Bolt from the blue

Joanne was sat at work yesterday when her boss (or the boss of her boss, I can't remember) came over to tell her that it had been decided with the Singapore office to do a three month transitionary process regarding her role meaning she is going to be working remotely after all. Assuming it all works out regarding technology and stuff the timescale will just be rolled until they find someone in Singapore to do the role there at which time there will be a handover. Now that was a surprise. We had totally given up hope, thinking everyone there had just forgotten about the idea, with no-one willing to make such a revolutionary decision, but it appears not. Things have been going on behind the scenes.

Why does it amaze us so much when God answers prayers? But it always does. Tuesday we had the prayer supper, and then on Thursday, out of the blue, when we thought all hope was gone, this turns up.

There are still details to be worked out, like the technological aspects, and whether Joanne resigns and is brought back as a contractor, and pay roll issues and stuff. But it's definitely a positive step. She intends to keep the applications in place I mentioned before, just in case this all falls flat, but it's nice to have options.

A formal internal announcement was sent out yesterday at work regarding my news. It's such a relief to have it all out in the open and to be able to talk to people about it. Everyone's been really lovely and wished me all the best, which is nice.

You know, the hardest thing about leaving this place is the reaction of the staff in my team in the producing countries, our field teams. Chris was telling me, before he told his pupils he was leaving to go to college that he expected them to be disappointed and in a way feel rejected, and that that would be hard to take. I hadn't expected anything similar. It's surprised me than in a few of the team this is just the reaction I've got. I guess that since my old boss left I have become their friend and ally in London at the head office, the one fighting their corner and ensuring they're not forgotten. But to them, I've turned my back on that. I do feel in so many ways that I am letting them down. And it's hard to deal with.

Lettuce spray

Tonight was the final St Peter's Barge prayer supper for us. It was great to be there with such a high proportion of the church family for one last time, to pray and share the Lord's supper together. The theme of the evening was 'Moving on' or 'Change' or something. (I really should be able to remember - Marcus only told us a few hours ago!) It was an opportunity for those of us in the church family that are moving on to other things or doing something different next year to update everyone on their plans and share prayer requests and reasons for thanks. It really is such a blessing, a privilege and an encouragement to be able to take each others thanks and petitions before our Father, sharing our part in His work this way.

First up were Sihle (who is heading back to South Africa to head up a church plant in Soweto) and Chris and Ros (who will be moving to north London for Ros to work at a hospital up there while Chris starts Oak Hill College on their Theology and World Mission course, a cross-cultural mission programme.) The second slot comprised James (who's heading to Oak Hill for the same course at Chris) and Tim (who will be becoming more involved on the Barge during his second year on the Cornhill Training Course.) Thirdly we had the chance to update everyone on our plans, followed by Jason (who is heading to Chile with Operation Mobilisation).

So that it's here for Joanne and I to remember when we forget our priorities and focus; and also for others to see our motivation and priorities, and be able to support and encourage us through prayer I have included the briefing we gave below.

"In case you don’t know, Joanne and I will be moving to New Zealand in about four weeks. We’re going to be moving to Christchurch, which is on the south island, a city with about 350,000 people.

Joanne, as you know, is from New Zealand, and when she came over here for six months or so 10 years ago, she always had a plan to return.

We met at St Helen’s Church Bishopsgate and after we were married we, together with a number of other New Zealanders, founded a prayer group called Kiwis for Christ (or KFC), to get together and pray both generally and specifically for God’s work and for His people in New Zealand. We made contact with a number of churches and were emailed regular prayer requests from them. One church in particular that we made contact with was St John’s Latimer Square in Christchurch. We had regular contact with a number of the ministry team down there and used to pray for them, for Christianity Explored courses, for women’s work, student work and lots of other practical issues as well as for God to grow his kingdom in Christchurch through St John’s.

