A week today and we should be on our way to Hong Kong. We’ve done about as much as we can do now, I hope it’s enough.
Dad’s still getting used to things. It’ll take him a while to get used to using the communal laundry etc.
We’ve touched base with the solicitor today, and we’re going to do all the liaising in regards to the house sale, right up to the final signing of the contract. The solicitor will make a house call to get that finalised for the final sign off.
A social worker here suggested dad could have dealt with a move on his own with just the help of a removalist. Seeing what’s been involved, the mind boggles. We’ve done almost everything, and still dad seems to be walking around in a bit of a daze. To deal with it all alone would have been devastating. Although we know we’re leaving him in a better place, we’re still a little worried about leaving him at all. . But I suspect no matter how long we stay here, it’s not until we leave that he’ll find his feet in his new home. Speaking of finding his feet, I’m pleased to see he’s finally using his walking stick. That’ll make a big difference to his stability, and consequently his independence.
We’re going to try and give his kitchen a quick paint freshen up on the weekend. We have been trying to match the paint colour for a couple of spots that needed touching up. We’ve not been able to find a match though, so will give a quick one coat re-paint in the closest match we can get.
Pauls got the flu, so the last few things are really doing him in a bit. I hope he doesn’t pass it onto his dad, or me, and I hope he’s over the worst of it before we fly next Tuesday.
Tomorrow week we’ll be on the plane for Australia, all going well.
I haven’t dared think about it in case something went wrong, but all is looking good. In fact, we almost have everything done, and this week have time to spare.
Blue skies, wide roads, sunshine and relatively litter free footpaths. Australia we’ve missed you so much. Did I mention blue skies…..
We’re spending our first five nights in Melbourne where we’ll go to the Eagles/Hawthorn footie match. At footie matches in Australia the fans from both teams intermingle. I remember taken a friend to an Eagles match in Perth one day. He had just returned from a couple of years in Europe and was blown away by the friendly intermingling of fans both at the game and outside the grounds. But that’s Australia, we love our sport, but more than anything we love a laugh. Footy matches are usually places were rivalry is in a spirit of good fun.
Australia, a country of tolerance. A place where, ‘she’ll be right mate’. Australia – our home.
Dad moved into his new flat on Tuesday. It all happened so fast, and initially he seemed a little shell shocked. He seems be settling in now though, and says he’s sleeping better than ever.
The house sale looks like it’ll go ahead, and our little Yaris has been sold. We’re now in a hire car until we leave, which all going well will be in only nine more days. It’s been like a whirlwind here, but we’re almost at the end now. It’s amazing what we humans are capable of when we set our minds to it. We feel like we’ve been running on adrenaline for so long now, with this house, and not so long ago, our house in Tassie. I hope we don’t collapse in a heap as soon as we get to relax again.
It’s going to feel a lot better going home leaving dad in the flat rather than rambling around in his big old house. He won’t be so isolated, and he’s closer to shops and medical facilities. It’s all strange for him, but I think he’s already feeling it’s a life change for the better.
Carpet has been laid in dad’s flat. Shelves and bathroom cabinet have been fitted, and we’ve started moving dads things in. New cooker has been fitted, and new fridge has arrived and is in place. Removalist is now booked for Tuesday to do the final move.
We’re well on the way with the declutter of the house. The laundry, which is an unusual feature of houses here was holding more than 40 years of accumulated stuff. We’ve managed to whittle it all down by at least a half including taking apart cabinets which have now been tipped. The room looks twice as big. We’ve sorted through heaps of stuff in the house. I’ve lost count of how many tip and charity shop runs we’ve had.
Yesterday had the potential to go completely pear shaped. Dad had a visit from the district nurse scheduled. They won’t give a time, anytime between 9am and 5pm. Dad and Paul had an appointment at the solicitors, the oven was being delivered, and I was hoping to get some grocery shopping done for a dinner party we’re having tomorrow night. A potential buyer was coming at three to have a look at our little car. There was so much potential for everything to go wrong.
