House Tour

After much demand from both sets of parents (and probably our only followers of the blog), we are taking you on a house tour of our new digs.

Julia - Adam, Amanda, video camera.  I smell trouble...

Enjoy the 5 minutes of cheesiness!

A couple of things I feel I should point out.
- Adam & I should not be tour guides
- At 1:09 in the video - 'permanent homes' does not mean that they're always in their crates.  It means their crates are going to live in my dinning room which I fought for three weeks.
- At 3:31 in the video - the 'important piece of paper' is Adam's MBA diploma.  The random white pieces of paper are where the pictures from our various graduation ceremonies are going to go once I can find somewhere that prints photos over here.

Hope you enjoyed!

The weekend we moved

So remember how I was going to be in Bristol until June?  I had projects that ran until May so that I could then transition everything to whoever was going to take my job and then I could head back to Texas with a clean slate in June.  Remember that?

Remember how God has a little laugh every time I try to make my own plans?

Yeah.  Me too.

So when we decided we were moving at the end of March instead of in June, I was a bit nervous at how to transition everything.  Nervous might be an understatement.  Anxious, worried, tense, panicky even.  So I gave away the parts that I could and set my mind to finish off about 5 weeks of work in three.  Thank goodness Adam handled all the actual moving!

The way it worked, my last day in Bristol (28^th of March – UK has a 4 day weekend for Easter) coincided with my boss’ last day with PwC.  His much longer in the planning than mine!  And as he had been in the office for going on 12 years (slightly longer than my 22 months…), the office was throwing a huge going away / end of busy season party for him.  So we decided that Adam would handle the movers on Thursday while I was at work, then Friday I would meet the carpet cleaner at the Bristol house and do all the end of tenancy cleaning once the furniture was gone and he would return on Friday to pick me up and take me to London. 

The pupsters went to stay at Auntie Sue & Auntie Kim’s house the Wednesday before the big move day.  Sue & Kim have been the girl’s favorite dog sitters during our time in Bristol.  They give much better walks than Adam & I plus they might be allowed on the sofa…maybe.  I don’t know if we’ll ever find a place as loving as their house.  With the girls safe – and us not having to keep track of how many doors are open in the house(s) at all times – we prepared for some ‘removal men’ (movers in American). 

They arrived on time Thursday morning (Adam told me later, I left for work about 6:30 and played happily unaware of what was going on at home).  Adam & the movers packed up the house, drove to London (them in their van, Adam in the Fiesta), Adam picked up the keys to the new house, and then they tried to get into the new place.  Try is the key word in that last sentence.  The new keys – the ones that the realtor had changed the locks on the house to just two days earlier – they didn’t work.  I, thankfully, was still blissfully at work as Adam started calling every number he had to the realtor’s office at 5:15 the day before a 4 day weekend.  Thankfully after call number three he was able to get one of the agents who hadn’t gotten out of the office on time.  The agent took the office set of keys and came over to help open the front door.  I should probably point out that it is still about 30*-35* in the UK.  So just hanging out in front of a house with your favorite three movers isn’t the most entertaining way to spend an evening.  Thankfully the agent’s back up set worked, so Adam and the boys unload the van. 

While that was going on, I was busy trying to sort out the chaos that was going on in the office.  Between myself & my boss leaving, and it being the final day to file many accounts in the UK, the office was manic.  So much for people to sign off, so much to finish up, not to mention I had to clean out my desk – which always takes longer than you think it will, and we all had a party to get ready for!

In the afternoon however, the other managers in the office found a way to surprise me.  I always get a bit tickled when people manage that.  It’s not easy.  I am naturally nosey and so to pull something off without me noticing (especially since I’d been in the office all week too!), is a huge fete.  In addition to some lovely words of thanks (and not too many embarrassing stories), they gave me the most beautiful picture of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.  For those who have taken the Powell City of Bristol Tour, you’ll know what an icon of the city the bridge is.

Did I mention that any time our office has a party, it’s a costume party?  When I first moved here, they told me that the Christmas Party was ‘fancy dress’.  Lovely, I thought.  I’m all for a chance to wear a beautiful ball gown.  Nope.  In your English to English dictionary, you’ll note that fancy dress means costume.  Spectacular.  This party’s theme was ‘recognizable film characters’.  I really wanted to go in jeans and a t-shirt as ‘Extra #3’, but my girlfriends in the office wouldn’t allow it.  They found habit costumes and decided we were going as Sister Act.  None of us could decide who was Whoopi. 

