What evokes Christmas for you? For me, it’s the smell of mince pies and tangerines and the twinkle of fairy lights. It’s the opening bars of ‘Fairytale of New York’ and the tears that come all too quickly whenever I hear children singing carols. It’s being at my parents’ house with all my family, which […]
Expat Life
Living in France – Seven things I’ve learned in our first few weeks
We haven’t even been living in France for two months yet. It feels like longer. Not necessarily because the time has flown due to me having too much fun…but there’s time for that! So I thought I’d share my first impressions as a British expat living in France. I wonder how much these will change […]
The Truth About Moving: Expat Anxiety…Insomnia and Ikea
The last time I was new in a new country was three years ago. I wrote about it, after the first year, and described this initial couple of weeks as having been a honeymoon period. It almost feels like you are on holiday…until the reality sinks in that you aren’t going home. So I think […]
Moving on, leaving friends…Why I never can say Goodbye
In the past five years we have lived in three different countries, and we’re just about to move to our fourth. From our home country of England to Thailand and then Germany, the latest move will take us to France. I have learned a lot through all of these experiences…the biggest thing being how little […]
Expert Tips for an Expat Move – Moving Day
This is the third and final instalment of our series of tips on moving overseas. I have teamed up with Mel Carruthers, professional organiser and seasoned expat, to get her expert advice. We have already covered tips on getting organised and getting packed up. Now for the last piece in the puzzle – moving day. […]
Expert Tips on Moving Overseas: Step 2 – Packing Up!
Here is the second instalment of our series of tips on moving overseas. Mel Carruthers, professional organiser, gives her expert advice on what we need to do in the run up to a move. We have already covered tips on getting organised here, plus the life changing (haha) Making Here Home decluttering method, Snog, Marry, […]
Organising A Move Overseas: Step 1 – Getting Ready
Organising a move overseas can be really stressful, and one of the things that can feel overwhelming is the idea of all the organisation you need to do. Deciding what to take and what to leave. Getting your paperwork in order. Knowing that you are going to have to sort through the junk cupboard/ attic/ […]
Snog, Marry, Dump – Organising For A Move
I am not the most naturally organised person. But moving countries demands a lot of co-ordination…the ‘sorting out’ variety, not the sporting type of co-ordination. Although you will feel like you are juggling a hundred things at once and, when you start to pack up, the more you can carry the better. Organising for a […]
Moving On is Hard to Do – My Expat Love Affairs
Like so many of you, we are moving on to a new country in a few months’ time. The hardest thing with any move is the people you have to leave behind. And, while my keyboard could do with clean, I don’t want to be washing it with tears. So this post is about the […]
A Monday Minute – We All Need Some Mothering From Time to Time
As all the Brits out there will know, yesterday it was Mother’s day in the UK. I had planned to write a post about it, but it turned out to be one of those days. You know the ones – you have high expectations of a lovely family day together. I have learned over the […]