Posts

We survived another Texas summer. This last week was so hot, but tomorrow, Canada’s sending down a cold front, and the temperature will dip below 18C/65F for the first time since April. Oh, Austin, we cannot wait! It’s been over a year since we moved back here, and it seems that the name of my […]

Spring has finally sprung in England. It is May, after all, so it’s about bloody time. Being used to perpetual spring, or at least spring starting in February for the last 8 years, these last 6 months of never-ending winter have been absolutely horrendous. But now England is starting to put on her ballgown at […]

We’ve been back in the UK for almost nine months now. That is, the girls and I have – S is still super-commuting, spending a few weeks here with us, then heading back to Austin for the next few. It’s not amazingly great for the family dynamics, but we’ve kind of got used to it, […]

It’s Thanksgiving, and I’ve only just realised that this is not something that is really part of my life any longer. For the first time in eight years I’m not on American soil. Rather, I’m at a loss. Obviously, nobody celebrates Thanksgiving here in England, why would they? (Why Black Friday is a thing here doesn’t make any sense to me. But we got a new dishwasher and a couple of Christmas presents at a reduced price, so I’m not complaining.)

I’m sitting under a huge tree in the morning sun, bees buzzing in the lavender bushes around me, the cicadas still somewhat muted, although I can hear a faint noise that will soon swell to deafening proportions. The cottage and its inhabitants are still asleep except for the chatter of two excited little girls, who […]

Wow, we’re really doing it. It is with very mixed feelings that we’re saying goodbye to America tomorrow. Time to get on that return flight we never took when we landed in this country over seven years ago. It feels right to go back to Europe – after all, that is what we had planned […]

After several months of preparation, I finally embarked on my flight across the pond with our two pets, our almost 5 year old black cat, and our just over a year old Irish Setter. It’s a long story, but bear with me. I haven’t written anything about the process, as I thought it might be […]

It has begun, our last chapter in the US. Our flights are booked, a shipment date is set, the ball is rolling. It’s a very strange feeling, slightly surreal, and while my overriding belief is that we’re doing the right thing, I wake up some days and doubt every single decision that I’ve ever made. […]

I have had a really shitty week, with all sorts of annoying challenges, sad news and general bad moods all round. Add to that a couple of nights of barely any sleep, and I am a wreck. And this is before we even know how much it’s going to cost us moving our stuff across […]

It’s only the beginning of March, and yet it feels like 2017 has been around for an eternity. My head hurts with all the news pouring in every day, every hour. Some days I try and stay away from it all, but it’s hard – 2016 has left a huge shadow, and it doesn’t look […]