FUTURES

(I love the way that futures hover, unmanageably big, beautiful and slightly out of reach, like a kite, but inevitably there’s the process of trying to catch at it, to tug down a string to let it become at least mildly real)

~ Wildly Parenthetical's words

There will be more discussions of futures on this blog in 2011, I think, as we start attaching the strings of bureaucracy and reality to our kite-like fancies of moving to the UK in September(ish).

Conversely, the knowledge that "this will probably be our last summer/autumn/winter in Melbourne for a few years" makes me all the more determined to immerse myself in the wonder of the present, to let it seep into my pores. Perhaps there is part of a desire to carry an embodied memory of this home with us wherever we go, like prune-y skin after a bath.

*

D's Australian citizenship ceremony is on January 26th. After that, I will start collecting paperwork in earnest for my UK visa application.

THESE THINGS MUST BE DONE

LESS THAN A WEEK UNTIL WE GO! YAY!

I'm on leave from uni. I'm meeting my supervisor tomorrow and then I'm free! It's Dan's last day of work tomorrow, and my last day of work on Saturday. On Sunday we're going to do a circular walk from Warburton (map). On Monday night we're having drinks at the East (vegan fish and chips, here I come!). We've confirmed our flights, vegetarian meals, etc. We've written and edited packing lists and done a practice pack. I have to re-stuff my bag full of telephone books and cushions for the walk on Sunday, then pack it properly after that. We have gifts for people, and I have collated addresses for postcards (not as many people replied to my email as I expected - what's with you people, don't you LIKE postcards?!?!?) to send around the world. I have to return library books and books borrowed from other people. I still need to double check and photocopy all my admin stuff. Washing, vacuuming, cleaning, gardening needs to be done. We need to eat all the food out of the fridge and freezer and defrost (we'll leave it off while we're away). I have to file my uni stuff so it's easy to remember what I was up to when I get back. We need to hand over our keys to the house-looker-afterer. There are all these little things to remember. Lucky we've got lists, or I would be making myself totally sick with anxiety!

TICKETICKETED

we have paid off the tickets to the uk! yay! we're flying with etihad via abu dhabi, leaving melbs on 9th of september, arriving london on the 10th; leaving london on the 14th of october and arriving back in melbourne on the 15th. we dealt with the people at flight centre in lygon court again, and they were fantastic as usual. our customer service person (millia) was even lovelier than our last one! yay!

we are definitely walking part of the southwest coast path, from land's end to plymouth. we have booked most of our accommodation for the fortnight of walking, with only the last few nights to work out. we will be starting on tuesday the 15th (training it from london-penzance, bus from penzance-land's end, then immediately walk about 9km to porthcurno), and probably walking into plymouth (heh) on wednesday 30th september. we will probably have 2 days of rest (ON SUNDAYS, HAHAHA!) in that time. once we have our bookings finalised, i will make up a google map for you all to perve on our walking plans with envy.

what else? hm. i have added a few more links for you in the sidebar over there --> ... i'm testing out dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com, and it's ok, but i need to have a fiddle and see if i can customise the lists a bit more.

THE COLOUR . . . OF MONEY

i hope you like the new colours on our blog. it's not particularly awesome, but i'm always so proud of myself when i manage to do some coding!

dan and i decided we would visit hay-on-wye in wales. it's a book town, with over 30 bookshops - one of the highest rates of bookshops per capita in the world, i believe! so, the plans are:

thursday 25th september: travel from london to hay-on-wye, via oxford to catch up with a friend. stay in a b&b or hotel.

friday 26th: spend the day exploring bookshops and doing some little walks around the area.

saturday 27th: drive up to chester, taking our time to have a look around on the way. meet up with the lovely f and her beau. stay overnight in chester.

sunday 28th: spend the day with the guys, maybe go for a little walk/picnic in the surrounding countryside. stay in chester.

monday 29th: go up to wallingford to meet a friend for lunch, then head back down to london in the afternoon.

i looked at the cost of using trains and buses to do this, and it amounted to about 300 pounds. if we hire a car, it will cost about 150 pounds (including the cost of an additional driver) plus petrol. in all, it will probably even out, but driving gives us a lot more flexibility. so that's probably what we'll do.