*** UPDATE: 26th October 2022 ***
Still here, still living our best life ๐, still having a ball ๐ฅณ, still eating ice cream ๐ฆ, still exploring ๐, still dodging Covid, still going to the pub ๐บ๐ท, still missing Aussie mates, still loving life, still no regretsโค๏ธ
Tedโs ๐งธ settled and our experiences just keep on coming โฆ
In just a few short months weโve lost our much loved Queen Elizabeth II ๐๐โโ๏ธand
watched our third Prime Minister take to the podium. Meanwhile, here on planet Earth weโve been madly decorating our new home and falling in love with all things Yorkshire. The leaves are spectacular as they burn red and gold against blue Autumn skies and our drive needs sweeping daily if we are to continue to venture out. Halloweenโs ๐ ๐ป trick or treat will soon be followed by fireworks and bonfires as the country remembers November the 5th, and Guy Fawkes, no doubt contemplating the political merry-go-round of today ๐ณ
Seven months in and Three Women, my book ๐, has been resurrected as I determine to finish the seventh and hopefully final draft ๐ฉโ๐ซ taking advantage of long cold nights ๐ฅถ in front of our much loved log burner ๐ชต ๐ฅ
Already it is barely light before 8am and the sun is set again by six ๐
. We blinked and missed summer ๐ง and now snow is on the way, or so they say, as Christmas looms on the horizon as we look forward to our first โrealโ Christmas in a long while ๐งโ๐ ๐
๐ป ๐
*** UPDATE: 3rd August 2022 ***
On 20th January 2022 packing the first of 45 โpacked by ownerโ cartons ๐ฆ we never envisaged the humps and bumps of our return journey. A little over six months later, here we are โliving the dreamโ โฆ weโve found our happy place, our forever home - we feel lucky - albeit a little bruised. We have found wonderful friends and reunited with family, weโve had visitors from near and far and look forward to whatever the future may hold ๐
Since that first box ๐ฆ we have (in no particular order):
- Slept in nine different beds ๐
- Experienced once in a lifetime floods ๐ (the second time in ten years) ๐ข
- Lived on the 18th floor and stressed as floods rendered lifts/elevators ๐ inoperable just two days ๐ prior to collection of our overseas furniture shipment ๐ฑ
- Waved ๐ a fond farewell ๐ to much loved friends ๐๐ while chomping on a traditional Aussie BBQ ๐ as well as shared several delicious brunches/lunches/dinners ๐ด
- Been to the pub (a few times) ๐ป
- Hired 3 cars ๐
- Sold a car and bought another ๐
- Navigated international money transfers and tax complications ๐ฒ
- Discovered the UK home rental market is VASTLY different to that in Australia ๐ฑ and not in a good way ๐
- Bought a house ๐ก and moved in ๐
- Lived in all four corners of North Yorkshire โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ
๏ธโก๏ธ
- Visited spectacularly beautiful places ๐
- Drunk too much ๐ท๐ฅ
- Eaten too much ๐ฝ ๐ณ
- Spent too much ๐ท
- Flown 10,000 miles | 16,000 kilometres ๐
- Driven 5,000 miles | 8,000 kilometres ๐
- Traversed narrow country lanes, definitely not for the faint-hearted
- Viewed dozens of houses ๐ฉ
- Experienced the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in snow ๐จ ๐
- Experienced record breaking temperatures ๐ฅ hotter even than Brisbane ๐ฅต
- Seen amazing sunsets on both sides of the globe ๐
- Dodged Covid ๐ค
- Travelled through deserted airports ๐
- Watched a nation stick two fingers up to Covid ๐ฆ
- Seen daffodils grow wildly and freely along grass verges ๐ผ
- Made new friends and reunited with old ๐ฅฐ
- Had quality family time โค๏ธ
- Taken delivery of 84 boxes and parcels that made it here, despite the floods ๐
- Found our happy place ๐ฅณ
- Watched lambs ๐ gambolling in the fields (thatโs gambol Ted, not gamble! ๐ฐ)
- Eaten delicious ice cream ๐ฆ
- Watched the Queenโs Platinum Jubilee live on TV ๐
- Had my first British haircut and colour in 23 years ๐โโ๏ธ
I miss Australia, I miss my friends, one day we may return and I look forward to them visiting here ... but for now? No regrets! ๐ค
โค๏ธ
*** 29th January 2022 ***
As two people who love to travel (and a Ted who prefers to remain incognito) โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ข ๐ธ โต๏ธ, two years confinement within Australia has not killed off our travel ๐ and now he wants to ๐ฆonce again. We have explored Australia ๐ฆ๐บ and New Zealand ๐ณ๐ฟ extensively (and loved it) and after 23 years have decided to return to our roots and explore the UK ๐ฌ๐ง ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ, something we haven't done together previously. We plan to make our home-base in North Yorkshire, the home of many of our respective ancestors, and exploring the beautiful Yorkshire Dale, its pretty villages and absorbing the culture will be our priority. We've missed British pubs, so expect to see plenty of those on our excursions. At least one of us is a fan of real ale and I am told there are 363 pubs in North Yorkshire - that'll keep us busy for a while! ๐ป ๐ค
As we exhaust the locality, we will travel to as many UK counties as possible, including the Isle of Man, sharing our adventures as we go. As border restrictions ease, we also look forward to taking advantage of the closer proximity to the US ๐บ๐ธ - Boston, New York, San Francisco - and Europe - Iceland ๐ฎ๐ธ , France ๐ซ๐ท. , Italy ๐ฎ๐น,, Norway ๐ณ๐ด - and so many other wonderful and beautiful places ๐ ๐ ๐
As we transit, we will share some of the challenges we face as we prepare to travel over 10,000 miles!