The nurse arrived early, and the oven arrived just prior to the solicitors appointment. Paul dropped me at the supermarket whilst he and dad went to the solicitors. The woman took the car for a test drive and is buying it. She’s due to pick it up later this week.
We couldn’t have timed everything better if we’d tried. We topped the day off by going to the local carvery for dinner. The last couple of times we’ve been there it’s been a bit ropey. The food was still very mediocre, but the waitress was so very,very good at her job that she made everything just that bit more tasteful. She obviously enjoys her job, and made the night an absolute pleasure.
Today the potential buyer for dads house came back with his brother for second look. I spent the morning moving things around to try and show off the houses potential. Poor dad, he’s never sold a house before so house presentation is all foreign to him. I think he was getting a little worried that if he stayed still long enough he’d either get taken to the tip or charity shop, or else he’d get washed from top to bottom with either bleach or Disenfectant.
The buyer is still keen and has an appointment with his bank on Tuesday, so by Wednesday we should know for sure. Once his finance is approved then it’ll be up to the solicitors to draw up the contract of sale. We’re hoping the exchange of contracts will have taken place before we leave on the 29th, but that’s unlikely. Solicitors here aren’t known for their speed when it comes to real estate contracts. But you never know, maybe we’ll get a pleasant surprise. Fingers crossed.
I was sure with so much going well a lotto win was on the cards. That though was just pushing it a bit to far and wasn’t to be. Never mind, I’m happy with what our good luck has delivered so far anyway. If everything continues to fall into place, we couldn’t ask for more.
Last time I wrote we were very unsure whether or not the decision to return to Australia was the right thing to be doing. It is, it most definitely is.
Good things have happened since my last post, really good things. An apartment became available for dad. Amazing, we’d stopped applying, so this was completely out of the blue. We had applied for this particular apartment at least a month ago. They always notify you within 48 hours if you’re successful – no luck. But the person who had been successful suddenly changed her mind. As part of our soul searching before we made our hard decision to return we had door knocked all of the providers of the supported accommodation complexes, and must have left an imprint at this one. Left us all a bit shell shocked.
Next, knowing we have to get his house sold, we made an appointment for a real estate agent to value the house this coming Tuesday. With only a few days to prepare we’ve gone into head down, bum up mode, full steam ahead, at the big tidy of house and garden. Whilst mulching the front garden I took time out to notify the next door neighbour that dad would be moving and we were preparing the house for sale. She notified a friend that she thought might be interested. He’s looked, and I think he’s going to buy it. It’ll be a win/win for us all if he does. He’ll get the house for a good price, and we’ll get a quick sale. I hope I’m not counting my chickens too soon… Should think we’ll know for sure by the end of the week.
It’s such a relief to know we’ll be going home leaving dad still living independently but with the support he needs. I think he’ll do well in a new environment. A fresh start to give him renewed zest for living.
That’s not all though. The weather turned, finally the rain stopped and the snow started, a really good fall. I built my first snowman.
And since the snow stopped, the sun has been Shining. A good week.
After much soul searching, we’ve decided to return to Australia for now.
A crystal ball would be wonderful so as we could know for sure if we’re doing the right thing, at the right time. Legally, I have to return now as my visa time is almost at an end. Enquiries indicate getting an extension won’t be easy. We’ve done enough head butting with bureaucracy over the years, and aren’t up for it any more. So, for better or for worse, we’re abandoning Pauls dad.
We have booked our return flight for 29th March, and will spend the coming month putting as many things in place as possible to help dad to manage on his own. We can’t do it all though and he will need to put more effort in to his own well-being than he had been doing before we arrived. Indications are that he’s capable, but living on his own complacency has set in. There’s no doubt that he’s now on a downward slide but with a small amount of determined effort he can manage a better quality of life than he was living before we arrived. Whether or not he’ll put the effort in and for how long, only time will tell. He has a habit of smiling and nodding at suggestions that indicate, ‘yea, not likely’.
So, a few weeks in Tassie getting the van and car serviced should see us on the road again. It’ll be wonderful to get back to living the Life of Riley on Wheels.
