Category: boxes

Posted on

Darkest before the Dawn

The saying goes that the darkness is deepest just before the dawn.

As I sit here in our bedroom in the half light of morning listening to the birds on the nearby lake beating their wings against the water and the sounds of London slowly waking up, I understand that feeling.

We have this amazing dream that after two years of nurture, focus and hard work is now within inches of becoming reality. We are within just a few weeks of packing up our old house, getting in the car and driving with the dog to our new life on the island.We are weighed down with lists and arrangements, with disposing of things, and with decisions.

Although I have now finished work, husband still has three weeks to go and so doesn’t have the luxury of daily headspace to process things. I’m limited by what I can do to help. It’s a huge weight.

Covid 19 is on the rise again with the prospect of further lockdowns and travel restrictions which is adding another spoonful of stress and uncertainty to an already pretty potent mix.

I know that this will pass. I know that everything will get done, and that if it doesn’t get done the world won’t stop turning.I know this. We both know this.

We will find the space to hang on to the excitement of these new beginnings. Even when these feelings of excitement are heavily entwined with the decoupling from our old lives and all that this entails. Even when sleep is dominated with dreams of all the things we haven’t yet done. Even when our bedtime reading is all plumbing manuals and spreadsheets.

It’s important not to allow the “to-do” list to consume every waking moment and to reconnect with feelings of joy at what we are about to do.

Because of course it will all be worth it.New beginnings, a new way of life.The dawn is lightening the sky already.

We will be ready.

Posted on

A sea of boxes

We are surrounded by a sea of boxes, bags, mattresses and guitars.

This weekend we’ve been moving the two boys into their flat in Manchester. They’ve been with us throughout lockdown, and although they’ve eaten us out of house and home, it’s been really good to have them with us.

The time has come for university to start again, jobs to be found and a new life to be started for them both. The London bolt-hole will be no more in a few months time, as we will have de-camped to the static on the Isle of Skye.

At the last minute the big van that husband had hired from Europcar got changed to a much smaller one because of a health and safety issue, and all the ranting in the world couldn’t change that as they had no alternative vans available.

This has meant TWO days of loading and trips from London to Manchester and back again. My poor husband. Most of this has fallen on his shoulders. All that lifting and driving 😢.

I’ve made up an emergency start box with some pantry basics, like teabags, sugar, pasta and tinned goods and we’ve managed to get rid of tables, bedside units, two beds, bookcases, bedding, lights, towels, and bedding to get them started.

It’s been a good start to our house clear-out in preparation for our move in October.

We may have been left with all their rubbish to dispose of, but we can see the floor again in their two rooms now! We can use that space to sort, pack and organise for our main move. And we have two van loads less of stuff than we had last week.

Small steps. But progress.