Things that are different here ....

Okay. I am going to share all the things that have been of slight (and maybe a little bit more than slight) frustration to me since I've moved here. And I will start off by saying that I am not in any way at all putting this country down. I feel that it has now become a sort of comedy of errors for us, and I just want to share my stories with you.



As many of you know, we moved into our new house here the day of the flooding of the Gloucestershire region. Of course, we didn't realize true flooding was happening because we didn't have anything in our house. No TV, no radio, no nothing. All we knew was we could not flush the toilets, and all of a sudden we had no water. But you know, these things happen. God, in His sovereignty, knew it was going to be like that for us and so we trusted that everything would turn out okay. Which it did. Eventually.



On that particular Friday, which we can call Floody Friday, I called British Telecommunications (BT) to have our phone line hooked up. Now, this is where I wonder what I have gotten myself into. Where I come from, you call to have your phone hooked up, and they turn a little switch somewhere and it's on. Just like that. No waiting. No, "We'll have it turned on in two weeks." But it's different here. We were told it would be turned on in a few days. Five days later, still no phone. Which is when I noticed that Aidan's room had two phone jacks. I tried a phone in the jacks in his room, and sure enough, one of them actually works, but not the one that connects to the only other jack in the house - the one on the main level. So back on the phone to BT. And I do not exaggerate when I say I was on hold for at LEAST 4 hours. Patrick said it is harder to get the phone hooked up here in England than when he lived in the former Soviet Union. After being transferred to many, many service representatives and finally crying to one of them that they just had to help, they agreed that they had turned on the wrong line and they would fix it. I didn't even ask what they were going to do - I just knew that this man was going to help me.



You really aren't going to believe this part of my story. This is the story of getting internet service in my house. When you live where we live there is no cable service which is what we are used to in the States. You have to get Broadband, which is not exactly dial-up, but it's the next best thing. But, in order to even sign up for Broadband, you must have your phone hooked up and have a phone number. Truly - you must be able to provide the internet company your phone number. Which couldn't happen for us until our phone was hooked up, which, as we all know, still hadn't properly happened. But, I had a phone number that was given us when the wrong line was hooked up - before we knew the wrong line was hooked up. So, trying to be expeditious, I called the internet service even before I knew our phone line was hooked up because at least I had a phone number to give them!

Well, because the wrong line had been turned on, we were unable to get on-line because we didn't have the right phone number. Does this even make sense? I know this is a long-winded story. But what it ended up taking was a wonderful BT workman coming to our house, opening up the ground in front of the house where apparently there are tons of wires and such, and working there for about two hours fixing everything. And then it worked! Bless that man.



Which leads me to share with you this little tidbit: We could not get our internet working even though the line was active. I spent 14 pounds talking to the help desk when finally, one technician said, Let's verify your user name and password. I had used "MONTANA" as my password. What he verified to me was "M-O-N-P-A-N-A." Which I guess naturally could happen anywhere outside the US. But still frustrating.



Television.

We are Americans, and we like our television. A lot. We COULD live without it, and we HAVE lived without it for a number of weeks now. But when we found out we could get a satellite dish put in and get channels like Disney, Nick, and the Discovery Channel, we knew we had to do it. So once our household goods arrived last week I called Sky Satellite service and set up an appointment for last Wednesday to have someone come set us up.

Last Wednesday a Sky Technician arrived only to tell us that they would have to come back on Friday to set it up on the roof because they couldn't get a clear line of sight from the side of the house. That's fine. So, Friday, two techs show up and get to work. About 20 minutes later, one of them comes in to let me know that they can't get a line of sight on the roof, either. Sorry. I don't understand this way of thinking - to me, it's not just SORRY. It's, Let's see how we can fix this and make it work for you.

