Come with me on a journey that starts with Jacob, my husband, accepting a job in Canada in November and derails so much that I’m writing this in my Mum’s house in the UK in June.
This post is a testament to how generous our friends and family have been, but, I’m really writing it solely for the purpose of, one day, when this is all over, having a good laugh at our current situation.
November 2020
Jacob confirms with University of British Columbia that he would like to accept the offer of a Post-Doctoral research position. Things get real!
We begin clearing out the mountain of belongings we had accumulated and wonder how so much fitted into our tiny, one-bed home.
Both bikes go and Bally our greyhound gets nervous that he’ll be next in the great purge.
We inform the landlord that we are moving out at the end of January.
I hand in my notice at work. My request to leave on the 18th February gets refused and I have to accept leaving on the 3rd of April, at the end of the Easter term. It’s frustrating but that’s life in teaching and I’m secretly quite glad I’ll get more time to prepare my year 13 class for their A Level exams.
We have to revise our plan now we’ll be without a home by the end of January, Jacob starts work in Canada in February but I’ll be working in London until April. Time to ask some favours!
December 2019
Great purge continues. We start giving away heaps of stuff to friends, family, charity. Anyone who will take it!
Measure Bally for his flight crate. Realise he has the width and length measurements of a snake, wonder if they’ll believe he’s a dog.
We return to Surrey after a fantastic, boozy Christmas in Wales and continue giving away EVERYTHING.
January 2020
Clean. Pack. Give things away. Repeat.
Break from preparations to spend a final day in London. Tour of Piccadilly Tube Station, trip to London Transport Museum, a few Frothy Beavers in the Maple Leaf and a Vegan Tahli on Brick Lane.
We move out, but only after I’ve informed the Landlord that “I’ve scrubbed that oven so clean you could eat you’re dinner off of it, so there’s no way I’m paying for it to be professionally cleaned”.
After a weekend at my Mum’s, Jacob and Bally move into Jacob’s parent’s house. I stay with my Uncle, Aunty and their lovely boys in Surbition to commute to work in Hounslow. Get crushed at Chess, make the whole house stink of curry and share some lovely red wine with Dasa, my Aunty.
February
Another weekend in Wiltshire then I spend the week nights in Barnes with friends. Flat tire aside, Inanki’s cooking is amazing and I’m delighted to be the one to show Brian the advances that have been made in vegan kebab.
Jacob drives me to Ascot for my third week commuting from the homes of our generous friends. After two nights at Ade and Ruth’s drinking gin and playing Harry Potter Dobble with their daughter; its off to Watlington to surprise Rebecca for her 30th. When Jacob drives me to work that Wednesday morning and we sit in traffic nervously watching the clock because I’m going to be doing this commute everyday in March.
By the end of the day that Wednesday the week already feels two months long as I head to my third residence. Thankfully my friend Laura makes a divine Mushroom risotto. Plus her and Richard’s OAP chairs give the place a ‘staying safely with your parents vibe’. For the third time in five days, Jacob drives East for our leaving drinks with RHUL friends.
Half term affords some much needed rest in Wiltshire with only a quick day trip to London to provide my biometrics for my visa application and a swift Frothy Beaver with our friend Stephanie in the Maple Leaf.
West Country Winners beat Canadian Crusaders and we scoff the greatest cake I’ve ever seen at our traditional West Country Skittles night to say goodbye to family.
Jacob, Bally and I commandeer Rebecca and Simon’s house while they are skiing.
Jacob flies to Canada.
March
After another weekend in the ‘Shire’ I leave Bally with Jacob’s parents, where he will spend the weekdays, I return to Rebecca’s where I will be commuting from until both Bally and I fly to Canada on the first weekend in April.
Meanwhile Jacob has fallen in love with Canada. He is staying in his new supervisor’s house, while he is in Europe with his family and settling into life in Prince George.
My working week is massively improved by the opportunity to dress as suffragette for World Book Day. Then I return west for my niece Florence’s first birthday party. Cake, cuddles and some unnecessary chatter about that virus which is obviously going to fizzle out soon.
Airpets confirm the Bally will have an overnight stop in Vancouver before we can pick him up on the 6th April from Prince George.
Another week living with Rebecca and Simon commences in a wonderful Friday evening at a Murder Mystery in a hotel in Windsor for my friend Stephanie’s birthday.
This is the point at which the plan falls of a cliff….
At time same time as I’m being a gin-enhanced detective, my brother in law, David is in a bar in Poland for a Stag-Do when they hear that the Polish border will be closing tomorrow.
I return to Wiltshire, collect Bally and head to my sister Rachel’s house as David literally races overland across Europe trying to beat the boarder closures. No exaggeration, after hiring a car and driving to Berlin they can’t train to Paris as intended. They have to reroute via Belgium because France has closed its borders.
The events of the weekend force Jacob and I to weigh up our options. After a lengthy FaceTime we decide Jacob should ‘shelter in place’. After all, I can still enter Canada if I need to and this can’t go on much longer anyway.
Jacob books an AirBnB because his supervisor and family have to cut short their trip to Europe and will need to self isolate in their house for two weeks.
As border closures hot up across the world I pluck up the courage to inform the Head Teacher that if Canada give warning that their closing, I may have to break my contract and jump on a plane.
The next day Canada give warning that they are closing their boarders. Given that I’d have no healthcare cover, have not said goodbye to anyone or worked out where Bally would stay, we decide it would be illogical for me to make a run for it before Canada closes its borders. To avoid a lengthy separation, we decide that Jacob should book a flight to the UK.
Jacob arrives back in the UK.
The story continues in.. Part two: How Coronavirus derailed our plans for moving to Canada
West Country Wandering 
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