Regime Change
Life is a bit different these days, so I thought I'd give you a taste of what we're doing, and how it's different from our Bristol days.
We're waking up quite early - not altogether out of our natural desire to wake up with the parrots, but there you are - and taking Ella to the Montessori school on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I do her packed lunch the night before (no school meals in Australia!) and put it in the fridge so it's all ready in the morning. But the big change is that if it's sunny we load Toby in the car as well, and after we've taken Ella to school we (Michael and I) take Toby down to the beach for a good long run and he loves it. Today it was hysterical: yesterday was very stormy and this morning the surf was up - good sized waves. Michael threw Toby's ball and it landed in the spume just as the waves withdrew down the beach, but by the time Toby got to the ball it was swept away by the next incoming wave - and he went after it! He was literally somersaulted up the beach by the wave, and far from being frightened, he went back for more! I was the one who was petrified for him, although in the end he was fine...
When we got back we had a cuppa and started doing some work. Today I had to go off into town and sort out Ella's immunisation form, buy myself a second-hand table to work at, and submit an etching for an exhibition. Michael did some set-up work on the home computer network. After lunch Patrick (who has probably spent several hours, by this time, MSN-ing his friends in the UK) takes Toby for another walk! So we have a very contented dog who is barking a lot less because he's thoroughly tired and has had a great time.
When we've collected Ella from school she settles down in front of the TV for a while and Michael and I carry on working, but then we stop and Michael makes dinner.
There's still a lot to do before we've settled down - I, for one, am going to have to revise my ideas about how I am going to set myself up as an artist here - but we're trying to enjoy the aspects of living here that are radically different from living in Bristol, such as our proximity to the ocean, and to try and create a life for ourselves that is a bit more relaxed than we perhaps have been used to in recent years... Currently the stress is more on Michael than it is on me: I did the bulk of the arrangements about our relocation in the UK, but he is having to do all the work here because I know nothing about the local utility companies, Internet Service Providers, telephone networks or that sort of stuff. It will all balance out in due course.
This evening we went out: I took Michael to a private view for an art exhibition (where I met the lovely Willis, for those who know him), and then we collected Patrick and Ella and took them to a restaurant for dinner.
We're waking up quite early - not altogether out of our natural desire to wake up with the parrots, but there you are - and taking Ella to the Montessori school on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I do her packed lunch the night before (no school meals in Australia!) and put it in the fridge so it's all ready in the morning. But the big change is that if it's sunny we load Toby in the car as well, and after we've taken Ella to school we (Michael and I) take Toby down to the beach for a good long run and he loves it. Today it was hysterical: yesterday was very stormy and this morning the surf was up - good sized waves. Michael threw Toby's ball and it landed in the spume just as the waves withdrew down the beach, but by the time Toby got to the ball it was swept away by the next incoming wave - and he went after it! He was literally somersaulted up the beach by the wave, and far from being frightened, he went back for more! I was the one who was petrified for him, although in the end he was fine...
When we got back we had a cuppa and started doing some work. Today I had to go off into town and sort out Ella's immunisation form, buy myself a second-hand table to work at, and submit an etching for an exhibition. Michael did some set-up work on the home computer network. After lunch Patrick (who has probably spent several hours, by this time, MSN-ing his friends in the UK) takes Toby for another walk! So we have a very contented dog who is barking a lot less because he's thoroughly tired and has had a great time.
When we've collected Ella from school she settles down in front of the TV for a while and Michael and I carry on working, but then we stop and Michael makes dinner.
There's still a lot to do before we've settled down - I, for one, am going to have to revise my ideas about how I am going to set myself up as an artist here - but we're trying to enjoy the aspects of living here that are radically different from living in Bristol, such as our proximity to the ocean, and to try and create a life for ourselves that is a bit more relaxed than we perhaps have been used to in recent years... Currently the stress is more on Michael than it is on me: I did the bulk of the arrangements about our relocation in the UK, but he is having to do all the work here because I know nothing about the local utility companies, Internet Service Providers, telephone networks or that sort of stuff. It will all balance out in due course.
This evening we went out: I took Michael to a private view for an art exhibition (where I met the lovely Willis, for those who know him), and then we collected Patrick and Ella and took them to a restaurant for dinner.
posted by Sara Bowen at 6:24 am
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