We’ve now been in the UK for almost four months. I doubt we’ve had more than a week of rain free days in all that time.
We’ve been trying to embrace the cold weather by getting out for country walks. We’ve bought boots, fleeces, warm waterproof jackets, hats and even gatters to protect our lower legs and boots from the worst of the wet and mud.
On Sunday we tackled a 10.5km Pub walk in the Peak District. It was written up as a particularly pretty walk, an easy walk, and suitable for most weathers. The second half of the circuit was supposed to be on a hard dry limestone surface.
We waded through almost knee deep, squelchy mud for much of the first half of the circuit. At times it felt like the mud was going to suck our boots off our feet. One woman we meet coming in the opposite direction said there was deep water flowing where she’d never seen water in thirty years.
About half way around the circuit I spoke to a couple of people coming from the opposite direction. They both confirmed the normally dry limestone was now a virtual river. They had come downhill through it, but didn’t recommend we tackle uphill in the opposite direction. So we retraced our steps, back through the squelchy, almost knee deep mud to the starting point.
The plus’s for the day were that it didn’t started raining until we were sitting down to lunch in the village pub, and the roast beef we had in the village pub was superb.
We called into Pauls cousins, who lives in the Peak District, on the way home. He told us that by now the ground is usually frozen solid in the deeper layers with only an inch or two of mud on the surface. It’s just that this winter it’s not stopped raining, and there’s been very little freeze.
It’s bad enough having to be away from our lovely warm Australia, but to have to be here during the wettest winter on record totally sucks. We’ll still keep walking, but until the mud either dries or freezes over, I think we’re going to stick to more defined paths along canal banks, or around reseviours. All that mud is just to hard and isn’t enjoyable.
Im now only a couple of weeks off overstaying my visitors visa. Pauls waiting for his English passport, and when it arrives I’ll try to get my visa extended. We’re hoping that with Paul having an English passport it’ll help with my extension. The visitors visa only allows a stay of a total of six months out of every 12 months. It’ll cost me nearly £800 to apply with no guarantee, and no refund if it’s not successful. I daren’t leave the country for any more short European visits, I may not be allowed back in. So, for now I’m stuck in this awful weather with no chance even of a short escape.
Goodness knows what’s going to happen if I can’t get a visa. I guess I’ll stay on until they deport me. After that if Pauls dad hasn’t managed to be rehoused I guess Paul will have to stay here, and I’ll have to find someone who can reconnect the battery in the ute, and get it going for me, and someone who can manoeuvre the caravan out of the tight storage space. I can probably tow it once it’s out at a push. Goodness knows how I’d go though at getting it into a caravan site, and setting everything up on my own. Not only that, but it’s likely to happen just as winters starting again in Tassie. I don’t think I could stand a third winter in a row without any summer.
But i’ll cross those bridges if and when I have to…..
Originally I created this blog so as to have a record of our planned ongoing trip as Grey Nomads travelling Australia. However, due to several unplanned changes in direction our road trip is undergoing a lengthy interlude. Hence, my more recent posts have had nothing to with The Life of Riley on Wheels.
My love of writing has been somewhat in conflict with trying to remain true to my blogs original intention. Today though I’ve made a decision to forget the blogs original intention entirely for now and will use it more frequently to record our current happenings, and in some instances just thoughts inspired by either events or experiences.
When circumstances permit we’ll be back in our caravan, traversing Australian roads, and then my blog will return to its original purpose.
We arrived back from a wonderful week of sunshine and blue skies in Tenerife last week. All we knew about Tenerife prior to booking our break there was that its a popular destination for Brits seeking summer sun during their bleak winter.
After booking we started doing some research, and fortunately, more by good luck than good management, we had managed to book at Puerto De La Cruz, which is towards the northern end of the Island. We absolutely loved it.
Our apartment
The pool in the middle of the complex.
