are forcing us to become a house of shouting people, we are assured we will be rewarded with buns so firm you could play them in a steel band. Yesterday was hardware store day. While the kids wheeled each other around in wheelbarrows, Rob and I sourced UK 30 plugs for our appliances, bought a recycling bin, extensions leads and clothes pegs. Yes - you forget you need clothes pegs. We will today anyway as our donated (thank you Helen and George) washer/dryer arrives this afternoon. It was supposed to come on Tuesday so we were slightly alarmed by Thursday that the courier who picked it up from Helen's was nowhere to be seen. Not only did he have the very expensive item but also half the money Rob paid him to deliver it. We were half expecting to see it advertised on ebay the next day when the bloke finally emailed to say he'd had 'a rush job on in Paris. Didn't you get my message?". No mate, we didn't but Scotland Yard almost did. Talking of ebay, our newly purchased. second-hand dining chairs arrived on Wednesday (are you reading this Naomi?). They are four super 1960s teak chairs that need recovering and re-padding but only cost 50 quid. We are adjusting to all the new things our much bigger, and taller, house brings us. The best part without a doubt are the views from three floors, through huge bay windows, of the town, West Hill and castle. The sun comes streaming in through the back of the house and it is filled with light. This morning, I opened the blinds and Rob and I lay in bed agog at the view. In Lilyfield, our only bedroom window was behind us and faced out onto Steve next door's collapsed fence. As it was such a lovely morning, I hit the pavement for Alexandra Park, 2 minutes down the road, for a run. Today's agenda includes finally hoovering the house, and then we're going to take the bikes down to the seafront to ride along the prom, something you can do for a few miles towards Bexhill. We think of our mates in Sydney often and the girls talk about their friends constantly. Flo still hasn't grasped that we are not in Sydney and are not going back anytime soon. The girls are both giddy with excitement at starting school in three weeks and wearing a new uniform. Flo has 3 taster days at her new nursery coming up.

I'm having a bit of trouble uploading pictures to the imac (too many I think) but until I get that sorted, here's a small film I have made of many (but not all) of this summer's jaunts, by taking a few seconds of film each day. I haven't edited any of it, so it's a bit rough, but I think captures the mood of our life here so far.

Today's the day...

...we pick up the keys to our new home. We are feverish with excitement and are packing up at Helen's this morning before heading down to my Dad's for lunch and to collect the winter clothes we have been storing there over the last few weeks. Then it's onto Hastings to the estate agents for the keys. We'll spend tonight at my sister's and then at 9am tomorrow the 20 foot container arrives. Because we're on a fairly busy road, very close to a set of lights, the council are putting out traffic cones tonight to stop anyone parking outside our house and are allowing the container to be parked on double yellow lines. We are amazed at this service, which also extends to the local traffic wardens in the area tomorrow being informed so we won't get into trouble. Brilliant! We've really enjoyed our last 3 weeks in Surrey. We went to another brilliant National trust property - Polesden Lacey. It was spectacular, not least because of its beautiful grounds, views across Surrey and kids craft area. Our old friends Giles and Lucy came to see us on Friday night with their kids Thom and Olivia, neither of whom we had met before. Giles and Lucy had met Scarlett as a baby in Umbria 6 years ago and again when I was pregnant with Flo. It was quite entertaining to watch the kids circle each other for a couple of hours before playing very loudly but happily together. Yesterday we took the girls to Hampton Court Palace. Their interest increased when I reminded them this was the location of one of their favourite Paddington bear stories and of course what child isn't fascinated by a king who had six wives, two of whom he dispatched via the chopping block when he got bored of them. How does the rhyme go, that helps you remember what happened to each of his wives - "Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived". We attempted an audio tour and chose the kids option but it was beyond dull (note to Hampton Court audio tour man, listen to the brilliant one at Battle Abbey), had a huge amount of fun in the maze (mainly by telling people who passed us in the opposite direction that we had come from a dead end), had a really long walk around the formal gardens, saw the famous grapevine (the world's oldest and longest) and took a horse and carriage ride around the grounds. We walked for miles so it was not surprising we all fell in to long, deep sleeps last night and enjoyed lie-ins this morning. can't wait to get the imac set up this week so I can finally put up some pictures from this Summer.

