Tuesday, May 17, 2011

No point buying a new roll of gladwrap....

......Sapphire can make-do with lunch being covered in alfoil and popped into a brown paper bag. In fact, we've only bought four bog rolls to last us the week and that's a big move for me, a seige-mentality shopper-and-storer if ever there was one.*











With chests of drawers already sold, clothes are now in green bags on the floor. The outfits we're taking to Switzerland are already chosen and are not to be touched until we're jetlagged and staggering around in a new hemisphere. The 'wear nows' are sorted according to social acceptability versus merely house cleaning, and unworn and nearly-news have been donated to the Salvos.


Garage sale day dawned on Saturday inasmuch as 'dawned' meant black clouds, freezing sleet and wind that blew our umbrellas away. Signs pointing to our place gradually turned to paper mache, as did the blackboard with 'INSIDE' hastily scrawled on it.


Still, 'INSIDE' a few brave souls did venture and most got more than they bargained for.


"Andrew if your wife says you can't take the wheelbarrow because it's roughly two-thirds the size of your courtyard then at least take this miniature dolls' house to go with the scooter. She'll love it!"


"Jon, it's good to see that the fishing rods will go to someone who'll appreciate them. And nothing says 'we caught a gourmet dinner' like an oversized granite mortar and pestle that you'll need LC and that burly couple lurking near the crockery over there to help drag over the doorstep."


"Lynne, I see you cacking away at our truly daggy CD collection but I'll have you know that we've not opened one case since we moved here and it's all itunes for us these days, baby. Let your boyfriend enjoy these modern antiques and I'll get the oil heater into the car if you lean back - yes, over the exercise bike and the pedestal fans - and grab the leaf blower as an accompaniment....."


"Yep, take 'em all for $5. Actually have this hammock as well - are you sure you don't want it? Fair enough, we didn't have two trees big enough either. Hmmm, I can't let you leave the house with just five books; might as well carry the wicker hamper and parmesan cheese grater home too, hey?"











After the last of the browsers had departed and our fingers had thawed, all big items left over were put up on ebay for 99 cents apiece. No thoughts of financial gain anymore, just the blind hope that someone will pick them up and take them away. Our house now has distinctly geometric patterns of dust on the floor where items used to be and with each new empty space comes a tiny speck more of inner excitement.


Love Chunks and I lunched in Puckle Street today and headed over to the lawyer's for a final tying up of necessary knots. We both looked like two unemployed bogans wandering idly in Moonee Ponds in mismatched clothing when workers were busy pushing past us. "Can you believe it," I whispered, gesturing to our leave-in-the-bin-when-we-leave clothes, "that we - yes, us - are moving to Europe?"


No way anyone in the street would have guessed it.


* When a tin or two of chopped tomatoes is taken out of the pantry, there must be at least two waiting behind them. Always. Same goes for toilet paper, gladwrap, tubes of toothpaste and blocks of cheese.

21 comments:

franzy said...

I'm getting all emotional!

Oh!

You simply must promise to blog every day!

Kath Lockett said...

Franzy as my house empties, my eyes get fuller.... will try my best to blog *hoping that LC is reading these comments* AS SOON AS I GET A LAPTOP....

Elephant's Child said...

Nice to know that the siege mentality exists in other lives as well.

And I'm with franzy, we want to live your life with you. Many, many blogs are needed.

Kath Lockett said...

I'll try, E-Child, I'll try.

Baino said...

Aww I'm really excited for you but sad I can't look you up next time I'm in Melbourne, I wish I'd done it now in April. It's a wonderful adventure and I'm sure you'll love it. Geneva's beautiful, make sure you get a house with a spare room or a comfy couch, I aint fussy!

Kath Lockett said...

Baino, three bedrooms is a must for we Locketts. For guests, writing and (possibly) a treadmill!

River said...

I'm getting quite sad reading this.
Not because you're leaving, I'm hapy that you're all going to experience so much. what's making me sad is all of your things getting sold. I look around at all my treasured things and know there is no way I could do what you are doing. When you leave I'm going to wave at every plane I see in the sky. Even though I know you won't be passing over Adelaide.