Our self catering apartment at Casablanca was spotlessly clean, comfortable and more than adequate. The weather, which was our reason for going there, didn’t disappoint. The nights were mild allowing for a good nights sleep, but were still warm enough to justify leaving the ceiling fan on low. By 10.30am it had warmed enough that the sun lounges around the pool were beginning to fill up, and yes, we spent some time lazing around there soaking up the sun. Although not a first for us, it isn’t something we would usually do. We’re spoilt for sun in Australia and it’s something we tend to take for granted. After several months of living under the grey skies of England I now understand the Brits desire to lie out in the sun soaking up every bit of it. The evenings were warm and mildly balmy. Short sleeves were definitely the order of both the day and the night.
An interesting coastline.
We were about 20 minutes walk from the sea front and the main shopping area, and walking in the other direction, about 20 minutes from their beautiful botanical gardens. The area is hilly, so with at least two walks each day in one direction or the other we managed to get our daily exercise in.
Bougainvillea – so reminiscent of by beloved AustraliaAmazing trees (these were in the Botanical gardens)My favourite – Elephants Ears.
The flora on the Island was beautiful and almost made me homesick for Australia. Colourful bougainvillea, orange trumpet vine, oleanders, hibiscus, gorgeous ferns, palms and by favourite – elephants ears. The beaches near us were mostly volcanic, so black sand, not inviting for beach walks but still with a beauty of their own, and rock pools and waves provided for an enjoyable beach vista.
Beautiful, white tigers.
We took a trip one day to Loro Parque, a huge wild life park. It was relatively cheap considering what they have there. Orcas, Dolphins, Sea Lions, and Parakeets – all with regular shows throughout the day. Then there’s the normal (and some not so normal) zoo life – penguins, meerkats, white tigers, ant eaters, flamingos and some amazing birds and parrots. It was a good day out.
A beach at the south end of the Island.
On our second to last day we hired a car and drove down the more touristy areas at the southern end of the Island. We were so, so pleased we were in Puerto. The southern area seemed so tacky and purpose built compared to where we were staying. Accents in Porta were a mix of Spanish, German, English, (and Australian if you count our own accents), and various other European accents. Down the south of the Island there seemed to be more English accents that anything else. The shopping and eateries around Puerto catered a lot more to the locals than those in the South. In the South everything seemed geared to tourists.
And now onto the driving. Having never driven (or been a passenger) in a left hand drive car, and driving on the right side of the road, it was with great trepidation that we hired the car. People say you get used to it, but in one day, I certainly didn’t. I had thought it would sort of be like driving on the right hand side of a one way street. How wrong I was. Being on the other side of car is weird and I kept thinking we were going to hit the curb. We came close a few times I’m sure. Also, turning into roads takes a lot of concentration to make sure you don’t find yourself driving into oncoming traffic. Then theres the street signs in Spanish to try and decipher. Would we do it again – perhaps in America where theres English signs, but I’m not so sure I’d want to repeat the experience again in a country that’s not English speaking.
It seems very popular here for people to book ‘all exclusive’ holidays abroad. I’m so pleased we stuck with self catering. We found a little local supermarket and bought our yogurt and berries for breakfast, and our salad ingredients for lunches when were home. Most nights we walked into town and meandered down the back, cobbled streets seeking out authentic Canarian restaurants with a local clientele. We found some amazing little places and ate some pretty good food, paying very little for it. One small restaurant that we found there was so, so memorable. The owner who spoke very little English managed to convey to us his recommendations, which we went with. An amazing fresh tuna salad for two, followed by fillet of lamb served on Canarian potatoes, also a dish for two. The lamb…. oh the lamb!! We both agreed it was not only the best lamb we’ve ever tasted, but the best meat dish we’ve eaten – superb.
The restaurant, Bodega Julian, was a very small family run business. Twice throughout the evening the father picked up his guitar and played while his beautiful daughter sang. The song was in Spanish so we didn’t understand a word of it, but her voice was beautiful and we could imagine the words were that of Spanish folk song ballad. We felt so sorry for those tourists that had purchased an all inclusive package deal holiday. They missed out on so much. We felt sorry for them even more on our last day there which was the one and only time we ate at the restaurant in our resort – how very ordinary.
Life of Riley - on whatever 