help and advice wanted!
Posted: Saturday, 13 January 2007 |
Comments
My worst ever move was from Rum to South Uist in April 2004. The removal van had to come over on a landing craft, which, I discovered the day before the move, had been booked for the wrong week (not by me!). The plan had been to go straight from Rum to Uist, but the weather was poor and the landing craft had been delayed by several hours so once they had loaded up they returned to Mallaig and drove up to Uig instead. When the van finally arrived on Rum we had 21/2 hours to pack and load the entire houseful (the removal company had been hired to do all the packing too, as I was on my own with 2 kids and a 8 week old baby). Panic set in with 1/2 an hour to go and at that point reinforcements were called in. Suddenly my house was full of both islanders and people staying in the hostel that I had never laid eyes on before, stuffing things in boxes, including the SNH Reserve Manager's honeymooning niece and husband - just what they'd had in mind, I'm sure. I have never been so stressed in my life! Once the van had gone I went back to the house to retrieve a suitcase full of essentials which was meant to last us the few days until hubby came to collect us, only to discover that some helpful person had put it in the van. Cue tearful phone call! I'm getting stressed again even thinking about it. I hope your move goes better than that!
BoB from Lewis
Parental units mention moving country is easier because everything has to be packed into a huge crate and shipped - out of sight out of mind. Of course, when it then arrives on the pavement without warning, that is a teeny bit stressful....... It depends how far you are moving and the shorter the distance, the higher the stress levels. It feels great. Eventualleeee.
Flying Cat from teetering atop a teachest
In answer to your question Scallowawife: I've moved house 3 times in three years & I'm obviously sane.
Muness from Fetlar
Well the last move I did, well didn't, during packing I had a TIA and was shipped off to the Gilbert Bain, when I came to, she who used to be obeyed and several friends had done all the hard work, I was very very grateful.
Lerwick Trevor from Lerwick, Shetland Mainland
staff must have had the shortest move ever, they moved from ground floor apartment to first floor apartment, with senior staff moving vice versa - stress is not the word!!!
mia from apartment living
I have moved 44 times and 3 times in the past 5 months - it doesn't improve and I am still unpacking and so far have not discovered most of my kitchen implements and cutlery - Christmas dinner with fingers was good fun! and the weather doesn't help. We have good friends coming on Saturday to help keep us sane! In the midst of this we lost our newfy. We have now got a 10 week newfy pup and he is dismantling the house as I type!! So------------ a large glass of something strong is probably the answer! But spring is on its way and the lighter days will help. Just tackle one bit at a time and don't look at the bigger picture.
Newfies from Quarff
Moving is evil. I loathe moving. You can't stay sane while moving so don't even try. Drink buckets of coffee (to stay awake) and throw lots of pillows around - it helps release the pent-up insanity.
Michellechoza from on a farm in Mainland Orkney
We've moved 3 times in 20 years, and the last was the worst, as I couldn't be involved in the moving, however just keep reminding yourself that you've got the rest of your life to sort out your new house, and try to keep calm, deep breathing, and don't shout at anyone who is trying to help. Keep the essentials close by when moving, tea, coffee, milk, kettle, cups, cuttlery etc. and you can make a brew once you arrive at new abode. Good luck, I won't tell you about our moving stories as I don't wanna scare you. Cheeery....
rhewhitesettler from dunmovin'
Scallowawife, you ken how often I have moved, (LOTS, for all you that don't know) and I suppose you must judge for yourself how sane I was, and still am! As for Muness, well, I have had an opinion on the state of HIS sanity for a long time now................
Ruthodanort from Unst
There must be a tighter definition of 'obviously sane' than the one Muness is using.... Newfies' large glass of something, Tws' essentials and Michelle's pillow-throwing (taking it for granted that you can find the pillows before bedtime) not necessarily in that order, make the perfect coping kit. And stroke the cat. It's therapeutic...........
Flying Cat from among the empties
Therapeutic? For whom is stroking a fluffy pussy therapeutic FC? For whom?
Tws from Inthedoghouse
the pussy likes it. I apologise for sounding like a Carry On film script. what could be nicer.... no . stop it.
scallowawife from in bed wi flu
Poor scallowawife in bed with flo......... A pussy in the hand is worth two in the.......errrrrrrm. Jings, a cat with a riddy!
Flying Cat from under a duvet
Scallowawife, who is flu? And why should you feel the need to tell us that you are in bed with him/her/it? ( delete those that do not apply to you ) Do you require a Night Nurse?
Tws from In Therapy
So you have the Anderson High Plague then? Is it as bad as Radio Shetland made out? I hear Fetlar School has had a 100% attendance throughout the time that the schools of da metroplois have been stricken. Proof that its healthier oop north.
Muness from Fetlar
I know - it should have been metropolis.
Muness from Fetlar
Have you moved yet Scallowawife? Are you in bed in your new or old house? Are there any cats in your new home?
Tws from nomoremovinforme
Of course she does not have a cat in her new home, tws! She has learnt that cats only abide by her in order to hitch a ride to Lerwick, where they promptly jump off. As for Scallowawife new home, I understand only well trained dogs (e.g. CrofterBill's) need apply.
mjc from NM,USA
Is your location still The Mainland? We should be told. Are you now a Burrawife or a Trondawife? You'll have to transform into another blogger - else you'll be booted off da web. Look what happened to Herman. Now he's a hermit.
