TheBanyanTree: Packing and moving

[Peter Macinnis]

We are at that stage of life where the nest is empty, the dog has died 
and this house is too big for the two of us.

So we have sold up, bought a new place, and now comes the packing.

So far, there are something like 190 boxes of books.  Luckily, we have 
17 days between when the tenants clear out of the new house and when we 
move, and three days after the move, so I plan to get the books moved, 
new shelves erected, and at least the category 1 and 2 books unpacked 
(all books are sorted and grouped by content and priority, with a few 
rough edges, but all the key books should be emerging within seven days).

We have just had the removalist in for a quote this morning, and the 
last of the boxes of books are now down in the garage, ready to go into 
the car.  I will rent a 'ute' (utility -- what Americans called a pickup 
when they adopted the Australian design) to move some more items that 
are bulky-but-light, plus essential items like a second kettle, the bar 
fridge so there are cold drinks, milk and a few foodstuffs available, I 
am preparing change-of-address details, sorting tools to see what can be 
discarded -- and clinging grimly to my supply of seasoned timber.  And 
the workbench, and all the screws and bolts and nails and stuff.  I have 
mine, my father's, my father-in-law's, my stepfather's, my 
stepfather-in-law's -- a perfect collection.

Yes, I know a lot of it can go, but not now, not when I am about to 
erect new shelves, probably build a new desk and stuff like that.  I 
needed to build a new gate to pass building inspection on this place, 
and because I had ruthlessly thrown out hinges that I would NEVER need, 
I had to buy new ones.  Aaaagh!  My Scots forebears haunted my dreams 
for a week, clicking their teeth and admonishing.

They say the three most stressful things are a death in the family, 
moving house and a divorce.  We have had two deaths in the past 14 
months, now we are moving house, we AIN'T gonna crack the Trifecta!

I will triage the stuff I take, and feed it into the bin when I can, but 
only after we settle.  We have a LARGE double garage and a HUGE 
store-room, so we will delay the dispersal of all those things that 
might, as my father said, "come in handy".

It's a wrench, but a series of small wrenches does less harm to the 
psyche in the long run.

No, I won't be winnowing the books -- I did that last year, and I gave 
at least three away.  We really are down to the lower limit of 
sustainability.

peter

-- 

   _--|\    Peter Macinnis            petermacinnis at ozemail.com.au
  /     \   de Bergerac Reader in Comparative Nosology, and deputy
  \.--._*   cleaner, Tooleybuc School of Arts and Creative Lambence
       v    http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/index.htm