the corner office

Well, we're here, and our first week is almost over. I didn't think it would take me this long to update my blog!

The break in Durban was great, but it went by far too quickly. In addition to lots of visiting of family all over KZN, we also spent some time in the Drakensberg.

Our Durban break was marred a bit, though. On the day before we left for the UK, we were woken up at 4h30 in the morning by the house alarm going off. Some thieves had broken into the garage, and made off with my mom-in-law's car. Netstar got it back pretty quickly, but the theme was, as usual, how lucky we were that nobody came into the house and that it didn't turn violent. It was a reminder that despite the fact that we've tried to focus on the positive reasons for moving overseas, the negative reasons for getting out of South Africa also played a big part.

Anyhow, there are enough positive things to focus on now. The weather's cold and miserable, but I'm loving it. This early sunset thing has thrown my body clock for a loop, but it's getting better - I'm no longer wanting to go to bed at 7 at night. As expected, there are a million things to get used to and learn and unlearn, but it's all fascinating and exciting, and we're getting there.

The most amazing part of our week here so far is just how beautiful this part of the world is. We're staying in Oxfordshire, so between Oxford and Reading and all the local villages, this is fairy tale country. Job and flat hunting are underway, and with some luck, we'll stay in this part of the world for a good while longer. Absolutely WOW.