San Francisco to London help!!!

Wine and Farmer's Markets. Where do I sign up!

Sorry to douse you with cold water but have you looked into the whole PETS process for bringing your dog over yet? If this came as a surprise as you said and no preparation was done, you should know that it will take six months to jump through all of the hoops to bring your dog over, or else he faces six months in quarantine. Check the pets board for details.

No cold water necessary.  If you had read the whole post you would know that she has started the DEFRA process and their dog will be joining them in August.

Well, now its more like Sept. Apparently, it takes a month for the initial blood test results to come back from the lab and his time doesn't start ticking until the blood test is back.

Anyway, yes, we have everything taken care of and I will stay here with the pup until he is legal.

The bummer of the whole Pet issue is he literally got his rabies vac 2 weeks ago and now we have to wait until Monday to get him re-vac'ed. Oh, well. It's not like we are going to leave him!

Well, now its more like Sept. Apparently, it takes a month for the initial blood test results to come back from the lab and his time doesn't start ticking until the blood test is back.

The person who gave you this information was incorrect - the six month waiting period begins from the date of the blood draw, not the date the test results come back.  

Good luck with your moving prep - if you have any PETS questions, feel free to PM.

The person who gave you this information was incorrect - the six month waiting period begins from the date of the blood draw, not the date the test results come back.  

Yes!

Anyway, yes, we have everything taken care of and I will stay here with the pup until he is legal.

I did the same with our cats.  It was about 5 months in the end, but we weren't going to leave them and we weren't going to do quarantine.  That left me to hang with our cats until they could enter the UK.  Other than the unfortunate long distance (but really, not much different because he traveled a lot for work), it actually eased our move a little, because my husband got into our apartment right away and we had a better idea of what we'd need from home vs what should go into storage.  It also meant that he was the one who dealt with getting a BT phone line set up. 

Good to know it is from the blood draw date! That moves our timeline back to Aug. Yay.

I think we will be apart for the same, 5 months. I'm also not too worried about it. There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of here that may be easier if DH is gone. Like throwing out his ugly 1980s sweater collection.

DH and I both travel a ton for work so I think we will be okay. Plus, I'm sure there will be lots of visits.

I'm also looking forward to DH dealing with all the settling in a new apartment issues.

The 1980s sweater collection.  Too funny.  Lucky you that you can put it well and truly to rest without interference.  DH just bought a hat without prior approval that I wish I could make disappear. 

There will be a lot of 'lost' boxes during out move 

Random question, and I should probably start a new topic, but what should I do with all my small kitchen appliances, KitchenAid Mixer, Hand Mixer, Blenders, Food Processor, Slow Cooker, etc. The list goes on and on. I really do not want to replace them all, talk about a waste of money, but if I have to I will. Are these appliances too high voltage to just use plug adapters?

There will be a lot of 'lost' boxes during out move 

Random question, and I should probably start a new topic, but what should I do with all my small kitchen appliances, KitchenAid Mixer, Hand Mixer, Blenders, Food Processor, Slow Cooker, etc. The list goes on and on. I really do not want to replace them all, talk about a waste of money, but if I have to I will. Are these appliances too high voltage to just use plug adapters?

YES!  Way too high for plug adaptors! 

You'll need the big (and ugly and heavy  ) step up/down converters.  There's tons of info in the Electronics forum. 

I put all of our stuff in storage, but later discovered that one of my friends had brought her KitchenAid and other stuff on your list and, with the appropriate converter, has been just fine.  And there mine sits, in a storage facility outside of Boston.  Ah, well.

Hi!
I'm a SFO to San Diego to Manchester girl myself.  I just had to mention that I thought "why would they tell the California girl about the wine bars" and then looked at the glass of white wine in my hand and had to grin. 

Welcome to UKY--if you ever want to visit "The North" let me know.

So, are the big ugly converters really that big of a deal? My thought is you rarely run two small appliances at once, with the exception of the slow cooker, so would it be terrible to just use the up/down guys?

Also, if I was to replace all my beloved kitchen gadgets. Where would I find ones with UK plugs? I'm assuming William Sonoma is out. We just got an All Clad slow cooker that I have not opened, and I'm wondering if I should just return it and buy one with a UK plug, but then I realized I have no idea where I would get such an item! Do you think I can ask for it in the relo package? I kid!

I am always available to drink vino with other Californians! We can start a CA wine club in the the UK!

You can bring some of the appliances and yes, you only need one converter/transformer, but it is kind of a hassle.  How long are you planning on staying in the UK? 

You can find these appliances at loads of stores all over London just like you would in San Francisco...John Lewis is probably the most convenient.

The convertors are about the size of a brick and 1/2 and weigh something like 5lbs-7lbs.  We sold all our electrical appliances before we left except a mini chopper which I have since gotten rid of.  I would return the All Clad slow cooker.  You'll have to wait until you get here to buy similar appliances with a UK plug.  However, I would suggest that if there are any non-electrical kitchen things that you've had your eye on that you should buy them before you leave the US because they will undoubtably be cheaper.  As you are moving to Central London, well, it's not the sticks.  There are big department stores.  John Lewis has already been mentioned.  You can check them out online.  Selfridges and Harrods both have good kitchen departments.  I beleive I mentioned the kitchen store Divertimenti which has shops in both Marylebone and Knightsbridge.

And as geeta said, it does get old to haul out the convertor.  

We will be in London for at least 5 yrs. The guy that DH is replacing moved from SF to London 13 yrs ago, so we are in this for the long haul. I know I should just replace all the kitchen electronics. I'm just worried I won't be able to find the American brands (All Clad) that I prefer. I'm going to call All Clad tomorrow and see if they make a UK plug for the slow cooker. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy all new UK Kitchen Aid stuff (i've been dreaming of the Green Apple mixer anyway).

I may not mind dragging out the brick if it is only for the slow cooker. I know I have an unhealthy attachment to this item, it's just so lovely to use!

I'm sure the DH will love to know I need to stock up on cookware before we leave!! William Sonoma here I come!

I'm currently google-ing all the stores that were listed! Thanks!