We Are In!

What I didn't tell you in the post with all the packed boxes was the drama to get them like that. They were over an hour late arriving and I guess that should have told me something.


After 5 minutes of them starting the job I had to stop them and show them how to wrap in preparation for packing. One guy was just shoving my expensive framed glass fronted portraits and hand embroideries flat in a box, with little or no paper between them. Thank heavens I saw what he was doing. He could speak little English so I grabbed the bubble wrap, butchers paper and tape and showed him by wrapping one. I have moved so often that I have it down to a fine art now - and nothing has been broken before now. :)

It turns out he and a few of the others were just new on the job. It was their first day and they have never packed anything before. No doubt driven by a company wanting to move a bunch of people in a hurry and a company wanting a job and saying they could do it even though they did not have the manpower. I am sure they just pulled some of these guys off the streets to win this contract. It's seems the nature of things out here.

Anyway it was on with the show. I had suspected that the move would be somewhat like this which is why we had done so much ourselves, especially the fragile and precious items.

What I had not expected was how long it would take these guys. You had to watch them or they would take shortcuts, which we discovered after we unpacked a few things last night. So in the long run I ended up packing up my whole kitchen myself. I asked for the boxes and packing stuff and went to work. Took me 20 boxes and about 7 hours in between checking on them, keeping the kids amused and fed.

In the meantime it took 4 or 5 of them that whole time to wrap about 8 or 9 framed items, a coffee table, a bunch of bookcases and shelves and few other things. Big items, not fragile and nothing that required a lot of thinking about. It amazed me how slow someone could work without falling asleep. How glad I am that we had done the majority of it and I decided to do the kitchen myself. I think we would still be there packing.

Which brings us to yesterday. They had told us on Tuesday, after they packed us, they had no idea what day the trucks would be able to move us. Sometime Friday or Saturday at the earliest. Hubby got on the phone and spoke with head office. We were booked to move Thursday, that's when we wanted it - besides which everything was packed. We had enough to get by till Thursday but not much longer.

Needless to say they agreed to come on Thursday.

We got up early, packed all the bedding and bathroom things into the car and drove out here. I planned to stay and sort a few things before they all arrived and it turned into one big shambles. Glad I did!

Hubby and my eldest son headed back and waited for the truck to arrive. We were expecting a covered van - but I will let the photo's tell the story....I have prattled on long enough. That's exhaustion for you!

It took two loads like this. I hate to think what our whole house would have taken. Given that little furniture was being moved as it comes/stays with the houses here for the most part.

That's the underside of our antique "arab door" coffee table, with original paintwork.

Yikes!!

No way two guys are gonna lift that - it weighs a ton.

Three guys now - and two just out of shot watching and ready to help carry it in.

Here is a sneak peak of our lounge taken early yesterday morning before too much mayhem and boxes arrived.

 Looking at the kitchen now this morning there is about another 10 boxes in there with a small pathway between. Glad that is all over! We told them we would unpack and signed everything off just wanting it to be done and them gone so we could get on with it.

The next week is going to be fun!