Well, actually, quite big ones. I've started the process of packing up everything except for the fragile stuff like glass & china. I last did it in 2003, but there were two of us then. I had forgotten how completely exhausting it is. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that I'm 10 years older - My pacemaker's working overtime - hope the battery doesn't pack in!
I've already sorted through quite a lot of stuff, so hopefully what is left is central to my existence. Despite that there still seems an awful lot to pack. I find getting rid of books really hard. I read a lot, both fiction and non- fiction. If I didn't have a book to move onto when I've just finished one I would be worried. Then there are all the "arty farty" books & materials. Am I ever going to have the time to be creative again?
Moving to a much smaller house with nothing like the storage does focus the mind. I sat down with the plan last night & tried to work out where furniture should go. It's going to be difficult even though a lot of furniture has gone. I'm trying to avoid packing and then unpacking stuff that I then find I haven't got room for / don't really need. It's beginning to feel like living in a transit camp. The boxes are piling up.
The really daunting thing about all of this is remembering, all to clearly, what a nightmare it was when we moved in here. It literally took months to get sorted because there wasn't any storage at all. Just one very small wardrobe. There's a bit more in the new house, but not much.
On the plus side I don't have to compromise with anyone else on what to take & what to ditch. On the minus side there is only one pair of hands & one brain. I suppose this will be the first place I've ever had that was truly mine, and everything in it will be what I have chosen to keep. It seems a long time to wait for that sort of independence, but there is a price to pay.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteIf you want to post me I think you just write in the comment box & select "anonymous" then "publish". I then get notification you have posted & can reply. Yours only came through as an email. If you've done it right I think it should appear under the blog. Try again & lets see if it works.
I'm almost too addicted to getting rid of stuff. There will probably be things I regret not having. Ive just had 2 lovely guys here, Steve & Nick, who do lots of transition stuff in Stroud. They are taking all my remaining tools & doing a run to the tip for me in return. So almost everything goes to a good home except for a small amount that no one could use.
OK ... Here goes:
ReplyDeleteI found it strange to be somehow attracted to inanimate objects to the point that I wrestled with the scenario of 'should I keep it or let it go'. Emotionally, I found the process very tough and I still feel a sense of loss because perfectly sound items were not only left but actually taken away to the rubbish-tip, because I couldn't find any outlet for them in the given time-period I had for their disposal! I hate wasting anything.
Books are an obstacle to you but on the bright side, Oxford must be built on literacy so perhaps once settled, bookshops may trade yours for newer tomes and I can't ever imagine you'll be stuck for something to buy & read whilst living there!
Overall, moving home is very demanding and stressful, at any age, so please don't push yourself to exhaustion ... call in some favours!'
The wonders of modern technology!
ReplyDeleteThere's something very satisfying about giving stuff away to people who will put it to good use. I too can't bear throwing perfectly good things away. I don't tend to be too attached to things, but really hate waste - Programmed by my mother at a very early age!