In another teary state, I told the work man that he HAD to find a way to make it work. I kept making suggestions as to where he could put the satellite dish. Would it work there, on that shed? No. Would it work there, on the other chimney? No. Would it work on our neighbor's house? He realized he was not leaving my house before exhausting every inch of our yard to determine whether or not he could find a clear line of sight. So, thankfully, after a while, my new best friend, Adam, told me there was a spot at the end of the garden where they could get a line of sight. Great! Well, what we will have to do is call a satellite installation company to come out and set that up. And I said, Isn't that what YOU do? And he said, Well, Sky won't pay for something like that. And I said, Well, I would pay whatever it takes at this point for you to do this for me. And he said, Well, it will cost about 150 pounds. And I said, Okay, when can you do it? And he said, We'll be back this afternoon.
Great!
So that afternoon he called and said it would have to be Saturday because they had to order the pole that the satellite dish would sit on. That's fine. So Saturday rolls around and Adam and his co-worker come out and mix some cement and stick this pole in the ground in the back of the garden. That's all they can do Saturday because the cement has to dry.
So they came back Sunday to attach the satellite dish, run wires through the yard and into the house, and set up our satellite boxes (one for the bedroom, too). Which is when they realized that we had American TVs and their cords would not work in the back of the TVs.
By this time Adam and I are great friends. I have explained to him how I didn't expect the satellite installation to be any easier because nothing here has been easy so far regarding getting our services set up. He laughed and said, Yes, England isn't known for its customer service - why would you come here? Ha, ha, ha.
So he explains that I have to go to an electronics store and get something called a SCART to Phono adapter. Ok. So Monday I go out and do that. Then we call Adam and say, Okay! We have our adaptors! So he comes back, for the fourth day in a row, and fixes up the upstairs TV. It works perfectly! Not the downstairs TV. There's no fixing it. No one can figure it out. We try different cords, cables, switches, NOTHING. I am so determined at this point - DAY FOUR of visits from my friend, Adam, but it just doesn't work. He advises we go get a British television. I am determined NOT to do this. It would cost us the equivalent of about $500 to get a 19" British TV. NO WAY!
Instead, we drove out to the BX and bought another American TV - 29" for $250 (that's more like it) , one that is called a "multi-system" TV. And lo and behold, it works! Of course, still nothing is too easy, so we still need Adam to come back and register our satellite box so we can actually watch television shows on the new TV. So this afternoon, back he comes! I'm sure he will be happy to see the last of us, as we will of him. Of course, he is now on our Christmas card list ....

And of course, we can't legally watch TV here until we've paid our yearly TV tax. Thankfully, that part was easy.

OUR STUFF IS HERE!

Well, after the big pity party I held last night and shared with all the world on my blog, Patrick phoned from work today to tell me our household goods are in country, and they will be here on this coming Tuesday to move us in! I am so ecstatic I cannot WAIT to be settled and unpacked. And those of you who know me well will know that will happen quickly.

As for my sadness last night, I know it will come and go, it HAS been a rough few weeks, but as my friend, Jackie, pointed out to me this morning (very gently, bless her) I have to not think of what is here on this earth so much, but the castle that is waiting for us in heaven is what I need to look forward to more than these earthly things! Thank you, Jackie, and thank you ALL who understand my homesickness and have shared my tears and heartache.

What's in a House?

A year ago last month we began construction on the addition of our home in Sykesville. We were so excited about the prospect of having more space - a big great room to live in, another full bath, a big mud room, and a completely renovated kitchen complete with a new tile floor that couldn't be set in place until absolutely everything was taken out of the kitchen (including cabinets, all appliances, etc) and the floor leveled out. What a project. We LOVED our new space, I loved the kitchen most of all. I got to pick out all the tiles, the new granite countertops, the corian sink, the cabinets, all to my personal specifications. We did all this with the knowledge that we may be moving to England this summer. We didn't know for certain until October, but by then the project was near completion, and we were enjoying the new house. And we were so excited about the prospect of moving to England, to the travel and opportunities it afforded us that it didn't bother us very much - knowing how much money and time and love we put into the house - we knew we would be back.

It's bothering me now.

