A Matter of Choice

Checking though an old laptop recently I came across a folder of old photos and decided to pick one for a flashback post.  This one jumped out at me from 10 years ago and is perfect for the anniversary of our move to Cyprus. 2009 was a big year for us! I started the year 4 months pregnant after a very strange quiet sober Christmas and New Year.   We had sold our house in 2008 and were living with my parents while we waited for our apartment to be completed in Cyprus.   So the first few months of the year were a bit weird,   I took early maternity leave to avoid someone having to take voluntary redundancy, as I wasn't planning on going back after anyway, and spent a couple of months twiddling my thumbs,  meeting friends during their lunch breaks,  wandering round shops and watching tons of tv - sounds amazing looking back! It all changed of course with the arrival of Leo,  his due date was May 16th and naively I was convi...

It was our three year anniversary of moving to Cyprus on 24th November. Many people have said they can't believe its been that long and although in some ways it seems hard to believe I feel like we've been here forever.  It feels like a lifetime ago that we lived in the UK.  My parents have UK tv channels and it seems 'foreign' to me to see adverts in English or watch the local Kent or London news. I'm vaguely interested at times but it just doesn't feel relevant to me any more. It may seem a long time ago but I remember our first couple of days so clearly.  Our shipping was due to arrive about a week after we did so we had huge problems in packing our final suitcases.  Although our apartment came furnished we had nothing except the basics and we also needed a cot, steriliser and various other baby paraphernalia. We had brought Leo a seat on the plane even though at 6 months he could have gone on our laps, but at £35 a ticket it was wor...

When Aaron and I got our first house together it wasn't long before we got our first dog... I say first because one day hopefully we will live in a place big enough to have our second! Ellie was a very timid dog when she arrived with us and quickly turned into a 'Daddy's girl' We never really knew how old she was but she was madder than a box of frogs and acted like she was still a pup , so much so that she became known as 'The puppy dog' all the time.   Well, that and her gorgeous puppy dog eyes..... When we decided to move to Cyprus we debated for ages whether to bring her with us but I think we really knew the answer straight away.  Living in a 1 bedroom 3rd floor apartment was not the best option for a dog and she never did well in the heat at the best of times.   She was still a little nervous at times and we were not sure she'd even make the flight.  It was sad to see her go but she went to a good home with a friend of a friend. ...

Three years ago  Aaron, Leo and I left the county we used to call home with 3 suitcases, 3 bags, a buggy and  a car seat. We arrived in Cyprus on a sunny November afternoon after almost missing our flight   (Thanks to too much packing and repacking of suitcases and negotiating the M25 in the rain!) Most of our belongings had left the UK about 6 weeks before and we didn't know how long it would be before they arrived. It turned out to be the following day which was handy as Leo was still on bottles and the Steriliser was in the shipping, along with his cot, all his toys and most of his clothes. It also meant he only had to spend one night like this... (I've used this photo before but it's a great one!) and it meant that our apartment only looked like this for less than 24 hours... The early days were very strange, Leo was brilliant and for probably the only time in his life so far was very chilled out. The day the shipping arrived he slept, ate and laid happi...

We timed our move to Cyprus well, in that Leo was only 6 months old so he didn't have any concept of the fact we were going to live in a new country but I've often thought how hard it must be for children who are old enough to understand.  This guest post covers some of the things to bear in mind for those moving with older children.  Moving Abroad With Kids - Planning and Preparation Moving abroad can be a challenging experience in itself, but it becomes even more difficult when kids are involved. Careful planning and preparing your kids for moving abroad are two essential steps that will ensure a positive and rewarding experience for the entire family. Kids feel safe at home, as this is the place where all their friends and family are. When breaking the news that the family will be moving abroad, you’re likely to get a range of responses. These generally depend on the age of your kids and they can vary from reluctance to excitement – and these might change ove...

What does make a house a home? Furniture?  Who you live with? The decor?  The location?  or something else?    It's something I've often wondered over the years and I still can't quite put my finger on it.  I left my parents house at the age of 18, that was home and continued to be 'home' even though I'd moved out.  I then lived in a shared house with Aaron and a couple of others and although it was fun, it was never a home - there was far too much beer and not enough food to class it as such! I then lived in a flat on my own for a while, it was nice and after a shaky start I did love it but although it was 'my little place' it never felt like 'home'. In 2003 Aaron and I brought our first house, it was nice and exciting, much better than the one we first lived in, and this one was 'ours'  Over the years we decorated it, brought new furniture and also did an amazing redesign of the garden, but still I always felt something was missing...

One of the advantages of being an expat Mum in Cyprus is when you meet other British Mums with similar age children you immediately have at least two things in common. This can be very helpful when making new friends in a new country. Some people you just click with and it seems like you've known each other for years. Of course, there is an equal disadvantage to making friends abroad, the fact that circumstances can arise which makes it necessary for them to leave. My friend Michelle leaves for England this week with her gorgeous little boy, Oliver who is one of Leo's best mates. I met Michelle initially via Facebook and we met in real life early 2010, meeting up generally at least once a week at 'Jingle Jangle's' toddler music group. The boys are 'usually' best of friends but go through stages of seeming to hate each other!  Both as bad as one another in different ways they often have their moments where all they do is wind each other up.... Oliver l...

