Move In Day

Moving Day

What is worse ? Packing or unpacking ?

I had collected the keys on Friday afternoon having taken the day off to deal with any last minute unforeseen catastrophes. There were a couple, but nothing major and just like that we were homeowners.

During the day I had tried to reorganise the storage unit to make it easier for the moving guys the next morning. Some things were coming to the storage unit, others were to be removed to go to the new address. While doing that I had loaded the car with some boxes, which we intended to take over after Lauren finished work; and to make several more trips.

That done, and takeaways for dinner we went to bed, planning to be up bright and early to dismantle beds. We are pretty whizzy with allan keys these days.

With the car loaded and the truck packed we were off to the storage unit to supervise the “what goes to storage and what comes out” manoeuvre, and then meet them at our new home for the unloading.

All done before lunch ! Well the big stuff anyway – the endless trips to bring other stuff in the car seemed to go on forever. By the end of the day we had had enough and left the last couple for the next morning when we needed to go back to meet the cleaners anyway.

During the afternoon, we had reassembled beds and begun emptying boxes. Somewhere to sleep and knowing whereabouts of the kettle, cups and tea and coffee doings are priorities we have come to appreciate in this recent gypsy life.

We got a delicious takeaway locally – healthy too – and then carried on for a few more loads. While we were at the old place, the sky burst with an amazing display of fireworks. They marked the end of school fair in the park just over the road. We felt it was a fitting farewell from the neighbourhood to us !

We fell into bed and next morning made the last two trips while the cleaners did an amazing job on the rental. Still not good enough for the real estate though. We have never had so much trouble getting bond back at the end of a lease as we have in Australia this time. The property was 100% cleaner than it had been when we moved in, but they still disputed it.

If we had opted to clean the rental ourselves and then apply the same, if not more, elbow grease to clean the new place properly we would have been even more annoyed. If only the same fastidiousness applied to vacating homeowners. YUK.

But it was done. From now on there are just decisions to make, where to hang art, where to put furniture.

Home Sweet Home.