Food : Bake in a Bag

While searching through Tesco's online, I stumbled on this.

A butter and parsley basted chicken that bakes in the bag. 

Never done that before! So, into the virtual cart it went.

I know there are ways to bake in a bag in the US. I also know that you can get prepared chicken, but I've never really seen a prepared whole chicken ready to cook in a bag before. (Was I blind? Possibly, but I don't think so.)

Plopped the whole thing into a baking pan (at least 5 cm deep) and stuck it in the oven for 55 minutes. Then, I had to take it out, cut the bag open, and baste the chicken with the melted butter. Back in the oven for 20 minutes, then out of the oven and covered in tinfoil for 10 minutes (which I still don't have, so I cover it with a towel).

Before cooking, however, E&W googled the oven for me. The bottom oven is a fan oven (aka convection oven) which cooks by circulating heat around the oven. The top oven is a conventional oven. It cooks by heating to a desired temperature and "blanketing" the food with heat. Hallelujah! At least I could figure out what temp to cook the chicken at properly.

The above picture is from meat and haggis pies, but shows how packaging here gives 3 temps for cooking dependent upon your own oven. This one doesn't show a fan setting, but the chicken one did. For the record, 180° C is 356° F and 200° C is 392° F; close enough to what I'm use to, to work. Now I just need to commit it to memory (although I think I've got it as I did that off the top of my head and when I double checked for accuracy, I was right.)

We had roasted sweet potato wedges and pan-fried Brussels Sprouts with the chicken.

I apparently still need to figure out the upper oven as I decimated our poor roasted sweet potato wedges. I think I put them in too early or at too high a temp or, frankly, a bit of both.

The sprouts were about half the size of the ones I get in the US.

The chicken didn't brown properly which is my fault. Not really thinking about it, after basting it, I put the bag around it again when I should have pushed it down. You can clearly see where the bag didn't cover the chicken  and how beautifully it started to brown. 

But it's actually irrelevant.

It was so good! So much flavor! The Brussels Sprouts were just as delicious and the sweet potatoes had a bit a flavor even after burning them.
Highly suspect that they would have been superb cooked properly.

Here's the thing I'm wondering now though . . . In the US, affordable chicken was huge and often completely flavorless; how it's cooked adds the flavor. But the chicken here was slightly smaller and brimming with the flavor of chicken. Perhaps growing chickens too quickly with hormones and plumping the meat with injected water and broth is killing the proper size and flavor of chickens in the US.

I guess we'll find out for certain each time we have chicken in the future, which I'm looking forward to.

As a lovely side note . . .

This is in our kitchen.

After talking with Anne, who is married to our landlord, Anthony, I know exactly what to keep for the hens. Last night's Brussels Sprouts cut-offs and leaves as well as sweet potato ends and scraps are going to the hens. Apparently, they'll eat anything, including spaghetti, but meat and eggs are a no-go (duh!). 

The hens are located on a part of the farm that is quite busy with people, so we will not be able to meet them until next week. But once we are out of quarantine, we'll be able to meet them, feed them, and collect eggs ourselves.

I'm so excited!!

One of the girls said, "Is this a Peabody duck thing again, Mom?"

I cried when I got to ride in the elevator with the Peabody ducks at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis for my birthday. So clearly, my answer was, "But, of course!"

The Person Who Loves Scotland Most

The award for the 

The Person Who Loves Scotland the Most 

so far

goes to . . . 

LOLLIPOP

The dog is having a absolute blast!

So happy! Going for walkies in the rain (and she usually hates rain,
but not here!)

walking down the path in by the cottage

Seeing a giant bunny for the first time

Seeing sheep for the first time

The edge of the sheep fields are lined with wild blackberry brambles

Seriously, she looks bedraggled and unhappy, but she was
THE HAPPIEST DOG
in the world after walking in the rain, running through puddles,
and being introduced to sheep and bunnies.

The Post About Food

A lot of people have been asking about food, so let’s talk food; one of my favorite subjects so probably the first of many posts.

Food has presented PLENTY of challenges and taken A LOT of planning.