This time two years ago we were rapidly disappearing under a pile of boxes, we had booked our one way flights and it seemed that every day brought more 'goodbyes' as we gradually got closer to our leaving date. We had spent many months gradually packing our belongings for shipping to Cyprus and my poor parents lost the use of their conservatory for a very long time (and their garage, spare bedroom and hallway!) It was a huge task debating what to take, what to leave and who to give it too or how to sell it, along with trying to work out what we needed for Leo as he was then only 5 months old. We said goodbye to our things at the end of October and I remember standing on the driveway, in the cold and that horrible drizzly rain as I watched the van with our beloved boxes drive away.  I stood there for a long time watching the now empty road thinking.... 'Oh my god, that's it - it's all gone now'  I could hardly believe that I would next see it all in Cyprus, af...

Just over three years ago I stood in a field with the most important people in my life...... AJ, Me and my parents at the site of our future home. We had just signed the papers to buy our new apartments, We had one of the penthouses and my parents brought an apartment on the ground floor. They were due to be completed in May 2009. We had no real idea of what we were doing, especially AJ and myself as we hadn't spent much time in Cyprus at all but it seemed like a good idea! We had no real plan of when we would be moving, the original plan was to be about now when AJ's work contract ran out and my parents retired. However plans changed several times for various reasons, (the main one being a certain little Leo arriving in the same month that they were due for completion!) AJ's contract ended early and we decided to make the move rather than look for more work in the UK.  Ground breaking on the site. It was a very strange process, knowing (or hoping!) t...

It's been a while since my last blog due to a combination of chaos and lack of internet ! We are currently in between homes, having left my parents but staying with my very lovely friend Nic (she might be reading!) We have been to the apartment - (more on that later) and been busy sorting stuff out here and tying up lots of loose ends. This weekend will be busy, we have a leaving party at our local and also Christening / Leaving do on the Sunday. While I am looking forward to both I'm worried I'll be really upset saying goodbyes :( I almost feel it would be easier to just go now as it seems like I've already left, but obviously I wouldn't as I'm never one to miss a party! Our apartment is lovely, I suppose sounds like a strange thing to say after months of looking at the photos which of course look lovely but it's still not the same as being there. I am so pleased that we made the trip even though we'll be back there for good in a week as it gave ...

I always said a plan would present itself and I was right! It was always going to be a big debate as to when exactly we should go permantly but after much discussion - well an hour or so in the pub! (we did continue the conversation for several days after but I think we had really both decided on the first one) we have finalised our moving plans. My parents have a buyer for their house, and A has no more work on his contract so we are off next month!!!!!!!!!! Everything is in action, we are packed for shipping, and they are picking up on Wednesday, from that day we will be living out of 3 suitcases as that is all we can take on the plane, well that a puschair, car seat, travel cot, 3 hand luggage bags and a baby of course! We are having Leo christened before we go, and it will also be our leaving do as we have booked our flight for 2 days afterwards. I can't promise I won't be crying by the end of it! We are going out for 4 days on our own at the begining of Novembe...

The big question now is "when are we going!" and that is a very good question! Currently Aaron is looking for work and as soon as he finds something we are off pretty much. We have already sold our house so it makes sense to move asap as we are now paying the mortgage. Our immediate plans are a 4 day trip (child free as He's off to my mother-in-laws for the duration!) in November which is my wedding anniversary/birthday present from Aaron. Then we are going for 5 weeks over Christmas/New Year. We are having all our stuff shipped to arrive in the 1st week of December so we have time to get a bit sorted out by Christmas - and get the deccy's up of course :) At the moment our conservatory is stuffed full of boxes ready to go, I think Aaron would be happy never to see another bit of bubble wrap or packing tape - he has spent ages getting everything ready. I think we are nearly sorted now though, just got to make a final decsion on which company to use for the shippin...

It turns out that the whole moving idea came about after a conversation between my Dad & A. Dad said he would love to move abroad but Mum would never go and leave me behind. As A. would go in a heartbeat but knew I would'nt want to leave Mum and Dad they thought this an idea worth pursuing! When A asked me, my inital reaction was "Don't be ridiculous" Apart from the fact I didn't want to leave my family and friends my main reason was "People don't just move abroad" At that time I completely belived that everyone wanted to move abroad but just didn't because you can't! I was genuinely surprised to find out that most people, although they may talk about it and say how jealous they are would have no intention of actually doing it themselves. I always said I would move abroad when I retired (the time I assumed I suppose that you "could") Aaron pointed out that as I was 29 that was quite a way off! Also, as I had always wanted a ...

So, how did this huge life changing decsion come about I expect you are wondering.... maybe years spent holidaying in Cyprus? months of careful research? a "too good to pass up" job offer? family or friend connections? NOPE! It went something like this.... One evening (approx August 2007) whilst eating dinner Aaron (in the kind of tone you'd expect to hear something like "Do you want mayo with that?" or "Shall we watch Top Gear?") said, with no pre-amble at all "Do you want to move to Cyprus?" I will never forget that moment, it still cracks me up 2 years later! I remember turning round really slowly and saying (with a slightly bemused look on my face as he was obviously joking!) "Do.I.want.to.move.to.Cyprus?" Him: "Yes" Me: "Cyprus??? Why would we want to move to Cyprus?" Him: "Why not?" Me: We've never even BEEN to Cyprus!" Him: "I know" Me: (now thinking he ha...