21 days - PAINT, PAINT AND MORE PAINT!!!

I feel like I might just paint in my sleep! In the last 72 hours I have painted the cloakroom (3 coats), the en-suite (2 additional coats as the first had been done a few days ago), and Laura's room (2 coats). Someone else is coming on Monday to paint the hall, landing and stairs as I can't do that: I don't do heights - the wall next to the stairs is a bridge too far! He will also be painting the 15 new doors that are halfway through being fitted.

Laura's 'refreshed' room

The hot weather makes painting interesting. The upside: it dries so quickly you can move on to second and third coats as soon as you finish the first. The downside: the paint starts to dry out and form a skin in the paint tray :(
So, today has been another jampacked day, tomorrow Laura has a friend's birthday party, some of the many items I posted on Facebook will be being picked up and then a friend is coming round to collect all the new and second hand uniform I hold for Minety Primary School.

Short and sweet today as having burnt the midnight oil the previous two nights I am under strict orders to be in bed by 12 (oops #fail!) Btw my husband rocks as I came downstairs from having showered and put the children to bed and he had done the washing up....so.very.grateful!

25 days

Flights are booked as of yesterday!
Definitely leaving 17th August, glad we are booked at last :)

Had a busy day on Monday as expected and then was surprised at what I thought was someone else's school leaving party with a lovely bunch of flowers and card.
I have enjoyed working at Minety Primary so much and feel sad that I'm going to miss two whole year groups make their way through the final stages of the school. I don't have any significant input to their education but as there are only 123 children I know each of them fairly well. I have the fantastic opportunity to be in the setting several times a week and also feel so in touch with my own children's education as a result, plus I hear anecdotes from teachers that I wouldn't otherwise hear. I hope similar opportunities will present themselves to volunteer at the British International School in Pudong (which I will refer to as BISS from now on!)

 

Laura had her last Rainbows session and they presented her with a diary and a card they had all signed, a lovely gesture as she only started going just before half term. Puffin had also looked into transferring to Rainbows Shanghai if Laura wants to (and if it is anywhere near us!) The after school clubs at BISS included Rainbows so it may be that this is operated by the official branch.

 

The agent that will be managing the letting of our house came today and was full of useful tips and information, we have experience of their services and it is great to be totally confident in their abilities to ensure the safekeeping of our family home and ensuring that it generates income!

 

A short entry today as I haven't washed up yet or done packed lunches and I am exhausted and fully intend to actually go to bed promptly tonight...famous last words!

27 days...

A very busy weekend! Much packing and sorting has gone on, in between flogging stuff on Facebook and sorting end of tenancy issues for the rented house (Fairfield).
Compiling inventory lists of each box is my latest least liked task.

Our estimated departure date has now moved to 17th August although no flights are booked yet.

So many jobs to tick off next week and it coincides with the last week of term *sigh*. Work is still ongoing in the en suite bathroom, I need to  dash to Swindon first thing to exchange the childrens' suitcases (for bigger ones!), then back to let the oven valeter in to Fairfield at 10.30, work lunch at school, then Maison Let (letting agent for our house) are coming Monday afternoon. The following days are a similar medley of cramming in jobs, appointments, fixing things and making sure everything is ready for the painter who is starting next week (landing, hall and stairs, followed by 15 new doors!)

I am currently wading through treacle with Vodafone trying to convert to Pay As You Go, I wasted an hour on the phone on Friday (well, not a complete waste, they were on speaker, but you know what I mean!) before giving up. I am now on my third 'agent' on Livechat as they couldn't help me in the shop when I tried that tactic on Friday afternoon (cancellation has to be done in writing etc etc) They are now quoting £326.67 Early Termination Fee as I am in a contract until October 2015....aaaaagh, but there is no choice and no negotiation possible :( Thanks to the delay on Friday I am now into the 30 day window they require for notice which means that this transfer to PAYG will happen while I am in China...what could possibly go wrong?!?!! Not holding my breath...And to top it all off, I have to go back to the shop to pick up a blank SIM. Grrrr.

On another happier note, the children are enjoying eating up the contents of the cupboards. Did the baking cupboard today and this is the resulting snack/treat:

 

 

A sad consequence of eating everything up is that we ate the last pack of Staffordshire Oatcakes today. Who knows when we will have them again... :(

 

 

 

And finally, a sad day for Thunderbird J. It suffered a fatal pedal snapping/wheel jamming incident en route to the swings and is now destined for the great GoKart race track in the sky. So much hard work went into this much loved GoKart by GrandpaFixit and we hadn't quite worked out how to get James to come to terms with the fact that it was too small for him and we couldn't take it to Shanghai. It seems fate has intervened and he has shed a tear, we put it in the skip and sung the Star Wars theme tune by way of a ceremony!

 



 



4 weeks 4 days

That is what the widget on my phone says...
4 weeks and 4 days until 16th August which is when we really need to be leaving in order to hit the orientation date (22nd August) for James and Laura's school and allow a couple of days to get over jetlag :/
So much to do and yet so little can be done due to the work going on in the house. Main bathroom nailbitingly close to being finished (more painting done this evening), en suite underway and still the cloakroom to do. After the upstairs work has been completed, the painter will be free to come in and paint hall, landing, stairs and the 15 new doors (yet to be hung). Around this I need to paint all the bathrooms and also the master bedroom. Then the carpet fitter can come and THEN I must clean maniacally and we can have a letting agent round  to advertise the house and I can start packing!! Pass the valium please... :-O

Some general info:
We are hoping to live here: www.shanghai-emerald.com  We looked round a place here (no. 31) and have a reservation on no. 32 which we have yet to see in person.
(House layout here http://www.shanghai-emerald.com/HouseLayout/Show/?PId=3&S=B)
The children have confirmed places at: http://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/shanghai/pudong
There are two families signed up, the other family also have 2 children who are in the same year as James (Yr 2 moving to Yr 3 next year).

Btw I am new to blogging, but if I have time, I think this will be useful stress relief so this is intended to be therapeutic for me as much as trying to keep everyone else informed (retail therapy had helped so far, but there's a limit to how much we can take with us!)