Our friend, Lee Montgomery, asked if I will be translating my own recipes or working off of what I can find here.  The answer is a bit of both; what I can find here initially and eventually translating well-known and well-loved recipes as time goes on. 

Even though I have been to the store here many times during past trips, I have never done a full shop for 5 people and a dog for a lengthy amount of time at a store I’ve never been to in a country I’ve only visited. However, I went into this knowing it would be a learning process so it hasn’t bothered me too much. I like learning new things and this is just simply a part of moving any where outside your local community. Has it been frustrating at times? Sure. But we also aren’t complete Scottish noobs.

Our first challenge was getting groceries while not permitted to go to the store because of quarantine. Luckily, we were told by friends that everyone here has their groceries delivered because of covid. Anthony, our “landlord”, let us know which stores would deliver to the Cottage. We signed up with two, Tesco’s (similar to Kroger in the US) and Morrison’s (similar to Publix). However, because nearly everyone gets deliveries, the delivery slots fill up quickly; at least a week in advance.  I had two deliveries booked before we ever left the US.  (I have to have at least £50 in the basket to book a time for a certain day. I then have up until 24 hours before delivery to change the order. I can also pick another slot and start another basket which is how I book multiple deliveries.)

The challenge after figuring out getting groceries delivered was knowing what we might need immediately versus what could wait. Sometimes it was just a guess. Related to that, but different was not knowing what was available in the kitchen at the Cottage until we got there (while having to order food before we got there).  We were told “basic necessities” by Anthony. We assumed plates, utensils, pots, and pans. But casserole dishes? Big pots for pasta? Measuring cups? How big was the refrigerator? How many days of food would it hold ? (As it turns out, a fourth the size of our old one.)

I had to plan what to eat each day, two weeks in advance. Honestly, not a big deal as I often planned a month in advance during our busy times. The challenge really was shopping in an unknown store online. Finding alternatives and substitutions is far easier when you’re standing in the store looking for what you need; especially when you don’t necessarily know the alternative term or name.

I decided to go with basic family meals, like frozen lasagna or frozen Salisbury Steak.
Except I couldn’t find any. 
So, “What’s another word for . . . ?” or “What’s the Scottish word for . . . ?” were often asked.
Sometimes I knew (biscuit instead of cookie, crisp instead of chips, chips instead of fries); sometimes I didn’t.     

Many conversations went something like this:
Me to E&W: Hey, what’s a British word or words for frozen family meal?
E&W : What to do you mean?
Me : You know, pre-made, frozen, feeds a family, not just one?
E&W : Did you try premade?
Me : Yep, tried it. Nope, wasn’t it.
E&W : Oh, do you mean “ready meals”?
A few clicks later, Me : Yes, apparently, I meant ready meals.

Then came the challenge of finding ready-meals that would feed a family of 5. There really weren’t any.  So, I had to buy in multiples. The question was how many?  Not as easy as it sounds since the UK system of measurement is a hybrid, albeit mostly metric (grams and litres), and the US is imperial (ounces and cups; and what I’m use to).  I had to trust A LOT.  If it said “Serves 2”, I bought 3.

But for other items, I had some converting to do. Luckily, I landed rather quickly on 500g equaling about 17 ounces, close enough to one pound or 2 cups to work for me. It threw me when something was in kilograms and let's just talk about litres later.

In addition to a couple ready-made meals, our first order contained A LOT of well-known favorites that we can only get in the UK. Prawn sandwiches, Jaffa Cakes, pork pies, picnic eggs (miniature Scotch eggs), sausages (amused because the package we got called them “Dinky Posh Dogs”) that we usually had for lunch.  I also tried to include enough of “home”  to help the kids know they weren’t losing all their favorites.

In addition to human food, I managed to find our dog's regular food, her favorite treats, and new food to try.

Our first delivery arrived the morning after we did (we arrived very late and had a picnic dinner on the road to the Cottage). The driver delivered baskets to our door and I retrieved the bags from the baskets and brought them into the house. He was exceptionally friendly, bemused by our quarantine, and his heavy Glaswegian accent threw me at first, but I managed to catch on fast enough.

