I am so happy right now. So happy, in fact, that I am not even going to dwell on how the movers once again proved their incompetence once again.
At 10am this morning Steve got a call that someone was at the house to deliver something. He asked if they could just leave it there. They said no. He asked if it was, in that case, a big package? They replied, no, it's 50 packages.
In other words, more or less the sum total of our earthly possessions.
In short, our boxes from the UK finally arrived. As the title of this post indicates, it's taken around 9 months; so no, sorry if the title was misleading, no pitter patter of little feet just yet; just the pitter patter of me in shoes I haven't had in my posession for months.
We will have to figure out where to put everything, and then we'll have to unpack everything and mantle (that's the opposite of dismantle, right?) our bed and such, and then we'll have to HAVE THE HOUSEWARMING TO END ALL HOUSEWARMINGS!
I may post some photos later. I may even stop posting in all caps later, but I'm very excited right now so it's hard to say.
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Monday, 13 September 2010
Thursday, 5 August 2010
The Shipping News
Our import woes continue, as Customs have decided Steve can’t bring his own damn property into the country because his current visa expires in February.
By then he will have already applied for residency but officially, right now, he only has until February in SA.
What I don’t understand, is what business it is of theirs how long he wants his stuff here, if he wants to ship it all this way to have it for a few months and then have to pay to ship it back when he gets deported that is surely his own problem! They’re supposed to care about whether we should pay import duty or whether we’re trying to bring in plants that will zombify all local flora; not how long we get to play the brand new Xbox we still haven’t even taken out of the box (yes I want to play with my new toy and am bitter, thanks for asking) before having to leave the country!
Steve contacted his work about this, which contacted the immigration service they use to get work visas, who say they have *never* heard of a clearance application being declined on those grounds.
Now I have to go to a police station and get an affidavid endorsed that I have been out of the country and then fill in all the forms and then go to Customs myself and hope they’ll let me apply even though it’s all in Steve’s name - even though, in the 4 months I’ve been at this job, I have taken 2 weeks unpaid leave to go to Singapore, was sick for 2.5 weeks (with only 3 days sick leave available), AND I had booked leave around the upcoming long (bank holiday) weekend long before getting sick and basically really need to stop having reasons to be absent from work!
The two days are Friday (tomorrow) and Tuesday; Monday is a public holiday so we’re having a super long weekend which we’re going to spend with my parents in Velddrif. I’m really looking forward to it and as far as I’m concerned this other stressy crap can wait until I get back.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
So near, yet so far...
So, our box of stuff is in Durban Harbour, awaiting customs clearance.
In July, we got a letter from the South African company used by the UK company that did our shipping – a month later than they were supposed to send it. It told us we have to fill in a bunch of forms and go to South African Customs and Excise ourselves to have the shipment cleared for customs before they could proceed. Then I got measles and we isolated ourselves. Then sort of one thing and another happened and we didn’t get round to it.
Yesterday Steve made the utterly unprecedented move of taking time away from work and went to Customs and Excise (since his is the name on all the forms). Once again not one of the shipping companies managed to be remotely compitent, i.e. inform us of all the facts – when he got to the front and presented our forms, he was met with much head shaking and uhming and ahing, since his visa is only until early next year.
Since he’s married to a South African, he will be able to apply for residency on our 5th anniversary – December this year. As a result his work only applied for a visa for as long as they needed to, which is understandable. However now the customs people don’t really know about someone wanting to bring their entire life over here when they technically can only stay for another few months (by the information available right now). We never thought of this, and not one of the companies that supposedly deal with this stuff every day thought to bring it up.
The customs officials took the forms and have apparently sent them off to head office with a promise to call Steve. Needless to say, we haven’t heard back yet.
The most frustrating thing about it all is that apparently the Customs & Excise staff asked Steve why he was doing it himself, why wasn’t his shipping company sorting it out for him?
Sigh.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Well, shiver me timbers!
It seems our stuff is on a ship and that ship is on the water and headed south!!!! WOOHOO.
From: Simpsons
Sent: 02 June 2010 12:01 PM
Subject: Export Tracker Notification (Container: CRSU1025714)
We are pleased to advise that your consignment has been shipped as detailed below.
Dates provided are estimated only and may be subject to change, we recommend that you periodically check our website for updates and, nearer to the actual arrival date, contact our destination agent/partner as indicated to discuss Customs clearance and delivery arrangements. Please feel free to communicate with our office in the event that you require assistance. In the meantime, we would thank you for your booking.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Container number/Airwaybill: CRSU1025714
Vessel/Flight: Amber Lagoon
Estimated arrival date (EDA): 04-Jul-2010
Agent details: Brytons Removals Of S.A.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Home sweet home
I had been in Johannesburg for a week, which was nice. I saw Steve again, viewed a few houses (none that took), fitted my bridesmaids dress (looks beautiful!), and found some great bridesmaids shoes with my sister and the other bridesmaid, Erika.
