New House, New Job

Hmmm, now where to start…..

I was going to go back and post all the stuff that happened on the appropriate day of the epic that has been the move but they’re all sort of blending into one now so I shall do my best in this one post (with pictures to break up the boredom!).

I am presently sat in my office which looks a little like this at the moment of writing..

whilst most if the rest of the staff are in a meetings about teacher-y type things that I don’t need to know (especially as, at the minute, I don’t have a shiny little notebook/laptop type thing!) I though I’d catch up on this!

Generally speaking the whole thing went pretty smoothly. Well, the plan-that-kept-changing-throughout-the-day did anyway!

This was the original plan:

Pick up van and go to flat – pick up stuff
Go to Storage – pick up stuff
Go to random Bidford house – pick up stuff
Drive to Kings Heath – pick up stuff
Go to Estate Agents in Bristol – pick up keys
At flat empty stuff (with Nicola) and thence to IKEA
Back to flat for tea drive back to Bidford – drop off van, pick up car
Drive home to flat.

Yes, well, here is in fact what transpired…
Picked the van up at 8:30 – the Luton had had its tail lift broken so I got a long-based transit instead – that was real fun to reverse!

I got to the flat at Bidford and started to load my stuff – it soon became apparent to me that I wasn’t going to get all the stuff from the flat in (never mind the storage or the other house!) in time to meet Dad so I put all the stuff from the bedroom in and set off to Kings Heath. We went to the storage place which was my first visit to such an establishment and they have a very weird air about them! However it was fun rooting through my Dad’s 2(!!) spaces and I came away with about 10 things that I hadn’t expected to get and about 45 minutes to get to Bristol for the keys…..hmmm.

I rang to say I’d be late (and naturally grovelled somewhat) and even though I made full use of the vans modern engine and overtaking skills I was still 1 ½ hrs late. They were very gracious and lovely so I got the keys and signed the paperwork fine.

I then had to make a decision about driving back to Bidford and getting the rest of my stuff then or going to the flat. My need for the toilet for and the fact that I’d arranged to meet Nicola sort of made the decision for me ;)

Arrived at the flat and the cleaner (who’d been sent back to do a better job!) was there and it looked like this.

Unloaded most of van and then Nicola arrived to help with the rest. I had got the kettle but no food or anything so couldn’t even stretch to a cup of tea so we decided to head to IKEA where I could buy a sofa and she could get some dinner after a long day at work (bless – apparently Swedish meatballs are the thing to go for – I had a strawberry tart – most helpful to my poor beleaguered body I’m sure!?!) Back from IKEA ,unloaded that and then headed straight back to Bidford – It was getting dark now.
So got the rest of the stuff from the flat, drove across a large expanse of grass (that was fun!) to get to the door of the random house for some more boxes and then to the storage for my bike etc – It was now very dark!

Mum had cooked me lasagne so I downed that and then off I headed on the road again – I had to stop to take my lenses out and to wake up at one point – An apple worked extremely well (for waking me up – not taking my lenses out…..)

Stopped of at the wonderful 24hr Asda Superstore on the way back and then arrived at the flat at approx. 2:00am unloaded the van AGAIN

without managing to wake anyone up – no mean feat when carrying a bicycle up the stairs – and with my legs beginning to show me the pain I would be in tomorrow - plonked my mattress on the floor and fell asleep in my sleeping bag!

I was then up again at 6am to get the van back for 8:30am. I had breakfast at my Mum’s then took a detour to Redditch to pick up my contact lenses and say goodbye to a few folks then headed for the M5. Moffy has been losing water and in my infinite wisdom I decided that I didn’t need to stop at the first service station….huh hummmm….

Still it meant she got to the flat in one piece and I can do 25minute journeys no probs!! I arrived back to start the tidying up process…

My induction day at the school on Friday was great – lots of information to take in but I got to meet the new Drama guy who has some amazing ideas (which involve me building websites!?!) and the rest of the new staff which was lovely this morning when I came in and recognised some faces.

Anyhoo, I have just been given a large selection of keys and free reign of the Drama room so I am going to explore, tidy and organise…. “hold me bags, I’ll be back in a week!”

My minds a spinnin'!

Camp was a truly amazing experience - one which I hope to repeat next year. The weather was fairly changeable but the spirit of the Team and the campers (and God of course!) was fab and made the two weeks a very special experience. I ended up doing something on almost every team - and even 4 1/2 hours of boiler duty was fairly enjoyable:)

So tomorrow is the big move. I don't feel entirely prepared but will pray a lot and I have sorted out directions and written out lists of what I need to take where. I'm mainly worried about getting all the stuff in the van and (that would be from 3 locations in Bidford and then to Brum to my Dad's storage for some other stuff!)getting to Bristol on time but hopefully it'll all work out :)

I am also fairly conscious of the fact that my first day in school is Friday and I've not had much chance to sit down and let it all soak in (never mind finish reading Harry Potter!?!) so hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly and I'll have 2 days in the flat to potter (no pun intended....) about and read all the info they've sent me. They really do go out of their way with the new staff to make sure you feel welcome and that you know who to go to with what query - I'm very excited if a bit trepidatious!