So, on to the real question, what have we had to eat?

The first night we had pre-packaged ready-meal Fish Pie and Roasted Asparagus. The fish pie came in these little bamboo / wooden baskets that were used to cook them in. 

 

Servings here are smaller and I wish I’d gotten a third package of asparagus, but no one starved, and the fish pie was actually very good.

As an aside : Food here doesn’t have all the chemical and preservatives in it and is held, generally, to a much higher standard than in the US, so it will go off faster than food in the States. Therefore, buying for a week at a time, doesn’t make sense. I felt I was pushing it when I purchased for 4 days, but it worked. However, 3 days might be the magic number because of the build up of items over time (ie mayonnaise, butter, etc.; things you have on hand in general), that take up valuable real estate in the college fridge.

The second night we had Bangers and Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) with Broad Beans. This was a hybrid meal. I learned to cook A LOT of easy, comfy British meals from scratch before E&W and I married; Bangers and Mash was one of them. It seemed a pretty easy recipe to cook (partially) from scratch. I bought pre-made mash because I didn’t know what the Cottage would have on hand as far as being able to actually mash the potatoes. Now that we’re passed that moment in time, it seems silly to assume a Scottish house would not have a masher. There are two.  The broad beans were good, but could have been better.  I remembered to get chicken broth/stock for the gravy, but forgot to get some to cook the broad beans in.  Still, no one went hungry.

Then we had Pasta Carbonara, another hybrid meal. I cooked part and purchased part.  I bought the sauce (because we have “white” sauce in the US; usually alfredo, but this specifically said “Carbonara” and E&W and I love carbonara). I added extra bacon, onions, and peas.

Last night we had steak pie and goose fat roasted potatoes. Both items were frozen and cooked in the oven, which is a whole 'nother thing. Instructions here give temps in 3 or 4 different ways; Celsius, fahrenheit, Gas, or Fan. I know the oven here isn't gas or Fahrenheit, so I usually cook it according to Celsius or fan settings (which are sometimes different on the same package). The Steak Pie was no longer frozen, but still cold when it was suppose to be done, so clearly my setting was wrong. I put it back in and then managed to burn to the top, which wasn't entirely my fault. The directions said it needed to be covered in tinfoil but I didn't know that having never made it before, so I didn't order any and the cottage didn't have any. I covered it with oven paper instead. It worked right up until the end. The entire top burned and I had to cut it off, but the steak filling and potatoes were really good. Sorry, I didn't get a picture.

Tonight's culinary masterpiece was frozen pizza because 3 teens wanted comfort.  It was very good as far as pizza goes. I, personally, don't care much for pizza, but tried it anyway.  It'll do for future teen comfort.

Upcoming meals include baked chicken with Brussels sprouts, baked spaghetti (requested by Helena, for which I did not order enough sauce) and tacos.  Tacos are one of Rhu's favorites and while I was able to find a familiar brand, Old El Paso, I wasn't able to find exact equivalents to what we have at home, so taco night will take on a new twist.  

And that is food . . so far. 

Well, except for the steak and haggis pies that are waiting to be eaten. By me, because pizza.

The First Post About Lollipop

I believe most people know this, but Lollipop is our fabulous dog. She's a 5-year old terrier mix.

Lolly was found on the side of the road when she was about 6 weeks old; covered in dirt and fleas. She was taken to a Rags to Riches Animal Rescue, where Peggy nursed her back to health. How we got her is a story in itself and maybe I'll tell it later, but right now A LOT of people are asking about Lollipop (aka Lolly, Poppy, Sunshine, Pillow Princess, Miss, Ma'am, Pooper, Poop da Scoop, Monster, Bug, Sweet Girl, Love Bucket, Gremlim, hound . . . the list goes on and on) and the journey she is on.

There was zero question as to whether she would move with us or not. For us, dogs are family. Leaving her would seriously be like leaving one of our children behind which was tempting (to leave a child, not the dog), but It just wasn't going to happen. However, getting her there was one of our biggest concerns about moving.