It was when we were part of KFC that we began to realize how much New Zealand was lacking widespread bible-teaching churches and also how New Zealanders need the gospel too. To give you some context, the Operation World book states that 68% of the UK population would call themselves Christian with 28% of the population claiming they’re non-religious. This compares with only 62% of the New Zealand population claiming they’re Christian and 35% claiming a non-religious status. This 68% for the UK overstates the real situation and it’s no different for New Zealand. Operation World notes the rapid secularization of society down there with negative growth rates in most denominations and church attendances in decline, especially in those in their 20s and 30s. New Zealand is an incredibly liberal society, seen as progressive by today’s worldly standards, and so faithful Bible teaching is seen as out-dated extremism, especially in such issues as the practice of homosexuality.

As we prayed and learned more about the situation with God’s church in New Zealand we resolved that we could and should use the training we’ve received to serve in a church in New Zealand.

Initially our choices of where we should move were driven by earthly motives, or more specifically, family reasons. We had the options of Auckland, near Joanne’s parents, or the Gold Coast, near her sister, in our mind. (Yes, I know that the Gold Coast is not strictly speaking New Zealand, but it’s closer than London.)

And then in 2005, on trip to New Zealand, we decided to go and visit those we’d been praying for at St John’s and also one of our friends from the KFC group who was now the women’s worker at the church. And it was during this visit, speaking to the ministry team and meeting the church family that the option came up of moving to Christchurch and becoming involved and serving at St John’s. We had family there who needed us too.

It was a hard decision, for one of us more than the other. But, after a lot of discussion and prayer and seeking the opinions of Christian brothers and sisters, we were led, guided, prodded and even shoved by God to the conclusion that the best way we could serve Him in New Zealand would be to join a good Bible-teaching church; rather than striking out on our own, joining any old church and attempting to make a difference with just the two of us. God seemed to be directing us toward Christchurch and the more we looked the more we saw a place in His plan for us there at St John’s. So we’re going, next month.

We would really appreciate your prayers in the following areas:
- Firstly, it would be great to thank God that through an idea of five people getting together once every six weeks or so with a heart to pray for New Zealand He has worked to lead us to serving Him in this way
- Also we'd like to thank God for all the support and encouragement we have received from our family on the Barge
Also we’d appreciate prayer:
- That we would settle into church & get to know people quickly
- That, with God’s guidance, we will be able to work out where we can best serve within St John’s
- For wisdom for the ministry team in knowing where & how to use us
- For our job situation - neither of us currently has anything concrete so we are stepping out in faith, trusting in God's sovereignty, so please pray that we will continue to trust in his provision
- For rest, in between jobs and churches, that we will take time to appreciate the break
- For witnessing opportunities both here & there based on our location choice (we've both had a number of chances here already – please pray that those discussions will have planted a seed in the hearts of the hearers, that they may seek God’s truth soon)
- For both of our families:
: Andy's - pray that they will come to terms with the fact that he'll be 12,000 miles away, and more specifically the reasons why we’ve made this choice, to serve God, not just for a different way of life
: And for Joanne's – that we will have many opportunities to witness to them particularly given that we have not made the easy choice to move near them
- And lastly, please pray for New Zealand in general, that God will break into the secularised society & start a new revival, especially with the increasing diversity of cultures (such as the Maori cultural revival; & increasing numbers of Polynesian, Chinese & Indian immigrants and Southeast Asian refugees)

It's so humbling and encouraging to know that we have Christian brothers and sisters praying for us. And such an encouragement that a relatively new church like the Barge is sending people out to serve God in such diverse ways already.

Contact

I spent some time earlier today going through friend's Facebook accounts and my contacts lists trying to find every Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail email address I could. The idea is that it's an easy way to stay in touch and a nice little reminder of home when you log on to your PC and see a smiley face, a green man or a green dot next to a friend's name. I think I'm beginning to realise how truly blessed we are to have all the friends we have here and how I'm going to miss them all, even those we don't see that often. Moving means that we can't see them anymore, whereas when we're here seeing them is always an option.

Assimilation

Going to have a game of touch rugby tomorrow. Should be interesting. It's quite a few years since I've even touched a rugby ball. But some Antipodean friends of mine are having a run around and offered to give me some practice. Surely I can find some people in Christchurch who prefer a round ball, eh? Just one'll do. I'm not greedy.

