We’re 2 weeks into our stint in the UK and I now recall what it was like having a second home again, something I’m sure many of you will relate to.
Let’s start with the kitchen, you are about to make your favourite recipe, then you realise you have no whisk/casserole dish/tongs/salad bowl…so off you go to buy one. The meal will have to wait till tomorrow, UK response - takeaway, France response - let’s go out for a meal tonight… Been there?
Ok next onto a trickier subject - kids. I now know why people going on holiday with kids seem to pack everything but the kitchen sink & why they always seem to flout the cheap airline 1 bag rule…they have to! Well I was restricted to one car load - we haven’t gone down the top box or trailer route yet, saving those for later when the kid count goes up or we’ll be replacing the car with a bus !)
We couldn’t fit the pushchair plus clothes, toys and kitchen equipment in the car - I couldn’t leave my coffee machine behind - I need it every morning to survive 
so we bought a double buggy, it’s excellent, no regrets there. We couldn’t fit the cot in the car, so we used our travel cot - o.k. for 2 weeks but not a longer term solution so we’ve had to buy another cotbed (how we will get that back to France I have no idea). I debated over whether to pack my 2 year olds next size of shoes but thought we were going back sooner (change of plans due to another project going on & now we’re not going back as easly as originally planned) I of course didn’t pack them and now her shoes are verging on being too small - new pair needed. Ho hum. Same situation with babygro’s for the baby who is growing at rapid speed and one extra month makes a huge difference in the first year so off to buy some more, luckily I get these from M&S so not expensive or far to go, however a bit annoying as I already have loads of girlie babygro’s from my eldest.
So onto the everyday things we have to do, even in second homes…Cleaning & DIY - yes even DIY. Plugs need changing back to UK plugs for us - glad we saved them where’s the screwdriver - need to buy one. Oh I’d better get takeaway coffee then until we have a screwdriver. Now to mop the floor, oh yuk there is no way I’m using that mop head (ever had this feeling in rental places?) So I buy another one - oh and the bucket didn’t have one of those wringing attachments so I bought a new bucket too and a load of cleaning products to go with it. I’ve already said to hubby “well I’m taking all of them back with us” - now if we couldn’t fit these things on the way out, how suddenly is the car going to expand to fit in my extra bucket, mop & 3 for 2 bottles of Mr Muscle? Hmmm.
We’ve already started talking about sending boxes back (ParcelsPlease) or perhaps needing a part load on a removal lorry (cotbed & double buggy?) or perhaps a man with a van who is going to the South of France anyway would like to take them for us. For now I’ll just forget about this problem as I have another problem. I left the soon to be 2 year old’s birthday presents in France. Oh well off to the shops again then.
Enormous lorry required at some point in the future…
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UK Stores Delivering Overseas