Life, meanwhile
So - the trip home in November resulted in a consultant job (that's Attending in US, and Staff Specialist in Oz) in Paediatric A+E for Clare, in Nottingham. Several happy, happy things about this
- it seems like a great department
- she and a friend, Lynda, have managed to wangle a job-share - so she'll have lots of time for kiting, cello, bread-making, doing up a crap house, cycling, dragon-boating etc etc.
- we've got EXCELLENT friends in Nottingham
- Nottingham is the best place in the UK (arguably, I'm sure!) for dragon-boating, with the National Watersports Centre in Holme Pierrepont
- it's also good for kite-buggying, as there's the Airbossworld kite field at an old air field nearby
- knitting - there are several interesting-looking groups, one of which I attended while we were there - very welcoming they were too! THis was in that rare bird - a lovely independent yarn shop!
- Nottingham is no further from John, Shell and the kids and not very far from Birmingha, so easy to stay in touch with people.
A few less good things:
- NOT a good time to be trying to sell a house in Birmingham!
- not as near the sea (which would be right next to it) as CLare would like. Closer than Brum, though!
In other news:
We've shipped all our stuff and are now living out of suitcases in Summer Hill, courtesy of Bex and Fin.
We're hoping to get a tourist visa for Feb, stay here till 29th Jan and then trip on over to Perth, rent a campervan and explore the kitesufing spots (and hopefully wineries etc too) of the south-west, while gettig to visit my lovely cousins and aunt in Albany and Perth.
Clare's worrying she won't be busy enough working part-time.
I'm worrying I won't get a job, and/or I won't remember how to be a GP.
We're both worrying about money and houses and so on! We'll need to rent a tiny place in Nottingham pro tem while we try to sell or house in Brum, then find somewhere to buy in Nottingham. All fun.
Still - I went to the theatre twice last week (Rabbit and Being Harold Pinter - both good, the latter hard work with surtitles on a pretty wordy play, but intriguing). And tonight we splash out and go to Tetsuya's for a degustation that promises to be amazing. Tomorrow is the STC War of the Roses marathon - that's made from Shakespear's Rich ll, Hen lV, Hen V, Hen Vl, and Rich lll. Two parts, each almost 4 hours long. Wow!
And in two weeks we have Camille, can't wait! (Interesting French singer).
- it seems like a great department
- she and a friend, Lynda, have managed to wangle a job-share - so she'll have lots of time for kiting, cello, bread-making, doing up a crap house, cycling, dragon-boating etc etc.
- we've got EXCELLENT friends in Nottingham
- Nottingham is the best place in the UK (arguably, I'm sure!) for dragon-boating, with the National Watersports Centre in Holme Pierrepont
- it's also good for kite-buggying, as there's the Airbossworld kite field at an old air field nearby
- knitting - there are several interesting-looking groups, one of which I attended while we were there - very welcoming they were too! THis was in that rare bird - a lovely independent yarn shop!
- Nottingham is no further from John, Shell and the kids and not very far from Birmingha, so easy to stay in touch with people.
A few less good things:
- NOT a good time to be trying to sell a house in Birmingham!
- not as near the sea (which would be right next to it) as CLare would like. Closer than Brum, though!
In other news:
We've shipped all our stuff and are now living out of suitcases in Summer Hill, courtesy of Bex and Fin.
We're hoping to get a tourist visa for Feb, stay here till 29th Jan and then trip on over to Perth, rent a campervan and explore the kitesufing spots (and hopefully wineries etc too) of the south-west, while gettig to visit my lovely cousins and aunt in Albany and Perth.
Clare's worrying she won't be busy enough working part-time.
I'm worrying I won't get a job, and/or I won't remember how to be a GP.
We're both worrying about money and houses and so on! We'll need to rent a tiny place in Nottingham pro tem while we try to sell or house in Brum, then find somewhere to buy in Nottingham. All fun.
Still - I went to the theatre twice last week (Rabbit and Being Harold Pinter - both good, the latter hard work with surtitles on a pretty wordy play, but intriguing). And tonight we splash out and go to Tetsuya's for a degustation that promises to be amazing. Tomorrow is the STC War of the Roses marathon - that's made from Shakespear's Rich ll, Hen lV, Hen V, Hen Vl, and Rich lll. Two parts, each almost 4 hours long. Wow!
And in two weeks we have Camille, can't wait! (Interesting French singer).