Flash, I love you, but we've only got three weeks complete the flat sale

We heard from our estate agent just now that the buyer's solicitor has raised a query with the borough council about contaminated land or something. It seems that due to the previous industrial use of the Isle of Dogs any local search will show up a note regarding "potential risk of contaminated land". For most sales this isn't an issue, but for some sales an overzealous solicitor who doesn't know the area will want to cover his back and so make sure that he can advise his client that there will be no issues with the future resale value. We have one of the latter sort of flat sales. He's also looking into indemnification (if that's even a word) policies regarding the same matter. The problem is the more people who you involve in a property sale the more time stuff sits on people's desks, and usually it's people with no personal investment in the property sale. Given our solicitor seems to want two weeks between exchange and completion to make sure everything can get sorted regarding final mortgage value etc etc (although most solicitors manage to turn that all around in three or four days) we really have to exchange next week. We originally set 13th July as the cut-off date for completion. We're going to be cutting it fine.

On another note, my ex-boss phoned me this morning. Seems he's not going to offer me a job after all. However, he does have a bit of consultancy work to throw my way. He needs a spreadsheet developing and he is confident that what's needed is right up my street. He thinks the idea is mutally beneficial - he gets the job done with no permanent commitment, and I get paid to do something while looking for a job. Sounds ideal to me too. The only sticking point at the moment is that he has to persuade his colleague that he needs the external expertise (which shouldn't be a problem because I know said colleague from his time working here too). Oh that, and coming to sort of agreement about a fee too.

The Three Degrees

Meeting Matt tonight and Martin for breakfast has really brought it home to me about going. I think today, more than at any other time, it's felt real. It's strange seeing people, saying goodbye and really honestly not knowing when, or even if, you'll ever see them again. I'm not sure why today more than any other, and why Martin and Matt rather than everyone else we've said bye to already.

Maybe part of it is having a prospective candidate come in to the office today to discuss taking my role. And me talking to him for almost two hours about the role, and the company and the Research team. That kind of makes it feel real too. I am really being replaced.

I did get a bit of an ego boost today though, on a couple of occasions. Nice things about me, how I've handled the role since taking over and how I'll be missed professionally were said in my prescence. Things that didn't need to be said in the situations. They were a real encouragement to me and particularly that I will be able to find a job down there in the near future. Although, to be balanced about it, my boss did end one conversation by saying he gave me eight months down there. This was just before he offered me a job in New York.

Me and my MD phoned a couple of the Research team today, George in Ghana and Beto in Brazil, to tell them my news. That was difficult, especially doing it by phone. I think they were both very surprised and disappointed but we managed, in the end, to reassure them about the company's commitment to the Cocoa Division. George was quite distressed at first, but it was so great to be able to phone him later though, privately, and explain about St John's in Chch and wanting to serve the Lord down in Nuzziland, and having him understand Joanne and my priorities, that there are some things so much more important than careers and the real need for the Gospel down there. It's so reassuring to know that one more brother will be praying for us as we step out in faith, trusting our Father to provide for us - to provide a home and jobs and friends and a family in Christ.

Like a weight off my shoulders

Finally, finally, finally. Finally I have been able to tell the team here in London about my news. What a relief. I think they were a little surprised, and also a little disappointed. Hopefully I explained it's not them, it's me, and I'm just not ready for that sort of commitment. Or something. It is going to be hard to leave them though. They're a good team and I enjoy working with them. Still need to tell the Research team who aren't in London, but that should be done later in the week. Marcelo wants us to do it together to reassure them that nothing sinister is going on. Makes sense.

Oh, and it turns out that Kirsty had already heard my news, about three weeks ago. Someone in Switzerland let it slip when she was there the other week. And it turns out a colleague in Singapore knows too. He's on Facebook, so given the info is reaching the outside world, I decided it would be best to tell him. He's known a few weeks too. The farther away someone is geographically located, the looser their lips get, it seems. No surprise there then.

In terms of jobs in NZ, Joanne's virtually given up of her company getting something sorted, I think. She's told employment agents she's ready to start looking externally. Something potentially good has turned up already. A management accountant role with a company called PGG Wrightson. They seem to supply everything to the agricultural sector in NZ. And I mean, everything. Livestock, wool, seeds, animal nutrition, farm supplies, finance, real estate, insurance, irrigation, training. Ev-ree-thing.

