The Big News

I’m on an airplane flying from Auckland to Invercargill via ChristChurch. I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally and am just drawing breath. For those who don’t know I will start at the beginning. Eric went to school in Dover. The school has a really strong ‘Old Boy’s’ (OB’s) network which meet every year over Remembrance weekend. Eric has attended every year since leaving school, with the exception of the last 2 years. He really misses it. Well, about 2 and a half weeks ago (God is that all it is!), I had a phone call from Stan asking if I could arrange for Eric to get time off work over OB’s weekend, they were having a whip round for his ticket. I was rushing out the door (it was that morning I was late having turned up Harriette’s dress) at the time and just said ‘Yes’ after trying to voice protestations about extravagance etc whilst Eric was in earshot. I dashed out refusing to say who had phoned or what it was about. On the way to Hamilton the dates rang bells so I pulled over , checked my diary and realised that I flew to Invercargill on Wed 10 Nov!!! I then phoned Robyn and Richard and left, what they tell me was a very garbled message, asking if they could have the children for a few days. THEN I thought, Aminals. Who was going to look after them. By now I was at the practice I was due in and all thoughts of this were shelved as I did the work there. I left in the afternoon and the brain when back into overdrive, (where it has stayed ever since), WHO could I get to house/child and aminal sit?? With huge relief I thought of Bridget, phoned her and she said ‘You want me to house-sit’. She’d been in on this for awhile. OK so that was sorted, next Eric’s work. I phoned his boss and he could not have been more obliging. ‘I think it’s great and he must have some neat mates to do this. Take the time and we’ll sort it when he gets back’ Great. Next, visa’s. Now you may think having our entire lives based in NZ and being permanent residents we could come and go as we want. No. You need a Returning Residency Visa, and ours had expired. I then had a 10 minute telephone conversation with an Immigration Officer about how I could get Eric a RRV without him knowing. He did not realise that I was the principal applicant when we originally came out and insisted that Eric had to sign the form. When I finally confirmed what he meant by principle applicant and explained that I was that he said no problem, you apply. It takes 20 working days. I don’t have 20 working days! So I filled in the forms and took them personally to the NZIS in Hamilton. ‘Please have them ready by next Tuesday’ I begged and nearly kissed the guy when he said they’ll be ready in 30 mins! Unfortunately I could not wait so agreed to collect on Wednesday last week. I actually didn’t get in until Monday this week. I then had the weekend in Auckland for the Parent and Child Show followed by those 2 days off sick last week. While all this is going on there is a flurry of emails going from my job computer to all in the UK trying to arrange for Eric to see as many people as possible during his trip. Bloo booked the ticket and managed to get him a flight out today as I was going to the airport anyway. The only problem was he cannot get back until Sat next week, ie 10 days away, which is great for him, he can have some time with his family etc, but terrible for us (I miss him already). So when to tell him? Plan A was I would somehow get him to take me to the airport and give him his suitcase and ticket there (this was when I thought he’d only be gone 5 days). Went off that idea at the thought of him and the girls not being able to say Goodbye properly, especially when it was evident he’d be away longer. Plan B, let him get ready for work in the morning, feed aminals, then tell him to get changed, he wasn’t going to work. Discarded when I realised we had to leave at 5am to drive to the airport. So…. I told him last night. Arranged that Bridget would come ‘for supper’ and Richard and Robyn would ‘pop in for coffee’ I woke up at 4.30am yesterday and could not get back to sleep. I had to get up and write various lists, one was a ‘to do today list’ with 28 things on it!!!! Had supper (Harriette cooked a very nice cordon bleu chicken) and waited for R+R to arrive. By now I was at breaking point. Bridget kept telling me to stop pacing! We sat on the deck on a lovely still evening and I told him. As per previous blog entry. The rest of the evening was a blur really with Eric stressed out because he couldn’t find his OB’s tie and what long pants to take? He has about 15 pairs but hasn’t worn any for the last 3 years so didn’t know what fitted, were comfortable etc. We got to bed after midnight, I think and woke to the alarm at 4am. He was still in shock when I put him on the plane this morning.

So there you are. Now where were H and A in all this? Well I had not told them. However I was worried about a negative reaction spoiling Eric’s surprise so told them just before supper. Eric and Bridget had gone to Matamata to collect my car which I had forgotten to get in the afternoon when it had gone in for a service that it didn’t need (another story!), and I told them then. Harriette literally leapt in the air saying “Great, Daddy gets to go to OB’s!’. Alice however just burst into tears! A combination of a) shock, b) why don’t we get to go to England, you’ve both been now, and c) ‘but we always go to OB’s as a family’. I gave her a hug, told her that when Helen wins the lottery she’ll pay for us all to go (didn’t tell her you don’t do the lottery Hel) , promised to save hard to go as a family as soon as possible and made her promise to not cry or be miserable when I told Eric. As the evening went on and bedtime came they had lots of tears, which made us feel SSOOOOO terrible. Eric was very emotional this morning before leaving still feeling guilty at leaving them.

I nearly missed my plane to ChristChurch (I mean I was only in the airport 5 hours early!) and have lots ,ore to write but you have had enough to read and we are coming in to land. Later.