Waiting for Moving.....still

It has been a hectic and exasperating week and there has been slight slippage of the moving timetable...

Moving day was September 30th but has now stretched on to October 5th

 The week was full of ups and downs.

Monday:

• Looking forward to exchange of contracts ready for completion and moving in on September 30th
• But no clear communication from Bovis.

Tuesday:

• Solicitor returns from leave and says she has not received necessary communications from Bovis so cannot exchange until Thursday or Friday at the earliest
• Removal men cannot reserve moving day for us unless we give them a clear week's notice
• Cannot reserve removals in time so instruct solicitor to inform Bovis that we will postpone completion until Monday 5th October
• Bovis communicate with solicitor and say they want to complete on the 30th and will issue us with a licence to stay in our present house for up to a week to give us time to reserve removal men.

Wednesday:

• Sign contracts ready for exchange
• Towards the end of the day Bovis sales ring up and inform that there is an issue with the drainage system and the NHBC certificate cannot be signed off.
• Solicitor says exchange cannot go ahead without the NHBC certificate

Thursday:

• Bovis solicitor informs our solicitor that NHBC cover note can be issued as long as we sign a letter to say we are aware of the drainage issue.
• Contracts exchanged!!!!!
• (so we probably could have booked the removal men for the 30th)

Friday:

• Serious difficulties regarding carpet layers - Bovis have parted company with planned fitters.

Saturday:

• Lets forget about all this and go camping in Cornwall. We can visit Harry and take the fish to their new home...

FISH MOVING DAY September 26th:

They weren't too happy when I fished them out and put them in this bucket.
Quite a lot of splashing and complaining.

Quite comfortable travel arrangements in the back of the van.
Ju-u-rin and Winkie. The fish of Joe and Meena and Luke.

Arrived in Devon.
Alive and well and getting used to the taste of the water from the new pond.

Our friend's Dave and Jan have rather a luxurious pond compared to what our fish have been used to!



Next day there were several sightings of Ju-u-rin getting to know her new friends.
She is just visible as a light shape at the bottom left of this picture.
Winkie has stayed hidden but that's to be expected as he is a bottom feeder and has a very large and interesting pond bottom to explore.

So the fish move went smoothly - lets see how we get on!

Final countdown....

Contracts have not been exchanged.
Our solicitor doesn't think it will happen.
BUT.... Bovis are convinced we will move on the 30th September and that's good enough for me!

Crossing off the days.

It means we have very few days left to complete our packing up, especially as we have to go to Devon next Sunday and Monday for a guided tour of our house!

Things to do:

1. Confirm with the removal men.
2. Change of address notifications.
3. Pack up our stuff.
4. Empty the fridge and freezer.
5. Sort out the 200 plants in pots that are going with us.
6. Sort out the fish travel arrangements.
7. Take stuff to the dump.
8. Say goodbye to old friends.
9. Leave the house and garden clean and tidy.
10. MOVE!

Actually that doesn't look too daunting so I will continue playing bridge on the computer and start a new macramé project while Paul does his piano practice and writes his computer programmes.

Waiting for......

On Wednesday we went to see the play 'Waiting for Godot' at Theatre Severn. The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are waiting for a meeting with Godot, but it is not clear whether the meeting will ever take place.

Estragon and Vladimir in the LCT production



The opening line of the play is:





 

ESTRAGON: Nothing to be done.

Paul and I believe we are moving at the end of the month although we have not exchanged contracts and have not been given a date. I feel a bit like Vladimir and Estragon. I get bored. I create things to do. I get irritable. I hope for the move.

Later in the play the following exchange takes place:

VLADIMIR: What do we do now?

ESTRAGON: Wait.

VLADIMIR: Yes, but while waiting.

ESTRAGON: What about hanging ourselves?

 







Well I don't feel quite that bad. But it is frustrating and hard to really believe that we are going to move in two weeks time. Paul has started telling people that we are moving on September 28th. It sounds pretty convincing. There is going to be a full lunar eclipse on the 28th so perhaps that is a good omen.

Meanwhile, nothing to  be done....

The final lines of the play are:


VLADIMIR: Well? Shall we go?

ESTRAGON: Yes, let's go.
They do not move.

I love camping....in the van...

I am glad to say that the van now starts like a dream.

After a couple of months of problems and after the mechanic replaced numerous different components he finally found the answer. He replaced the fuel return valve and this has done the trick


We have had had several overnight stays in the van. This is my current list of Dos and Don'ts for happy camping...

Don't ignore the campsite owner who says, 'Park up hill from the river'  We ignored this advice when camping on Exmoor this month. We parked close to the river in order to hear the river from our beds but ended up stuck in the mud!



The River Exe was rather higher than this in August!

Don't park side ways on a slope. We did this and I was constantly rolling towards the side door and struggling to get back over.

Don't park under a tree. We did this. When it rained for several hours in the night, the sound of the rain dripping from the tree was deafening. It was like sleeping in drum.

Do make the effort to move so that the sun shines into the 'kitchen' in the morning. We do this and enjoy breakfast in the sun.



Making breakfast on Exmoor

Don't forget to take a lighter to light the gaz cooker.

Don't take loads more food than you need - you just have to bring it back home and it never looks very appetising.

Do make sure everything is secured safely for travelling. It is very annoying to have to stop to investigate mysterious bumps and squeaks from the back of the van. Usually caused by the water carrier or cool box breaking free.



Secure everything carefully.

Do choose campsites in beautiful locations. We do this and have enjoyed some beautiful views from our beds.


Campsite near Boscastle with lovely view of the sea.


Do keep notes on each trip to remind you of what you need to remember on your next trip.



Camping with others at festival near Boscastle

 

Do camp. It is a lot cheaper than a hotel (£10 - £15 a night for two people) and you can enjoy being close to nature and other happy campers!