EastCoastExpat

February 2020 The frustrations with the process and the delays are finally over.  We received our passports back with the all important vignette, allowing us 30 days to get our backsides over to the UK and collect our Bio-metric Residence Permits.  This will be our visa for the next five years to enter the UK. As we are getting onto the plane, the moment is not as big as I thought it would be, as we are only going for the week.  So does not really feel like we are leaving our heartland and family behind.  During this week Hennie will meet with his new colleagues, and i have to meet with the relocation agent as well as view a few potential properties to rent. As with most companies, we cannot elect which airline travel with, and have to go for the cheapest option.  In this case it was Turkish Air via Istanbul.  Due to the extra luggage allowance for international travel, it was in our best interest to travel with one carrier to our final destination....

 As our day of leaving was fast approaching is started dreading having to say goodbye.  It felt like I would rather avoid people than having a million go-away parties. But saying goodbye to elderly parents brings about the worst heart ache.  You do not know when you will see them again. I was fortunate to have a whole week to visit with my parents, and we treated this rather as a holiday together, than a "good bye" visit.  My father booked a week at Sondela, close to Bela-Bela.  I absolutely LOVE the bushveld, so this was super special for me. Every meal together was savoured, and we had a ritual where I put cream on their hands after washing.  But the whole time I had a knot in my stomach, and it did not want to think about leaving at all. It felt so good smelling the wet soil after the rains, being woken by birdsong, and just getting still and silent at sunset.   Where we LOVE is HOME - home where I feet my leave, but not our hearts (unknown)