Then my sister and I flew down to Cape Town and spent two days in the city meeting with wedding providers. It went really well and everything is going according to schedule and plan for the wedding.
Then we came to Velddrif where my parents live, about 150km north of Cape Town on the West Coast. It's LOVELY being home. Now we're just resting, doing wedding things over the internet, and doing fun little bits like putting ribbons around things.
There are still things that need doing before Steve and I are settled in, but that's a whole different post.
Then my sister and I flew down to Cape Town and spent two days in the city meeting with wedding providers. It went really well and everything is going according to schedule and plan for the wedding.
Then we came to Velddrif where my parents live, about 150km north of Cape Town on the West Coast. It's LOVELY being home. Now we're just resting, doing wedding things over the internet, and doing fun little bits like putting ribbons around things.
There are still things that need doing before Steve and I are settled in, but that's a whole different post.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
The final countdown
The last few days before leaving the UK were incredibly busy and stressful.
Shipping
I hadn't finished sorting out what should be packed and what shouldn't when the packing guys arrived an hour and a half earlier than expected, so all of the Friday was a hysterical rush to try and stay one step ahead of them so they can pack up one room while I finalise what they should do in the next. They were far too good at their job for my stress levels! They had a bit of fun getting the bed apart and they started moaning about having to get going to do their next job, but at the end of the day everything that had to get shipped got in the van; and then some.
The real fun was when I phoned the offices of the shipping company (Simpsons) to finalise payment and found out they'd only sent half the documents I need to fill out and hadn't bothered checking whether everything was arranged before sending the packers. Spent the next hour phoning Steve (who was seriously busy with a crisis and work and severely stressed out), my mom and a Simpsons staff member who was growing less and less helpful with each call.
The final word on that is that they now have all the docs except the car's import permit so they'll keep everything in storage until they receive that, then ship it in the next available lot (3-5 weeks from the date they get the doc), another 3-6 weeks at sea. I'm going to be living out of a suitcase for another while yet.
The Passport
In my desperate rush to not hold up the packing guys too much I had them just pack the entire contents of the desk in the spare room. MISTAKE. Turns out my passport was in there. Now let me just say I KNOW that is just about the most stupid thing I could have done that day. I'll give you a minute to finish laughing.
OK, done? So at 6am on a Saturday morning I woke up with the realisation that I had just let someone put my passport somewhere in one of 40 boxes, at a depot ready to be shipped out to sea. Their office telephone numbers all went to a voicemail saying that they'll only be open again on Monday (the day AFTER my flight). Cue widespread panic and hysteria. After an early morning call to my poor long-suffering mother I felt a bit calmer (but no less stupid) - the worst case scenario was that I would have to postpone my flight.
Simpsons was supposed to collect the car for shipping on the Friday too, but they hadn't, so on Saturday a Simpsons van turns up. I had never been so glad to see a van. Told the guy the situation, he phoned the depot where the offices were closed but the very same packers I had were loading things into shipping cotainers. For a rather hefty fee they searched the boxes until they found the passport, and I drove down there after the guy in the van who was supposed to collect the car (the packers only worked until noon and it was faster than loading the car on the trailer and driving with him in the van). Got there, got my passport, and a dear friend drove all the way out to come and get me again. I give all thanks to God for making that day work out the way it did.
The skip
After how much I worried due to the skip not being allowed to be left on the road, this went surprisingly well. All due to having wonderful friends. They started showing up long before the skip arrived and started carrying the rubbish to the sidewalk. Now I'm talking slabs of concrete; this was no easy job. By the time the skip came almost all of the stuff was ready to be thrown in and we finished the job with 10 minutes of the allocated 30 to spare. Unfortunately this is when the van turned up to take the car and it became an urgent rush to get to Kent before the packers who had found my passport left, so I had to leave in a rush, I still feel bad that I couldn't thank everyone properly.
The house
After the shipping guys had gone the house looked like some footage on a natural disaster documentary. Then I had to pack for SA. After that it was even worse. Spending most of Saturday driving around after my passport and then feeling exhausted I didn't get nearly as much cleaning done as I'd wanted to and by the time André and Suné (friends and tennants) arrived to say goodbye on Sunday, it was clear that I could either give the house the thorough cleaning I had intended before they moved in or I could catch my flight; but not both. Thankfully they are very understanding people and forgave me. In fact they won't even head my pleas to get in a cleaner and subtract it from their rent, unless I can convince them otherwise over the phone they're going to make me feel awful by cleaning it all themselves. Once again, good friends save the day.
