Homeless

We are now officially homeless.

Most of our worldly possessions are in a storage unit somewhere in Worcestershire waiting to be shipped to Italy, and we are living out of a suitcase (or to be more precise, 3 suitcases, 4 bags, 2 document wallets and a rucksack).

When I got home from my meeting at work at about 4.15pm yesterday the removal men were just coming to the end of their mammoth task and putting the last few bits into the lorry. I dashed round to Anne and Dave's to borrow their vacuum and started frantically going round the house trying to make it a bit more presentable. I felt terrible about the state we left much of the house in - while I'd managed to clean the bathroom and the white goods in the kitchen, I didn't manage to get around to any of the kitchen drawers or cupboards or floor, or the living room floor (which really could have done with several going-overs with a mop - there was a small stain in the corner that looked suspiciously like cat wee, and some stains underneath where the sofa had been which I've a nasty feeling were from where a couple of mice had departed this mortal coil after having been mauled by aforementioned cats...), and I would have liked to have wiped down all of the windowsills and radiators. Funny how much dirt is camouflaged when there are other objects and furnishings to distract the eye, but it stands out horribly when the room is empty!

The new owners arrived at about 5pm, so we introduced ourselves, apologised profusely for not having managed to do as much cleaning as we would have liked, and wished them good luck in the house. It was nice to meet them - my previous experience of British house-buying/selling has always been a bit cloak-and-dagger, with you rarely finding out very much about who you are buying/selling from, and certainly not meeting in person. They seemed like a pleasant couple, with a new baby in tow, so I do hope that they will enjoy the house and love it as much as we have. It should make a lovely family home, and I know the neighbours will be friendly and helpful.

We then started a series of house calls - first stop Anne and Dave's to return their vacuum and have a quick cup of coffee. Next stop Leigh and Chloe's to say we were off - they say they have already booked a babysitter for next Friday so they can come to our leaving drinks. It'll be nice to see them there. Next it was a quick chat with Kevin and Gerry, before setting off for Headington to deliver our spare double bed to Lena's - after having thought we would just have to take it to the tip in Stuart's van (and pay to dispose of it due to Stuart's van being classed as commercial), Lena texted me to say that George could give it a good home. Perfect!

After unloading the bed we spent a lovely hour having a chat and cup of tea with Lena and Richard, then set off for our final port of call: Allison and Q's in Wallingford.

On our arrival Allison had a bottle of bubbly and a delicious meal waiting for us. It was *so* nice to sit down in a comfy chair in a nice, cosy house with a plate of yummy hot food and a glass of wine. Just what the doctor ordered!

In all the frantic dashing about yesterday I barely had time to think about leaving our house and Wick Close, although I'd done plenty of that in the days and weeks running up to move day. It felt odd driving into Abingdon this morning though - knowing that this is no longer where our home is.

Now begins the countdown to leaving the country...

~ Helen