And for me, Paula from Hudson has advised me to contact Telecom myself regarding that role. It seems that they're not ready to pay an agency fee. And also we're chasing leads with Statistics New Zealand. Paula seems hopeful, but the "three research papers/publications relevant to the area to which you are applying" worries me.

My social calendar is getting a bit hectic now as the goodbyes scheduled there begin to pile up. It's Martin for breakfast tomorrow, and then Matt for a drink after work. Busy busy busy. And speaking of scheduled goodbyes the Research team have all agreed to go out to Rodizio Rico on 10th July for a leaving meal thing. An authentic Brazilian churrascaria. Eat all you want meat. Does it get any better?

We've had news on the flat sale, by the way. The receipt for the ground rent (that cost £30 to show we'd paid £75!) has finally been sent to our solicitor. So hopefully that means the buyer's solicitor is ready to exchange. We could complete in two weeks, hopefully. Fingers crossed.

And Joanne's moved on to looking out houses a little out of our price range.

Calm down! Calm down!

The weekend just gone saw us on the next leg of our great goodbye tour 2007, with Liverpool the destination. And more specifically, to visit Kate, Mike and Anna. This emmigration lark has been such a good excuse to catch up with friends who we just don't see often enough. I recommend it to everyone. The weekend involved food, wandering round both cathedrals and more lovely food (the black forest trifle was my personal highlight!)

I've seen the two cathedrals before, when I went up to visit Kate and Mike, and also Euan, back in February last year, but I wanted Jo to see them. Such real contrasting buildings. I definitely prefer the Catholic Cathedral, or Paddy's Wigwam as it's known. Not so much for the outside, although it is strikingly different, but particularly for the inside. OK, so there's a little too much iconography for my liking, but it does contain some really moving art. The highlight for me though is the use of stained glass that just fills the place with colour. And depending where the sun is, and where you're stood, the colour is different.

Also Saturday afternoon we drove up the coast a way to Crosby to see Antony Gormley's latest work. Basically, for those too lazy to clink the links, Gormley is the bloke who did the Angel of the North, and this time he's made 100 cast iron figures, moulded from his own body, and liberally scattered them along two miles of beach all looking out to sea. Euan and I went to see it last February, but again, I just wanted to show Joanne. It's rather strange really. The photo doesn't do it justice.

Yesterday we got to go to the church where Mike works, St Andrew's Clubmoor, which was good. It's a very different experience to what we're used to, and a very different demographic in the congregation, but it was really good to go along and see where Kate and Mike serve and to see how God is working in people's lives there. Also we got to hear Mike preach too which was a first. Joanne and I find Mike and Kate such an encouragement. We love seeing them and hearing how they're living for Christ, with all the struggles and successes that that entails, all through His strength. I'm sure they don't even realise how much we appreciate time with them. I pray that God could use my and Joanne's lives together to encourage and support others in the same way.

One thing I am not going to miss about this country is the trains, especially on Sundays. The tickets the website had sold us allowed us five minutes for a change at Stafford. Which would have been fine, had our local train not waited outside the station for the Intercity we wanted to catch to go first. So we jumped on the next train to London which was heaving when we got on it so we couldn't get a seat. We got off at the next stop and waited half an hour or so for the next one (sat around on Cov train station platform waiting for a train - now that takes me back), which was emptier. We eventually got to Euston an hour later than we were meant to. I'm not sure if it's better to have a rail system that doesn't work properly, like here, or have virtually no rail system at all, like in New Zealand.

I finally got an email back from Katie at Sheffield this morning. It seems they "have a few concerns around [my] suitability to the role given [my] lack of experience within the Investment industry". I cannot really fault her conclusion. I have the same concerns. At least I've heard though. She does want me to call in to see a colleague of hers when we arrive in Chch though, for a second chat. She's off work for August it seems. That's why I have to see her colleague. I sent a reply back thanking her and asking whether Joanne should send her CV with her being a management accountant and looking for work too. The affirmative reply came back so fast it nearly broke the computer screen (if that analogy works at all). It seems that "finance is an area where there is a shortage of skilled candidates". No need to rub it in, lass.

