The cats are now installed in our new apartment. We hope they will both still be there tomorrow, when we move in. We drove them over this evening as tomorrow the movers come at 8am to pack up our stuff in the temporary apartment - so as of tomorrow evening we will finally be installed in our new home! (Albeit with rental furniture and a lot of empty space... but our sea shipment should arrive soon. The boat is due to dock in Le Havre tomorrow, so we're hoping to get the shipment delivered at the end of the first week of September).
It's been another busy couple of days. We hope that in a few days time things may calm down a bit as we are really all getting quite exhausted. I consider it a minor miracle that Dave and I are still talking to and being supportive of each other given all the stressful situations we have been through - but that just goes to show what an amazing man I married, and what a wonderful son we have, as he helps to remind us what is truly important.
We've spent the last few days checking out options for curtains, lighting, furniture, etc. Suffice to say that I would rather rip out my fingernails than ever go back to IKEA (quality slipped dramatically vs. my memories of 8 years ago, far too many people, miles to walk, hours to wait... generally a pretty close approximation of hell on earth), and we are now the proud owners of a GPS system and a mapbook. Yes, we took many not-so-scenic routes around Paris this weekend as we tried to find various places. We did manage - unintentionally - to find what appears to be one of the (or even the) largest mall in France at La Defense. We didn't have the time or patience to explore much, so we'll go back during the week by public transport (2 metro stops) during the work day when hopefully there will be far fewer people. In the meantime, after the last few days of dealing with all the problems in the flat, deliveries, bureaucracy & paperwork, etc., my feet hurt, my legs are tired, I've had a splitting headache all day... and I know Dave is also exhausted. It is an understatement to say that moving is hard work.
The great news though was that we had our first visitors this weekend! Our friends Lucy and Julian and their 3 children stopped off on their way back to England from Italy. A real treat as they live in Johannesburg, so we hadn't seen them in a couple of years. It really struck me how much I miss seeing our friends more often, and how nice it would be if we could live close to them all... but then I also realize that they wouldn't be the people we love if we all statically lived in the same place and only lived the same experiences. So I content myself with the knowledge that we will hopefully see a lot more of our European friends and family over the next few years, while still seeing our American friends and family with some frequency. (Reminder to all - great guest room!! Hotel Charter is now taking bookings!!). I have to put in a quick plug for anyone reading to take a look at Lucy's book, as she is now a published author and has some fascinating stories/experiences to share - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-Islam-Converts-Lucy-Bushill-Matthews/dp/1847062164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219009734&sr=8-1
Anyway... we'll post again in a few days once we have internet access again (10am Tuesday). The next few days will be a marathon of events - moving, dealing with workers to repair, deliver, install, etc. a whole series of things, and getting the family settled in the new location.
In the meantime, please start thinking of when you might want to visit us!
- Julia
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