Phase 5: STILL packing'n'moving

Moving is fraught at the best of times, however when most decisions are out of your control (like choosing the carrier, nominating the dates etc) it's a two step backwards one step forward slow progress.

We're all ready to be packed on Tuesday, Wednesday (with Thursday as a contingency) however, the companies confirmed Wednesday/Thursday only. Seems the 3 hours it took the consultant to get here two weeks ago because of an accident on the M3 wasn't taken as a warning that the road out of London can be fraught with obstacles.

The fact that we have a dodgy private road, which is completely overgrown and so no large vehicles can drive down - they packers will pack our things and pop them into a small truck which will drive to the bigger truck, unload and return empty to do it goodness knows how many more times. The time to do this obviously has been ignored too as a 3 day move has turned into a 2 day move.

THEN we find out the truck driving our stuff over will be unloading our things into a warehouse so that a local carrier can pack it up again and delivery it to our new home - so much for door-to-door confirmation (and rushing to find a home in order to provide them with an address)

I've been packing clothes and a pantry items into suitcases and shopping bags to put into the boot of the car as we're driving up .... all going to plan until THIS MORNING when the local carrier phoned to confirm earliest delivery to the house is w/c August 19-23 which means we're in the house for just over a week with ..... wiht .... not much.

Based on experience, and the desire NOT to purchase inexpensive crappy stuff to 'make do til ours arrives' I'm packing a set of sheets for each of us, towels, 3 pieces of crockery, 3 sets of crockery, 3 coffee cups and a few cooking utensils.

The danger now is that all this stuff won't fit into the car! I'm going to ask the packers to help me on Thursday as there's no way I can do this on my own - the cases are too heavy to lift!

G's just emailed the carriers to ensure we get the earliest delivery possible as we were confirmed door-to-door, not door-to-storage-to-truck-to-door.

In addition to that packing I've been packing MissM and I for 4 nights in a hotel starting tomorrow night. Somehow it's harder than packing for a holiday.

A holiday is what I'm going to need after this week!!!!!!!!!

With friendship
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