I did mean to write about Venice, Saronno, Berne, Lyon and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Luxembourg trip…. See also The Hague, Amsterdam and London.

But… yeah.

The dog ate it?

I’m in New York now. Have been for a while. I think we’re having a joint housewarming & birthday party on the 27th. Yup.

So, there was a little boy born on Saturday morning! Little R is dealing with it well and being very very sweet and curious about him! He is doing lots of sleeping, wriggling and pooping. I spent 33 hours with R while everyone else was at the hospital, and she was pretty cool about that, too, despite denying me a night of sleep and convincing me I’m nowhere near ready for children of my own!

As far as the trip goes, I have applied for the B2 visa which will allow me to stay in the US for 6 months. I had a receipt for the application but I have to call them on a £1.20 a minute phone line to pay the fee, I believe, but things have been so hectic that I haven’t been able to. Perhaps tomorrow or Friday. They say the average wait time for an interview is 4 days and then 6 to process the visa, so I should have time. I’m not happy about it. I’m rather nervous. I just want to know what’s happening.

I need to give notice on my flat this weekend, and finish painting the room so I can rent it out. My contract is September to September, so if I don’t rent it out to someone else, I’m liable for the rent til it’s filled. It’s not the greatest flat, and I moved into it when I was desperate for anything that wouldn’t have bankrupted me to live in. It’s pink at the moment - a very pale pink, but… pink. It might put men off. Hmm. It’s better than the sick hospital yellow that was on before, but I’m hoping that it’ll be OK for whoever moves in to paint it themselves.

After that, it’s… cancel the phone insurance, pack up more of my belongings into keep at mum’s/sell at car boot sale/bring with me to America. I have to have everything packed by Easter, to that end. Trying to decide which instruments to take with me and which to beg/borrow/buy a cheap version of when I get there… is hard.

At least having a weekend to myself for once will be really good. I can do this! I haven’t had chance to do my washing in the past 2 weeks cos it takes so long & Friday I was in a daze and went to get my MacBook fixed… the camera broke.

Anyway.
Hmm.

Hello everyone, it’s been a while.

There are new hoots afoot in Claraland. I’m sure only people I know read this, so there’s little point in filling in the gaps with breakups, jobs and so on, but I will try.

I’ve been working with Baby R since July last year and MumBoss is now due to have Baby 2 on 11th March. I was shocked, and a little intimidated at the thought of working with new borns as it’s not something that had really appealed to me, I like the banter with older children. We discussed it and all being well with the birth, 22nd April will be my last day.

I already had a flight booked on 23rd April to go to New York for 10 days. It leaves first thing in the morning, so I’ll be at the airport less than 12 hours after finishing work - if I’d known I was going for longer than a holiday, I’d've given myself more breathing space! I quite like the idea of just carrying on as normal right up until I go, though. It’ll make it easier in some ways. Once the baby is born and things seem to have definitely settled, I will apply for a B2 visa to allow me to stay in the US for 6 months. At the end of that time, Brad and I assume we’ll know whether we like each other enough to try and find a permanent solution.

After that, I’ll return to the UK for a few weeks before heading off again to Tanzania. I’ve applied for a volunteer placement with International Volunteer HQ and will hear back from them by Wednesday, according to their website. That’s to tell me whether the placement has space available, and how to send them the deposit / registration fee. I know which organisation they use within Tanzania but decided to go through the IVHQ as I would like someone to give me advice if I have any problems or disagreements with the in country staff - I had a friend who volunteered and had a bad experience. SO, from here on I’m trying to raise funds to pay for flights, fees etc by selling stuff here.

Things are up and down besides that. I’m sad to be leaving my job, as Baby R is gorgeous and very bright & she’s just hitting that age where she starts making whole sentences and chattering away. I’ve wanted to travel more for years, though. The reason I chose childcare was to allow me to move around the world, and I’ve been in Shepherds Bush for 4 years. It’s really beginning to feel like I have to just get on and DO something, and well… look, I did. It doesn’t mean I’m not scared. I’m getting no younger - turning 30 a few days after I land in the States - and I feel as though I’m running out of time to fit everything in. Finding my feet after the break up was hard and is an ongoing process, even though it seems like it should be easy when I’ve found a new boyfriend. It’s not. There are “issues” quite besides the fact that we live on different sides of the Atlantic, but at least being in the same country will help us decide what stage we’re at and… so on.

I am aiming to have everything ready by Easter weekend: room packed & painted, visa in progress (it says it takes 10 working days on the US Embassy website, so I’ll apply as soon as possible), Volunteer Placement organised if not paid for in full…. today I bought a huge suitcase from TK Maxx. It’s black and it’s one of those ones as tall as your leg. I’d never take something that size on holiday, even when I went backpacking I got everything I needed into 2 rucksacks - the biggest one weighed 11kg. But I’m not travelling light this time, I’m travelling to stay in one place for 6 months, and so I won’t make do with a quick wash & a ponytail, I’ll hopefully develop something akin to a home life & will need knicknacks. You know. Those things you do actually use but are generally held to be pointless - a moneybox, hair straighteners…. I might just take more than 3 pairs of shoes, too…. and INSTRUMENTS.

I’m going to try and learn how to record my songs properly while I’m unemployed & Brad’s at school or work. I’ve been writing more than I ever have before and some of them I’m quite pleased about. I’m going to mess around with my MacBook once I’ve gotten it working or fixed or what have you, the iSight has stopped working. Blah. But yes. Music, sleeping in, Summer in the City… all that.