There are several options for moving a pet long distances. It is possible to make plans to transport your animal yourself by calling airlines and cargo companies, but there were so many (too many) variables that could go wrong; especially for an international move. Hugh and I both found that option to be unacceptable. So, Hugh researched pet re-locators online, narrowed it down to about 3, interviewed them all, and chose Pet Movers in Atlanta. They are literally walking us through the process, step by step, and so far, it's been worth every penny . . . and many dollars.

Many people think that there is a 6-month quarantine for pets travelling abroad.  This is no longer true for pets entering the UK. However, just like me, Lolly needed a visa or "pet passport" which allowed her to enter the UK immediately. Getting her visa, was almost as time consuming and worrisome as getting mine.

To get a pet passport, Lolly had a series of vet visits and this is where one of our glitches happened. She had to be up-to-date on all her vaccines plus the ones required by the UK. We found out 20 days to her travel date that she needed to have a rabies boost 21 days out from her travel date. We made a mad dash to the vet to update all her vaccines. Dana at Pet Movers then started working with UK customs to get her pre-accepted on arrival, 21 days to arrival instead of departure. She was approved.

Seven days from departure (it has to be within 10 days), Lolly returned to the vet where he signed off on a Health and Wellness form, confirming all vaccines required by both countries, and that she was well and healthy. The H&W form was overnighted to the USDA in Atlanta for approval, although it took 2 days to get there. The USDA then had 24 hours to overnight it back to us.

Trip number 3 to the vet occurred last Saturday morning (within 3 days of departure). She was given a tapeworm pill and the vet signed off that this was done on her Health and Wellness form. Her pet passport and pre-clearance were complete. Whew.

In the last couple of weeks, it was clear Lolly knew something was up. Items were constantly being taken from the house. She panted more often; stayed closer than normal. I often explained to her about flying in an airplane. She conversed with the squirrels and a flock of geese in our backyard about it. They laughed at her and told her dogs didn't fly. I explained again that the geese were jerks and dogs could fly, in an airplane. 

When we got the suitcases out, she really knew something was up. When I brushed off her bed to vaccum seal it in a bag and then got together her toys, leash, seatbelt, etc., she got SUPER excited that her stuff was being packed and she knew she was going too. The big blue duffel is referred to as "Lolly's suitcase".

When the packers arrived, Lolly was taken to my parents house and stayed there. She was surrounded by her Aunt Brie the Cat and usually her doggy cousins, Max and Maggie, were there during the day. She had a difficult time settling in the first night we slept there, but settled in the next night. 

Lolly rode in the car with us to Atlanta because it cost far less if we all flew out of Atlanta. A LOT less. If you're wondering how much it is to fly your dog internationally, I'll tell you that she cost as much as the 5 of us together . . and that was without the red carpet, door-to-door service.

Lolly settled into our hotel room for the night pretty easily. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying it a great deal; including the elevator and our room being on the 14th floor. She really LOVED looking out the window and enjoyed having all her people in one room.

Lolly's new "room" was delivered by Pet Movers to our hotel room. It is her travel crate. It was delivered last night so we could get her use to it. You can get them earlier, but our car was full enough. She was already crate trained, not adverse to it, and did explore it and go inside. We lined the bottom with a pet pad and a towel. Food and water bowls are attached to the door. Her "suitcase" included an extra pet pad and extra food.

Colleen meeting Lolly

This morning, we delivered her and her new crate to Animal Land where Colleen took over for us. She will look after Lolly until it is time for her to go to the airport. Lolly was confused and rightly so, but she's a Mont and a total trooper. She will be getting a bath while she waits. We figured it would keep her busy and out of the crate for a while. Once at the airport, she will board a direct flight to London Heathrow. She's the lucky one. The rest of us are flying to Miami and then London.

Lolly's flight on a freight plane will be between 8 and 9 hours long. The cabin she will be in is temperature controlled and pressurized. An attendant on the plane will check on her periodically.  She will not be medicated. Research has proven that dogs who are given tranquilizers to help them travel often have breathing problems on high altitude flights.