My boss was back in the office today. Didn't get so much as a hello for the hour he was around. All afternoon he was in a board meeting, but some sort of acknowledgement would have been nice. Am I being too sensitive? I just want to be able to tell Trixie and Princess Kirsty and others in the office my news. Three weeks, four days and counting.

An idea that came up out of the blue today from someone was for me to set up an independent cocoa and coffee research service running it out of NZ. I won't go into the various details and options we discussed, for confidentiality reasons, but it's an interesting idea. He assures me that there is a gap in the market and a business model that will provide timely, independent, quality research will find supporters, investors and subscribers. It's an encouragement to know that he thinks I would be capable of it. I'm just not sure the time and effort and travelling that it would involve, at least for the first 18 months, are really what I'm looking for. If I was career-driven then maybe. But then, if I was career-driven I wouldn't be moving 12,000 miles, deciding on the city to live based on a church would I?

It is done

I emailed my notice letter to my boss today (he's in New York at the moment) printing a copy out that I left on his desk and a copy for the HR department. So now it's official. I finish work here four weeks today. In the email I asked that he let me know how and when everyone in my department is to be informed. I had a dream the other day that it was 4:30pm on Friday 13th July, half an hour before I walk out of here for the last time, and still they'd not been told.

2+2 makes 4?

As I mentioned last Thursday I bumped into my old boss, Steve, at someone's leaving drinks. It seemed innocent at the time, but he said to email him to let him know when my leaving is public knowledge and official. I thought nothing more of it. But, thinking about it, there is evidence (and external information) to suggest that Steve might be in the market for an analyst, at least on a part-time basis. To quote Steve himself, on another staffing issue, "It's better the devil you know". It'll be interesting to see what he has to say if that's the theory he's working too. His US hedge fund budget could easily cover NZ full-time wages for a part-time analyst and we've worked together so long that I'd need minimal input to cover the projects he'd possibly throw at me. It could be a perfect fit. I might be adding 2 and 2 and getting 16, but equally I might be getting 4. An interesting option though. Watch this space.

Self-indulgence

It's only when your flat is empty with the majority of your belongings in the hands of the shippers that you realise what of what you own is essential. It's also the only time you really realise what of what you own is actually indulgent and not indispensable at all. It's so easy to slip into the materialistic possession-orientated ways of this world.

I am not sure if it is a comfort or a further worry that I can be quite content hour after hour with just a laptop, internet connection, a Sky box and a television.

I am so looking forward to the much vaunted 'outdoor lifestyle' we are led to believe we can expect in Nuzziland.

Is that an echo?

It's weird, you know, sat here, surrounded by the old familiar furniture. It's almost like nothing's changed, now that the boxes are gone. Only a second glance that notices the empty book shelves and the lack of ornaments provides any evidence at all that the flat is effectively shorn of effects. Wardrobes and cupboards are empty, the PS2 shelf is bare, but the TV remains. Anyone want a slightly damaged but still functional 32" widescreen TV in a few weeks?

Cotswolds and boxes and boxes and boxes

The weekend in Tetbury was lovely. Joanne and I drove to the Cotswolds on Saturday morning after a quick trip to the storage unit to document the contents of our boxes there. (I am so glad we wrote on the outside of the boxes.) We arrived at the pub a little early so sat and read in the beer garden for a bit (very civilised) while we waited for Ian and Naomi, Jon and Andie and Imogen to join us after their morning 7 mile stroll (Martin and Louisa, Matt and Anna, and Martin and Sara couldn't make it - reasons being a plasterer, Morocco and a romantic dinner respectively). A tasty burger later and the afternoon was spent on one of Ian's routemarches across the English countryside. It really is a lovely part of the world, you know, although I am hoping that the New Zealand countryside won't be splattered with quite so many pylons. A fondue evening (chilli chicken and mango, and bread and cheese) was completed by chocolate mousse sat in the warm early summer night air before we scooted inside for some Triv. For the record, with all three teams on two wedges each the game was declared a draw.

