Leaving London

It has been a long time since I have posted.  However, as we are beginning a new adventure, I thought that it would be an ideal time to continue our blog.  I have begun another posting to shoulder the gap between the last time we posted and now (almost 2 years later!), but it is taking quite a long time to complete and I really want our blog to contain some of my feelings, emotions, hopes and dreams before we actually embark on this most exciting adventure.

Yesterday we went into London for the day.  Back in October I had ordered 6 tickets for the London Eye through an accumulation of Tesco vouchers and we planned on using them to take the Taylors and the Sawyers for a pre-Christmas excursion.  However, on the chosen day, there was a terrible snow storm which precluded us from journeying into London from Guildford.  Trains were running, but it was touch and go whether or not they still would be when we wanted to come home.  So yesterday was the designated rain check - or snow check as it were.

Lizzie and Sophie were so excited to be making the trip.  We had spent the night before at the Sawyers' house and both girls were too excited to sleep much at all.  The catch word all morning, and for the entire train journey, and for waiting in the queue, was 'London Eye!!!' And I don't think it disappointed in the slightest.  The girls, Andrew and Maisy spent the entire trip around the wheel hooked over the railing and marvelling at the sights below.

After the Eye was a boat trip up the Thames to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.  We walked around for a while followed by pizza at Zizzi's.  The kids loved the day and even though we were all desperately tired by the time we got home it was a lovely way to say good-bye to the beautiful city which has been our home for the last 8 years.

I am really excited about the move and I am really looking forward to a new adventure.  BUT...  There is so much that is unknown and up in the air.  We know where we will be teaching and generally what we will be teaching but we have never met any of the students and never been to the school.  We know that we will be living in a 2 bed flat a 5 min walk from the school but we have not seen any pictures of it or even seen what the block of flats looks like from the outside (except what you can see on Google Earth).  We know that they will mostly speak English at the school but most people will speak Spanish which we don't understand.  We know that Sophie will be in full time school but not who her teachers will be or even how many students will be in her class.  So much to find out!

And we will find most of it out the day after tomorrow.  Eek!