Almost there

This week involved more tooing and froing between Surrey, Kent and East Sussex. On Tuesday we drove to Dad's for lunch with our distant cousins Debbie and Zahra who were visiting from South Africa. We hadn' t seen them since Zahra was just over a year old - she is now 10 and as tall as an NBA basketballer so was quite changed in appearance. As ever, it was brilliant to see Debbie, who, unlike Zahra didn't seem to have changed at all. On Wednesday it was back to East Sussex to sign the contracts for our house. They were exchanged that day and our completion date is set for August 16, and we'll move in the next day. It will be quite a spectacle to see how a 20 foot container is going to park outside our house, double yellow lines and all. On the way back to Surrey we visited Chartwell, Churchill's house in Westerham. As well as the amazing kitchen garden, much of which was planted by Churchill himself, was the beautiful house and the girls' favourite, the Marycot, a huge playhouse complete with fireplace and kitchen. The gardener invited Scarlett and Florence to plant some lettuces in the garden which they loved doing. We toured the house, following the kids' trail along the way, ending just as the heavens opened and it absolutely chucked it down, so we were all soaked through to our underpants and had to run like mad to the tea shop to dry off with a pot of tea, scones and clotted cream. Yesterday we went to one of the few open air pools nearby, near Hampton Court. Surprisingly, it's open 365 days of the year but is heated to 26 degrees. In another bizarre twist on the 'Nanny state' we have noticed that it is not compulsory to wear a bike helmet on a bicycle, skateboard or even a quad bike, however when one is on a moving walkway or escalator in a shopping centre regular announcements remind users to hold the handrail and prepare to exit the said walkway. Good grief. Off to a Farmer's market now in Walton and then are seeing our old friends David and Sarah this afternoon.

Scotland's for me!

Just back from a brilliant 5 days in Scotland. As ever, our fabulous hosts, Moira and Fraser, and daughter Lily, had planned a full itinerary of events to keep us amused. They promised rubbish weather which, as well as delighting us (we've had enough hot weather to last us a lifetime), also sent us fleeing to the welly shop, grabbing raincoats on the way, full of glee that we could experience some top, unpredictable Scottish summer weather. Slightly disappointingly, the weather was wonderful - some cloud and the odd shower, yes, but overall, dry and warm. By day we visited a farm with jumping pillows, pedal tractors, and a maze in a sweetcorn field; a Highland Games (in which Scarlett and Lily excelled in the kids Junior Games); a stunning woodland garden containing Britain's tallest tree (which we managed to link hands around and hug); and a day trip to an island on Loch Lomond we hadn't visited for 18 years, where Fraser set up a bbq on the beach in full sunshine. By night, we dined on fine food cooked by Moira, and sipped Champagne, regularly relieved of their corks by Fraser. We had an absolute ball, laughing, playing the hardest Trivial Pursuit set ever, and lots and lots and lots of talking. Catching up with our bridesmaid and best man was exceptional, exchanging news, anecdotes and memories, but best of all was how well Scarlett and Florence played with Lily. Lily was more than generous with her toys, books, clothes - everything - and this was clearly the start of a friendship between our girls that will endure for years to come. Cream buns all round. We flew back to London this morning, several kilos heavier, but happy of heart, knowing that instead of our usual tearful goodbyes, when we are about to board a Sydney-bound plane, it will only be a matter of weeks or months until we see the McKendrys again. In other news, the people we are buying our house from are moving out more than a week earlier than expected. We are thrilled, but now in a bit of a mad rush to buy the final important things we need to get - a fridge/freezer and a telly. We spent a happy few hours in John Lewis (Kingston-Upon-Thames branch) this afternoon, pressing buttons and opening and closing doors and drawers, playing with iPads (that will have to wait for now - boo, hiss) and deciding what to buy. We left with a telephone, but plan to order the larger items on line. With luck we will be in our new house two weeks today. HUZZAH!!!!

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.

Week 2...

...and although we are over our jetlag, we are not sleeping well. Flo seems quite bewildered about all the different beds she has slept in and there has been quite a bit of uncharacteristic bed-hopping. We have been staying some nights at Maria's on the coast in Hastings and some nights at Dad's in the country in Kent. The weather has been amazing so we have been outdoors a lot. It might sound weird but we seem to be doing more outdoors here than we did in Sydney. We are enjoying country walks, village pubs and whole afternoons at the local park, at Dad's. We are in Hastings right now where we are looking at houses to buy. Over the weekend we took the kids down to the seaside for a solid session of skimming stones from the beach and spent the afternoon in the next door neighbour's pool and having a bbq. We had so much fun, it made England's devastating loss in the World Cup yesterday a little easier to bear. This week we are off to Surrey to stay with Rob's sister Helen and her family. From there Rob has to jump in the car early Friday morning morning to pick up our old next door neighbours Steve and Barbara from the airport when they fly in on holiday and to hand deliver Rob's NZ passport and visa which has just arrived in Sydney. Then it's onto Suffolk to see Rick and Justin and to attend their annual village bbq. The house hunting is taking its toll and we are totally over it -fingers crossed we find something this week we both like and can afford.

Almost a week here..