On Sunday Ian, Naomi, Joanne and I went to Minchinhampton Baptist Church where those two have just started going along, before we met the others at another country pub for lunch. I had roast lamb as I thought it would be good to get in some practice for NZ where I'm led to believe I'll be eating lamb for every meal. Not a bad thing, mind.

It was a really lovely weekend. The weather was perfect, it revolved around food, and it was spent with some friends. An excellent goodbye.

We're off work tomorrow as it's the day the shippers come to take all our stuff away. It'll be a relief when it's all gone and we can live our lives not surrounded by boxes and boxes and boxes, and not be worried about one more evening packing stuff into boxes, or typing up what's in boxes. One thing I will miss though will be my bike. Today was the last day I will ever cycle to work in London. I have four and a half weeks of the tube to look forward to. As the weather gets warmer. Joy.

Feeling rejected

A while back I subscribed to a NZ job site. On it you can set up job searches, and it will email the results to you daily. Today's email contains a link to an ad for a Mid-Cap Research Analyst. Sound familiar? The job ad is almost identical to what was published last time, only the phrase "At least 2 to 5 years in the industry is required" has been added. Also there's now something about suitable qualifications too. It seems that Hamilton Hindin Greene have added to their candidacy requirements. And now the job's been re-advertised. It would have been nice to hear from the lass at the employment agency who interviewed me on Tuesday that my application has not been successful before I effectively read about it on the net, but there you go.

Good friends and the effective grapevine

A few weeks ago Joanne approached Clayton and Mel about the possibility of us staying in their spare room when we move out of the flat before we fly. They told us that it would not be a problem. But as the flat sale has gotten closer and closer the Englishness and pride in me has risen to the surface and I began to wonder whether the possible three weeks or so that we'd need a place to kip would be longer than they thought it would be when they offered us the room. So I emailed Clayton earlier today just to fill him in on developments and make sure that if the three weeks was too long they'd feel ok to tell us. Clayton came back to me and put my fears to rest. They're more than happy to have us there for the period we need. What a huge relief to know that the park bench is no longer a possibility. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

This has all been a huge test for me actually. I am more than happy to help people in need and we have had people stay in our spare room for weeks on end on numerous occasions. But I find it hard to admit when I need help. I fear being a burden on people, even our Christian family, and my pride prevents me from asking for assistance. I think the Lord has been testing me through this, and I pray that I would grow from this experience - learning to rely on others, to admit when I need help, and to give others the opportunity of joy through service. I pray also that the Lord would help me fight my pride and not rely on my own strength in everything. If you're someone who prays I would greatly appreciate prayer in these areas.

Moving on to flat issues, it turns out that almost all of the 35 further queries I mentioned yesterday have easily been dealt with. Oh, and they weren't in response to the local search results (which were all fine) but actually turned up when a new solicitor acting on behalf of the buyer took over the file after the locom previously looking after it left. Doh!

It was a work colleagues leaving drinks tonight, by the way, and my old boss, Steve, was there. In a quiet moment, when no-one else was in earshot, he asked me if what he'd heard at lunch regarding me being next to leave the company was true. He no longer works for us, and he told me the person he'd heard it from is from outside of the company too (but wouldn't tell me who). My worst fears regarding this have been realised and the news has reached the world. The cocoa grapevine is functioning fine, as I always suspected it would. I just hope that I can get permission from Marcelo to tell my colleagues before they hear it from someone else. That would really annoy me.

How many?!?

Further news on the flat sale - the buyer's solicitor has raised 35 enquiries after receiving the local search results. 35!?! This seems like a lot. Taking the positive, at least he's acting promptly after receiving the search results.

I received this info in an email from Jo. The subject line was "20 Hera Court" and all the email preview showed of her message was "Yikes!" Needless to say, it gave me a fright and I imagined the worst. It was quite a relief to find that the sale hadn't fallen through really.

Our solicitor is ploughing her way through the queries. More news as it happens...

Describe to me a situation when...