Once Lolly lands, she will be transferred to the animal reception center at Heathrow (HARC) where she will go through UK customs. It should take about 4 hours, but could be any where from 2 to 7. When she's done and ready to leave, they will call us. We will pick her up and begin our drive north to Scotland.

Dana, who has coordinated everything for us, has transferred 80,000 pets and animals in 16 years. She's lovely and her voice sounds just like my cousin, Jeanne, in Texas. It helped a lot and we have every confidence in her!

Those are our pet moving details for now. I'm sure I'll let everyone know how it turns out on the other end of our flights soon!

Lolly asleep in the car on the way to Atlanta

Trying to figure out being on the 14th floor of the hotel

Reassuring me she's okay

Checking out her travel crate

Meeting Groucho at Animal Land

The Post about Stuff

Today, we are dealing with stuff. 

Actually, we've been dealing with stuff since last Christmas. Off and on. 

It's one of the top questions I get when telling people we are moving overseas. 

What are you doing about all your stuff?

We are keeping about 60% or less of what we have. The rest has gone and is going. I'll talk about what we can't take and what we're keeping later.

Bea twirling in a skirt we found cleaning the storage room

In March, the kids (not being in school) and I started going through rooms in the house, one by one. We started with storage spaces because it disrupted day-to-day living the least. We would put hands on every single item in a room and place it in one of three piles: Keep, Go, or Trash. Sometimes there was an I-don't-know / can-I-just-deal-with-it-later pile and that was okay. Usually, the deal-later piles were pretty emotional and/or small. But here's the thing, those piles eventually needed to be sorted and dealt with too.

The process has been and remains exhausting, emotional, and cathartic.

Sometimes I'd spend a day dealing with emotionally provoking items, like old family photos that need to remain here or items that belonged to my grandmother. The next day, I would spend in bed or just watching tv, like a stunned little bird who just hit a window. And, the next day, I would get up and deal with stuff again.

Sometimes letting go of something was a multi-step process. We had piles and piles of crafts, science experiments, toys, games, photos, cds', DVDs, etc., to sort through. We took the craft and science experiments and put them in a box (okay, several boxes) and said, "If we don't do these in the next four weeks, it can go." We did some. We didn't do others. It is how Bea and I discovered how to make crystals grow on trees.

I started converting old VHS tapes to digital files before Christmas. I converted all our music cds to digital. Helena and I have scanned hundreds of old family photos (with hundreds more to go, but the clock is ticking) and organized them in binders. We've played games we've never played before to see if we like them. If we loved the game, it went to the ship pile. If we didn't, we offered it to neighbors. 

Yes, we game.

Let's just say our time during "lockdown" has not been dull or boring. We have always had something to do. Always.

Things that were broken were fixed, if possible, and then usually put in the "go" pile. If it couldn't be fixed it went to the go or trash pile. Sometimes someone would pick something up, another person would say "go", and the question would arise "Go to Scotland or go, as in, get rid of?" Rid off was a strong answer. Eventually, we had to define our terms better. Ship, donate, or trash.

It finally reached a point inside the house that all the different piles outweighed our comfortable living space. So, I forced three kids and a husband, to help me deal with the garage. It took a few of weeks. Sometimes I was alone out there, but generally at least one or two children would help; Bea, most often. But the others put their hard work into it as well. As a lot of stuff in the garage was Hugh's (tools, tents, and gear), he would join in on weekends. Everything in the garage went the same way. Ship, donate, or trash. Things that we were shipping went into the dining room which I had already sorted. That room became the "shipping" room.

Eventually, the garage was cleared (except for one small corner of items to ship). We then began shifting the donate piles from the house to the garage. Nothing about this process is tidy, I can tell you.

Sort Number One was complete. Sort of. Mostly. Enough to move on.

Sort Number Two commenced : the pile in the garage. 

The plan for a GIANT moving sale, the weekend before the movers came, fell apart. Not catching covid (ie being too close to too many people we don't know at all) just before traveling on two planes outweighed making money by far. So, we chose to sell the bigger items online and to give the rest away.

