I have finally exchanged contracts on the Bristol flat, so all being well it will be finally sold on Friday. The hunt for a car begins then, and I also have thoughts about a new camera body in preparation for some photography trips next summer. I'm planning a visit to the UK too in early June (probably). I am not sure how I feel about that - I will be very glad to visit people and feel I have enough of a distance now from the UK and my old job not to feel too negative about going backfor a visit. When the money from the flat comes through I know that will be a big psychological transition: I lived in it 14 years and it is my last concrete connection to Bristol and my 'pastlife'.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
I have finally exchanged contracts on the Bristol flat, so all being well it will be finally sold on Friday. The hunt for a car begins then, and I also have thoughts about a new camera body in preparation for some photography trips next summer. I'm planning a visit to the UK too in early June (probably). I am not sure how I feel about that - I will be very glad to visit people and feel I have enough of a distance now from the UK and my old job not to feel too negative about going backfor a visit. When the money from the flat comes through I know that will be a big psychological transition: I lived in it 14 years and it is my last concrete connection to Bristol and my 'pastlife'.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
At the moment I'm running down into winter hibernation mode physically which is fine - except for when the alarm goes off in the middle of the night to get up for work - but mentally I'm very frustrated. The flat in Bristol is still not sold: I'd love to know how solicitors can get away with doing so little work and charging so much for the privilege. The place has been ready for the buyer (and the buyer has been ready for the place) for two months but our respective solicitors have held things up. It is truly impossible to explain such things to my colleagues here. I've also had niggling problems tying up loose ends with the illiterate, ineffective agents whom I trusted to rent out my flat. The departing tenants left me a plague of fleas from their cat which needed dealing with (they were not even allowed pets - but I do see the irony of being a mad cat woman myself and having tenants sneaking a cat into their home). If anyone in the Bristol area is thinking of renting out their flat and want to know which agent to avoid, I am more than happy to advise! So all in all I feel quite grizzly about things back in the UK.
Here life is going well although it would be good to have more snow. The local paper is threatening a 'black Christmas' (which I believe means less than 10cm of snow). This is a scary thought as the snow makes so much difference to the brightness of the sky. Global warming is certainly being commented on here a lot. Still, today we had a few flakes - but not enough to stop the local ice cream van from its rounds.
Friday, 23 October 2009
I've had a fairly successful week birding. Yesterday I went to Hailuoto. I did not join the twitchers wanting to spot the first Finnish American plover (amerikankurmitsa) which had stopped by, but was after laulujoutsen, the whooper swans. I was not quite sure where to go luckily there were enough flying around to guide me to some fields where a few (maybe a hundred) were resting.
I'm going mad with frustration over the sale of my flat in the UK. Having bought a place here and moved in within a month, it's really unbelievable that my flat has been empty with a buyer eager to move in since the start of September. But we are both at the beck and call of solicitors who seem to do absolutely nothing and get paid extortionate amounts for the privilege. I want to get a car as soon as I can, and need the money released for it. However at this rate it will be 2011 before that happens. Everyone keeps asking here why solicitors are involved in house sales in the UK. A bloody good question, as they seem to do absolutely nothing but without them the process cannot happen.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
I am very glad to have reached the autumn break. I was thinking how quickly I have become acclimatised to a lighter workload, and how eagerly I counted down to this holiday. In the UK I would be twice as exhausted and irritable with my classes, and have had at least two days off sick in order to pace myself to get to the end of the shorter half-term. It's all relative, I guess. And still I believe nothing would ever entice me back there, even if I am currently hating getting out of the house for the 7am bus in the dark and drear of sleet and knowing it'll get worse.
However after sleet, we get snow and then suddenly the world is several magnitudes brighter. The view from the upstairs balcony is probably going to stay the same for 6 months (except whiter, and then in spring bluer skies) - just as well I like it! I have rearranged the furniture out there and found that birds can get through the cat netting so I hope to put seeds out for them without encouraging the squirrels which will upset the neighbours.
I am also cat-sitting again for three lovely tidy girls nearby. Their humans have found me a car to use while they are away so I have had my first drives on winter tyres. Thankfully the roads have just been wet, not icy as I still dread that induction. Especially as the car is an old (yes, old - possibly just at the takeover by VW) Skoda. Admittedly it put a smile on my face as without power steering and ABS it actually feels like proper driving again. So, fingers and paws are crossed here for warmish clearer weather so I can be brave enough to take a few trips out of Oulu.
I am also cat-sitting again for three lovely tidy girls nearby. Their humans have found me a car to use while they are away so I have had my first drives on winter tyres. Thankfully the roads have just been wet, not icy as I still dread that induction. Especially as the car is an old (yes, old - possibly just at the takeover by VW) Skoda. Admittedly it put a smile on my face as without power steering and ABS it actually feels like proper driving again. So, fingers and paws are crossed here for warmish clearer weather so I can be brave enough to take a few trips out of Oulu.
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Sunday, 4 October 2009
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