The flight
So it was clear I wasn't going to get the house CLEAN before having to leave for the airport, but at least I wanted to get it tidy, put all the things we were leaving behind in their place. After doing that and showering and getting my luggage ready, my dear father in law, Dave, and I left the house about an hour later than I knew was a good idea when travelling on the M25. And wouldn't you know it, just to top the sort of week I'd had the entry slip road was closed and the motorway at a standstill. We chose a different route, to find that so had everyone else, and crawled along at an elderly and injured snail's pace. With some quick wireless internet assistance (aka phoning Steve to check the internet) we determined we could join the motorway at the next junction, and after that it was smooth sailing. I arrived with plenty of time and my luggage even came in under the weight allowance (I'd payed for an extra bag).
Naturally, after boarding, the flight was delayed for two hours. Eventually though, I was finally in the air and on my way back home.
Shipping
I hadn't finished sorting out what should be packed and what shouldn't when the packing guys arrived an hour and a half earlier than expected, so all of the Friday was a hysterical rush to try and stay one step ahead of them so they can pack up one room while I finalise what they should do in the next. They were far too good at their job for my stress levels! They had a bit of fun getting the bed apart and they started moaning about having to get going to do their next job, but at the end of the day everything that had to get shipped got in the van; and then some.
The real fun was when I phoned the offices of the shipping company (Simpsons) to finalise payment and found out they'd only sent half the documents I need to fill out and hadn't bothered checking whether everything was arranged before sending the packers. Spent the next hour phoning Steve (who was seriously busy with a crisis and work and severely stressed out), my mom and a Simpsons staff member who was growing less and less helpful with each call.
The final word on that is that they now have all the docs except the car's import permit so they'll keep everything in storage until they receive that, then ship it in the next available lot (3-5 weeks from the date they get the doc), another 3-6 weeks at sea. I'm going to be living out of a suitcase for another while yet.
The Passport
In my desperate rush to not hold up the packing guys too much I had them just pack the entire contents of the desk in the spare room. MISTAKE. Turns out my passport was in there. Now let me just say I KNOW that is just about the most stupid thing I could have done that day. I'll give you a minute to finish laughing.
OK, done? So at 6am on a Saturday morning I woke up with the realisation that I had just let someone put my passport somewhere in one of 40 boxes, at a depot ready to be shipped out to sea. Their office telephone numbers all went to a voicemail saying that they'll only be open again on Monday (the day AFTER my flight). Cue widespread panic and hysteria. After an early morning call to my poor long-suffering mother I felt a bit calmer (but no less stupid) - the worst case scenario was that I would have to postpone my flight.
Simpsons was supposed to collect the car for shipping on the Friday too, but they hadn't, so on Saturday a Simpsons van turns up. I had never been so glad to see a van. Told the guy the situation, he phoned the depot where the offices were closed but the very same packers I had were loading things into shipping cotainers. For a rather hefty fee they searched the boxes until they found the passport, and I drove down there after the guy in the van who was supposed to collect the car (the packers only worked until noon and it was faster than loading the car on the trailer and driving with him in the van). Got there, got my passport, and a dear friend drove all the way out to come and get me again. I give all thanks to God for making that day work out the way it did.
The skip
After how much I worried due to the skip not being allowed to be left on the road, this went surprisingly well. All due to having wonderful friends. They started showing up long before the skip arrived and started carrying the rubbish to the sidewalk. Now I'm talking slabs of concrete; this was no easy job. By the time the skip came almost all of the stuff was ready to be thrown in and we finished the job with 10 minutes of the allocated 30 to spare. Unfortunately this is when the van turned up to take the car and it became an urgent rush to get to Kent before the packers who had found my passport left, so I had to leave in a rush, I still feel bad that I couldn't thank everyone properly.
The house
After the shipping guys had gone the house looked like some footage on a natural disaster documentary. Then I had to pack for SA. After that it was even worse. Spending most of Saturday driving around after my passport and then feeling exhausted I didn't get nearly as much cleaning done as I'd wanted to and by the time André and Suné (friends and tennants) arrived to say goodbye on Sunday, it was clear that I could either give the house the thorough cleaning I had intended before they moved in or I could catch my flight; but not both. Thankfully they are very understanding people and forgave me. In fact they won't even head my pleas to get in a cleaner and subtract it from their rent, unless I can convince them otherwise over the phone they're going to make me feel awful by cleaning it all themselves. Once again, good friends save the day.