Deciding where things should disappear to was sometimes easy, sometimes not.  For example, we thought we would sell all the books, cds, and DVDs to McKay's, a used bookstore. We would take the money to purchase books missing from series we have. Then we realized that with covid, people were reading more and needing to exchange things more often so McKay's had become a petri dish of germs we did not need contact with. Disappointment abided and then relinquished itself to joy when we donated everything to our local library. 

Sometimes, I load up the car, ask "Who's going with me?", and whichever child volunteers gets to pick the charity.  In addition to books, we have donated 7 giant recycling bags of clothing and accessories to a church that Helena volunteered for with her Girl Scout Troop. I already know we'll have more bags to donate as we go through the next "sorting". 

Small household items were taken to Goodwill, games and puzzles offered to neighbors, old electronics went to our town's recycling center. Several carloads have gone to the dump. A fabulous friend and teacher from the kids' elementary school came and took a pile of crafts and goodies from us for the school's Destination Imagination program. Friends came by and took things they needed and wanted; often paying us even when we declined payment. Luckily, we realized early on, it wasn't about the money. It was about letting go.

If you're wondering how we've kept up with all this, I can tell you that it is definitely a process. One, as organized as I can be, I would sometimes get lost in. "Wait, what was I doing with this? Where is this suppose to go? What am I doing next?"

Finally, if you're also wondering how the kids are dealing with this, I have to say, they are storm troopers. On most days, they are standing with me, saying, "Bring it!" or "What today?" But I'll also say that this isn't all that new to them.  We moved to a far, far lesser degree 5 years ago.  When they were little, at birthdays and Christmas, I would say, "Whatcha gonna let go of so all the new stuff can come in?" and we would sort their stuff. Once a year, I would clean their closets out and insist that they help. If they outgrew it, hated it, or never wore it, it was donated. They are use to letting go because in learning to do it myself, I taught them how.

As a side note, some of the hardest boxes to go through during this, have been the clothing and baby items that at one point were deemed keepable, heirlooms, and hand-me-downs. We quickly realized that I had a strong love for little girl dresses, trains on boys clothing, and wooden toys. Helena and I organized clothes by size, debated the need to keep vs the desire to keep, the possibility of a future generation wanting to wear a certain style, the value of the item, and the emotions an item provoked. We laughed and cried a lot. We narrowed about 12 boxes down to 6.  The next day, Helena and I stayed in bed watching tv.

But I digress.

The girls sorted their rooms during the first sort entirely on their own, without being asked. Boxes of items from their rooms would appear in the hall. I tried my best to respect their decisions and usually succeeded, but on an extremely rare occasion, I would say, "Can we just keep this?" Mostly, I said, "Well done!"

Rhu is a blog post on his own. He sorts. At the rate of a sloth who needs a lot of naps.

That being said, I have stuff I need to go deal with. 

Sort Number Three has begun. Which is a post in and of itself.

The Post Where E&W is Free

As of the 14th of August, E&W (aka Hugh, Himself) is free to move about the world as he wishes.

From that date forward, he is no longer employed in the US.

While the timing was not what we would have chosen, we were well aware all along that there would be a vulnerable time in which he would not be employed.  The fact that his employer set a covid policy in March (against job changes, transfers, and new hires until 2021) only convoluted the problem. So, even though he and his bosses wanted him over in Scotland, he couldn't work over there until the new year. 

On the other hand, I have to go to Scotland during a window of opportunity given to me by the UK government. Our quandary, thanks to covid, was my date and his date no longer matched.  Those two considerations alone, however, leave out the most important part of the equation: our kids and school. So, we needed to think through everything. Again.

We sat quietly, like deer caught in headlights, and re-discussed what-the-heck we were doing. After a couple of hours of possibilities, figuring out new plans A through Z, and cons and pros (like the fact that he can move 100% with us and he won't have to come back here to work as covid numbers rise), we decided to keep our ship sailing towards Scotland.

Luckily, he was given a severance package that will last through the new year; which, coincidentally, is when the Global division of the company he worked for will be hiring again. And, in the meantime, we can concentrate on other things, like actually moving and finding someplace to live.

