It's a Whole New World

First, I must apologise to regular readers for the absence of a blog last week.  It does seem that one of the inevitable consequences of moving house in the digital age is the temporary loss of internet facilities.  This aspect of the process falls into place in what I quickly realised was a very inter-dependent chain of events. 

The first link in that chain was the very significant step of signing a lease, without which access to the premises would not be possible.  Next was contact with a ready-primed removal firm to learn the earliest date on which the move could take place.  Only when this had been established, could notice be given to the broadband provider, who typically requires 30 days’ notice of a change that will take place in only a couple of weeks. 

I thought I was being clever in my decision to change providers to whosever equipment might already be present in my new home.  By the time I had established this and made application to the provider, the earliest date by which they could provide a service was still weeks away and, although I have a wi-fi hub provided by my mobile phone supplier, I am having to restrict my use of that to vital things only, so as not to exceed its monthly data limit … and, of course, the removal date was right at the start of a new billing cycle, so there is no hope of spreading the load across two separate charge periods.

So, having got that explanation out of the way, how has the process gone?  The move itself was finished in only about six-and-a-half hours, and that includes the 135 miles travelling.  I was most impressed by the strength and fitness of the two removers.  I had 22 boxes of books, for example.  Working at the hospice warehouse, I’ve got used to what 15kg of books feels like and I had felt guilty that, by my judgement, many of these weighed more.  I was staggered to see the younger of the two men pick up two of these boxes at once and carry them out to the van, time after time.  At the other end, I was even more surprised on one occasion to see him run up the steep staircase carrying a box of books in two hands, with complete disregard for the handrails!  It turns out he’s a footballer and his job provides him with a regular training work-out.

There were two unfortunate ‘refusals’ when it came to transporting my complete lifestyle from one place to the next.  These were the wardrobe and the bed, both of which were thwarted by the awkward juxtaposition of chimney-breast and a right-angle bend up a step to get onto the staircase.  The wardrobe was returned as far as the lounge, where part of the afternoon was devoted to its dismantling.  Then, once the components had been carried separately upstairs, they could be re-assembled in the bedroom. 

The single drawer-divan base has assumed the role of the elephant in the dining room, until either I can find someone with transport to take it away for a good cause, or I lose patience and take out my saw.  Meanwhile, I’ve been able to obtain a flat-packed bedframe, and spent an afternoon putting this together – a job whose instructions included the expression, ‘some aspects of this are best carried out by two people’!  By back-tracking and taking the steps in a different order, I was able to overcome this major deficiency.

The experience with a flat-packed bathroom cabinet sadly didn’t complete a DIY trio in the way I’d hoped.  After successes with wardrobe and bed, this proved the most unsuccessful assembly I think I’ve ever attempted.  The basic problem was that the pilot holes for the screws had not been sufficiently drilled.  Next day, inspired by adaptation and innovation, I removed the doors and turned these into picture-style mirrors that now fulfil this need in both toilet and bathroom.  I’m now left with an un-fronted, but tidy, shelf unit that stands on my dressing table keeping all kinds of medicaments satisfactorily in order.

Now I shall transfer this ready-made blog-post to the internet, with apologies for any deficiency in appearance.  With luck, normal service will be resumed next week.