A moving experience

 

Steph has now left Stoke Newington. There was SO MUCH stuff! The bad news is that she hasn't found anywhere else to live yet - so Big Sister Liz is being very loving and letting her stop in Elephant and Castle with her and Jon temporarily. We spent Saturday packing and loading the car - it took two trips across London - and an infinite number of trips up and down stairs at both ends, with our arms full of boxes. Mercifully the rain wasn't too bad during the 'outside' bits, and we found close parking spaces at both ends.

Steph asked if some of the stuff [like the chests of drawers and the exercise bike] could come back with me to Leicester till things are settled. She fed me tea and home-made sticky toffee brownies so I couldn't refuse!

We might have managed to sort the packing of the car so that the 'Leicester' load went in the second trip and stayed in the boot. But life is never that simple. Liz and Jon do not have a spare bed!

So we had to unload everything, and later in the evening, fortified by tea and Liz's excellent banana cake, we [Liz, Jon, and I] went to IKEA at Croydon. The plan was to get some sort of sofa-bed for the Guest Room aka Jon's Studio.

We unfolded the sofabeds and futons and stretched out on them. We folded them up again and sat on them. We decided that some would be too short for Bob to sleep on, and some not wide enough for two of us to sleep on...We were more assiduous in our bed checking than Goldilocks ever was. Then we stopped in the Restaurant for a meal [Swedish meatballs, as is de rigeur on such occasions]

Off again, with trolley, in which we collected odd bits and pieces [bath mat, potted fern, picture frame etc - BUT NO TEA LIGHTS PLEASE!] Then we got a second, flatbed trolley and went to aisle 71 of the warehouse [as duly noted upstairs] to get the Futon base and mattress. We got the base without any problem, but when we went to the other end of the aisle to get the mattress, not only were they not there, the allocated place had been allocated to something else. So we were a bit confused.

Much queuing up later, we established that IKEA had LOTS of bases but no mattresses.

Liz and Jon were - quite rightly - reluctant to  buy one bit without the other, so we came home without the bed.

I did get Knackerbrod Rye Crackers though, and Cinnamon Rolls. They didn't have the pickles Steph had requested.

But we noticed LOTS of flatbed trolleys discarded round the checkout area, with futon bases upon them. Other people had obviously done the same as we had. So WHY can't they put a little sign UPSTAIRS in the showroom saying "Sorry, this one is out of stock at the minute" ?? instead of "You can find this in Aisle 71, section 28"

We blew up the airbed and I slept on that instead. Next to the Wonderful New Bookshelves - all filled now, and looking splendid.

This morning Liz made me a Bacon Roll [her home-made bread - mmmm...] and then I drove home, arriving early afternoon - exhausted. Bob prepared me a hot steak and mushroom sandwich.

I have eaten extremely well this weekend- but mostly that's because the rest of my family have prepared my meals!!

Since 1977, I've been involved in moving house for myself, Bob, our parents and our children - at least two dozen times. It does NOT get any easier. When I get to heaven, I plan to stay in the same Mansion for the whole of eternity!