4 Days to Go

It's Thursday 29th December and there are only 4 more sleeps until we set off for Sydney. 6 More sleeps until we actually arrive. Our flight leaves from Terminal 3 at 22:30. We are flying with Qantas and I think the flight number is 0030. Or is it 0300...? It's definitely one of the two. I'm giving you all this information on the off-chance that you are able to arrange an upgrade for us... just saying.

I'd like to thank Keiron and Louise for the fantastic surprise party they threw for me and Phil last night - our first one ever. They definitely did a good job of keeping it quiet because I didn't have a clue. It was really great guys, thanks very much and thanks to everybody that came.

The last week has been an emotional one as I've had to say goodbye to the majority of my family for the best part of 4 years. I hope that we get to see as many of you as possible in Oz. Save the pennies for your flight over - I don't want to hear any excuses!

xx

Christmas Traditions

It's Christmas Day and Phil and I are in Manchester spending time with my family. We've eaten Christmas dinner which was delicious - thanks to Jane for the majority, Phil for the beef and Martin for the yorkshire muffins.

I asked some of you to tell me about any Christmas traditions or funny stories that you have and thank you to everyone that contributed. I'd like to share a few of them with you.

I'll start with my Mum. She told me about the time that she bought a turkey and it was only once she had stuffed it, used the giblets to make gravy (yuck), spent hours cooking it and then started to carve it when she noticed that one of it's legs was missing. She was going to accuse my sister of stealing it but the skin hadn't been torn so it must have just been an invalid turkey. We are amazed to this day that it wasn't picked up on.

Might it have been this one?

My Sister Kelly remembered when my Nephew Marc was so excited waiting for his Sister to get up on Christmas morning that he was sick everywhere.

Every year, Diana Yates puts two sprouts on her Daughter Georgina's plate every year and every year those same to sprouts end up on her other Daughter Tracey's plate. Needless to say one of them loves sprouts and the other absolutely hates them. The same girls, along with their sister Emily used to take it in turns to sit between their Mum and Dad in bed every year on Christmas Day morning to open presents and they would never, ever forget whose turn it was to get that prized position.

Whilst Clare's tradition is to have Hanky the Christmas Poo on the top of their Christmas Tree, Lou shared a couple of traditions that she and her Fiance have. Firstly, the presents don't get opened until the afternoon, once Christmas dinner has been eaten and the clearing up has been done; this one would have killed me when I was younger. Huw always got (& still gets) a Beano annual and a selection box to open in the morning (he's now 36). Secondly, there is a family gift of a bottle of really old and pretty dreadful aftershave called 'Tang'. It gets wrapped up and passed around the men in the family each year. I wonder how long it will be before one of her sons - aged 5 and 8 - receive it.

My Auntie Sue told me that her three boys, Nick, Ant and Jordan pull their crackers at the start of their Christmas meal and they wear their paper hats until the very end. Nick's fiancee Nichola has vowed to continue the tradition with their Daughter Jessica. Nichola sent me a lovely message so instead of re-writing or altering it, I wanted to write it exactly as she did:

"We're trying to start our own traditions now with Jessica. So far it's just simple stuff like ice skating on Christmas Eve and reading The Night Before Christmas. We spend Christmas morning with just the 4 of us (I included Monty dog in that!) then Sue, Jordan and Ant come to us till about 4 when we leave to go and have dinner with my family. Not much yet but I get excited about the traditions that we are yet to build for our little family! I want Jessica to grow up with wonderful memories of family Christmas."

I love that. If we aren't doing this for our families and our children then who are we doing it for? We hope that when the children grow up, they'll continue the traditions and keep the memories. It surprises me how different and individual the traditions are and some of these have been years, even decades, in the making.

And me, I have memories of my Sister Lindsay and I dressing the tree listening to Christmas songs and wearing santa hats. We still have the same stockings that we used 20 years ago and every year at my Dad's house, without fail, our Christmas dinner will be served with mashed potato and yorkshire puddings.

