There hasn't been enough contract work in order for James to able to keep affording places for us to stay while we wait for more of them (contracts), let alone funds to eat much of anything the last couple of weeks (except when we stayed with James' aunt last weekend). Cup of soup, crackers and sandwiches, the occasional bagged salad, do not a lunch and dinner make every day for a month (we went our three times, at the most, for a hot and nutritionally balanced meal). When one mental health issues, and food-related health issues...food becomes even more important to staying happy and healthy.
As fun as it might sound living in hotels, when you can't afford much in the way food, or entertainment, which also requires gasoline (it's equivalent to approximately $8.50 a gallon here as of this writing), it is not wonderful.
[almost forgot, we went to Bletchley Park, the tickets we're £27 total (for two), but good for a year, and since we have to come back two more times in that time, and the place is huge...that's an investment]
Thankfully we had one last month on our wireless plan (cheap as dirt in the UK for what we needed) and many of the hotels had free wireless (except for that damn Holiday Inn Express) when the mobile signal was nowhere to be found, so that kept us entertained, plus the wonderful people of Twitter.
Add having had to keep moving to hotels with lower rates AND vacancies regularly, because we booked mostly on a night-by-night basis so we could leave at any time in the event James got a contract, or even a few hours of work...spread that over a month and we are exhausted.
Spending an entire month in a hotel with anybody will drive you mad, don't care how much you love them or like them. It's not a romantic situation. The toilets are not that far away from the living area, where you are together constantly...bitch, bitch, moan, at least we had a roof over our head, and Cup of Soup to eat.
It could have been worse.
James is almost recovered completely from the vasectomy he had last Tuesday, (an event which sadly removed one of our *clears throat* forms of entertainment for awhile) and so yesterday and today we had tough decisions to make about how and when to leave England, and some stress to try to rid that was eating him, and us, to pieces.
The car we bought and had planned on storing needs too much work and the MOT (vehicle road worthy certificate) is due, and that little puppy (a Ford Mondeo) is not going to make it, (the wheel barring is shot and the catalytic converter is crumbled, almost tragically) and we can't afford to fix it, so before we fly out this week the scrapyard will come collect it for a cool £160 or so.
We're excited and not about returning to the states right now. Anybody that knows us well knows our mixed feelings, together, on living with The Mother, but it's all about staying strong, and once again trying to repair the relationship and for some of us learn to completely forgive her. In addition we, well, James at least, will only be able to stay in the United States for three months at the most, again...which means we will be returning to England/Europe either when he gets a good long-term contract or whatever the United States Government says...which we will find out when we land at the airport and go through customs...whichever comes first.
The funny thing about all this is,,,if we hadn't lost our wallet right before the flat sold and had nowhere for The Mother to send the new bank card when she finally got it in the mail to forward on to us, we wouldn't have has any of these problems.
If the first paperwork to the tax agency in the country where we sold the house we owned (in January) hadn't been lost, and then been a month late being replaced, we'd have had the funds from the sale to work with.
Luckily once we get back to the states we'll have some cash to work with, which is lucky because when James is in the states with us it is our responsibility to take care of him financially.
At least we'll get to see the "kitties" (Catherine is the most excited), and get to our paints and easel (Ivy is thrilled) and finish writing and posting pictures on our other blog (the travel one) about the foods, and sights and experiences we've had...we're all exited about that. Oh, and "real American coffee", none of that two shots of espresso and hot water Cafe Americano bullshit. And we'll get to cook meals again. And we can drive again (once we replace our lost drivers license). And our bicycle is there. Once the funds from the house sale clear we'll be looking at houses to buy. We really shouldn't complain at all. Some of us are apparently spolied brats.
Luckily the first thing James did with the job he got when we arrived in England back in January was save money for the flight home for each of us, just enough...and the increase in ticket prices meant we had to leave even earlier than planned, so...
We'll be touching ground in the United States on Monday.
Four months after arriving in England...mama (and daddy...and everyone)...we're comin' home...again...again.
<writing to you from an airport hotel until Monday, beneath the landing flight path of British Airways>
Luckily the first thing James did with the job he got when we arrived in England back in January was save money for the flight home for each of us, just enough...and the increase in ticket prices meant we had to leave even earlier than planned, so...
We'll be touching ground in the United States on Monday.
Four months after arriving in England...mama (and daddy...and everyone)...we're comin' home...again...again.
<writing to you from an airport hotel until Monday, beneath the landing flight path of British Airways>
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