We have a great rental here in England. According to other Americans, we have a great rental here in England. We have 5 bedrooms - not huge, and one closet in one bedroom (ours). We have a great big back yard that the kids love. We have a really big driveway and a nice, quiet street that is safe for the kids to play on. This house was probably built in the 60s, and the hardest part for me is that the kitchen probably hasn't been updated since then. We DO have a nice big refrigerator, but every time I walk in the kitchen I think of my new beautiful kitchen in Sykesville, MD. And I'm sad. Is that dumb? I don't know. Will all the traveling and sight-seeing we do and the experiences we have make up for it? Probably. But right now, without our household goods here to fill the space and after only six weeks of being in country, I'm sad.

It makes me ache to think of other people living in my house, criticizing it, asking for repairs to be made on a near 100-year old house.

When we made the decision to leave there I thought, "I grew up moving all over the place - we never lived anywhere longer than three years, this is what I grew up doing! It's exciting!" And now I remember those times - every time we moved somewhere new, that all I wanted was a place to call home, permanently. I forgot that part of moving.

I guess what I can say about that is this: When we made this decision, I didn't remember the bad parts of moving, I remembered the great experiences. And I hope and pray that at the end of our three years here, that will remain the same. And who knows? Three years will fly by. I'm certain of it.

So what's in a house? How important, really, is the HOUSE? It's just a space, and when we're there, living in it, we know its quirks, we see the repairs that need to be made, we get fed up with it and just want to move - ha! But here I sit in this rental in western England - mourning my home in Sykesville. We will be back!

New Wellies

Look at this kid. Does he look British or what? The new froggie wellies, the badminton racket, even his outfit. He fits right in here. Loves his new boots, won't wear anything else.

We're Back!!!

As I write this we still do not have internet. I can’t even begin to describe the ordeal that has been the hooking up of our phone line and broadband internet. You wouldn’t believe it if I wrote it. Let me leave you with this on the subject: I was on hold for AT LEAST 8 hours of my life with British Telecommunications.

However, we DO have water now. On the 9th day it came back. Oh the showers we had! And the laundry I did ….
I had to post a photo, though, of the “bowser” where we fetched our pails of water every day for over a week. The water company filled it several times a day, and we used this water to flush toilets. Otherwise we bought bottled water to wash fruit and veggies and with which to wash our hands and brush our teeth. We still have to use that water for those purposes as the tap water still is not “safe” to use.


We are settling into this new house. It will still be several weeks before our household goods arrive, and what a day that will be. We cannot wait to have our “stuff” with us again. It will feel much more like home. But we are getting to feel that way anyway. Within walking distance for us: the library, a small market, a coffee shop, a post office, a pharmacy, and an Indian carryout restaurant. All the basic amenities, in other words.
We have met several neighbors. Our very next door neighbors have two sons who are 8 and 10. They are on holiday now but their cat comes over to visit regularly. She even left us a gift of a bird on the back step. Gillian says this is her new adopted pet. (The cat, not the bird).

Funny things I have learned about Cheltenham:
Madonna’s daughter goes to an exclusive girls’ school here.
Steven Winwood (“Roll With It, Baby!“) lives here, and his children also go to an exclusive school in Cheltenham. (There are several, apparently.)
The boy who played “Oliver” in the original movie/musical made in the 60s lives here, and he’s now a chiropractor. His son attends the same school Joshua and Gillian will attend, but he’s in the senior school.
Huh!

And with this last photo I leave you for now. At Patrick's insistence, we share with you a photo of one of the many slugs/snails that adorn the wet streets of our new home. That is Patrick's finger next to the little beast.

Catching Up

We tried to take advantage of our time in Leeds. The first day we walked to the National Royal Armouries Museum. We forgot the camera, but it was a great place. The kids got to see a 15th century two-handed sword fight and an 1880s “American” gun fight outside on the terrace of the museum. They had actors playing the roles of gunfighters at the OK Corral, and the funniest part to me was listening to two British actors wearing cowboy gear and trying to sound like southerners. I laughed out loud.

The next day we drove to Whitby Abbey which is located right on the North Sea. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. You have to walk 199 steps to reach the Abbey, and yes, Patrick and I carried Aidan and the stroller all that way.