After the party, I stayed at our old house, on a blow up mattress that Adam left me.  I thought I was really being hard done by having to sleep on the blow up mattress, but when I called him to say goodnight, Adam said that the heater wasn’t working at the new house, so he was wrapped in three blankets.  At least I had heat – and the Grandma Theresa blanket.  I swear you could wear a swimsuit in the Arctic and keep warm as long as you’re wrapped in one of her blankets.  We both survived our evenings.  Adam had a light dusting of snow to wake up to & I got up four times during the night to re-air my bed.

We had hired a professional carpet cleaner who came Friday morning.  He worked on the carpets while I cleaned bathrooms and the kitchen.  I finished up around 2 and Adam showed up about 3:30.  We went and rescued the girls (or probably more accurately, rescued Sue & Kim from the girls), and headed east. 

Thank goodness it was a long weekend!  We were able to spend Saturday – Monday unpacking & organizing.  The cable company came Saturday morning.  We got the heat to work by Saturday evening.  All the boxed were out of the house by Monday night.  I’d say we’re getting better at moving!  It took us until the following weekend to get hot water, so maybe not…

Pictures to come!

Day One

All set for my first day in a new office.

- Laptop?  Check.

- Oyster (train ticket) Card? Check.

- Heavy winter coat in April?  Check.

Ahoy there, matey!

Today is one of our last Saturdays in Bristol and we realized that if we were ever going to visit Bristol’s best known tourist attraction we’d better hurry up. Surprisingly we have taken all of our visitors to see Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s SS Great Britain but had never actually toured the ship.  I suppose then its about time we checked it offer our list. I covered the SS Great Britain’s long and storied past shortly after we moved to Bristol, so if you are interested in the history click here.

Our day started like most in Bristol have started this year. Cold and wet! We began our visit at the café attached to the museum for a warm cup of hot chocolate to fortify us for an afternoon outside in the cold. The doors to the dry dock open to the stern of the ship and this view of the refurbished ocean liner.

As you approach the ship it appears as if she is still floating in the docks and ready to take to the high seas as if she never found herself scuttled and abandoned on a sandbar off the coast of the Falkland Islands in 1937. Yet as you walk through the moisture barrier you get your first views below the water and an idea as to just how much damage the elements can do over three quarters of a decade. The hull is littered with holes anywhere from pin to softball sized and that’s not even taking into account the scare on the starboard side of the ship that runs from the keel nearly to the gunwales.

After completing a circuit around the hull we ascended back above the waterline and made our way through the exhibit which tells the story of the Brunel’s ship from commissioning through restoration.  It is a very good exhibit and adds quite a bit of depth to the story thanks to numerous news articles, letters from passengers, paintings and eyewitness accounts throughout the duration of her service. 

Once you’ve worked your way through the onshore exhibit, you will find yourself on the bow of the ship where you receive an audio guide for your self-guided tour. Through the audio guide, you can choose to experience the ship from several different passenger perspectives including a posh upper class couple or a young working class family, both of which are looking forward a new life in a brave new world. The picture below is from the upper class berths situated just below the main deck and stretch from the main long mast to stern.

Our next stop was the upper levels of the engine room and as you can see from the photos below the equipment is staggeringly large. So of course to properly maintain and repair their engine room they needed properly large spanners as well.

Once we were finished inspecting the engines we moved on to steerage and found a bit of luggage left over from one of our summer guests. Hope there wasn’t anything important in your box, Bill.

We finished our tour with a stop in the Grand Dining Hall with its plush carpets, marbled columns and gilded mirrors. However, the most impressive item in the Dining Hall where the benches with moving backrest. I personally thought they were brilliant and am completely amazed I haven’t ever seen them anywhere else before.

As we were leaving the SS Great Britain we took a final few photos of the bow of the with its clean lines and ornate figurehead and were really happy we took the time to finally go and visit Bristol’s most famous ocean liner.

So, what’s next?

We are 21 months through our 24 month European Adventure, so naturally alot of people have been asking what we’re planning for the next escapade.  Well, much to the relief of the Type-A planner in me, we have made a decision!

But first, the narrative of how we got to the decision.

In November or so, I was offered an extension to my current contract to stay in Bristol for another year.  I was certainly honored that they thought I was doing well enough that they would want me to stay another year but there were so many things that I didn’t know how to reconcile at the time.  Adam had just finished his MBA & was starting to look for work.  He really wanted to work in the UK & I thought that if he found something quickly it could be our sign to stay.  But that didn’t happen, so we started thinking that we would be heading back come June when my contract was up.

