Been a while since our last blog, lots has been happening.
I quit my job at Nero because they wouldn’t let me take any more leave. Was a joyous day as I was getting frustrated with the boss and stupid policies – but I really enjoyed the experience and got to meet some cool European kids. It also gave me a lot of perspective on what a job should be like in terms of enjoyment levels, and the fact that we don’t need loads of money to be happy (I say this with Jackie being the major breadwinner haha). Not having lots of stress in a job, or rather, not stressing about a job also seems like the right move.
Jackie also got a new job at a food box delivery company called Gousto. She did an amazing presentation to them which she stressed about crazily, but she got the job in the end after the company had been looking for someone for a good few months. The job is a permanent gig which means less travel for us, but they said they would be open to sponsoring her so let’s see where that goes.
So after quitting the Nero gig I looked for a new job for a good three months. In that time I lived the househusband life! I would wake up and make breakfast for Jackie, then do some P4P, some programming and touch typing, maybe some online learning course (I did accounting for a while), then maybe go for a run or yoga, then cook dinner for Jacks. The Gousto boxes that we were getting through her new job were basically cheaper than getting groceries because we got them at half price, so I was cooking gourmet meals every night! It was really nice to have totally different food and way more variety than you usually do. However all was not totally rosy as we had no money and the pressure was all on Jacks to support us (and she was in her probationary period). In that househusband period I also went on a three day trip to Belfast with Eddie, where we met up with Gov and Jordan, and then proceeded to do a GOT tour and general exploring. We had amazing weather there which was a total fluke, but made the trip awesome.
In the time since the last post we also went to Lisbon for a few days with Ray and Sel – they are crazy travellers who see every attraction and never stop; they dragged us around too much and we were exhausted by the end of the trip. But the city was really enjoyable, we ate wayyy too many nartas, and for our 1st wedding anniversary Ray and Sel took us out for a nice seafood meal. We blogged that one but badly as usual. We also went to Madrid for a week which was awesome even if it snowed; the food in Spain is the best in Europe. There was also Norway, which had amazing scenery and amazing prices, and Madeira with Victor and Yanan which was a fun but stressful trip (car hire insurance is worth paying for!), and finally Mallorca which was AMAZING. The beautiful beaches, amazing food, nice people – it was so good. If only Jackie had blogged it properly!!!
In the UK we also went to Oxford, Cambridge, Whitstable and Warwick, and most recently, Hastings for the day. We didn’t go to Battle where the actual battle was, but instead enjoyed the old town, took the railcar up the hill and got blasted by the wind, and had some nice fish and chips. The old town is really very cute, but the new side is pretty bogan – worse than Hornsby. Warwick was really good for seafood, we had some amazing oysters there even though we aren’t oyster fans. We had an awesome day out for Victors bday go-karting, and also went up to York with Edds and Jennah to see Choz and Elisa. In this time Choz and Elisa also became parents which is exciting and scary news! We also went on a weekend trip to Dublin with Tom, who is moving to Berlin, and again had amazing weather and a good time.
So since I left Nero I got a job at a company called Hosking Partners, located near Trafalgar Square. It’s an 11 month maternity cover ending in June so that works well – nice to have a bit of money again. The work is ok, people are very upper class but quite nice. We will see what it’s like once the maternity girl leaves. Of note so far was a nice cricket day out – I caught an amazing catch and also bowled reasonably well, so it was a satisfying day out for me , mixing with upperclass folks. Jackie loves and hates it at Gousto… the commute doesn’t help being about 1.5hrs, but they also work her very hard.
Other things of note. Nugs also stayed with us for a week, nice seeing him, but we didn’t hang out too much. We did go to a championship game with Jacob our house mate, Huddlesfield vs someone, but generally Nugs had his own things planned. Also he was fucking annoying snoring and moving on the blow up mattress. Every time someone uses it we regret it as we sleep so bad! We have also had so many druggos and retards use the serviced apartment opposite us, they keep us up all night with their noise and partying out on the balcony. We did have Tom stay for a few nights, but he was way better on the mattress, not moving around or snoring. I had a great time seeing him and going for runs and stuff with him through my favourite park, Victoria Park (this was before I had a job). We also had Jackies auntie stay with us for a few days (her mum and her auntie stayed in our place while we were in Mallorca), so I took her out and basically was a good relative. And finally Carl stayed with us for the weekend – he wasn’t too bad on the mattress haha, but basically we have had enough people crash that we want a 1 bedroom place to live so we can get away from these noisy sleepers!
At the moment we are looking for a place to live, scouting around the Chiswick/Acton Town area, which seems to be the only place that works for my work and Jackies. We are looking for a one bed place, but damn you don’t get a lot for your money. We have four weeks to go before we have to clear out of the WC, which we are going to miss a lot. People have this weird opinion about the WC, which in our view is totally unfounded. We love it there and if it wasn’t for the commute for Jackie we would being staying there. My plants on the balcony have also loved the British summer, even my tomatoes grown from seed are doing well, so if we end up in a place without a balcony I’ll shed a tear for them.
The worst news is that Ouma passed away on the 23rd of June – she went quietly in her sleep after deteriorating rapidly. It was really hard on everyone, much harder than you expect given how old she was. It was really hard not being there for the funeral and not being able to support the family and have them support me. The family organised an amazing funeral which they live streamed for us, but even with that closure Ouma will always be on our minds. She asked me if I would come back for her funeral before I left and I said no, not really believing she would every go. It also was a big loss for Jackie, who I think could often see more than us, what an amazing woman Ouma was.
