I’ll also answer a question each week supplied by my Grandma. Hopefully this question will be something that’s crossed your mind too. This feature will be called What’s Bothering Babs? (Babs is what I call my Grandma, hence the name).
So on with the update…
1. Bally’s back! I collected our greyhound Bally from Rebecca and Simon, our friends, who have been looking after him until we’re in Canada and flights for dog to Vancouver begin again. He had been there since we tried to go to Canada, but, since we’ve been missing him like crazy and R & S are hoping to adopt a dog of their own soon, we decided it was time to reunite! I now need to leave the country soon, encase Rebecca ever needs a Kidney because, I’m telling you, she has done a ridiculous amount for me over the last year and I owe her big time.
2. I’m applying for jobs! Since I can’t get into Canada because I don’t have a job, I’m polishing up the CV and attempting to convince someone to employ me! I’m a teacher, with a PGCE and five years experience, I can go anywhere right? Apparently not, as you have to have a British Colombia Teaching certificate and they can take months to obtain. Probably should have listened to Jacob when he told me, back in January, to apply for the certificate. Still, I didn’t know that my entering Canada would depend on me having a job.
3. Canada has extended it’s boarder closure. I’ve saved the worst news until last today. As we expected, Canada have extended their boarder closure until ‘at least the 30th July’. Even though we were expecting this, it’s a massive blow. The likely hood is that Jacob (my husband) will now have to go to Canada without me. This really should not be that big a deal. In fact, in our original plan we had to spend six weeks apart while I worked until the end of the school term. The difference this time is that if he goes, we don’t know when I’ll be able to join him. It could be months until I can enter Canada. And I’m not really okay with that.
What’s Bothering Babs?
Babs’ question: Will you have to give up on the house you were planning to rent from the 15th July?
In the short term, no. The thought of moving into that lovely house is definitely helping keep me sane. But in the long term, yes, of course it’s possible. Obviously, we can’t pay rent for a house were not living in, in a country that won’t let me in! But lets hope it doesn’t come to that.
Part one ended with our decision that Jacob, my husband, should return from Canada to the UK. Read on to find out how two humans and a greyhound solve the problems of having no where to live in the UK and how to get to Canada during a global pandemic…
March 2020
After Jacob arrives back we spend a few days at Rebecca and Simon’s house (our friends I have been living) attempting to plan our next move. They made it clear that we were welcome to stay with them forever, but we need space to mope and plan. Besides, as an NHS Doctor, Simon might be facing a nightmare fairly soon, crowding the house with two extra people isn’t going to help.
The UK government are not asking people to quarantine upon arrival in the UK, but we decide that Jacob ought to wait two weeks before we consider moving in with any friends or family. We book an AirBnB for a two week stay in Cirencester and meet Aaron, Jacob’s brother, on the way there to hand over Bally our Greyhound.
Unfortunately, the AirBnB is tiny and not particularly clean. Plus, despite explaining to the owner that we will be self-isolating, due to one of us having just made a transatlantic flight, they have to send someone over to show us how the electricity works.
Deciding a two week stay here, potentially while ill, is not a good idea. I write a message to the owners of an AirBnB we have stayed in twice previously in Glastonbury. Thankfully, they remember us (thank god Jacob always make me leave places spotlessly clean and I write sparkling reviews!) and they are willing to help us with a reduced price.
So after one night in Cirencester we’re off to Glastonbury. Almost immediately after arriving we have to sort a plan for where we’re going to go next. We’ve only booked five nights here as, even at the amazingly kind discount, we cannot afford longer.
Walks in Glastonbury
We send out an message to pretty much everyone we know asking for help finding somewhere to stay that is cheap (or free!) and away from other people (we’re still assuming Jacob may develop symptoms).
I then receive a text from my friend and fellow Guide Leader who invited us to stay in her holiday let – a four bedroom thatched cottage by the sea – FOR A MONTH!!
That same night lock down was announced. It’s hard to ‘stay home’ when you don’t have one. So needless to say the offer of a house of our own, for a month, for free, was amazing.
After 4 nights basking in the healing powers of Glastonbury we were off to our next home in Uplyme.
April 2020
Deserted Lyme Regis: Great view but I wish the chippy was open
If not for the global pandemic our month in Uplyme in a beautiful thatch cottage with friendly neighbours and walks to the sea would have actually been quite idyllic. While there, in early April, we secure a letter of exemption from the London IRCC (Canadian Consular in London) allowing me to travel to Canada despite the travel ban.
May 2020
At the end of April we (Jacob, Bally and a car full of our possessions) move into my Mum’s house for what we assure her will be a short stay, since we had an exemption letter to travel to Canada.
Two weeks later we drop Bally off at Rebecca and Simon’s who – apparently feeling they hadn’t done enough for us already – are currently taking care of him. We say some difficult goodbyes to family through panes of glass, booked flights, an AirBnB for the two week quarantine in Vancouver and set off for Heathrow.
A few hours later we were back from Heathrow after I was denied bordering.
I’m not going to describe to foul place that is Heathrow Airport right now. You’ve seen pandemic movies, right? Well, it’s something like that. Mask-clad human-zombies trying to escape. I’m also not going to go into detail about the employee who called the Canadian boarder security to ask if we would be permitted entry and, with zero sympathy, informed us of our fate – well my fate – bushing the exemption letter off as ‘meaning nothing’.
A week after our failed attempt, I email the IRCC to inform them of the delightful experience their so called ‘exemption letter’ had led us to. They were actually rather helpful: they expedited my work visa.
With a work visa I now, finally, had the right to travel to Canada since the travel ban does not apply to foreign nationals with a work permit right? Wrong. Wrong, because not only do you need a work permit, you need to have a job.
Aware of this the IRCC also ask me to provide documents (such as my P45) which prove we had given up our life in the UK before this happened; these were then presented to the Canadian Boarder Security Authority on our behalf.
June 2020
The IRCC’s next email was promising because it informed us that: ‘following consultation with the Canadian Boarder Services Liaison Office in London, they have determined that they will permit you to board a flight to Canada based on the information you have provided’. But frustrating because it also includes the delightful addition that the final decision as to whether we’ll be admitted to enter Canada will be with a boarder security agent in Canada and we must be able to demonstrate that our travel is non-discretionary or we will not be permitted to entered Canada. In short, we’ve basically been granted another exemption letter.
And that brings us to the point where I wrote the first blog detailing option one and option two.
To strengthen our case I have start looking for somewhere to rent in Prince George and find a wonderful three bed house, in a desirable area with a Landlady whose emails are delightful!
And we choose option two. Mostly because it looked promising that Canada would open their boarders at the end of June. Thus making an anxious flight (using the new exemption letter) to Canada, with the knowledge that I could be denied entry, unnecessary.
But of course we now know that Canada have decided not to open their boarders with the USA at the end of June, making it highly probable that they will decide to do the same with the rest of the world. The USA and Canada are now set to open their boarder on 21st July, we currently don’t know Canada’s plan for the rest of the world.
I’m only checking online every five minutes to see if Trudeau has made an announcement.
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.
Does this mean I’m coming with you?
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.
Disused part Piccadilly Underground Station
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.
Cake and Prosecco on a school night!
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.
Curry and beers with our 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.
Skittles: The traditional sport of the West Country
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.
Florence is one!
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.
Steph and I with one of the suspects!
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.
West Country Wandering 