I promised myself I would try to keep notes about our 'Big Move' to remind me what we achieved over these months. I did. I carried on using Trello as an online monthly project manager but I also found that I had to use a paper planner because it was the only way I could keep everything straight on a daily basis. Looking back on it now there was an awful lot. I am writing this in July and so much has happened since but I will try to summarize it as much as possible. Let's start right at the beginning of 2024.
- A quiet Christmas at home with some decorations up- I sold the pre-lit Christmas tree right after. This was the beginning of the big clear out of electrical items that would not work in the UK due to the 120v US v 240v UK power difference.
- Dick fractured a bone in his ankle on January 16th whilst walking to the train station after slipping on ice hidden under freshly fallen snow. At this point I was very glad I no longer had a job as all the dog walking, among many other things, was now my job too. He was also not able to drive for some time, therefore I was also the taxi driver for all the subsequent appointments.
- Submitting an application to HMRC (English customs) for a TOR (Transfer of Residence Tax Relief) to list the items we would be importing back to the UK. This was obviously a 'guestimate' as you really have no idea what you will finally be moving but it was a start. This has to be completed a couple of months in advance and basically allows you to import your personal items without being taxed on what you already own. It also establishes an address for you in the country. This meant that our good friends Mike and Cathy had to officially invite us to stay with them and use their address as our home until we find another one. This application contained one of my first mistakes, but I didn't realize that until we'd actually moved back. I completed the application in my name as I was the one tracking it all. Dick was listed as my spouse obviously, but everything we received after that only mentioned my name which caused several problems. More on that later.
- We had booked two separate crossings on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 in order to get Dottie, our dog, on the kennels reservation list. Luckily, we were able to get two kennels (necessary because of her size) confirmed on the May 23rd sailing out of New York. This meant that we had a confirmed moving date which was huge.
- February was spent packing up personal items around the house ready to put the house on the market. Dick's sister Kirsty came to visit for a week which was great timing as I had another pair of hands to move items around the house while Dick was laid up.
- Unfortunately, that wasn't the last of Dick's woes. To cut a very long story short, we ended up at the emergency room on the night of Wednesday 21st February after he was in a lot of pain. It turned out to be gallstones and a ruptured gallbladder which was promptly dealt with and removed at 8 AM the next morning. A long night for both of us. However, he now needed more time for recovery. It's a good job he can work from home!
- We went out to dinner with my old boss George and his wife, and mentioned that we were selling our beloved 2000 Mustang convertible. He turned out to be very interested and came over with a friend to view it. Sold! He did, however, agree to not take it until May as we had not planned to sell it until then.
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