Also Moffy is leaking water from somewhere - if she can just hang on 'til we get down to Bath then I'll have lots of time to sort her out...bless...she got up Porlock Hill so definitely deserves some TLC.

Moving Date MkII

I rang the letting Agency today to check about the date - as it's a bank Holiday Monday, so now my date has changed to the Tuesday - which will actually make things (esp. at IKEA!) a lot easier :)

Had a good day's shopping today, got some real bargains and last night I ordered a very funky pair of DeWalt Steel Toe Trainers. I wanted something light and that I could easily wear for most of the day around school. So I spent a good deal of time comparing stuff online and finally managed to get a pair off eBay for a pretty reasonable £51 inc. tax & P+P. I keep thinking of things I may need, but I think I'll wait until I've officially started before I get too carried away with stationery ;)

Should think about packing for Camp pretty soon - especially as most of my stuff is scattered around Cov and Bidford!

Moving Date!

This not to say a rendevous on roller blades but I have the date that I can pick up the keys for my flat! It is.....drum roll please...... the 27th of August. Which is either the day that camp finishes or the day after. That gives me 4 days to sort the place out before starting at the school. Also I feel a trip to IKEA (in Bristol..oo so close) coming on as I will need a sofa/futon bed thing for my living room and a sturdy coffee table (plus some sort of shelving for the TV - but that's a whole other story). I am really quite excited about this, although I won't be completely chilled and psyched until I have the keys in my hand!!!!!

1st night back at the pub tonight, felt good - especially now with the smoking ban I no longer come home stinking of smoke, yey!

moving along...sort of...

Oooo, exciting happenings. I went to view the flat in Bitton on Saturday and arrived promptly at 12 - shame the viewing was at 2 really! So I had chance to wander around the village. Everyone I met was very friendly and I took a potter to the church - which I discovered is called St Mary's (same as mine in Wythall) and a also took in the Spar, the Post Office and the Pub. It felt a bit like the Vicar of Dibley (the new curate is even a woman!) but a lovely place to live. So all was looking up - plus it was sunny AND I'd seen a yellow Morris Minor with a black roof on the way down (not that the colour is important but I thought it was quite cool!)so I had a quick trip to Asda (no H.P books there either...grrrr) and got some lunch then headed back and sat Soduko-ing for 1/2 hour.

The flat is very shiny!! Small, but shiny. It comes with all white goods, built in wardrobes, big windows, modern decoration and a lovely entrance way! Also, it's in the cheapest Council tax band - yey! Plus the lady who showed me round has a daughter starting school in Bath in September and she said it was an easy 15min drive into town even on the main road so that has pretty much put my mind at ease about commuting a little way. So yeah basically, I thought about it on the way home and decided that it felt good, was really affordable and there's room for visitors and I feel it is somewhere I could really chill out - which is the most important thing.

So I had to wait until this morning to ring and say I'd have it. Which was a little nerve-wracking 'cos someone had been to see it the day before me and I wanted to make sure I got in first!! So James was almost abandoned mid-feed whilst I was getting the phone and all the paperwork ready to call the Agents. So basically I now have put a Holding Fee down and they have to check my references etc. Hopefully I'll get a definite move in date and then I have to pay the rest of the stuff - scary money :( ooooo, exciting!

This evening I went to WTC and sat in rehearsal - so good to see everyone again! The next show is "A Murder Is Announced" by Agatha Christie and Tony is directing, can't wait. We went to the pub after and I am now working Thursday and Saturday!!! It was so cool to see the guys and I can't wait to get back behind the bar :)

Flat Viewing Day One..

Off I went down to Bath this morning with my map, my notebook (with prepared details and questions)and my camera all set for the viewing of 2 properties. I had the notes for the 2 today and 2 tomorrow just in case I needed to stay overnight for some reason - man I was organisation personified.

About 45minutes into the journey I got a phone call to say that the 1st flat I was to view tomorrow had been let. Well, probably not a bad thing as it was about £50pcm above my price range. I felt good - that meant no pressure about wanting the one I couldn't afford.

10 minutes later the phone rang again and - pulling safely over to the side of the road before answering - it was the agent for the 2nd property I was to see today telling me it had been let. Pants. That was the best value one actually in Bath centre.... still... obviously it was not to be and still I ventured on. (With a quick stop when Moffy overheated - nothing serious though, I assured myself - and we carried on)I arrived at the school in lots of time and walked into town to find the flat, got there early and spotted Waterstones about 5 shops down - huzzah finally I can pick up a copy of HP - nope, pre-orders only *tut*.

Gotta say, the flat didn't exactly hit me between the eyes and scream 'your new house' more sort of 'well....if I actually get desperate....I'll let you know'. But it did help that I have a level to work from and I have an idea about dimensions and the fact that my Council tax (if i live in the centre)is somewhere between 'oiych' and 'sproing'. Still I then had a lovely wander/route march around Bath going to all the Letting agents AGAIN and finding some more areas of town - I found the Smoothie/Milkshake place and the Chocolate cafe, I feel I have achieved something - also a place that deals in old guitars and another that sells mostly funky knobs.....of the door and drawer variety...obviously*rolls eyes* and many Stationary shops!!!! (It's an SM thing!)

