The Big Move January 2013

(Feb 2013: these posts are  backdated - sorry for the delay in writing my diary!))

HOW IT ALL BEGAN Summer- Autumn 2012 - 
click here

Moving day. Wednesday 16th January 2013 - Walthamstow, London
From yesterday we have been watching the removal men from Pickfords pack up our home into various-sized cardboard boxes.

The cats went off to the cattery on Monday evening - I miss them terribly, but they will be safe there.

Now Ron and I are sitting on the floor in an empty house waiting for a clearance company to come and remove the pile of stuff that needs to be cleared from the front garden (all the old toot we don't want to take with us.)

We are sitting on the floor because the removal men have finished, everything is packed and the house is empty.

All we have to do is shut the front door and post the keys to the landlord.

Tonight we are staying in a hotel in Chingford - we thought we'd better stay in London in case the removal men needed Thursday morning to pack the last few things.

So, goodbye Walthamstow. I'll not miss you


Thursday 17th January - Chingford, London

The Ridgeway Hotel, Chingford...

I do NOT recommend it!

The bathroom was as cold as a freezer - no heating in it at all, and it was the size of a cupboard.
Breakfast was 5 items only - 1 egg, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausages.

With relief, Ron and I packed the car, made sure Rum the dog was comfy in the back and set off for Devon and our new home.

No regrets at leaving London behind.



Friday 18th January - Devon

Woke up at High Bullen Hotel, Chittlehamholt to find snow.
Lots of it.

High Bullen Hotel

Very pretty - but we are supposed to be moving into our new home!

The hotel was short staffed because of the snow, so we were invited to breakfast with the previous owners, Martin & Jane, who lived on site ... lovely people.

Phone call from Mick, the gaffer of our removal men.... he wasn't sure if they could get the lorry to us. We decided to wait until 9.30 for an update

We also decided that we would stay an extra night at High Bullen just in case we couldn't get any furniture into the new house!
Our hosts Martin & Jane kindly invited us to dinner with them , so at least we knew we would have a hot meal at the end of the day!

.....

10 a.m.

The removal men managed to get through! Huzzah!

They parked the big lorry ( a huge pantechnicon) in the village and transferred everything into a smaller lorry - we now live down a narrow lane, big vechicles would get stuck!

The men were fantastic (thank you guys!) working so hard to  get as much in as they could in case the weather should be even worse tomorrow.

Ron and I were glad we had decided to stay another night at the hotel, though, as our new home was very cold because of having all the doors open!


Dinner with Martin and Jane - cooked by chef Bruce was fabulous, although I felt a right scruff in my old clothes (didn't have anything posh available!)

Both of us were out like a light when we got to bed! (and a very comfy bed at that!)


Saturday 19th January

a bit of a sad day for me as this was the anniversary of my Dad passing away - still, I was sure he was with me and smiling as the Pickfords removal men delivered the last three loads of our home.

We are now moved in - although surrounded by piles of cardboard boxes and chaos

The heating is on and warming the place up, our bed is made - and we have cups, cutlery, plates and food, because Sainsbury's managed to get here with the shopping order I had put in.

The one sad thing - Kathy is not going to bring the horses down today as planned - it would be silly to attempt it in this snow.

Her fantastic boyfriend, Adam, though, is looking after her, and settled her into a hotel. (They married in March 2014)

So its down to me, Ron & Rum the dog to unpack & turn the empty shell of Windfall Farm into "Home".

15th January 2013

Up early as the refuse men  arrived early - obviously took note of my alert that the road will be blocked later by the removal van. Also up because I was in bed worrying because I couldn't remember where I had put the phone number for the electric/gas provider. Found it in the place it was meant to be - in my Wanted on last day important stuff box.

Now, has anyone any suggestions as to where the little keys for the house windows are? They have been in the kitchen drawer for 7 years... Not there now :-/ 

Breakfast time now-then the Big Pack! 

Last entry from Walthamstow

14th January 2013

Well everything we want to take from the garden is potted up, the pigeon loft has been taken down, the tool shed cleared - ornaments and books are all dusted - 

and I have thrown out a lot of stuff.

We now await the removal men to come and pack - and then off we go to Devon. There has been a slight change of plan as snow is expected in the South, so the vendors are moving out a day early - which means we could move in a day early. Except we can't change our booked timings with Pickfords Removals.

Oh well, fingers crossed we don't get snowed out! 

schedule:

Tuesday-Wednesday 15-16th January : removal men start packing everything up.

Thursday 17th January: Completion Day. Removal Vans travel to Exeter. We Leave Walthamstow bound for the High Bullen Hotel at Chittlehamholt, Devon

Friday 18th January: Move-in Day

I will have no internet access, so next time you hear from me I will be moved and getting settled in!

see you all soon

So much to do!

4th January 2013
Checklist:

Bedding ordered for the horses - to be delivered to Windfall Farm. Must always remember to tell delivery people that it is a small lane so non-HGV ONLY.

Hotel for the last night here in London booked. (Didn't fancy sleeping on the floor)

Cattery for the cats booked. They'll hate it, but they will also hate being shut in a room, strange men in the house & the furniture walking about.

Hotel booked in Devon for the night previous to moving in.

Driver for the horsebox arranged (Kathy is to come down a day later with the neds - and cats)

New home arranged for the fish and the hens. We decided it would be less stressful to find the hens a home here in London, especially as we are not sure if there is anywhere secure from foxes to house them in Devon. I will get new Girls as soon as possible though - couldn't go back to shop-bought eggs now we've had our own!

Bought Kathy her bedroom furniture yesterday from Ikea (well she likes the place....) wardrobe, chest of drawers Futon settee bed for her designated sitting room - seemed a bit hard on the old bum to me, but I guess its softer than a horse!

I had intended to look at bookshelves as well, never got a chance.
 Still, I suppose they do have furniture shops in Devon....

Getting Ready to Go

3rd January 2013

Christmas and the New Year has gone -seemed very strange having our last one in our Walthamstow house - our first one  was also spent in a mild state of chaos as we had only just moved in.

 I remember we had to go out and buy a roasting tin on Christmas Eve because our old one was still packed in a box somewhere.

We had some odd presents this year: Ron had a kettle, I got a toaster and Kathy got a pizza board - all for the new house.

I sorted out my wardrobe and chest of drawers today. Threw out all of one skirt and two t-shirts (that made such a lot more room! Not.)

Tomorrow I will start on the kitchen cupboards - unless it's a nice day, in which case the greenhouse gets sorted. At the moment we have more pots of plants than furniture.

Do I really need to take the pots of foxgloves and the Herb Robert -which can either be looked at as a wild flower or a weed.... ?  (comment 1st October 2013: and of which there is MORE than plenty already here in Devon! :-)