Preparing for the Move

Anyone that knows me (Pete) will know that I like to be prepared and always do things early! However, good intentions and reality are two quite rather different things! That's why on the day of our departure we were still putting items in the loft of our house, dropping things off at the tip and selling our car; just hours before the flight departed from Heathrow. Oh well, as usual the job was completed, though!

We seemed to spend days living amongst piles of possessions, not quite sure what to pack in the boxes and what to leave behind. Then the dilemma: where to store those possesions that we were not taking? Pete's Dad does not go in the shed often, "Lets put a bike in it, and as we are there why not stuff in a gazebo and parasol, too. The workbench can fit in nicely, too. Thanks Mum & Dad, and maybe it's best if you do not go into your loft for a while either!"

Even on the night before the boxes were due to be collected, the customs declarations and insurance forms still had to be completed, but we still went out with the family for a farewell meal. Going out for a meal, earlier in the evening, did not seem such a good idea when we were trying to concentrate on completing the forms correctly, at 3.30am!

Yes, we were still sealing some boxes as the others were being loaded into the removal company's van. Isn't it annoying when people arrive early! Well, it meant that some items were forgotten and did not get packed, so we ended up carrying a stereo remote control and parts of a socket set in our hand luggage. Of course this last item was spotted on the x-ray machine in Singapore...