Muness from Fetlar
Does 100% attendance at Fetlar School go into double figures?
Flying Cat from a well-marked jotter
I'm hoping to move to Shetland this year. There's a crofthouse called Kia-Ora (Irland, Bigton) advertised in ST and I can't get up to see it for a week or so. "Repairs needed" - anyone know what extent of repairs.
copland the smith from chorlton cum hardy
so up shetland people are giving maoiri words to their homes-they have forgotten how spell "welcome"
carol chauveau from france
Kia-Ora, Carol. There's a big connection between Shetland and NZ. A lot of Shetland folk have emigrated there and there are regular "Hamefarings". My Shetland wife has just been out to NZ and met her former Lerwick schoolfriends there.
copland the smith from chorlton cum hardy
When I were a lad the admen told me Kia Ora meant Good Health. In my experience Shetland folk don't need to remember how to spell welcome they show it. They may however say, "Come dee wis."
Hyper-Borean from Lingua franca
Talking of things kiwi, number 2 (by 30 minutes) son sent me a bottle of NZ malt for christmas and decidely palatable it is too.
Hyper-Borean from The Land of the Long Black Cloud
Not moved yet - had to wait on painter - he got the flu - and am waitin on cooker for 4 weeks to be delivered. It better be good when it comes... sofa comes on Monday. Will move when cooker comes. the dining room is the same shade of red as this page we blog on. very cosy. the sitting room is almond white. not a bit like an almond in any way I can see, but there you go. I've painted the porch a vermillion red, and the tiny utility room is a bold orange. Apparently the soil is very sandy, so might be able to grow veg.there's a tiny space in the small garden.IKEA are supplying the bedroom stuff (self assembly, flat pack - oh s***. I'm so looking forward to that) No animals - they're staying behind. Still got no energy after flu - and son been off for a whole week too.
scallowawife from displaced, in no mans land
Poor scallowawife, not only stricken with flo, but also in Limbo and on a cooker. Is this some kind of karmic penance? Parental units once moved into a house with a kitchen painted by an axe murderer manqu茅. I think that's what they said. I'd be chewing the carpet with all this waiting. No animals? None? Not even a cat? A nice fluffy.....to .....errrrrm...
Flying Cat from Alert but not alarmed
There was me thinking KiaOra meant crap orange juice.
calumannabel from The Orangery Lewis
Hark at her - I still don't have a cooker! We all adore a kia ora.
Muness from Fetlar
Man without cooker = person requiring sympathetic feeding. Woman without cooker = impending anorexia.
Flying Cat from cookery nook
sofa arrived, with 2 burly men, small sofa got in ok, larger one stuck in the door. waitin on friendly joiner to come and dismantle bits of house to get it in. grrr.
scallowawife from stuck between doors with a sofa for company
Oh. I've just been to canthecan where big sofas are all the rage......how confusing...
Flying Cat from puzzled&confused
Move an stay sane Its easy, just add some wine, vodka, and a few cans
Sandy the Goodlad from Lerwick
copland the smith i brought in the new year in auckland given by people from shetland i hope your wife wasn't at the same party-i was the nut with a french osteopath-b####y good night it was or rather what i remember
carol.chauveau from france
sofa, so good, got it in to the sitting room. and got furniture arranged, reaarranged and rearranged again.finally got the flippin sofas to my likin. at last can sit down and look out window. just the cooker to go....oooh yes talkin about cookers, am going to alter a little bit of the back wall to get in larger cooker, and am going to get a teensi weensi bit of steel and stick those trendy magnetic tins (for herbs and spices) from IKEA on it. how up market is that. poor joiner is tearing his hair out as we speak.
scallowawife from inside, on sofa
One can only applaud a woman who will rebuild her hoose in order to accommodate the new furniture. It's very like buying a new car to match your raincoat. But nobody in their right mind would do that....
Flying Cat from an admiring glance
joiner has rebelled - has put in tiles and not my trendy IKEA idea. ooohhh. even worse there's word that the cooker might not get round the same door the sofa had problems wi. good grief - who designs these houses. who designs these cookers and sofas. who buys them? answer: a man, a man, and woman. can anyone see the problem here? grrr. Pass the vodka.
scallowawife from in a strop
Did you get any help or advice Scallowawife ?
Tws from The Croft Lewis
And what about all that routing on kitchen cupboard doors? And the joins between worksurfaces where nasty gunk builds up and the inevitable gap between the cooker and the worktops no matter what size of stove you think you ordered or all the fiddly plastic bits in the fridge door that break as soon as you look at them or the silly corner cupboards that you need to be a potholer to reach into.....
Flying Cat from lying down in a darkened sunroom
"Silly corner cupboards that you need to be a potholer to reach into." Can this be the same fc who appears, on another blog, to be burrowing into the depths of a drawer full of clothes?
Hyper-Borean from The litter tray
I liked the smell in that drawer. It was elusive, fugitive, yet strangely alluring....
Flying Cat from someone's drawers but not saying whose