In the mean time, Christmas happened and we had such a wonderful time in Switzerland.  We started thinking about the travel we haven’t been able to get to yet.  We looked back at the list that we’d made when we first moved here, and though we’ve made amazing progress, we’re nowhere near done (that said, we could probably be here another 12 years and not be done!).

So I went back to my office in January and told them that I wanted to see what I would be doing if I were to stay another year.  That’s when things got interesting.

My contract to come over here was very specific in the things I was supposed to do and learn.  I feel like I’ve done what I had set out to do so I asked around to see if there were other options that I could expand into.  The answer came back with a very emphatic, yes.  I started looking at the opportunities, weighing the options.  One that sounded interesting was in London.

We’re now about the end of January.  Adam has found some temporary consulting work, but nothing that could be turned into a long-term job and the market in Bristol is pretty saturated.  So relocating somewhere which would have more possibilities seemed to be a good option.  It would however mean finding a new house. And moving.  And then doing it all again in another year.  But then, how do you pass up the option to live in London for a year?

So, Adam & I talked and debated.  I spoke with upteen million people within PwC – Partners & trusted advisers in the US and UK, Global Mobility, HR in the US, HR in the UK, Legal Advisers (to make sure we could get visas for another year) & friends on both sides of the Atlantic.  We spoke with family.  We prayed.  Alot.  And we finally have come to peace with our decision.

We’re moving to London!

I came to a verbal agreement with PwC on the 26^th of February.  On the 1^st of March, Adam was invited to a networking event in London the following Thursday (the 7^th) to meet with people from consulting firms in the city.  On the 4^th Adam arranged to view 5 properties in London while he was in town the coming Thursday.  On Tuesday the 5^th, Adam received a note from a consulting firm in London that they would like to interview him on the 14^th.  Also on the 5^th PwC asked if I could move by 1 April because so I could pick up things on the new job for one of their deadlines three weeks after.  By the 7^th I had cleared everything with my current business unit who said they could make the 1^st of April work.  My head was beginning to spin with the pace of activity.

On Thursday the 7^th Adam went to London to look at houses and I went to work.  About 2pm he called and said that he’d found the place he wanted.  It was “the house” he said.  The only problem was they had two more viewings scheduled the following day.  (In the UK, in renting at least, houses are first come, first serve – we found that one out the hard way the last time we tried to rent something over here!)  So he was very worried that if we waited until Saturday when I could get up to London to view it, it would no longer be on the market.  So (after about 15 minutes on the phone convincing me it would be okay) he signed a lease.

Yeah.  Adam rented our house without me inspecting it.  Oh, and he forgot to take pictures of it while he was viewing.

As I left for work, I mentioned that we should look into the movers since we need to move over Easter weekend and nobody works on Good Friday over here.  By the time I came home from work, Adam had hired a moving service, changed the address on all the bills (most important being the cable company installation so that he doesn’t miss the season premiere of Doctor Who on Easter Sunday), and given notice on our current house.

So that’s our news.

For those who know London or want our address, send me an email & I’ll give you more detail.  For those who told us all last year that you wanted to come visit, you now have a one year extension – don’t expect another one.  You need to book some plane tickets!

A trip down (Amanda’s) memory lane

My love for this country probably started about 1992.  Nearly 20 years before Adam & I moved over.

Having grown up a bit of a military brat, I was very used to moving every 3 to 4 years.  So when my parents told me that we were moving to Plymouth, England from North Carolina they might as well have told me that we were moving just two  hours away or to the moon, I had no concept of how far away England was.  None the less, off we went.  I find it funny the other things I remember.  I can very clearly remember the church we attended, the floorplan of our house, the grocery store down the road that Mother & I would walk to every couple of days – it used to be a Somerfields, but the whole chain has been taken over by CoOp in the last 20 years.  My parents claim that we would walk to the local fish & chip shop nearly every Friday night for dinner.  I have absolutely no memory of this.  I don’t think it actually happened.

In our two years in Plymouth, we also made some great family friends.  When Mother & Daddy where here in November, the Rees’ came to Bristol to visit and were also kind enough to invite  Adam & I to their home in Plymouth to see if I remembered the old neighborhood.  So a couple months later we took them up on the offer.

Our first stop was my old house in Plymstock.  It looks exactly how I remember.  A little bit of ivy down the side of the house. Peachy pink stucco on every duplex down the street – this is military housing at its finest!