... and despite feeling as if we have totally missed getting jetlag - i.e no nocturnal wakings and kids sleeping 12 hours a night - we are clearly all shattered. Last night I slept from 8pm until 6am. I was almost in tears I was so tired. Flo fell asleep in the car the other day at 4pm and was put to bed and slept until 6.30am. What have we achieved so far? We have bought a new car, which we love and is the nicest car we have ever owned. We feel very grown up and important driving it, loving the in-car sat nav and walnut dash. We have viewed several houses, including one we had our hearts set on when we saw it online from Sydney. When we saw it in person, the garden was too small to even consider it, despite the house itself being a stunning renovated Victorian terrace. We were also slightly alarmed by the next neighbour telling us about the brother she cares for with Parkinson's Disease who yells and screams at night. I loved it however. Rob loved a 1930s semi, but after you see Victorian houses, 1930s homes feel too pokey and small with low ceilings and smaller room sizes. On Tuesday we made an offer on a house we both walked into, looked at each other and said 'yes!'. Unfortunately our offer was rejected and we don't think we can manage to offer the full asking price. We were pretty gutted as its location was amazing - on the west hill of Hastings, just a few hundred feet from a huge park overlooking the channel which was spectacular on the glorious sunny day we viewed it. More to see this weekend however and at least two look like they might be perfect. The weather has been beautiful since we arrived - long, hot sunny days and of course low humidity compared to Sydney. We are still getting used to it being light at 9.30pm and again at 4am. The girls are of course bored senseless and despite Maria brilliantly taking them for many of our home inspections, they aren't getting to do much more than sit either in the car or other people's houses. Today we changed direction in our house search and headed inland from the coast to the picture perfect village of Egerton in rural Kent, complete with village pub, school, post office and shop, as well as glorious country views. The cottage we went to look at was unfortunately much too small but the the garden and outlook were nothing short of breathtaking, with a field of cows on the one side, another field being ploughed by tractor and another full of horses in a sanctuary. You could have heard a pin drop, even over the occasional moo, neigh and tractor whine. We stopped off for lunch at the Smarden Bell, a beautiful old pub I used to visit in my youth, in another perfect Kentish village. We sat in the pub garden, while the girls played football (we are all gripped by world cup fever and the fact that England have just scraped into the next round), drank local cider and beer and feasted on good ploughman's lunches. Overhead small planes did loop the loops and other tricks before landing at a small airstrip nearby. It was heavenly. Today is our 15th wedding anniversary so Rob and I are off to the Tickled Trout tonight, a pub a few villages away from Dad's house, and the location of our wedding rehearsal dinner in 1995.

The Duthies of.......

No pics yet but just a quick update. We spent an entirely blissful, final full day in Sydney. As we were staying in the Taylor-Bigg's divine Tamarama flat, we walked down the coast path to Bondi and stopped in at Bondi Icebergs fora cokctail for old time's sake. It was only 3pm so we had the place to ourselves, which was just as well, as the girls went crazy in the hanging pod chairs while Rob and I sipped a cherry caprioska and a cosmo and looked out at the surf. We walked the length of the beach and had dinner at North Bondi Italian. We flew out at 3pm on Friday and had as fine a flight you can have with two kids. The girls were mostly engrossed by the films and endless supply of food. Rob and Inoticed how much less room we now have on planes as the girls have got so tall. Sleeping with a child's foot half wedged up your nose is harder than it sounds. The girls slept really well on both flights and for the whole drive to Dad's from the airport. Am slightly in the loon zone as I type this, despite a pretty good night's sleep as I am certain I should now be asleep not awake. We have been here 24 hours, have already found the car we're going to buy, narrowed our house inspection list to 3 places, shopped at Sainbury's (Heaven) and been to the village school fete. I have just come back from a run around Barming, the village I grew up in. It was so lovely seeing the old village hall, the ouses of my friends plus the house I grew up in. I'm amazed at how beautiful the setting is - surrounded by fields and rolling hills with church steeples and farmhouses, and how litte of this we appreciated growing up. Today we are heading to my sister's for Sunday lunch and to met our new nephew/cousin Ethan who is 6 months old.

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye

This was a big week of goodbyes. Rob and I left work - me celebrating with a final chicken and cashew nut lunch with my marie claire team, and Rob with a whole afternoon of boozing at Olympic park with the QBE misfits.We also sold the car this week and picked up a rental and saw lots of our furniture walk out the door with its new owners. We are now down to one couch and a dining table and chairs, plus beds.

On Saturday night we went to the leaving party organised by Julia, with a little help from Brett and a big group of mates. Brett made a lovely speech and, in spite of my huge fear of publc speaking, I was really pleased with my speech of reply which I hope encapsulated our feelings about 13 years of life in Sydney. It's weird to think Rob and I have lived as adults in Sydney longer than anywhere else. It was great fun and a highly emotional night with lots of tears but brilliant to realise most of our mates will be in the UK at some point in the next year or two. Here are some shots taken by Sam on the night

We devoted Sunday to lolling on the couch in front of the fire and Tv until 1pm when we were joined by George and the kids and walked up to Annandale for lunch at Vicini before running home in the rain. Brilliant. Am v excited to have found 10 websites in Britain selling just wellies.