Anyway the wind blows

Well, last I updated we had engine problems. 

Nearly 6 weeks since I last updated this blog so I will do my best to fill you in on what we have been up to since we last tied up to the dock in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. 

We have been living in a house up in the mountains accessible from the southern coast of Crete. Its an hour and fifteen minute drive from where we now have the boat on the hard in the Marina at Agios Nikolaos. 

We had the boat looked at, the engine flushed of the seawater, the problem established and the solution plotted out. That much took us a matter of two weeks. The remainder of the time was spent waiting on the insurance company to get back to us with approval for what we have been quoted as being an 18,000 Euro job, not including the money we have already put into pulling the boat out the water and for paying up for a year in the marina. 

Guess what? We finally heard back from the insurance and they have said they will not be paying for the engine overhaul afterall! There was reference to what problems would be covered and whatever problem we suffered is simply not in that list of possibilities. 

*Expletive deleted*

Yeah, so now we are gonna go back to the mechanic/engineer guy who gave us the quote and tell him we don't have insurance coverage and he will quote us a more "here we go and burn a hole in our pocket" rate that will be less price gouging but still realistic for the job at hand. 

When we got the email this morning I was so angry...I cried. 

Yeah, I cried. 

I cried because I was angry for the whole concept of "Insurance" and what a scam it is. I was angry at the authorities who insist you have insurance but then don't do anything to regulate these damn insurance companies and ensure they are helping everyone that needs the damn help. All the "for profit", capitalist scumbags just get rich while we pay up to legally own what we paid for in full. You can't own a boat without paying up for insurance...and then when you try to get your insurance to do what its meant to, you know, keep you "in surance" that you can continue to own your boat and operate it, they tell you its not their problem, but no doubt still expect you to sign up next year, knowing full well they now are aware of what they will not cover unless YOU fix it on your own dime!

We will fix it, we will have to, we have to pay for the overhaul ourselves and just hope the guy brings the final total down to a number we can manage. Hell, even if not, it still has to be done or we can't in good conscience go about putting the boat on the market. I would not want what happened to us to happen to anyone else. 

Yeah, I was angry this morning. 

I then went about meditating, bought a book on the Mayr Diet...as if that isn't another indicator of me trying to control something because some other part of my life feels out of control, but now I feel less angry. 

The last 5 weeks have been pretty lovely, to be honest. We have had a chance to just relax in the middle of nowhere. We've had a chance to make arrangements that make sense with regards to relocating Natale (she has gone to Ithaca to be fostered by my mother-in-law and her partner until we return next season). For the same purpose, we had a wonderful visit from my mother-in-law, Lilia, who stayed with us for a week before she took Natale home with her. 

I restarted homeschooling the kids on a program outside of Wolsey Hall Oxford, just to get them back into the zone of homeschool before their school books arrive in the mail tomorrow. I myself have completed three different Diploma Courses on subjects that interested me, which leaves me with another five Diploma Courses to get through over the next nine months once I return to India with the kids.  

The decision to return to India was necessary because Turkey was no longer an option. This would mean we return to my parents apartment built for our visit, only this time it will not be a holiday and more of a homestay. 

Jeroen will head to Stockholm by the 27th of August, a few days after the kids and I head for India on the 24th of August. We are hoping that once he gets to Stockholm and puts in a request for a Copenhagen basing that the company will genuinely consider it because that is the only way we will be able to make the move as a family. Fingers crossed that something pulls through for us, until then he will stay in a serviced apartment, a bit of a studio set up, close to the airport so he doesn't require private transportation. 

Its sinking in, you know? The reality of being apart that long. I think the longest we've ever been apart from each other has been two months. In the fifteen years we've been together, two months has been the longest we've been apart before seeing each other, even if only for a weekend or a week...

I think of the nine months we estimate we will be apart, I am hoping he gets some leave half way through, and then maybe we can catch up as a family, either in Goa, which would require me and the kids to fly to Mumbai and then Goa, for Jeroen to fly from Stockholm to Goa...or we meet halfway in Dubai where Jeroen has a friend who would gladly let us stay in his apartment there. 

For now its just a matter of being conscious of the cost of travel, the emotional cost of the kids being apart from their father for a lengthy period, and no matter how tough Jeroen and I think we are, I know this will be hard on both of us. I know I can manage single parenting and the boys are not as immature as they were even half a year ago, but I have my concerns about me being able to handle the ups and downs all on my own for nine whole months without losing my shit at least a few times!

I will meditate daily, ensure to do daily affirmations to keep me grounded and self-confident, and I will work on communicating openly with my sons so as to avoid any chances of there being friction or disagreement that could cause us to be brought to tears. 

Positive framing, that is what I am focusing on, the kids better be on board with everything I have learned so far from the Diploma Courses I have been taking!

Well, I am guessing that is all I have to update you on for now. The next update will likely happen when we get to India. Until then, live long and prosper!