Adam & Mr. Rees made me get alot closer to the front of the house than I’d wanted --- hope the current tenants didn’t think we were doing recon work!

We also had a garage down the road a bit.  The car we had was too large for the garage, so it had to pull up alongside the end.

We had a tire swing just around the corner from the house.  I remember it being the furthest that Jonathan & I were allowed to go from the house by ourselves.  The swing apparently has disappeared over the years, but the tie to the tree branch was still there!

After leaving the old neighborhood, we headed up to our old church.  Besides the fresh coat of (rather bright blue) paint, it was just how I’d remembered it.

Just around the corner from the church is a newsagents.  Every Sunday after church, Daddy would give me £2 and I could go buy a Sunday Times paper.  One Sunday I went in and they had sold out of papers.  I was so distraught that I couldn’t buy one and started crying in the shop.  Dad was nearby and assured me (and the shop owner) that everything was okay.  Fast forward a couple of months and again the shop ran out of papers, but as I walked in the shop owner lit up as he pulled a specially saved copy from behind the cash register counter.  I didn’t go in this weekend to see if he might have saved one for me again.  I’m going to guess after 20 years that they may have moved on some.

Besides being the home of the Spencer’s for two year, Plymouth is known by Americans for being the place where the pilgrims left from.  We went down to the Barbican area of Plymouth to the Mayflower steps.  The actual steps the pilgrims left from no longer exist. A granite block bearing the ship’s name marks the approximate site, while a tablet commemorating the voyage was erected alongside in 1891. The portico was added in 1934. Taking a couple of steps through leads to a mini-balcony, built in 2000, which has views out towards the sea.

Despite being extremely cold that day, the sun decided to peek out for a few minutes just as we walked through the Barbican moorings.

Yes, that is a picture with the sun out.  Trust me.

From there we headed over to the Hoe.  In the late 1500’s, the English and the Spanish were having a little disagreement over (as most conflicts in Europe at that time) religion, power and money...wait, maybe that’s the source of most conflicts everywhere.  I digress.  Sir Francis Drake was vice admiral in command of the English fleet when it overcame the Spanish Armada (the Spanish fleet) that was attempting to invade England in 1588. The most famous (but probably completely untrue) anecdote about Drake relates that, prior to the battle, he was playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. On being warned of the approach of the Spanish fleet, Drake is said to have remarked that there was plenty of time to finish the game and still beat the Spaniards. Winds and currents caused some delay in the launching of the English fleet as the Spanish drew nearer, perhaps prompting a popular myth of Drake's cavalier attitude to the Spanish threat.  No matter the validly of the story, the Hoe is still a beautiful open green space overlooking the limestone cliffs and the open sea.

A prominent landmark on the Hoe is Smeaton's Tower. This is the upper portion of John Smeaton's Eddystone Lighthouse, which was originally built on the Eddystone Rocks (about 9 miles out into the sea) in 1759. It was dismantled in 1877 and moved, stone by stone, to the Hoe where it was re-erected.  It no longer serves a purpose as a lighthouse for navigational purposes, but is quite iconic within the city.

As the evening progressed, Adam and Mr. Rees worked to solve all the world problems as they discussed their way through politics, religion, economics, and even pop culture.  They soon discovered that they both have a love for whiskey.  So they then decided to take a trip through (the drinks of) Scotland together.

Adam enjoyed his tour.

The Rees’ have a beautiful home.  This is the view outside their guest bedroom.

I could wake up to that every morning!

In honor of their American guest, they even found the flags from the 4^th of July party that Mother & Daddy threw when we lived here and put them on display.

We were also kept super warm by the lovely coal burning fireplace.

Sunday morning we visited Dartmoor National Park with it’s Tors (hills topped with an outcropping of rock), bogs, and leats (an artificial aqueduct dug into the ground to supply water to neighboring towns).  The very, very, very narrow road with just enough moss to hide the hard stone walls on either edge (but not enough to cushion you should your car get closer to the wall than you thought it was)!

It was actually so cold that day that water was freezing as it splashed out of the rivers.

One more stop on the memory train.  At 11 & 12, I attended Hooe (pronounce ‘who’) Primary School in year 6 and 7 (5^th & 6^th grade).  We had a quick walk by the school...it’s smaller than I remembered.

Thank you to the Rees’ for a wonderful weekend and allowing me to show Adam where I first fell in love with this country!