Occasional musings from a Left-coast Canadian ExPat in Oxford.
A year ago. A whole year. We landed with a lot of luggage, a lot of excitement, a few nerves, and some semblance of a plan. In some ways it feels like we still arrived here yesterday. In others, it feels like it’s always been like this. So, a year in, what have I learned? … Continue reading The First ExPat-iversary
As of July 12th, we’ve been in the UK a year – a whole year! It has really flown by. I have so many more words to say about it, but between a crazy quick trip to Vancouver earlier this month (a surprise for my dad’s 60th birthday) and moving house (argh!), time to extract … Continue reading Happy ExPativersary to Us!
It’s been slow-going, including some active avoidance of all driving on my part, but I think I am finally confident enough to cross “Learn to drive a manual transmission car” off the life list! I am not currently going to win any races, but with Neil out of town for a few days (leaving the … Continue reading Life List: Learn to drive a manual transmission – Check!
With all the griping I did about our move, you would think I do not like change. This is not true. I like it a lot. Perhaps too much. I am rarely content to leave well enough alone. I just prefer when I’m the one initiating it, rather than having it imposed upon me. So … Continue reading Winds of Change
Just last week we were talking about how gloriously happy we were in our current place. Great space, lovely neighbours, excellent location. So of course, we received a call today that the landlord wants to move back in, and won’t be renewing our tenancy when it expires on 31 July. Fuck. We have just shy … Continue reading On the Move
It’s grey here today. Exceedingly grey. And cold. And there is nothing like reminders from Timehop about the fact that this time one year ago, I was in Cuba, and two years before that, in Thailand, to make me feel extra grumbly about the grey and cold. So I scrolled further back in the past, … Continue reading Six years later
Moving house can often lead you to see your possessions in a new light. Especially when you have packed in a hurry, without making much effort to thin your piles of stuff before beginning. And are then distanced from that stuff for half a year. Because who the hell brings tea (from the new world, … Continue reading Tea-mendous