w/e 2020-09-27

Hello you.

Monday: Pack stuff to get rid of; take a car load of stuff to a charity warehouse in Ross-on-Wye; feel very anxious about the moving of all our belongings from London.
Tuesday: Feel very, very anxious about the moving of all our belongings from London; the removal firm packs all our belongings in London; have a bad migraine.
Wednesday: The removal firm arrives with two Luton vans containing all our belongings from London; help them unload it all into the house.
Thursday: Work.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Unpack boxes; two spare beds are collected; unpack more boxes; sort stuff out; unpack other boxes; pack more stuff to get rid of; unpack further boxes.

When we moved into our flat 16 years ago I found it so stressful – the Barbican is not designed to make moving in and out an easy business – that I did not want to move ever again. I guess that feeling takes a decade or two to wear off because here we are, having moved again. And, once more, I do not want to move ever again.

This time, however, was a lot easier, having chosen a very-recommended moving company and having paid them to pack everything. Everyone I’d spoken to who had their removals firm do the packing said, “It was worth every penny,” and I can now agree. Promise to pay them a lot of money, give them a key, and everything arrives, very well packed. It’s like magic.

I guess it’s a little taste of what it’s like to be super-rich, when, I assume, you never have to do any mundane task yourself. Go on holiday and people pack your bags and unpack them at the other end. People to lug your luggage, carry your shopping, pay your bills, walk your dog, cook your food, choose your clothes. Another world, a world of weird magic. A magic of ease, the spells of money.

Of course, despite how smoothly it ended up going, I spent a lot of time beforehand catastrophising about what could go wrong and not sleeping well. I dont know when I started getting so anxious about things like this. I don’t remember doing so when I was young but maybe I’ve forgotten? Or I’ve since had a tiny number of things go wrong and so I keep expecting it every time? I don’t know. But it was all fine. I can hardly believe it.

The only problem now is where to put everything. This house has around 1.7 times the floor area of our two-bedroom flat and yet it doesn’t feel any easier to find room for things. Why do I have all these books, CDs, clothes, clothes hangars, cables, cassettes, Lego sets, old toys, paints, old college work, old photos, bags, laptops, obsolete devices, and on, and on. As I said last week, don’t keep stuff! Be ruthless early! The longer you keep something the harder it is to get rid of. This is all stuff I’ve managed perfectly well without for nine months and yet I find it hard to dispose of much of it.

Anyway, we’re getting there. The majority of the 100 or so boxes are unpacked and flattened, aside from all those (too many) that contain books, which await the construction of the bookshelves. Some of what was unpacked now sits in piles on the floor awaiting homes but, still, I can now almost imagine the place all tidy and homelike.

§ Very little else happened this week. We did watch Knives Out on telly which was quite fun. I saw the trailer several times back when cinemas were a thing and it did not make me want to see the film: it looked far too knowingly “zany”. During the film, the bits I disliked least were all lines that featured in the trailer. I don’t like watching trailers of films for this very reason. While watching the movie the familiar lines clunk out, over-familiar progress markers in an otherwise (hopefully) surprising story. Anyway, it was quite good, especially if you haven’t seen the trailer.

§ Another week over, well done everyone. But seriously, get rid of some stuff!