20th March, 2016
The start of our last full week in Surrey. Next week we move to Sussex. Lots of people have contacted us to wish us well in our new venture and I am in the process of contacting everyone I know and some I don’t with our new address and phone number. It will take me some time because the next few days will see us shuttling constantly between locations.
We have about three or four more Health Club visits before we join the David Lloyd in Worthing. Pauline is just informing our Doctor of our imminent move and getting our last ‘Repeat Prescription’. We have quite a few ‘lasts’ coming up over the next few days. I must admit, I don’t feel sentimental about it like I did on leaving Yorkshire after more than 30 years of moorland and dry stone walls. I am actively looking forward to the move, embracing change and going forward.
The car is loaded up and we are off early to Sussex tomorrow to await delivery of our new Lounge furniture. We are going to test out our new kitchen and showers in the bathrooms. I am going to build my temporary desk and use my new internet connection.
21st March, 2016
Up at 6.00 and out by 7.00 am. The morning started cold and grey but, by the time we reached our Sussex house – just after 8.00 am – the sun was breaking through. We spent an hour or so unpacking crockery and cutlery and putting into newly cleaned kitchen cupboards. My bean-to-cup coffee maker came out at last but I didn’t have any beans so we had to survive on instant – again.
By 11.00 am, the sofa company were phoning us for details of our address because our post code is not featuring on sat navs yet. The soon arrived with two 3-seater settees, an armchair and a footstool. They unpacked it all, put in to the Lounge and gave us some aftercare advice along with a pack of ‘problem solving’ potions – for cleaning various stains off. As soon as they had gone, I was able to watch the Daily Politics on my iPad followed by the disastrous Budget debate from Parliament. I also called a television installation firm to come and advise and quote me for work in seven rooms.
We were back in Surrey by 3.00 pm and eating Crab Salad and Tuna Pâté with Greek Salad. Then I packed the car ready for a repeat trip tomorrow.
22nd March, 2016
Up at 6.00 and out by 7.00 am again this morning. We are back down to the new house in Sussex. Today we are receiving the new beds – Bensons for Beds are delivering in the morning. The removal firm will be bringing the contents of our storage pod in the afternoon. It is a beautiful, sunny day. The road down is quiet and strewn with dead badgers, dead rabbits, dead pheasants – in fact Sussex is strewn with road kill.
When we arrive, sun is streaming through the windows of the Kitchen/Breakfast Room. I snatched some photos on my iPad. The first two made quite nice compositions taken from the corridor through the kitchen door.
The bed company arrived right on time, unloaded, hauled three, huge beds upstairs and assembled them. The left, taking all the packaging with them even though our new Recycling Bin (what are they for?) was delivered this morning. The fourth bedroom will become the Ironing/Sewing Room without a bed.
In the afternoon, Aspen Movers brought the contents of our storage pod and put it all into the garage for me to move at my ‘leisure’. We chose the right company quite out of the blue. The service was excellent and only cost £420.00.
23rd March, 2016
Another lovely day and we were out early again but to the Surgery for a repeat prescription then shopping for a snack to take to the new house and petrol which has just gone up to £1.01 per litre at Tesco. All this driving means I’m getting through a lot of it at the moment. Anyway, we set off for Sussex at 9.00 am and the drive was good but a little busier.
The Dining table hasn’t arrived yet so we have ordered garden furniture which may arrive first. Al fresco dining may be what happens for a few days.
Pauline is just about to order an extra wall cabinet for the front left above the coffee maker and the wine cooler. Symphony Kitchens supply them at the cost of £730.00 for a double wall cabinet. Are they gold lined? Anyway, it’s what Pauline wants so it is ordered. I also ordered Sky Multi-Room with Sky Sports in three rooms and BT Sports in three rooms so that must have been the trade off.
In the afternoon, the Blind Man arrived to fit blinds in every window apart from the kitchen. It took him two hours and we didn’t get away until 7.00 pm as it was beginning to get quite dark. Our first drive back to Surrey at that time of night was made more interesting as the country roads leading to the M25 have absolutely no street lighting. Now I realise why I see so much roadkill in the mornings. Just before we left the new house, an envelope was pushed through the letter box. It was from our neighbours across the road welcoming us and introducing themselves. That was nice.
24th March, 2016
A grey start to the day which deteriorated into rain – fine turning heavy. We are surprised it is only Thursday. It has felt a long week and we are tired from the stress of trying to get things right. The Sky installers will come to the Sussex house on Saturday and the patio furniture will be delivered. Today, we have been out to buy the televisions, a condenser tumble dryer and a replacement desktop computer from Currys. The computer will be delivered on Tuesday and the rest five days later. After months of relaxation, arranging all this has been exhausting.
It is extremely tricky making qualitative choice ‘off-plan’ and co-ordinating them. We have been relieved to find kitchen units work with work surface and floor tiles. I particularly like the stair carpet which also runs along the upstairs gallery landing.
This is the view from the Lounge looking across the corridor running from front door to the kitchen. It just feels a bit ‘funky’ for an older couple.
This afternoon, we drove to a leather restorer’s premises in Chobham taking the detachable arm of a leather swivel chair belonging to P&C. We didn’t damage it but its condition has got worse on our watch so we though we would have its condition restored while they are away. Fascinating, multi-process old works staffed by very young people. We wait to hear if it can be done.
25th March, 2016
A gloriously warm and sunny day reaching 15C/59F. It is really our last quiet day before we move. We went out to buy sea food – prawns, crab and smoked salmon for our meal tomorrow plus a leg of lamb for Sunday. Since returning, we have been trying to find a suitable sideboard and coffee table for the lounge. We want to avoid too traditional – go mildly modern and have been struggling. Today, we think we might consider these:
Sideboard
Coffee Table
The light wood is contrasted with polished, dark concrete. You can’t get much more ‘modern’ than that.
This afternoon we’ve been changing our address on numerous websites – banks, credit cards, supermarkets, etc.. Tried to change our driving licences and the car tax, etc.. Usually do this on the Government Gateway. We store the details digitally in the cloud but use them so rarely that it is always a fag to find and retrieve them. We must have re-registered half a dozen times since it started. This time, in spite of logging in correctly, we couldn’t update our details because their database couldn’t find our new build’s post code. Not surprised because the Post Office struggled until recently. The DVLA are closed today (ridiculous!) so we will revert to phoning in a few days.
26th March, 2016
An expensive but inoperable media distribution panel in the Lounge.
We had a really early start this morning. Up at 6.00 am and driving down to Sussex by 7.00 am. The Sky installers were due to arrive between 8.00 am – 11.00 am. We were there on time. The Sky man didn’t arrive until 10.00 am. After doing most of his work, he found that the distribution centre in the loft was not completely connected to sockets in the rooms. I have to get the builders to deal with that before the work can be completed.
Had to drive back to Surrey to watch a famous and well deserved victory against the Germans. It was well worth the drive to see really high quality goals from England.