SaffasintheUK

With all the hurdles that you need to overcome when moving to the UK, (thankfully) there is no need to redo your driver’s test.   I spent a short time in Aus and it’s massively nerve-wracking to write your theory and then take your drivers test all over again. It’s an easy swap and you can find my earlier blog about it here , although that was nearly 3 years ago and I do recommend you check if the processes have changed since we arrived. Before swapping your license out, remember 3 key things: you need a valid SA license (not an expired one), you have 12 months to exchange your license, you can do the exchange immediately on arrival, provided you are not on a short-term visa. But once you have your shiny new card license in your hand, here’s the lowdown of driving in the UK, as a newly arrived Saffa: Driving in bad weather is flat out awful, so don't underestimate what it's like to drive when the weather plays up.  In 3 short years, we've slid off the ro...

It’s been nearly 3 years and one thing that still tickles my funny bone is how literal the street names are in this country.   We’ve left behind the world of suburbs with a common theme such as gemstones or African trees, and come to a world where the street names are quite uninspiring but have a real story to tell you. All the regular names such as Church Street, School Lane, Park Lane and so on, all deliver what they promise.   You’ll find a church, school or park right there.   London road actually leads to London.   Even the London Road in Newcastle…if you follow it on the map (and I did this thanks to Google), it takes you along what would have been the old trade route before motorways were built.   So when the road says London, you are certainly going to end up there if you keep going. But that’s fairly simple, I’ve seen some really peculiar street names in this country and now it’s become a game to google either the meaning or the history s...

No it’s not the opening line to a bad joke, this is the story of our ancestry and how we came to live in the UK.   The ancestral visa is one of the most well-known visa options available to the citizens of the Commonwealth, and many of us find (or already know) that we had a grandparent (or more!) born in the UK.   But growing up in the dry heat of the Witwatersrand, Ireland and England were just a blob on a map and it never entered my head to learn where my grandmother originally came from.   Granny as we will always remember her Even as we started to consider a move to the UK, I still didn’t think too hard about actually seeing where my Gran was born but as I started to research her birth and that of her parents, we unravelled a startling and really quite colourful story.   That is for a blog on a different day but our journey to the UK started with my belief that my Gran was actually Irish, or of Irish descent and our first efforts at research went into fi...

How I wish I could relive this holiday    With York wrapped up, we prepared to head to Scotland for a few days of exploration.  The thing is, Scotland is massive so how do you choose where to start?  We settled this easily with the discovery of the Central Rover train pass . Three days of unlimited train and tube travel around central Scotland for a fair price sounded like a bargain.  After looking at the stations covered by the pass we realised we could see the important tourist highlights and that settled that. We also discovered that Scotland has a Heritage Explorer pass that includes entry into some of their most famous castles and sights for 5 days, but also so much more.  Buying two passes was an easy decision once we worked out that entry fees for just two of the castles we wanted to see would cost the same.  Armed with this knowledge, we headed to Scotland. What can I say about this country? It is one of the most magical and s...

During our whirlwind of farewells, my sister joked with me that I should “come back when you are paler than the milk”.   I laughed but didn’t think much of it, I mean how pale can a Saffa get really?   We haven’t spent decades indoors, that must count for something, right? I have fair skin so I’ve never been brown as a berry but I’ve also never really had anything less than a soft caramel colour on my arms and legs. During my first summer here I had a secret giggle at the earnest conversations in the office about self-tan, the recommendations, the advice, the DETAILED discussions on application.   I shook my head and just spent as much time outside as I could, I even got sunburnt that first year! *note to newbies: do not underestimate English sun - wear your sunscreen! Fast forward 3 winters and I am facing a real conundrum.   In 40+ years I have never felt the need to self-tan – sure we all feel a little pale when we enter Spring in South Africa bu...

This week has been particularly auspicious for us, as we carefully marked 2 ½ years since we touched down in our new country.   As we are on a five year visa, this is the half way mark to us applying for ILR and making our home permanently here in the UK.   It’s a weird feeling, so much has happened and yet it feels like it passed in a blink.   The next 2 ½ years seems so long but we know it will be filled with learnings and experiences as we settle ourselves even more. Along the way we’ve learned plenty so to celebrate the milestone, I thought I’d share something we’ve learned for every month we’ve been here (I’ll keep it short, I promise!). So here’s my list of 30 things we’ve learned in 30 months of living in the UK: The sun shines more than you think. Discussing the weather is a national sport and you quickly learn the rules of engagement. The weather is constantly measured in record terms - in other words, every weather system is breaking so...

No English holiday is complete without ruins and a red phone box.  Peferably both! I have a confession to make.    I have a bad case of the travel bug, but I’m mostly broke.   Well, I’m not THAT broke but I certainly can’t afford lush holidays and wanton spending.   Every single penny gets turned over and considered before we can spend it, and this naturally includes holidays.   It’s only because of very careful planning that we get to travel and explore as much as we do, but if you look closely, you’ll see that I’m self-appointed queen of cheap and free activities.   Which basically means I do great research. And I absolutely love it!   Little did I know that my slender wallet would lead me on a path of travel that I didn’t consider…the jam packed, penny pincher, cultural experience holiday.   I’ve shared my tips on travel in the UK before, you can read it here , but this series of posts is a few months overdue.   Today I ...