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this blog. I wish you all the best of Christmases and long may the traditions continue.

Love to you all xx

 

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and we're in Manchester! 

It's been a crazy week. Phil and I have both now left work and if all goes to plan, we won't work in the UK again until we return in 2015/2016. We're both starting to feel excited and nervous. As of today, we only have 9 days to go. Hold on, deep breath... ok.

Phil's work did a collection for him and they bought us both a hand luggage bag that is designed to make the most of the space available on an aircraft. They got us a lovely card too.

My work, hmmm, well, my boss couldn't make it in to see me but that was ok. From my colleagues on site, there was no card, no best wishes, not even a goodbye. I really didn't expect anything else though so they didn't disappoint.

Goodbye RCI

We arrived in Manchester yesterday. Phil went out with my Dad, Uncle Steven, Dave and Martin. Jane and I went to Lindsay's and saw baby Paige. She is just so gorgeous but she trumps a lot!! Sorry Linz, it's true though.

Isn't she gorgeous? Lindsay, Martin and Paige will be coming to spend Christmas 2012 with us which will be fantastic. She'll be a toddler by then and I bet she'll be loads of fun. Until then there is always Face Time.

I'll be posting my Christmas traditions post later today so keep an eye out for it.

Merry Christmas Eve xx

My Experience of Working at RCI

When Phil and I found out we were going to Australia I took a part time job with Eurest for Compass Group based at RCI Financial Services in Watford. We agreed that I would work on getting the house ready for renting out and start eBaying the items that we wanted to sell on my days off. I was excited about working part time for the first time and was looking forward to it. How stupid of me.

On my first day, I arrived early and was met by my Manager, who I will call M. He tried to introduce me to my new client, who I will call S. On this Monday, S was incredibly flustered and told us in no uncertain terms that she could not meet me today, she did not have the time and had she known that I was starting that day she would have booked to spend some time with me. I know that she had been emailed previously with my start date so I was taken aback and felt a bit unconfortable. Nonetheless I sat with M and we discussed what my role would be. The Eurest team were really welcoming and made me feel that I was going to be a great help, particularly to the Chef Manager. It was an iffy first day but I could deal with that.

During the course of the week, I passed S in the Restaurant a few times and on the instance that she didn't ignore me, since M was not here, she told me again how M had failed to tell her that I was starting that week and that she was going to have a meeting with M when he was next in to discuss it further. She still did not have time to talk to me and would let me know when she was free.  Fine, I could keep myself busy for the time-being. I put on my best I'm-not-feeling-uncomfortable smile and told her I completely understood, I'd wait until she was ready. It seemed to help a little; she at least smiled at me the next few times I saw her.

When she finally did get to book a meeting with me 2 weeks later it was a full induction that took 3 hours. During the course of it I was told that I was lucky to have been allowed on site because I had not been CRB checked. Are you kidding me? Her reasoning was that their Finance (which she pronounced feNANce) team dealt with sensitive data (don't they all?), so M said that none of his team had been CRB checked, and if that was the requirement he would have to pull all of them out of the building, meaning that they would have no reception cover or restaurant facility. Having worked around that hurdle (I and the rest of the team would need to be checked ASAP), I was then told that I could not have a desk or internet connection, I would need to sit in the Restaurant. Starting to test my patience now but fine, so be it. Each day I would come in and sit in the Restaurant.

On the Wednesday of that same week, I took my place in the corner of the restaurant and S plus the rest of her HR Department came down to have breakfast no more than 15 feet away from where I was sat. I then sat and listened to her talk about me for 45 minutes: how she hadn't expected me, how I hadn't been CRB checked, how bad Eurest were for not making her aware of my start date. By the time they had finished I was so angry. Who does that? What kind of HR person would do that? There was no way that I could not have heard them. I was getting to the end of my tether; I hadn't been that angry for a long time but remembering that it was only for 3 months, I carried on and managed to convince myself to stay.

