Our First Few Days 'Acclimatising'

We were picked up from the airport by Linda & Alistair, our landlady/lord. Pete went 'home' in style, in a Jaguar. I had to make do with Ralph- an old Golf convertible. Why two cars? If you have seven, you might as well use them all. The Rolls was a bit ill that day, such a shame!

This is our home, we sleep upstairs on the right hand side.

The very first thing we did after arriving at midday was walk into the city centre and re-familiarise ourselves with the place. Of course, that meant finding the Dux de Lux pub, for a well earned pint and a plate of nachos, sitting on a lovely sunny terrace. Thanks Helen! That same evening we met up with a few friends, in another pub. Tiredness and lack of sleep after 2 days travelling forced us to stop drinking at 1am!

Our first few days in Christchurch were spent quite leisurely; either on the beach or lying around in the park. It was tough, but someone had to do it!

LEFT:River Avon running through Hagley Park.

RIGHT: New Brighton Beach

In order not to break tradition, we soon found ourselves a set of classy wheels so we are the proud owners of a 1987 Holden Commodore.

As you can see, it is the long lost brother of the Vauxhall Cavalier we left behind in England. However, it is a bit of a thirsty beast! The 'Honky' mobile has 6 cylinders and a 3 litre engine. At first that is quite a novelty and good fun as it means one can put the hammer to the metal, cut in and out of gaps and generally drive like a hoon. The only downside is the fuel needle drops rather quickly. As usual for us, with the purchase of this quality motor, the bank was not broken! We actually bought the car fairly cheaply off a couple of backpackers who were flying out the next day. Extras that came with the car included a guitar and an American Football and not to forget; a leaking boot. No changes there, then!

Saying Our Goodbyes

Well saying our goodbyes had to be done sometime and was something that I (Pete) had decided not to think about too much before hand. Putting horrible things (report writing or any kind of paperwork really!) to the back of my mind is something that I am pretty good at.

The first set of goodbyes was on the Saturday, before we were due to leave. The plan was to meet in 'The Standing Order' and move on, but as so often has happened before, the lure of cheap drinks and comfortable seats proved too much. Therefore the final night with our friends was spent at 'The Standing Order'! At least, with the new licensing laws, we were able to drink until late. To be honest I could have spent all night drinking and talking the usual rubbish with the boys, at any place. And yes Rich, I have never seen you down a pint in one. Thanks for coming: Chris, Jim & Helen and Rich & Erica. We will miss you.

Rich, Pete, Chantal, Chris, Jim & Helen in 'The Standing Order'

It was a nice surprise to see Harry, Simon, Linda, Ross, Anna & Helen, representing Eastleigh Ladies Hockey, at the pub, too. Thanks for the fun years playing hockey with you all!!

We had a farewell meal at the 'Southampton Arms' on the Monday, before our departure. It was a tasty and enjoyable meal, with the whole Hall clan and Nan. Thank you all for the lovely meal.

LEFT: Pete with a cheeky Sophie. RIGHT, Pete's nan, Pete's mum, Chantal, Sarah, Sophie, Steve & Pete's dad

During our final days in our house,we had some unexpected visitors. Natalie, it was so good to see you. Thank you for popping in during your lunchbreak. Helen, turned up one evening, to say farewell only to ring up 5 minutes later to say she needed help; her car had ran out of petrol. Off Pete went, with petrol container in hand, to help her. Helen then returned to Brunel Road, and again, farewells were said! This time she went straight home, without any problems. Helen, your goodbye pressie has been well spent in the Dux de Lux pub and Mexican Cafe, in Christchurch! Thank you very much.

And then there were the goodbyes on the day of departure. It was nice of Steve, Sarah, Sophie & Jessica to see us off from Southampton. And there was one last task for Pete at the Hall's residence; finishing putting up a shelf he had started, a few days earlier.

Steve, Sarah, Sophie & Jessica

Pete's Mum & Dad went with us to Heathrow. There were tears all round and croaky voices once the departure gates came into sight. Of course, before we got to that stage, Pete had to have a few last English beers at the airport bar. You never know how long he will have to go without! (Really it is not that hard to find some English style beers here though.)

A set of tearful parents. Honestly, you can't take them anywhere!

Things We Will Miss (or are missing)!

1, Our families. Need I say more!

2, All our friends - again, need I say more!

3, Compotations with Rich and Erica involving alcohol, Trivia Pursuit, alcohol, cooked breakfasts, Sound of Music (in a self punishing kind of way), alcohol...

4, Going to 'The Ship' for a couple of 'cheeky ones' and something to eat, whilst sitting in front of the log fire;

5, My little garden (but I hope to get a much bigger one soon);

6, Our sports teams, finally got into that damn cricket and then I had to stop!

7, Real ale or beer with flavour really (if you do come this way, sneak a Ringwood 49er in your suitcase);

8, Marmite (also gladly accepted in exchange for board).

Preparing for the Move

Anyone that knows me (Pete) will know that I like to be prepared and always do things early! However, good intentions and reality are two quite rather different things! That's why on the day of our departure we were still putting items in the loft of our house, dropping things off at the tip and selling our car; just hours before the flight departed from Heathrow. Oh well, as usual the job was completed, though!

We seemed to spend days living amongst piles of possessions, not quite sure what to pack in the boxes and what to leave behind. Then the dilemma: where to store those possesions that we were not taking? Pete's Dad does not go in the shed often, "Lets put a bike in it, and as we are there why not stuff in a gazebo and parasol, too. The workbench can fit in nicely, too. Thanks Mum & Dad, and maybe it's best if you do not go into your loft for a while either!"

Even on the night before the boxes were due to be collected, the customs declarations and insurance forms still had to be completed, but we still went out with the family for a farewell meal. Going out for a meal, earlier in the evening, did not seem such a good idea when we were trying to concentrate on completing the forms correctly, at 3.30am!

Yes, we were still sealing some boxes as the others were being loaded into the removal company's van. Isn't it annoying when people arrive early! Well, it meant that some items were forgotten and did not get packed, so we ended up carrying a stereo remote control and parts of a socket set in our hand luggage. Of course this last item was spotted on the x-ray machine in Singapore...