Nicole said...

Kath!!!!!!!!! I've been neglecting my blogs so I've missed out on this news. Here I was complaining about packing up my house after selling and buying in the next suburb! I've been thinking that after this move I'm NEVER moving again, but maybe if an opportunity like yours arose? I look forward to hearing about your adventures abroad.

Cat J B said...

Nearly time to go, wow, it's exciting! But so different from the trajectory I'm currently on.

Sighs with envy....

Ann ODyne said...

Handy Moving Hint no 38:
save a set of worn-out chuck-out clothes for the last day, so you can bin them after you put on your travelling clothes.
I move around all the time with minimal stuff and the opshop is my friend.

Pandora Behr said...

Definitely going to have to use that spare room - if you'll have me. It was a great garage sale. Gonna miss ya, but.

Marie said...

And here I was ready to KILL my husband when he wanted to move away from Vadstena only a few months after we'd moved there (having promised on Lambi's life that he'd never make me move again). As ghastly as that whole time was, it sounds like a walk in the park compared to you guys. Isn't it incredible just how much crap we accumulate? Tragic, really.

Like Ann, I've learned to travel light and not get too attached to "things" (says the madwoman who just bought an elephant teapot!). But that said, I do know how hard it is to leave things behind. The people you leave behind are even harder to deal with :(

But new phase of life - new challenges ahead and I'm really looking forward to your "WTF?" posts about Swiss bureaucracy, which is legendary. Viel Glück or is it Bonne chance? I never remember which part speaks what language there.

Kath Lockett said...

River, they're just things. When you have to reduce your current life to three 22kg suitcases and three 7kg carry ons, you realise that photos/pictures/Great Grandma's piano can be stored at your parents' and the rest is just stuff that's replaceable.

Welcome back Nicole. Put it this way - Love Chunks and I have moved from Adelaide to Melbourne; Melbourne to Darwin; Darwin to Melbourne; Melbourne to Adelaide; Adelaide to Melbourne but THIS is the hardest one because no moving van is turning up with all our gear....

CatJB your gestation is forty weeks, our was/is four but both of us will be on a rollercoaster ride that hopefully leaves us smiling and not sick and ill at the end!

Ann, the 'wear and chuck' clothes have been planned to the very last day, including leaving the bath towels' at my brother's place for our last shower!

Thanks Pandora. Enjoy the books - a few people walked away with a stack of books under their arms and big grins on their faces which made 'farewelling' them a nicer experience. Diabetes Association will be picking up the rest at 7am tomorrow morning.

Marie, you're spot on - it's amazing how little we can live with when we have to. Short holidays show us that. Geneva is French so I'll be saying 'Je suis desolate' a lot!

Plastic Mancunian said...

G'Day Kath,

I'm still jealous - I'd love to do what you are doing.

In fact. I wouldn't mind spending a few months in Oz or New Zealand ... or Hong Kong or Tokyo ... or Rio or New York ... or ...

:0)

Cheers

PM

Anonymous said...

What happened with the TV???!!


cheers
BS

Kath Lockett said...

Plasman - I'm a bit jealous too - is this REALLY going to happen or will I wake up in an empty house and 'bad joke' scrawled across my forehead?

Anon - the TV was sold, but NOT of course, to Minimind!

Vanessa said...

I am so excited for you all! Don't you dare complain about putting your feet up for 27 hours on the plane. What a wonderful adventure x

nuttynoton said...

well the excitement is rising, as well as the stress, but just enjoy, and hopefully you can cram in the nuttynotons at some stage in the next couple of years.
Never visited Switzerland hear it is clean and pretty but very expensive, you may need a trip to the UK to do your clothes shopping!
look forward to seeing your blogs on life with the cheese, chocolate and money!

Kath Lockett said...

ARGH - am desperately trying to goof off whilst waiting for the people who bought the bed to come and pick it up before the white goods folk arrive which is timed just before the exit of the dining setting but...

.... stupid &^%$ing BLOGGER won't let me publish anything! Argh!

Travel Guide said...

I'm so sad that your moving Kath! But i will keep in touch..promise to blog everyday..

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