I quit my job at Nero because they wouldn’t let me take any more leave. Was a joyous day as I was getting frustrated with the boss and stupid policies – but I really enjoyed the experience and got to meet some cool European kids. It also gave me a lot of perspective on what a job should be like in terms of enjoyment levels, and the fact that we don’t need loads of money to be happy (I say this with Jackie being the major breadwinner haha). Not having lots of stress in a job, or rather, not stressing about a job also seems like the right move.
Jackie also got a new job at a food box delivery company called Gousto. She did an amazing presentation to them which she stressed about crazily, but she got the job in the end after the company had been looking for someone for a good few months. The job is a permanent gig which means less travel for us, but they said they would be open to sponsoring her so let’s see where that goes.
So after quitting the Nero gig I looked for a new job for a good three months. In that time I lived the househusband life! I would wake up and make breakfast for Jackie, then do some P4P, some programming and touch typing, maybe some online learning course (I did accounting for a while), then maybe go for a run or yoga, then cook dinner for Jacks. The Gousto boxes that we were getting through her new job were basically cheaper than getting groceries because we got them at half price, so I was cooking gourmet meals every night! It was really nice to have totally different food and way more variety than you usually do. However all was not totally rosy as we had no money and the pressure was all on Jacks to support us (and she was in her probationary period). In that househusband period I also went on a three day trip to Belfast with Eddie, where we met up with Gov and Jordan, and then proceeded to do a GOT tour and general exploring. We had amazing weather there which was a total fluke, but made the trip awesome.
In the time since the last post we also went to Lisbon for a few days with Ray and Sel – they are crazy travellers who see every attraction and never stop; they dragged us around too much and we were exhausted by the end of the trip. But the city was really enjoyable, we ate wayyy too many nartas, and for our 1st wedding anniversary Ray and Sel took us out for a nice seafood meal. We blogged that one but badly as usual. We also went to Madrid for a week which was awesome even if it snowed; the food in Spain is the best in Europe. There was also Norway, which had amazing scenery and amazing prices, and Madeira with Victor and Yanan which was a fun but stressful trip (car hire insurance is worth paying for!), and finally Mallorca which was AMAZING. The beautiful beaches, amazing food, nice people – it was so good. If only Jackie had blogged it properly!!!
In the UK we also went to Oxford, Cambridge, Whitstable and Warwick, and most recently, Hastings for the day. We didn’t go to Battle where the actual battle was, but instead enjoyed the old town, took the railcar up the hill and got blasted by the wind, and had some nice fish and chips. The old town is really very cute, but the new side is pretty bogan – worse than Hornsby. Warwick was really good for seafood, we had some amazing oysters there even though we aren’t oyster fans. We had an awesome day out for Victors bday go-karting, and also went up to York with Edds and Jennah to see Choz and Elisa. In this time Choz and Elisa also became parents which is exciting and scary news! We also went on a weekend trip to Dublin with Tom, who is moving to Berlin, and again had amazing weather and a good time.
So since I left Nero I got a job at a company called Hosking Partners, located near Trafalgar Square. It’s an 11 month maternity cover ending in June so that works well – nice to have a bit of money again. The work is ok, people are very upper class but quite nice. We will see what it’s like once the maternity girl leaves. Of note so far was a nice cricket day out – I caught an amazing catch and also bowled reasonably well, so it was a satisfying day out for me , mixing with upperclass folks. Jackie loves and hates it at Gousto… the commute doesn’t help being about 1.5hrs, but they also work her very hard.
Other things of note. Nugs also stayed with us for a week, nice seeing him, but we didn’t hang out too much. We did go to a championship game with Jacob our house mate, Huddlesfield vs someone, but generally Nugs had his own things planned. Also he was fucking annoying snoring and moving on the blow up mattress. Every time someone uses it we regret it as we sleep so bad! We have also had so many druggos and retards use the serviced apartment opposite us, they keep us up all night with their noise and partying out on the balcony. We did have Tom stay for a few nights, but he was way better on the mattress, not moving around or snoring. I had a great time seeing him and going for runs and stuff with him through my favourite park, Victoria Park (this was before I had a job). We also had Jackies auntie stay with us for a few days (her mum and her auntie stayed in our place while we were in Mallorca), so I took her out and basically was a good relative. And finally Carl stayed with us for the weekend – he wasn’t too bad on the mattress haha, but basically we have had enough people crash that we want a 1 bedroom place to live so we can get away from these noisy sleepers!
At the moment we are looking for a place to live, scouting around the Chiswick/Acton Town area, which seems to be the only place that works for my work and Jackies. We are looking for a one bed place, but damn you don’t get a lot for your money. We have four weeks to go before we have to clear out of the WC, which we are going to miss a lot. People have this weird opinion about the WC, which in our view is totally unfounded. We love it there and if it wasn’t for the commute for Jackie we would being staying there. My plants on the balcony have also loved the British summer, even my tomatoes grown from seed are doing well, so if we end up in a place without a balcony I’ll shed a tear for them.
The worst news is that Ouma passed away on the 23rd of June – she went quietly in her sleep after deteriorating rapidly. It was really hard on everyone, much harder than you expect given how old she was. It was really hard not being there for the funeral and not being able to support the family and have them support me. The family organised an amazing funeral which they live streamed for us, but even with that closure Ouma will always be on our minds. She asked me if I would come back for her funeral before I left and I said no, not really believing she would every go. It also was a big loss for Jackie, who I think could often see more than us, what an amazing woman Ouma was.
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