So, the interview last night - well, it was a long one. I was on the phone for about an hour. Katie and I, the employment agent interviewing me, seemed to click ok though, so that made it a lot easier and more relaxed. I was certainly glad I did the time preparing for the competency-based stuff though. It came up in a big way. "Tell me about a situation when you had to co-ordinate a team to achieve a goal and what you did to ensure the team worked well together and that the goal was achieved." "Describe to me a situation when new information meant a change in mind and/or priorities and how you handled that situation". Etc etc. Without running through quite a few typical questions I found on a website to get a few useful scenarios in my head and get in tune with the way the questions and answers work I would have been stumped. Well worth investing the time. I'm glad I did.

The job actually sounds quite interesting. The company are investment advisors and currently most of their reports are done by collating external research into reports for clients. But now they've decided they want ownership of the research and want to keep it all in-house. So they want an analyst to come in and develop that. They want someone with an investigative nature who loves numbers and stuff. Sounds good so far. But here comes the bad news - the role will involve reading and interpreting annual accounts and P&L sheets and stuff. Financial and accounting stuff. Which I have never done. I asked about training and Katie said that they'd be willing to finance study for the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification. But that will involve an awful lot of home study. It suggests upwards of 250 hours over a four month period and it is all done by home study. And that's for each set of exams. Of which there are three. It's true some of the course content will be a breeze, but other bits of it won't be at all. I'm just not sure the plan for the move to NZ involved months of time at home at evenings and weekends studying.

But anyhow, I might be worrying about nothing. It's not like I've been offered the job or anything. Katie is meeting with the company today (or tomorrow, I guess, although it will be later today as far as I am concerned) to discuss the people she interviewed. And then she'll be in touch. We'll see.

We've finally had some news on the flat sale today. The local search results are back. So now we just have to wait on the buyer's solicitor to see if the search raises any further questions. Hopefully not. These local search was all that was holding us back from exchanging, so there's a distinct possibility that we could complete in a couple of weeks or so and definitely before the end of June. That will give us perhaps four weeks of 'living elsewhere time' to fill.

We found out last night that the storage place closes at 7pm during the week, not 8pm, so the lugging of boxes and collating of a list of contents will have to wait until Saturday morning before we head off on the next leg of the Holt farewell tour of Europe. This time it's to deepest Gloucestershire to meet the Uni gang for the weekend. It's not the end of the world that we can't get into the storage place on Friday as it means I don't have to wait for my curry now. The plan for the weekend is all of us meeting up at some country pub somewhere for lunch on Saturday, going for a walk and then heading back to Ian and Naomi's in Tetbury for a fondue. Perhaps we'll bump into Prince Charles in the Snooty Fox Saturday evening. It's his local, supposedly. Sunday's plan is church with Ian and Naomi while the rest sleep off a hangover, before all rendez-vousing (I'm sure it's not grammatically correct to do that to a French word) at the Tunnel House Inn for a superb Sunday lunch. I like that place. We went there last time we went to Tetbury.

Ship ahoy

The good news is that the shipping company are coming next Tuesday to take away all our stuff and start it on its 12,000 mile sea journey. More good news is that we've almost finished packing. We only have the cupboards in the spare room to pack and the kitchen to sort.

The bad news is that the shipping documentation specifies that we have to provide a detailed inventory of what each box we've packed contains. I do wish we'd been told that sooner. It seems though that our scribbled contents descriptions on the outside of the boxes, all drawn up into a nice list with all the boxes numbered should suffice. It looks like Friday evening now will be spent in our storage unit lugging boxes around, numbering them, and stacking them up again. Only for them to be unstacked and loaded into a lorry on Tuesday. I guess our (one-day) belated anniversary meal will have to wait until after we've finished that on Friday now.

It's tonight that Katie from Sheffield, the NZ recruitment agency, is calling me for an interview. I really do need to do some prep on the company and also prepare some answers for competency-based interview questions. Hopefully I'll get out of here on time tonight.

Talking of jobs, there have been some minor developments regarding Joanne's deployment/relocation thing. It seems she's too expensive to be moved to Singapore, to be employed by them. However, there's still a chance that her current role could be moved over there and then re-charged to the London office. That way Singapore don't pick up the tab for her and she continues doing what she's doing now. The discussion has been passed up a level to be discussed. They're running out of time to get this sorted, really though.

Oh, I found out today that Mt. Hutt's ski season is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

No news on the flat sale as yet.