A Blogger from Oz!

Whilst talking to a friend about my previous story - I Have A Dream - I mentioned part of a message from an Oz Blogger, saying she or someone would come over to the UK, ply me with vodka and take me over there! That prompted a title for another story - this one!

A BLOGGER FROM OZ!

Hello, Sonia from Life Love & Hiccups in Oz, blogging from the UK!

And what am I doing here, you ask? [If not, you are off my Christmas card list! Just joking!] I'm here as the special guest of a good supporter who also has her own Blog page - Virginia Kop and Kop's Kattery. For a very special reason - she is moving to Oz permanently and I volunteered to be her companion because it is a long flight for someone who has never flown before. There is such an undercurrent of excitement and a little fear  it feels as though she is going to pop any second. I cannot imagine how she managed to stay sane whilst arranging her first ever passport, and visiting the Australian Embassy in London to obtain her migration visa!!

We are travelling light, Virginia sent some crates by sea - books, pictures, ornaments, crockery and cutery, plus other special items. No furniture - is having all new items in her house in Cairns. Yes, she is bravely leaving the UK climate for the tropical one in Cairns! She has a wheeled case with clothes and a cabin bag with two Nevil Shute Books [In The Wet and The Far Country], a wordsearch book and a notebook to record experiences for her first Blog In Oz - 'A New Blogger in Oz' could well be the title!

The housing here is certainly different from what I've encountered before - a few areas with detached and semi-detached houses and bungalows - and it is intriguing to think that this house built in the 1890's, along with many others. It is one of 27 terraced houses, each one attached to its neighbours. There are several blocks to make up the whole odd-numbered side of the strret. Opposite the front is another block, the even-numbered, with smallish yards sorry, gardens, and a public footpath down the middle. The main room - a combination of sitting and dining room is large, as is the master bedroom. The second bedroom is small, but can hold a double bed. Virginia explains that the kitchen and bathroom were added on in the 1960's - cosy, yet practical. The landlords will probably modernise the kitchen, Virginia wasn't willing to put up with five days of noise, dirt and electrical interference to let them install a fitted kitchen.

Five empty bookcases, a cupboard and a lovely double bed are going to be collected for a charity shop tomorrow. All the carpets and various small pieces of furniture will be put in the front yard garden for collection and disposal.   

We have a limousine booked to take us to the airport, Virginia doesn't drive - and has no intention of learning! It will not be too long before I'm back home. Alicia [365 Moments of Gratitude] and her family will meet us when we arrive in Cairns. They have been a godsend - finding and buying a suitable house and basic furniture for Virginia, with money she sent over for that very purpose. Being in different time zones is a bit tricky, as I've found out this week away from MY family. I am looking forward to going home once we reach Cairns and I see the new abode. We have just heard from Alicia - Virginia's crates have arrived early! And she knows where there are two tabby kittens requiring a loving home!! It looks as though anyone wanting to meet Virginia will have to go to Cairns!!

Virginia Kop/Kop's Kattery

28 October 2013