And not that we're counting or anything, but
11 days until the movers arrive
15 until we catch the flight

😃😭

The Post of the Big Update Posted to FB

Originally posted to FB on 23 July : 

The BIG, long Update some of you have been waiting for is here . . .

We have made it through the long dark tunnel of the doldrums. The light at the end of it was blindingly bright. Afterward, we plunged straight into a series of tunnels, but at least we're moving forward, rather fast, and so the strobe light effect is fascinating and, well, nauseating.

So, here's the news currently:

My Visa was approved. More importantly, visa and passport are secure, in hand. I can live in the UK for 2.5 years with my husband and children.

Spousal visas, before covid, allowed spouses to travel to the UK within a 30-day time frame. Post-covid, I have been given extra time, but I still need to be there by October.

One of the things we were struggling with pre-visa was school and the kids, especially as it starts here in a couple of weeks and in Scotland a couple of weeks after that. The timeline for school starting and doing what is best for the kids is the MAJOR motivator to move sooner rather than taking our time with the extra time we were given.  Truth be told, the kids were ready a month ago. Drawing it out is only causing more damage.

Because these are the times of covid, multiple plans must be made, hoping one comes to fruition. That being said, our MOVE DATE is: 

17 August 2020

Upon arrival in the UK, we will need to self-isolate for 14-days. Trying to find someplace to do that was a little challenging. We had two options and staying with Hugh's at-risk Mom was not one of them (although she graciously and superbly offered and we wanted desperately to say yes so we could see her, but no). Option One was to find a long-term rental and just stay in it until we found a house. This option fell through when we could not find a rental big enough for our family within an hour's drive of the school. 

So, we moved to option 2, a short term rental. Luckily, we were able to find a working farm about 35 minutes south of the school with multiple rentals.  Hugh called and explained our situation as well as what we wanted and needed. Anthony was 100% willing to work with us and help us.  We now have a small, furnished, basic cottage, away from others, to stay in for two weeks, with the possibility of staying longer.  Three stores in the local area will deliver to the cottage so we do not have to worry about food shopping. Because it is away from the other rentals on the property, we will be able to walk around the farm and be outside. (I'm sure I'll post pictures later.)

The school there is working with us to provide links to the school. The kids, hopefully, will be able to log on for introductory days while we are packing up here. We will then travel and they will miss a day or two. During quarantine, however, they will be able to log on and attend school from a distance. After quarantine, they will attend school in person.

While in quarantine, we will also be looking for a longer-term temporary lodging until we find a house.  Given the current situation and realty in Scotland generally, it is HIGHLY unlikely that we will be able to get a house quickly.

The house that we REALLY loved, and made an offer on, has a SERIOUS issue. The slate roof is original to the 1840s house. You read that correctly. The roof is 180 years old. We asked if the owners would come down on the price since, clearly, the roof needs A LOT of *very* expensive work and they have not answered.  We believe they are hoping for an offer from someone who doesn't get the roof inspected. Even if they were to say yes, we would have to think long and hard as it would 100% eat into any budget we would have to furnish the house. What's the point of a partially furnished house with a great, new roof?

So we keep looking. The area we are looking in is apparently the most awesome place in the world, because no one wants to move away from there.  Looking at a "properties for sale" (and even "properties for rent') map of Scotland, this area shines like a giant black hole of absence of properties available.  Which doesn't mean we haven't found a few that interest us. We have, but a couple of them beg to be seen in person. No amount of virtual touring could do those floor-plans or the surrounding view justice. Of course, we are then faced with having any house we are interested in, but need to see in person, selling before we even get there. Our plan B house is under offer. So is Plan D.

One of our longest tunnels right now is Hugh's job. He has been offered a job with Dell in the UK. He wants it. The bosses want it. But HR is saying no until January because of their current "covid policy". There is a chance that he will have to return to the US to work until the end of the year. Please pray with us that Dell sees all the excellent points to moving him now.

Like I said, in and out of tunnels, but moving forward nonetheless.

😃😭😂🙁🤩😱🤔🤢😷😳🥴🤪