One of the major perks of spending so much time in the UK is Amazon Prime. For a mere 40 or so pounds you get all your Amazon goodies next day. It works, I have had dozens of shipments to prove it. What with bwo here, the security guard downstairs at squint central (Egham branch) has been keeping in shape running up and down the stairs to bringing me Amazon orders. This whole order something today and it's here tomorrow is really quite nice.
In other news, looks like the house on Petersham will be where we will be staying for the next 1.5 years (starting the end of March of course). So that is finally organized. Now there are the dozens of other bureaucratic issues to take care of. A bank account for one. The squints recommended I go with HSBC, only because they have the best internet access. The relo people here notified an HSBC rep who contacted me yesterday. It all went well until they asked for proof of address. Of course, the relo company sign the lease with the landlord and take care of all the utilities, so there is really nothing in our name to prove we live here. When I asked for something like this, our relo rep (another Joanne) sort of verbally shrugged her shoulders and told me "she will look into it", which from my limited experience of English culture means, you're screwed. There is no official ID card or some sort of generic ID over here, you just need to show a signed lease, or utility bill to prove residence. Not all that easy in our case. We shall see.
In other, other news. Bwo has managed to visit Windsor twice, neither time to look at the castle, but rather to research the shops. It is really nice having someone to come home at night. I have been spending way too much time on my own in the last while.
Water works
1 day ago
2 comments:
I'm going thru relocation, too. On Sunday, I leave NYC for Vancouver, BC. Talk about a nightmare.
I spent the previous 2 weeks there house hunting and getting things organized. I found a downtown apartment that I really liked, but needed to pay a deposit and first month. Landlord wouldn't take a US check (I mean cheque), so I have to get a bank account. HSBC wanted nothing to do with me, nor did Scotia bank...
Apparently, to open a bank account you need an address, but to get an address, you need a bank account.
I went to TD, decided to use my Israeli/NYC smarts and lied. I told them the address of the place I was moving into and was never asked for proof. Lucky, lucky, I guess.
Anyhow, I secured a furnished apartment in downtown Vancouver.
I'm back in NYC putting my life in boxes and Saturday morning the guys from Moishe's Moving and Storage will be here to move my precious possessions into a 5 by 10 storage unit (some of my last Imperial measurements for a while). Sunday I fly to Vancouver to start my 1 year Canadian life.
Metric and Celsius, here I come.
Good luck Stevie. Come visit us in London.
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