So it's back to rightmove.co.uk and a couple of other websites and then down to Bath again tomorrow whence upon I sahll probably be informed that it has been let (I'm sure I saw someone looking like they were viewing hanging around outside!)...still God loves a tryer and boy am I doing him proud ;)

On the spelling of my name.

I've just joined a fabulous group on facebook for anyone who constantly has to spell/explain their name to people. My name, lets face it, probably has one of the highest amounts of variations, shortenings and mis-spelling ever. Here is what I just posted on the wall which is a basic rundown of what used to happen every time I had o give my details over the phone. (I say used to because I have moved and my address now isn't half as amusing!)

"Rebbecca...yes that's with 2 B's AND 2 C's.no ..there's no K or H.....Middle Names?....Sally Ann...No, no they're not hyphenated...two seperate names....no, Ann does not have an E...Surname?...Key - as in door... Address? (it's OK - I don't live there anymore!)Ann Road..yup, that's Ann without an E again.....Wythall...*deafening silence*- W-Y-T-H-A-L-L...nope, no I in that.....Birmingham (please be able to spell that!) County? No we don't have a county....really, there is no county in our address.....Postcode (Well - we all know what that's like!)" Now substitue Beccy (yup...2 C's..no, no I) or Bex for Rebbecca and there is the fun I have everytime someone wants my details!!

A good group for a good rant I feel - I know I have a number of friends (and obviously my unfortuantely named sister Joanna - shorten it and put it together with our surname) who I feel would benefit from a quick sally over to this site to add to the large number of people who have this plight!

You know its bad when water pours out of the glovebox!

Well, I finally made it to Mum and Alan's, although I have no bed here I've just swapped one sofa for another as they've rented out the room! Also it meant they had to put most of my stuff in somebody else's house so I went and picked up a couple of boxes today.

The stuff in storage satyed dry and the wheels on my car are not as flat as I'd thought they'd be so hopefully I can go and get it out tomorrow, bring it to the flat and ring some Estate Agents. I'm a little happier about being in Bidford now as I've managed to get wireless broadband (form the lovely photographer guy downstairs!) but I think I may actually take a couple of people up on there offers of a bed in Wythall/Kings Heath for a while until I get to go to Bath and find somewhere down there!

However the flooding has made for an interesting few days and here are some photos of the aftermath on Bidford-on-Avon:

So I don't think the Volvo's going anywhere for a while, the water came up to the bottom of the windscreen!

I guess I'd say I'm home!

It's Saturday night, I'm sat at Brett & Clare's house watching Jekyll and trying to sort out what to do next!

I got back to Birmingham airport yesterday to the rain that has been descending on the country. Brett bought Abi to pick me up from the airport and I said goodbye to me Dad. Going back to Wythall it became obvious how badly flooded it was becoming as it took us the best part of 45 minutes to do a 20 minute journey!

Rang Mum at about 9pm and all seemed good for the plan to get the train to Stratford this morning. However at 7am this morning I got the following text 'Don't even consider getting on the train - we're marooned here! Belongings from groundfloor spts all over stairs & landings & 7 refugees in our lounge'.

So I have spent a lovely day here with Clare, Abi and the Twins chilling out. Although it it is an odd feeling being homeless twice over! (especially as I'm just around the corner from my old home).

I had a great final 2 weeks on the ship. Jo decided not to come with Dad but we had a good week (even though Dad got his wallet nicked in Rome - Italian police stations are really quite nice!) and I got to spend some quality time with most of the team.

I've found myself really missing them today (esp. Vicky and Corey) - and working out what they would be doing at whatever time it is. Sad I know, but it's hard every time you come home from a ship as it's like going cold turkey on something, hehe!

So now I am looking for a place to live in earnest and hopefully I'll be able to make it down this week to look at some places - hopefully they're not underwater!

All going well really - oh and the sunshine!! hehehe!

Man, it's been a while!

It's been crazy here but all good. Since last posting I've been on some little trippets to introduce peeps to the Monkeys in Gibraltar and my favourite cafe in Villefranche.
Have also had some good beach time and there's been a couple of birthdays along with the various goings on onboard so all in all it's going well - can't believe I only have 2 weeks left!
Hopefully (if we can get it together in time!) I should be playing (and doing BV's - eek) in Vicky's Cab. It's been cool as I've learnt a few new tunes on the guitar and now some other stuff doesn't look so scary.

I'm kind of in flux at the moment. Why did the team on here have to contain some of the most down to earth people I've met on a ship. I keep asking them why they have to be so nice - it's gonna make it tricky to leave :) Still it's good that my last contract (probably!) has been so good :)

So now starts the trawl through the property pages so that when I get home I can head straight to Bath ans start finding soemwhere to live!!

I am really loooking forward to going home and seeing how much the small peeps have grown, meeting Evans Jr for the first time and going to Lee Abbey Camp - YEYEYEY!!