Things got better - after a month and a half I was given a desk and a locker. I acted grateful, as was expected of me. I attended weekly meetings and did what was asked of me whilst working to get the finances - sorry, feNANces - and invoicing in order before the end of the year.

Now I'm coming to the end of my time here, I wanted to reflect on how it has been and what I need to avoid in the future. I'm done with Facilities. My heart is no longer in it. When we get to Oz I'm going to look for an administration role and if I get bored, well then that's just tough.

I can't say I'll miss my time with S and each time I see Nanny from Count Duckula, a bulldog chewing a wasp, a face that only a mother could love, or a disgusting pair of teeth, I'll be reminded of my short stint at RCI.

For old time's sake I thought I list my top 3 moments at RCI:

At number 3 - after being told that I would have to sit in the restaurant, as the work that RCI do is too confidential for me to be allocated a desk, then being told that I could not sit there between 12pm and 2pm because they needed the table space. This one doesn't sound so bad until I explain that at least 60% of the tables were free every lunch time.

At number 2 - S wheeled around a box full of mince pies and gave one to every person in the building on behalf of RCI. She offered one to the people on my bank of desks, looked at me, and wheeled them away again. I don't like mince pies anyway but really?

And topping the bill at number 1 - the time that S farted in one of our feNANce meetings. She did not apologise, or excuse herself, but blamed it on the sausage sandwich that she'd had for breakfast that morning. You stay classy, S.

A Happy/Sad Poem

Christmas comes but once a year
Bringing all our loved ones near
To spread and share the Christmas Cheer

Fun and laughter to be had
With sisters, brothers, Mum and Dad
This one might be a little sad

Nearly time to say goodbye
Just 20 days until we fly
Across the ocean in the sky

New Year with the Olds, drinking wine
Hands joined whilst singing Auld Lang Syne
Knowing that it'll soon be time

How brave we will both have to be
I'll comfort Phil and he'll comfort me
When leaving friends and family

Come visit, what have you got to lose
Share our home and gorgeous views
Banish those cold December blues

Just 4 short years and we'll be home
Our nieces and nephews will have grown
We might have children of our own

Time is flying by to our dismay
We'll miss you when we go away
But we've still got 20 precious days

Skype Name: nicolawclement

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from The Clements


xxx

20 Days to Go...

Only 20 day to go and things are starting to get tense. I've been worried over the last few weeks as I've been feeling a bit numb to it all. The question of "are you excited/nervous?" has been met with an uncomfortable shuffling of my feet and an "errrm...". I wanted to be excited but I was having difficulty summoning the feelings.

I spoke to my Mum on Friday and she made me feel better, as she so often does. She told me that when she books a holiday she gets really excited. Months later when it's almost time to go you have generally used up your excitement but just before she leaves it comes back with a bang. She's right - the move to Australia has been nearly a year in the making. We've already got excited about our new life and where we will live and we've also got upset about leaving our family (although I'm sure that's going to have nothing on how difficult it will be to actually say goodbye).

Little did I know that I only needed to wait until Sunday and I would have realised that I was worrying over nothing. I'm starting to feel a bit nervous. Ok, I'm freaking out and Phil's not doing too great either. I don't like to fly but usually I get through it by thinking about the amazing holiday I'm going on. Well this isn't a holiday. No, really, it's not. Plus, I'll have just said goodbye to almost every important person in my life. Of course, the most important person will be sat there with me but he'll be in the same position as me.

I decided that we need to get the initial excitement back so last night we went out to dinner, I put our Sydney book on the table in front of us and we read about all of the things we have to look forward to: Australia Day, Chinese New Year in China Town, Mardi Gras, and all of the obvious things like weekend snorkelling, beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather. We feel better today thanks very much and we agreed that we need to talk about the positive aspects of "The Big Move" every night before we go to bed. Most of all we need to be there for each other. Just 20 days to go... Oh crap, I think I better phone Phil for a pep talk.