So we flew out last Saturday, spent 24 hours awake due to a flight delay and the time difference (we are currently on mountain time so 6 hours behind England) and looked rather a mess.

AND NOW WE’RE IN ‘MERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fortunately for our tired and jet lagged selves, we have been staying with an English couple – Rosemary and Chris – who live out here in the pretty part of Fort Collins called Old Town. I think we have won them over by bringing English delicacies not available in the US (Bovril and Cadburys chocolate) but the favour has more than been returned with how we have been looked after.

As I write this, we are having breakfast and about to go out and sign the lease on our NEW APARTMENT (pictures coming in a post soon). We have also already in our first three days accomplished – in order: some sleep, getting a social security number, getting US bank accounts, getting a US phone number, exploring, learning to drive an automatic (ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD?!….) and going out to celebrate at one of the best Pizza places in Fort Collins.

Notice that I am drinking a local craft beer called Fat Tyre which is a little bit like a cross between old speckled hen and Newcastle brown – but much more tasty.

More to follow

Rob and Cat xx

Regular viewers of this blog will forgive us for not posting up in the last week – turns out it is quite a lot of work doing a viva and moving country!

First thing first, we may have in advance underestimated how long and how much effort it takes to pack, clean and move house. We had picked up so many random things and mementos from out time living in Tile Hill and getting married. Fortunately we had the help of Mum and Dad (Margaret and Barry) as well as Mum, Dad, (Janet and Michael) David and Chris which made it all go smoothly-ish.

The amusing highlight of this was probably pianogate. We had inherited a lovely upright piano from the Channons around 2 years ago. In case you didn’t know, upright pianos are REALLY heavy. Annoyingly, after our initial plan of fly it to America fell through, our backup plan of donating it to charity collapsed after the British Hearts Foundation refused it on the basis of some small marks on it (uuuh, it’s a 40 year old piano, of course it has marks!). Fortunately our friend Max came to the rescue despite having never played the piano before – big props.

Of course the most difficult aspect was saying goodbye to our rabbits Whitey and Milkshake who have now taken up residence in Norwich with the Pecks. Here is Whitey waving goodbye: