Sunday, July 08, 2012

The Moving Chronicles...

This has been a mad and exhausting week. But we're in our new home and have unpacked enough boxes that we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. (I'm ignoring all boxes marked "books" until we have some new bookshelves!)

We moved in on Tuesday. The lovely men arrived with their huge vehicle at about 11 o'clock and starting shifting furniture, boxes and stuff - I am already regretting not being much more ruthless about getting rid of stuff. They worked like Trojans, bless them (it was nearly 5 when they finished), but it's now apparent that they (or could that be we?) didn't know our left from our right. All my office boxes are in the best beloved's studio, and all his stuff is in my scribbling room.

And we discovered, the hard way, that the door to his room has a dodgy catch. "Shut the door," he said, "I want to see what it looks like." Like the dumb idiot I am, I shut the door. And then we couldn't open it. There we were, on the third floor, without a phone, or a screwdriver, or even a knife, with a heavy firedoor between us and freedom. We looked at the boxes. Did I mention that the guys had put all mine in the best beloved's room? Books, books, books. The BB looked hopefully out of the window, hoping to spot a neighbour to come and rescue us. (They'd already been round to introduce themselves and brought cards to welcome us.)

I ripped open boxes hoping to the find the one with the pen pot that I was sure had a screwdriver in it. Books, books, books, books, books and then, last box, hurrah! the pen pot. But no screwdriver. Pens, pencils, erasers, markers, an emery board (essential kit in every office) and then, lo, in the bottom of the box I found a small pair of scissors that had fallen out of the pot. The blade was deployed and in a bound we were free. But I'm not going anywhere without my phone and a screwdriver in the foreseeable future.

Six days in and we now have a working washing machine (I haven't found the iron yet - and I'm not looking v. hard, although the ironing board keeps attacking me with lethal intent), a dishwasher and a fridge/freezer. Cold milk. Bliss.

We've found the local pub, The Black Horse, which does great grub, a Tesco Express - both within walking distance - and we have a shopping park a mile and a half up the road where we have spent vast quantities of money on white goods (actually they're black, but who's arguing) and DIY essentials, like bathroom mirrors. I left everything - these people took everything. Except the cooker. I really wish they had taken that. Today is buying a new cooker day, so that I can cook and put the new dishwasher to good use.

We also have to move a tall, glass fronted cabinet. We had two places where we could have put it. We chose the wrong one.

We can now see the carpet, have only one box left in the kitchen and some time next week I might even begin to think about my office. No point in unpacking the computer until I have a desk. Any hints of favourites would be welcome. I don't want one of those complicated computer desks, but I do like a keyboard shelf - a table is a little high for me.

Oh, and these gorgeous flowers arrived yesterday from the lovely Kate Hardy. When I see her in September she's going to get a really big hug!

Oh, and my Harlequin Romance, The Last Woman He'd Ever Date was published retail in the US this week. One of my readers had to remind me about that on Twitter!


10 comments:

Kate Walker said...

Happy New Home Liz! I hope you'll be so very happy there. We moved into this house 23 years ago on Friday and I still remember the chaos of getting sorted out - hut there's this wonderful feeling or rediscovery as you unpack boxes - and there's always the hope that you might even end up reorganised as a result! The only way I could choose which desk to have was to go and sit at a lot of them!

Enjoy your new home

Diane Burton said...

I totally understand what you're going through--we've moved 6 times and are preparing for the next (and last) one now. This time I'm getting rid of stuff BEFORE we move. LOL Good luck finding everything.

Michelle Styles said...

Enjoy your new home Liz.
Reading about your trauma with the dodgy latch brings back memories of when we moved here 16 years ago.
Moving is just hard.
I think the world is divided into people who have unpack and those who don't. I am v much in the unpack camp. My eldest is in the need to get a roundtuit camp.

Liz Fielding said...

Thanks, Kate! I'd better get out a start testing desks or I'll be writing on the dining room table!

Liz Fielding said...

Good luck with clearing house before you move, Diane. I thought I'd done pretty well, but there's always something. A set of glasses I never liked, three blouses that were always too small (but I hoped I'd get into one day!), some shoes the dh is never going to wear, and pictures we're never going to hang. (Some haven't been hung since we redecorated after the kids left home for good!)

Liz Fielding said...

Hi Michelle - I'm an unpacker, mostly. Unless I can find a dark place to hide the boxes. I'm torn between unpacking the books and stacking them against the wall in my office, or just leaving them until the shelves get built. I suspect if I don't unpack I'll be constantly digging around in boxes looking for stuff!

Denise Covey said...

Ha, I came across from Nas' blog. I've just read a book of yours I really enjoyed - hope you're that Liz Fielding - Now You See Her.

Had to laugh at the locked in the room story. We are on holiday in Fiji staying in Nas' house and the key wouldn't open the door. A neighbour brought over a knife and we were able to perform a delicate operation and get inside.

Denise

Kate Hardy said...

Glad the flowers arrived safely :) (I went for the 'with vase' option in case you hadn't had a chance to unpack yours yet!) Wishing you both much happiness. And new door knobs!

Re desks - I use a John Lewis kitchen table so I can spread out. (It's verrrry messy today. I'm escaping to the dining room with a printed-out manuscript and a red pen.)

Vince said...

Hi Liz:

I noticed you stopped numbering the moving chronicles. Is this an epilogue?

BTW: do you have a house warming party custom in the UK?

About desks: I’ve tried many things and I like to use a metal typing table with two flap extenders that can pop up as needed. One on each side. I took out the type tray that was under my computer table and the typing stand can easily slide underneath the table now.

This lets me move the stand (it is on wheels) and thus move keyboard any way I want to. I can pull it out and turn it to my second computer monitor as needed. I can move the keyboard back away from the monitor, side sideways and stretch my feet out and even up them up on another chair. Of course, there are times I will raise a flap to place a book or other item on it.

All in all I find this arrangement wonderfully useful. But then I am at my computer almost all day long as I still run a mail order business from my office.

I sure hope you can write a story about a tourist guide at Bath. I love all things ancient Roman. Bath is very significant. My wife and I both want to go as soon as our family situation allows us to travel again.

Hope you enjoy your new home.

Vince

Writer Pat Newcombe said...

Hope the move went well eventually liz... can be so stressful, I know...