The flight
So it was clear I wasn't going to get the house CLEAN before having to leave for the airport, but at least I wanted to get it tidy, put all the things we were leaving behind in their place. After doing that and showering and getting my luggage ready, my dear father in law, Dave, and I left the house about an hour later than I knew was a good idea when travelling on the M25. And wouldn't you know it, just to top the sort of week I'd had the entry slip road was closed and the motorway at a standstill. We chose a different route, to find that so had everyone else, and crawled along at an elderly and injured snail's pace. With some quick wireless internet assistance (aka phoning Steve to check the internet) we determined we could join the motorway at the next junction, and after that it was smooth sailing. I arrived with plenty of time and my luggage even came in under the weight allowance (I'd payed for an extra bag).
Naturally, after boarding, the flight was delayed for two hours. Eventually though, I was finally in the air and on my way back home.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Listen, Murphy and you stupid law, I hate you.
The oven is proving to be a bit of an issue. Where the old oven was, isn't anywhere near the oven ring on the electric circuit, and after buying literally the only oven I could find that would fit in width ways, the depth seems to now be a problem too (I measured it but didn't take into account the gas pipe running along the back). So we'll have to see if my father in law can work any magic today.
The skip is proving to be a bit of an issue. The council won't allow the company to park it on our road, so they are only willing to bring it on the truck, wait half an hour and take it away again. So, now I have to beg all my friends to work their arses off for me in a very short period of time and hope for the best.
The dining room table I'm trying to sell on eBay is proving to be a bit of an issue. The listing saved with the wrong delivery details, I went to amend them, but it seems the update didn't register because I now have a bidder who initially wanted to come and fetch it but now wants it delivered for free (the courier costs on something that big is going to be much more expensive than what I'm selling it for). 100% negative feedback as an eBay seller, here I come!
The shipping company is coming tomorrow and I'm nowhere near finishedpacking sorting out what they should pack. All nighter, I guess - unless something goes wrong with that too.
The skip is proving to be a bit of an issue. The council won't allow the company to park it on our road, so they are only willing to bring it on the truck, wait half an hour and take it away again. So, now I have to beg all my friends to work their arses off for me in a very short period of time and hope for the best.
The dining room table I'm trying to sell on eBay is proving to be a bit of an issue. The listing saved with the wrong delivery details, I went to amend them, but it seems the update didn't register because I now have a bidder who initially wanted to come and fetch it but now wants it delivered for free (the courier costs on something that big is going to be much more expensive than what I'm selling it for). 100% negative feedback as an eBay seller, here I come!
The shipping company is coming tomorrow and I'm nowhere near finished
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Bye bye love
Steve flew to SA last night. He arrived safely but we're both quite emotional. For him it's the realisation that this isn't just another business trip but that he's left the UK. For me, it's missing him, worrying about him and thinking about the metric FUCKTON of things I need to do in the next three weeks or so.
More later about the leaving party but right now I'm just feeling sorry for myself.
More later about the leaving party but right now I'm just feeling sorry for myself.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Gone fishing
So, today's my last day at the office!
I have got some documents to wrap up detailing the projects I've been working on so I can hand them over, and then I just need to get all my crap off the hard drive and tidy my desk.
This is my first goodbye and the first time it really feels like the move is real. It's not nice to leave colleagues behind and a bit scary to make so big a change but I'm starting to get excited.
Not too excited yet, though, as not working next week means I have to pack in ALL seriousness!
Looking forward to lunch at the pub with colleagues and some drinks there after work. I just wish I wasn't so tired from my very painful shoulder muscles keeping me awake, but Tesco had these horribly tacky looking giant cans of "Relentless" energy drinks on special. The MD's already thought it was a can of beer - a bit early for that, even on your last day at work! :D
I have got some documents to wrap up detailing the projects I've been working on so I can hand them over, and then I just need to get all my crap off the hard drive and tidy my desk.
This is my first goodbye and the first time it really feels like the move is real. It's not nice to leave colleagues behind and a bit scary to make so big a change but I'm starting to get excited.
Not too excited yet, though, as not working next week means I have to pack in ALL seriousness!
Looking forward to lunch at the pub with colleagues and some drinks there after work. I just wish I wasn't so tired from my very painful shoulder muscles keeping me awake, but Tesco had these horribly tacky looking giant cans of "Relentless" energy drinks on special. The MD's already thought it was a can of beer - a bit early for that, even on your last day at work! :D
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)