This upcoming move (probably mid-summer) isn't too stressful as we hardly have any stuff now!. I shipped about 30 boxes in all, which isn't bad for almost 27 years in the USA, and certainly isn't bad when I compare it to the amount of boxes other expats brought to the UK. One even admitted to over 300. You know who you are!
I have also decided that I'm going to pay the movers to pack our stuff this time. That won't be too difficult for them as we have half a dozen boxes in the garage that have never been unpacked It makes me wonder if we really need it, but the real reason is that we don't have a lot of storage and I was not going to buy furniture for a house we weren't staying in. And obviously - we don't really need it! Plus, last year, when I packed the 30 boxes myself it nearly gave me another herniated disc.
So yeah. We're moving about a third of a mile down the road, to a house with a dream back garden, and a small pool. Not really thrilled about the pool given that we no longer have small kids you can just chuck in and keep an eye on while sipping spritzers. It's more likely to be teens getting a little too playful for my comfort level. The dog will be in all the time of course, which will be a pain since she's long haired and apparently said hairs clog up the filters. And then there's the maintenance. Apparently it's at least a twice a week thing during the summer so we're bribing the teen to do that, plus the mowing. Earn his keep, he will!
However, I'm not complaining. It will be nice to have our own house again; to be able to bang picture hooks into the walls without worrying about getting someone in to plaster and paint before we leave. I can think about a color scheme for each bedroom instead of just making do with what we have and hoping it doesn't clash too much. (Who knew that navy and teal looked so good together?) The utility room will be properly organised this time instead of loo rolls and dog food piled willy nilly on the two meagre shelves we have at the moment. Oh yes, there will be shelving and proper containers for everything.
